By: Yunus S Saliu
In the approach of The Gambia Independence Day celebration, a Gambian erudite historian has urged everyone to always give the country’s Independence a lot of consideration and respect. Hence, it is like individual ‘birthday where everything in life started.’
Underscoring the importance of independence, Hassoum Ceesay, the acting Director General of the National Center for Arts and Culture said that most of the things we are enjoying today such as freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, Gambian Own Currency among other things could not have been possible without the Independence.
The famous historian described the Independence as the genesis of what people are enjoying “even citizenship”. When you apply for a passport they will write ‘Gambian citizen’ because the country is Independent. But in 1960 or the period before Independence, if you apply for a passport they will not write Gambia citizen but they will write ‘As a Subject of Her Majesty Government.’”
DG Ceesay disagreed with people that are casting doubt about the country’s Independence. He then emphasized that The Gambia is an Independent Country. “The Gambia writes its own laws, make its own decisions, and open embassies for The Gambia in other countries, doing many things while before independence everything was dictated from London even our dalasi.”
He asserted that the country having its own flag, national anthem, conducts its own election among other things are all symbol of Independent as independence signifies freedom.
He went further that before the Independence in 1965; there were lots of repressions which typical example was that “during the colonial era in Bathurst, immediately after 6pm, no black man or woman can walk at Marina Parade as such person will be arrested because the area then is specifically meant for only the white people and nobody will dare to beat drum when it is 7pm because there was a special regulation for the beating of drum.”
Comparing the three Republics in the country, he noted that the first Republic helped to solidify the country’s Independence. On Democracy, the rule of law had earned the country international respect and even became the human rights capital of Africa.
The 1994 coup which later ushered in second Republic removed the most successful Democratic country in Africa when the country lost a lot of leverage on Democracy, Human Rights and The Gambia become a tortured capital where press freedom was highly repressed and political prisoners becomes order of the day.
However, all these were at the cost of something else because there were some infrastructural development like new Airports, University, and Hospitals. Nevertheless, looking at the balance in the first Republic the country gained a lot in terms of basic fundamental human rights while in the second Republic the country gained a lot in term of infrastructures but also lost a lot in term of democratic record and credential.
With confidence DG Ceesay assured that the third Republic can win on both ways as the country continues to develop on infrastructures such as roads, bridges, highways, university, hospitals and at the same time regain her former position as the capital for democracy and human rights in action especially if we can work towards killing two birds with one stone. “That’s having a developmental agenda with the rule of laws and implementing democratic agenda at the same time.”