By: Nyima Sillah
Top PDOIS official Jaha Dukureh has expressed regret for not contesting HalifaSallah’s seat in the legislature.
As the debate over the repealing of the anti-FGM legislation raged on at the floor of the National Assembly early this week, Madam Dukureh pointed out that the FGM conundrum will persist if the House does not havedetermined people to defend the rights of women and girls.
“A lot of things that happen in our country are especially related to laws. If you don’t have people there (Parliament), who can stand up and defend the rights of women and girls, we will always have issues like this in society,” she stated in an interview with The Voice.
“I am mad at myself for not, at least, trying to be a National Assembly Member because right now my voice would have been needed in the National Assembly more than anything else,” she explained.
According to her, there was this realization from the outset that ending FGM in The Gambia would not necessarily be easy.
“But at the end of the day, we are also notbacking down. We will continue trying to educate ourselves and educate our people on the dangers and the harmful effects of this practice and we know that someday, we will get there,” Jaha stressed.
She reiterated that: “I am mad at myself for not contesting Halifa’s seat when he retired from Parliament. A lot of us are needed in that National Assembly.”