Almost 20 years ago on April 10/11 2000, the nation went into a state of coma after live bullets took the lives of 14 innocent Gambians away. No one could understand why. The state could also not justify the action and it was also living in denial.
The progressive forces insisted that a Coroner’s Inquest should be held and a Commission of Inquiry instituted in order to be able to unearth what happened. Finally a Coroner’s Inquest was held and a Commission of Inquiry summoned. The victims however never really received the attention they deserve. The situation has now changed.
This teaches that no situation is permanent. The victims who were in their teens are now mostly above thirty years. They should have finished their educational careers and be well placed to commence building families. The commemoration of April 10/11 must not take the same form as it had for the past 18 years. The victims should no longer be crying for justice. Rather they should be showing how justice has been done and how the atrocities perpetrated should never reoccur. The current government should not wait for a TRRC to complete its work. It should create a data base for the victims and map out what ought to be done to redress their agony.
