By Lamin Njie
Salieu Taal has been elected new president of the Gambia Bar Association.
Mr Taal was elected unopposed at the association’s annual general meeting held in Banjul on Friday. He replaces Rachael Mendy and will be in office for a term of two years.
“Personally, it is a privilege to be elected to serve as President of the Bar. It is a challenging time for the bar and the country. I will work with my team and the general members to reposition our role as lawyers in the country whilst maintaining our independence and integrity,” the respected legal practitioner reacting to his election told The Fatu Network on Friday.
Taal’s emergence comes a few weeks after his predecessor Rachael Mendy sparked controversy following her sharp public criticism of President Adama Barrow’s movement.
Mendy at the opening of the 2019 legal year had said the Bar Association was “opposed to the action taken recently to resuscitate the establishment of a youth movement based on a personal agenda.” Supporters and at least one minister of President Barrow have slapped back at the Bar as being partisan.
But according to Taal who is also an activist, it is his belief the new team will unite and strengthen the Bar while maintaining their integrity.
