By Sheriff Musa
The Deputy House Speaker Hon. Seedy S.K Njie has emphasized that access to justice should be a universal right and not a privilege.
Addressing the 147th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly in Luanda, Angola, Hon. Njie said the theme for the convergence Parliamentary Action for Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions came at a time when the world is witnessing one of its worst inhumane and barbaric massacres and human rights violations of “our times” in Palestine.
“Thousands of innocent women, children, and civilians are being killed by the hour, religious buildings, hospitals, schools, and public places being destroyed as a result of the horrific, indiscriminate and barbaric airstrike bombardments in the Gaza Strip by Israel, in total disregard of international laws and all UN Resolutions. It must be forthrightly stated that not all Gaza residents are Hamas,” Hon. Njie pointed out.
He stressed that the people of Palestine must be allowed to live in their land as a sovereign nation and people and in line with the two-state solution approach.
The Gambia’s National Assembly deputy speaker noted that the UN, through the UN Security Council and other world bodies, continues to engage in futile diplomacy and politics while Israel continues to murder thousands of Palestinians and destroy Gaza and Palestine.
“To this end, our government under the leadership of President Adama Barrow, is committed through its National Legal Aid Secretariat, to ensuring that support to accessing legal services, as well as a fair, independent, and efficient judicial system, is guaranteed for all citizens irrespective of our political affiliations, socio-economic status, gender, race, tribe or religion.
We are working to eliminate legal barriers and ensure that justice is accessible by all,” the deputy speaker highlighted.
Corruption
He explained that an anti-corruption legislation is underway.
“The fight against corruption, a scourge that impedes justice and strong institutions, is a battle that we are collectively waging. The enactment and enforcement of an anti-corruption legislation that would build us a society where everyone is held accountable for their actions is currently underway,” he stated.
Human Rights
He stressed that the protection and promotion of human rights is a cornerstone of SDG 16, adding that it’s the government’s responsibility to advocate for the rights of all individuals, including those who are marginalized and vulnerable. ‘No one should be left behind,” he added.
He continued: “As parliamentarians, we should be the architects of a society that upholds the principle of democracy and good governance and strong institutions. Let us work together, across borders, to ensure that our collective efforts bring us closer to the world we envision – a world where peace, justice, and strong institutions prevail for the betterment of all humanity.”
Deputy speaker Njie said the international community and people’s representatives are failing in their responsibility.
“The International community and us as representatives of the people are failing in our responsibilities. While we are busy engaging in empty rhetoric, thousands continue to endure suffering and being deprived of necessities like food, water, electricity, basic medicines, and shelter,” he asserted.
“This is atrocious and inhumane. In Gaza, humanitarian aid is short; the world must stand resolute and take decisive action to end the hypocrisy and politicizing of the United Nations Security Council’s veto power and act more responsibly to avert global catastrophe,” he underscored.
Hon. Njie called on all parties in “this catastrophe” to respect and act by international law and avoid further killings of civilians and all previous United Nations resolutions on Palestine and Israel.
“I further call upon this General Assembly to act now and pass strong resolutions against Israel and ask Israel to immediately stop this Stone Age barbarism,” he added.
Meanwhile, delegates from 130 countries attended the Luanda meeting.
