What lesson will Gambia give to the world?
The peaceful transfer of power that occurred in The Gambia made the country the darling of the world. No outsider believed that change was possible. ECOWAS came in only after victory was gained at the ballots. Gambians managed a difficult situation until bloodshed was avoided.
How to manage the impasse was considered to be more complex than managing a government with full support of the international community. Two years have elapsed. The anticipation was that all Gambians would put all their parochial, party, personal interests aside and focus on the national interests so that we will build a new constitution, new electoral law, new institutions and new sovereign Gambian into being. Those who erred would accept their mistakes and repent and those who were harmed would forgive. The history would then serve to teach others in particular and the future generation in general and how and why not to make errors of monumental proportion. That opportunity of giving lessons to the world is being challenged on a daily basis. Stones that could destroy eyes and break skulls are being gathered with the desire for revenge, threats of revenge could be heard on the corridors.
Foroyaa is making the early warning that two wrongs can never make a right. Inflicting pain on those who have inflicted pain would only sustain the vicious cycle of inflicting pain on each other. No such society could be at peace with itself.
Hence the ordinary Gambian, especially the Gambian youth should be the guardian of the gains of 2nd December 2016 whose slogan is “Never Again!” Have all Gambians embraced this slogan or are we just paying lip service to it. Time will tell. Just make sure that you are not counted as one of the perpetrators.
