By Wally Bah
The Geneva Centre For Security Sector Governance (DCAF) has finally handed over the Gambia’s Security Sector Reform (SSR) Booklet Guide to the umbrella journalism body in the country called Gambia Press Union (GPU).
The event was held on Tuesday, 25 November 2019 at the Action-Aid The Gambia Head Office along the Management Development Institute (MDI) road in Kanifing.
The Guide is a product of the partnership between three organisations, to wit DCAF, GPU and the Swiss NGO foundation Hirondelle.
DCAF assists partner States and international actors supporting these States, to improve the governance of their security sector through inclusive and participatory reforms based on international norms and good practices.
Mr. Pansaw Nyassi, Interim Country Head of DCAF Banjul office, told the handing over ceremony audience that, after few months of work, they then have the honor to finally present the Booklet Guide to the GPU.
The guide aims to close the gap on unethical reporting when it comes to security sector reform, because as Nyassi indicated, “we have realized that there is a big gap in this; most of the journalists do not know how to report on security sector reform”.
He added, “That is why we deem it necessary to come up with this guide, such that it will help the journalists to know how to report on the security sector reform (SSR).”
The National Security Advisor to the Presidency, Mr. Momodou Badjie, intimated that after two years or so, the Barrow Government has taken lead when it comes to the security sector reform.
“The past is history. We all know how most of you have suffered in the past regime; we have seen what has happened.
“Therefore, we need security which is more answerable to Gambian people and not to the government directly,’’ said the erstwhile senior military officer who served under the former Jammeh-regime.
Badjie described the issue of security as “sensitive politically”, maintaining that without security, “there cannot be peace and stability”.
The European Union (EU) Ambassador to The Gambia, Mr. Attila Lajos, believed a strong media is not only beneficial for the public, but also for security institutions themselves. He opined that engaging constructively with the media could add to their own legitimacy, and that of security and justice providers.
“If the media takes part in this process, the reform will become more transparent, participatory and democratic,” the EU top diplomat in Banjul told his audience, as he also drew their attention to the happenings at the ongoing Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC), Constitutional Review Commission (CRC) and role of the media in those processes.
In his view, that should also be an inspiration for actors in SSR; and that the new course undertaken by the Gambia should be underpinned by safeguarding of the media’s independence and pluralism through the reform of repressive laws and policies that affected the media during the previous regime. He stressed that, this is what is happening real time.
The EU Ambassador noted that, the improvement in the government–media relations represents an opportunity for the Gambian media to contribute directly to the security sector reforms process.
Meantime, he made it clear that, for this process to be successful, the media’s participation in security sector discourse should be meaningful, constructive, and long-term.
