By: Sulayman Waan
Atila Lajos, European Union Ambassador, has said that without strong political engagement from key decision-makers now the Security Sector Reform (SSR) will fail- regardless of the resources and technical expertise invested in it.
“Without strong political engagement from key decision- makers now, SSR will fail regardless of the resources and technical expertise invested in it,” he said during the opening of forum for Dialogue- Directing SSR on 27th August, 2019 at Metzy Hotel.
According to him, he truly believed that the SSR can only be done if the country takes responsibility for its future, saying SSR has to be led and owned by Gambians.
“Only real political leadership can guide the reform process toward the achievement of clearly designated objective,” he noted.
However, he said many are saying government won’t attain its security goals, adding when people say authorities can’t overcome the status quo he always thinks of the Gambia that he met in 2016 during his first arrival in the country.
Lajos affirmed that very few people would have believed three years ago that change would be possible, adding yet the country has made history.
“So, now don’t tell me change isn’t possible. Gambian learned thus they know change is possible,” he stated.
According to him, what he have seen now within the last three years in the security sector is “no visible reform”, adding what he have seen is “increasing public and institutional frustration with perceived and lack of progress and leadership.”
“I see the unwillingness to prioritize areas within the Security Sector for fast-track reform and I see how this is undermining public support and the long- term sustainability of the process and I see a situation worsened by the absence of guidance and communication from the highest level.”
“Most of all he saw is how easy it would be to slip back into old nation because it would be easy we are used to them,” he noted.
He maintained that EU’s commitment must be measure by more than just the Euro and Dalasi they spend here (Gambia), saying the true sign of success is not whether they are a source of aid that helps people scrape by-it’s whether they are partners in building the capacity for transformational change.
Lajos noted that each nation produce democracy in its own ways in line with its tradition but history offers a clear verdict but added that governments that respect the will of their own people are more prosperous, stable and successful than governments that do the contrary.
He called on Gambian leaders to provide direction on three major issues includes “The SSR process has reach a point where executive direction is necessary for the process to survive (the office of the National Security particularly the drafting teams) need direction on what the vision is and what the next steps of the process should be”
He added: “Clarity on the appropriate size of each institution to fulfill their mandate and the resources the government of the Gambia is willing to allocate to adopting security institution including training, education, pension and staff mobility across civil and public service bodies,” .
Lajos said the executive must commit to a time-bounded framework to deliver reform which can mitigate the challenges and obstacle that will inevitably arise.
“This must include a clear indication based on available financial and institutional data as to how government will rationalize the sector over the years to come,” he added.
The diplomat assured that if the SSR progresses EU will be with the nation as partners and friend, adding opportunity won’t come from any other place but it must come from the decision that the nation do and hope that the country hold in your hearts.