By: Nyima Sillah
The Deputy Party Leader of The Gambia Action Party (GPA), Babucarr Bayo, has disclosed his party’s readiness to hold the government accountable towards instituting security policy and security governance.
He made the disclosure during an interview granted to the Voice.
The renowned politician stated that the Deputy Inspector General of Police had mentioned that the Gambia was the only country without security policy and security governance.
According to him, security governance is the apparatus put in place to govern the security status in a country, also policies are developed to ensure they create a guideline on how security matters are dealt with. He adds that it is vital for the government to look into theseissues and ensure that the country has security policy and security governance whereby the two can be channeled to consolidate the efforts of the SIS.
He opined that the National Assembly Select Committee responsible for security, recently had a joint communiqué that expressed the need to have a robust national security policy, saying it is saddened to hear that the National Assembly Select Committee for Security had to meet stakeholders, especially the police force and also the Army to look at the status of the national security and policy where the national security adviser was also present.
“During this convergence, we heard that the Gambia is the only country in the sub-region that does not have a security policy and also security governance. So this is what made the Gambia Action Party look into what we call the security apparatus in this country,” he asserted.
The GAP Deputy Party Leader pointed out that the security sector reform which was on the way and also a defense policy which was also drafted by the national armed forces were all geared towards consolidating the peace and security of the Gambia.
He suggested that before completing the exercise of the Security Sector Reform, the Gambia Police Force, Army, and Immigration should have a joint communiqué to look at the lapses in the peace and security of this country and then develop a policy that will gear towards targeting all issues of security in the country.