Thank you Malanding. Baba On Sun, Mar 25, 2018, 6:19 AM Malanding Jaiteh <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Baba, > > Thanks for this update. Appreciated. > > > Malanding Jaiteh > > On 3/25/2018 1:21 AM, Baba Jallow wrote: > > *TRRC Update* > > By Baba Galleh Jallow > > Truth commissions are complicated institutions. Their very existence is > mired in controversy. Their mandates are often complicated and > misunderstood by the publics they serve. They are often considered a > panacea for all the human rights and criminal justice-related issues in > society. They never manage to mobilize national consensus on their > rationale for existence. Their mandate period is thus marked by an > unresolvable controversy over the alleged primacy of criminal prosecution > versus the alleged primacy of establishing the truth about what happened, > promoting national reconciliation and healing, and making sure that what > happened in the past never happens again. Many people scoff at the idea of > reconciliation, often going so far as to accuse those who establish truth > commissions of trying to force reconciliation down the throats of victims. > Their pre-establishment and establishment phases are characterized by all > manner of tricky situations, ranging from the difficulty of securing > adequate and timely funding, to the appointment of commissioners and the > recruitment of staff. Even finding suitable office space is sometimes a > challenge and some truth commissions spend a long time scouting around for > a suitable location. > > The Gambia’s TRRC is not immune to these challenges. In fact, the TRRC is > experiencing all of the above as we set out on the tricky path of > truth-seeking, healing and regeneration as a new and vibrant society that > will never again tolerate dictatorship. As is to be expected, there is no > national consensus about the need for the TRRC. While many Gambians support > the idea of a truth commission, many others maintain strong skepticism as > to the utility of the TRRC. Some see it as a very good way of helping > Gambia heal and victims get closure and some form of justice and > reparations, while others see it as an utter waste of time and resources or > a phony political ploy to distract from reality. Still others believe that > the TRRC will start hearings as soon as the commissioners are appointed. > This view often conflates the entire work of truth commissions with > hearings, prosecutions and justice for the victims. The idea of > reconciliation is given little serious thought because of the perceived > zero sum relationship between victims and perpetrators. In many cases, the > “never again” aspect of truth commission mandates is never seriously > considered beyond recommendations for justice reforms and punishments for > some perpetrators as a form of deterrence. > > Like many other truth commissions around the world, the TRRC is faced with > the problem of securing adequate and timely funding. While the guidelines > for the selection of commissioners was published several weeks ago and > calls for nominations published in the media and widely disseminated, the > recruitment process itself is not going as fast as anticipated. Funding > expected from the UNDP to finance the recruitment exercise for > commissioners has been slow in coming. The issue is further complicated by > the slowness of the work of government. Tedious procedures and bureaucratic > inaction in some quarters have slowed and complicated the work of the TRRC > in important respects. Sometimes, government transactions that should take > no more than a few days drag on for weeks on end, months even for reasons > that are not easily understood. However, as at the time of writing, it > seems as if the requisite funds from the UNDP and the Gambia government > will soon be released to allow the TRRC process to proceed as envisioned. > > It must be admitted that even when the funds are secured and available for > investment in the process, there are still a lot of important things to do > and challenges to overcome before the hearings of the TRRC begin. The > recruitment processes for commissioners and staff of the TRRC will take > some time. As soon as possible, the available positions at the TRRC > Secretariat will be advertised in the national media. And after > commissioners are appointed and staff recruited, they will get some > orientation on the commission’s mandate and the various roles they have to > play in the process. And then begins the first steps towards the first > hearings - statement taking, where victims come forward and tell their > stories on a one-to-one basis as a preliminary step towards public or > in-camera testimony as the case may be. Where there is any doubt as to > their veracity, some of these statements may be investigated and verified > by the TRRC’s team of investigators. And then the commissioners will > identify the cases with which to begin their hearing – or listening - > sessions as one might call them. > > Meanwhile, the challenge of finding suitable office space must be > surmounted. Once suitable premises are found, they have to be fitted for > the job. Some renovations might be needed, furniture must be bought, > telephone lines installed, computers set up, and among other things, enough > stationary and small electronic devices such as tape recorders and > microphones bought to get the work started. As we can imagine, setting up > the work space itself could take time and there is no way that the > commission can start its hearings without these things in place. Work is > currently ongoing to identify suitable office space for the TRRC. > > Traditionally, truth commission work is limited to its formal mandate. > This includes establishing a true historical record of what happened, > obtaining justice and reparations for victims, recommending prosecution or > amnesty for perpetrators, and publishing a final report in which the > commission makes recommendations including how best to prevent a recurrence > of past atrocities. The recommendations on how to prevent recurrence may > include institutional and justice reforms and lustration or vetting > processes designed to make the state more nation-friendly and to prevent > perpetrators of gross human rights violations from staying within the > public service or holding important public office for at least some time. > The recommendations may also include the establishment of institutions to > build upon and implement important aspects of the truth commission findings > after the commission itself is dissolved. > > While truth commissions are significantly inspired by a desire not only to > provide justice for the victims but also to prevent the recurrence of > dictatorship in a society, the “never again” aspect of its mandate is often > marginalized. There are some cases where the governments totally refuse to > make the findings of the truth commission public or publish its report. And > there are cases where reports are published but the recommendations of the > truth commission are never implemented. In some cases, the recommendations > of truth commissions are so obstructive of selfish political interests that > commissioners and staff find themselves on the receiving end of public > vendettas. Considering that the “never again” aspects of the > recommendations in these reports never see the light of day, the recurrence > of dictatorship and tyranny in some societies remains a troubling > possibility even after a truth commission process. > > Conscious that preventing the recurrence of dictatorship in this country > is a top national priority for all Gambians, the TRRC is actively thinking > outside the