TANGO Chairperson Urges New Victims’ Centre Board To Ensure Unity Amongst Them
Yadicon Njie Eribo, chairperson of TANGO has called on the new board members of the Gambia Centre for Victims of Human Rights Violations to ensure that unity becomes the new mantra of their tenure.
She was speaking on Saturday during the 3rd annual general meeting organized by the, held at the Paradise Suites Hotel in Kololi.
She told the new board that there is no time for passing blame and holding grudges, adding that it is time to come together to ensure that the recommendations of the White Paper are implemented to bring respite, relief, rehabilitation and closure for their constituents.
Madam Njie-Eribo urged that they should ensure that policies, rules and regulations are followed to the latter, to take clear and specific action, to look at all the issues that have been raised and address each adequately and be fair that no doubts will be in the member’s minds.
“I wish to plead with you the members, the staff and the board to put the Victims’ Centre first, put aside your difference and look for ways to work together,” she urged.
She further urged all Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to be self-accountable before holding government accountable.
She said they should become examples of accountability by achieving their goals and tasks which she said can only be achieved when they limit distractions, noise and outside pressure.
She noted that “CSOs have different mandates, but we are all here to engage in advocacy and offer alternative policies for government, private sector, and other institutions. We deliver services to the poor, marginalized and vulnerable.”
She said “we work with government, compliment and monitor their policies and actions and try to hold government accountable. Now if we are holding government accountable, we ourselves should be examples of accountability by achieving our goals and tasks which we can only achieve when we limit distractions, noise and outside pressure.”
She said that one of CSOs mandate is to hold annual general assembly be it annually, biannually or whatever chosen time line in accordance with their organization’s constitutions, to elect its leaders in a democratic and transparent manner.
She pointed out that “we can’t be seen to be overstaying our mandated time and yet we still want to go out there and monitor elections to determine if the State conducted free and fair elections while in our own corners, we do not implement what we are demanding for others.”
“As long Civil Society is out there holding stakeholders to follow rules, so are we in our organizations?” she asked. She noted that there are rules and regulations in place to check corruption in their organizations and to address it as the rules call for.
“Here too, we can’t be out there stamping out corruptions while we are not holding so in our own quarters,” she pointed out. Adding that as civil society, they should hold regular elections and have checks in place to avoid any foul play likewise have instruments in place to check their dealings.
