Fatou Jange Senghore, the Director of human rights group, Article 19, on Saturday challenged Gambian government officials to make citizens feel the change that has been clamoured in the New Gambia.
“Doing business as usual is not the option. Make sure Gambians feel the change that we all fought for by serving public interest and delivering services to the people,” she emphasised.
Ms. Senghore, a passionate human rights and free expression advocate, nicknamed “Senegambian Iron Lady”, made the remarks at a day-long forum on “Development practice and institution building”.
The event dubbed “Stake in the Nation Forum (SNF)” is an annual consultative exercise in the Gambia Diaspora Strategy and Gambia’s National Development Plan.
It brings together diaspora groups, government officials, civil society actors and many others to discuss a wide range of development matters and contribute towards the formulation of government policies, among other things.
Ms. Senghore, who heads the African regional office of Dakar-based Article 19, said the culture of impunity which was a hallmark of the dictatorial rule seen in the Gambia in the past must be eradicated.
She stressed the importance and need for the new Gambia to have a well-functional democratic governance going with accountability and transparency within government circles and among people acting in the name of citizens.