We must commend rights activist Madi Jobarteh for a wonderful comprehensive “Review of the Vetting Bill, 2023,” – which Bill is presently at the National Assembly for enactment.
We advocate sharing Madi’s “review” as widely as possible for the enlightenment of the General Public and encourage the people’s representatives in the National Assembly to digest its contents and use it to guide their work on the bill.
Going by the “review,” it is surprising that such a bill – which, according to Jobarteh, strays from “the nature and objective of the vetting process as spelled out in the ICTJ policy brief” is coming from the Justice minister.
Indeed, it is enlightening to learn that the bill, as crafted and submitted by the country’s Justice minister for enactment by the President and National Assembly, has all the deficiencies highlighted by the rights activist in his “review.”
It is also concerning that it would come from what is supposed to be the Ministry of Justice, whose duty should be to serve as the chief promoter of good governance practices in the government machinery.
Moreover, it is unacceptable that Gambia’s Justice Ministry, which is guiding the country’s ongoing Transitional Justice processes, would propose such a bill.
Consequently, we must pity the President of the Republic, who relies on the Justice minister for advice and guidance on good governance and expects him/her to help the President create and leave an enviable legacy of good governance.
Thus, it is urgent to revisit the present arrangement by separating the Attorney General’s Chambers from the Justice Ministry.
Ideally, the Ministry of Justice should be a standalone ministry whose sole purpose would be to uphold justice in the country, guide the Executive, and keep the government and nation on the straight path so that the government and all public institutions do not deviate from the tenets of good governance and internationally recognized best practices.
