Break the silence (Editorial)
The Independent <http://www.qanet.gm/Independent/independent.html>  (Banjul)
May 26, 2000
Banjul - It is now over one and a half months since the bloody events of 10th
and 11th April. While the physical remnants of the disturbances are beginning to
disappear with some government buildings being repaired, signs replaced and the
streets cleared of burnt out car wrecks, the public is still waiting to know
why.
The Coroner was appointed on 17th April and concluded his hearings a few weeks
ago. It was announced that the report of the Coroner's findings would be
released on 15th May. People both inside The Gambia and in many parts of the
world have been eagerly waiting for these findings. But 15th May has come and
gone and there has been nothing but silence from the government on the matter.
While there was considerable scepticism regarding the Coroner's Inquest, with
many criticising the Coroner's initial statements that he would not determine
guilt or innocence and appeared to shy away from acknowledging his powers to
order prosecutions, the majority of the population gave the government the
benefit of the doubt and awaited the outcome.
Many grieving parents and relatives of the dead overcame their distress to
attend the hearings, give evidence and even question witnesses to ensure the
Inquest was thorough.
The government's silence on their failure to release the report as scheduled is
puzzling. What is the problem? If either the Coroner or the government needs
more time, then why not announce this publicly explaining the reasons and
thereby setting people's minds at rest?
As we have reported today, many people are very dissatisfied with this
unexplained delay. It has led some to question the potential effectiveness of
the Commission of Enquiry that began its hearings on Wednesday.
The people of The Gambia will never forget the untimely and brutal deaths of
those young people who lost their lives on those fateful days. It is clear that
the causes for such a tragedy must be determined, acknowledged and made public
and those responsible brought to book. The President has indeed acknowledged
this when he promised the nation that 'no stone would be left unturned.'
However, unexplained delays in the release of such crucial findings will not aid
this process. Transparent, swift and uncompromising justice is the medicine
needed to heal the nation. Responsibility for this falls squarely in the laps of
the government and the judiciary.

Copyright (c) 2000 The Independent. Distributed via Africa News Online
(www.africanews.org). For information about the content or for permission to
redistribute, publish or use for broadcast, contact the publisher.

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