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| The opposition leader criticised the President Jammeh-led government for not giving clear reasons of its shock withdrawal from the body usually referred to as “the Family of Nations”. |
“As a Gambian I am appealing to the government
and it’s cabinet to revisit its withdrawal and rejoin the institution for the
benefit of the entire Gambia,” the leader of the People Progressive Party (PPP)
told The Voice on Saturday.
The West
African country decided to pull out of the Commonwealth, an institution it
described as ‘neo-colonial’ on October 2.
"(The) Government has withdrawn its
membership of the British Commonwealth and decided that The Gambia will never
be a member of any neo-colonial institution and will never be a party to any
institution that represents an extension of colonialism,” the statement read.
Mr Jallow said
the withdrawal from one of the world biggest international organizations was
“shocking and disappointing” - saying “it is a bad and wrong decision”.
“It is very sad,
when all countries are now trying to join regional or international
organizations Gambia is opting to isolate itself from such a very important
institution,” he said.
He added:
“Commonwealth serves as a platform for all (former) English colonies to
interact, and its jurisdiction is even now extended to non-English colonies like
Mozambique, a (former) French colony.”
OJ said The
Gambia has been a very strong and effective member of the Commonwealth and have
participated in all its functions. The country enjoyed numerous benefits from
the institution - ranging from judiciary strengthening, scholarships, and youth
development programmes, he added.
Mr Jallow, a
former Agriculture Minister, whose party was ousted by President Yahya Jammeh
in a 1994 coup, said the Commonwealth has also helped to train Gambia’s security
forces including the army and the police. We also enjoy cultural, social and
economic benefits from this institution, he said.
Right to know
The opposition
leader also criticised the President Jammeh-led government for not giving clear
reasons of its shock withdrawal from the body also known as “the Family of
Nations”.
“Gambians have
the right to know the reason behind this decision,” he stressed. “Government is
a representation of the people, it (should be) for the people, by the people
and accountable to the people,” he argued.
Gambians should
be informed of any major decision to be taken by the government especially
decisions like this (withdrawal of Commonwealth membership), he noted.
He said proper
consultation should have been done from the level of the cabinet, the
parliament and the general public - so as to listen to their opinions on the
issue.
Jallow told The
Voice that the government cannot just take “arbitrary decisions”
without consulting the masses. It’s wrong, he argued.
“It is the Gambian people who will suffer,” he
said citing that all benefits from the body will be stopped. He said there was
a need to look into the positives and negatives of leaving the Commonwealth. Source: The Voice
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