By Abdoulie John
The head of United States visiting Congressional delegation to said his team comprehended the need for The Gambia to come to terms with its past.
“We understand the need to have an account of the past, and to step confidently into the future,” North Carolina’s Fourth District Representative, David Price on Monday told this reporter after a meeting with a group of Gambian lawmakers at the National Assembly in Banjul.
The Gambia is transitioning from dictatorship to democracy amid rising demand for justice to be amplified at the ongoing Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC). Additionally, the new regime has embarked on a massive institutional and constitutional reform geared towards turning the country into a modern democracy. For 22 years, Gambians have been denied the right to enjoy democracy.
But U.S. Democratic Party Legislator David said it is up to the people of The Gambia and their representatives to find the way forward in order to address the wrongs of the past. Mr. Price said his delegation constitutes a bi-partisan group with a special focus on democracy and legislative issues.
Mr. Price also expressed his delegation’s take on The Gambia’s ongoing transitional justice system. He said they are “very interested and encouraged by what is going on in The Gambia.”
Before wrapping up its two-day visit, the Congressional delegation which includes Representatives Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma, R Barbara Lee of California, DeGette of Colorado, and Alma Adams of North Carolina, met President Adama Barrow, the Speaker and National Members, civil society group, Peace Corps volunteers and good number of government officials.
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