box to make sure that work on the “never again” aspect of its > mandate is not stalled by any of the above challenges. The TRRC is not > waiting for the end of its mandate to recommend ways of preventing a > recurrence of dictatorship and tyranny in this country. While the > establishment of its institutional structures is ongoing, the TRRC is > actively engaged in outreach activities designed to kick start a national > conversation on the empowered transformation of Gambian society and civic > culture. We are actively taking steps to ensure that the TRRC process is > victim-centered and people-owned, and to promote the view that all Gambians > have a say in the betterment of our society and should participate in a > national conversation on how best to overcome our inimical differences and > heal unhealthy political, ethnic, and religious cleavages within our > society. Thus to complement the formal work of the Commission which is yet > to begin, we have initiated a process of ongoing civic engagement and > dialogue that will give ownership of the TRRC process to the Gambian public > in order to actualize the all-important “never again” aspect of the TRRC > mandate. > > In this spirit the TRRC Secretariat is actively working Gambian civil > society organizations and international bodies such as the International > Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ), the Institute for Integrated > Transitions (IFIT), and the International Institute for Democracy and > Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), among others. We have had > several meetings and conversations with the Center for the Victims of Human > Rights Violations (Victims Center) and are collaborating with them on some > activities that will promote their cause, help animate our national > conversation, facilitate justice and healing for the victims and their > families, and ultimately put them at the center of the TRRC process. In > close collaboration with the ICTJ, the TRRC is facilitating support to the > Victims Center in the form of staff and volunteer training, strategy > development, proposal writing, and an ongoing partnership in their quest > for justice and reparations for their members and other victims of human > rights violations yet to register with them. We have had conversations with > the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) with a view to seeing > how best and in what areas they can assist both the center and individual > victims needing medical treatment for certain types of conditions, > including psychological trauma. The ICRC has expressed strong interest in > supporting the TRRC’s work on the disappeared. > > The TRRC has had fruitful conversations with “Gambia Kiling” (One Gambia) > and is collaborating with them to organize what we believe will be the > first of many public conversations on issues of crucial national importance > to our country. The TRRC hopes to continue organizing similar fora in > collaboration with “Gambia Kiling” and other civil society organizations > and communities across the country. The TRRC Secretariat actively > encourages any civil society organization interested in collaborating with > us to please reach out and share ideas. Our doors are open and we are > always happy to collaborate on public events that further the cause of > truth, justice, reconciliation, national unity and popular empowerment in > Gambian society. This is an essential priority component of our “never > again” mandate. > > The TRRC Secretariat in currently talking to TANGO with a view to working > together to promote a national conversation on “The Gambia We Want.” This > conversation has already been started by TANGO and the TRRC is happy to > collaborate and actively participate in an ongoing national conversation on > this important theme. We are scheduled to meet with TANGO in the next few > days to see how best we can collaborate going forward. The TRRC recognizes > that in The Gambia we all want, there will be no room for dictatorship and > oppression of the kind we experienced under the past regime. And we can and > we will create that Gambia in partnership with TANGO, Gambian communities > and all interested civil society organizations. > > The TRRC recognizes the crucial role that the media will play in our > truth, reconciliation and reparations processes. We therefore seek active > engagement with Gambian media of all kinds in our work. We have already had > the opportunity to speak to several media houses, both national and > international, and to sit in on at least two live panel discussions on GRTS > and West Coast Radio. The TRRC recognizes that perhaps more than any other > actors, the media will be responsible for the dissemination and > synchronization of our national conversation on how best to create a better > and brighter Gambia. A national media training session on reporting truth > commissions is at the early stages of planning. This workshop will bring > together 30 journalists from all sectors of the Gambian media with a view > to brainstorming on the sensitive nature of reporting truth commission > procedures, especially those involving child and gender-based violations. > > Thus unlike a traditional truth commission, the TRRC’s work will be > characterized by two closely connected but distinct processes. Once it is > up and running, the commission will carry out its traditional functions of > hearings, justice for victims, reparations, amnesty etc. with a view to > issuing a report with recommendations at the end of its mandate. In the > meantime, the TRRC believes that work on the prevention of future > dictatorship, the healing of social fractures, the promotion of national > unity and the empowerment of the Gambian people can happen through an > ongoing process of national engagement and conversation across political, > ethnic and religious lines. The TRRC is therefore conceptualized as both a > formal transitional justice mechanism and a transformative cultural > institution that, through creative engagement with the Gambian public - > civil society organizations, educational institutions, and grassroots > community structures - will ensure that by the end of its mandate, the > “never again” aspect of its mission would have been largely accomplished. > Meanwhile, the TRRC will share periodic updates on the state of its work > with the general public. > > ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ To > unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web > interface at: http://listserv.icors.org/archives/gambia-l.html > > To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: > http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?S1=gambia-l To contact the > List Management, please send an e-mail to: > [log in to unmask] > ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ > > > -- > Dr. Malanding S Jaiteh > Principal Consultant > Geospatial Data Solutions (The Gambia)http://www.geospatialdatasolutions.com > Skype: msjaiteh > Mobile & WhatsApp: +220-726-8905 > > ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ To > unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web > interface at: http://listserv.icors.org/archives/gambia-l.html > > To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: > http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?S1=gambia-l To contact the > List Management, please send an e-mail to: > [log in to unmask] > ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ > ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://listserv.icors.org/archives/gambia-l.html To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?S1=gambia-l To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