President Yahya Jammeh (Photo Credit: SEYLLOU/AFP) |
Distinguished
Friends, Africans and the rest of Humanity
I salute
you all in Islam, Assallamu Alaikum Wa Rah Ma Tu Lahi Wa Barakatuhu
As we
celebrate this day marking the 19th anniversary of the great 22nd
July Revolution, I am overwhelmed with great joy and deep gratitude to the
Almighty Allah for his infinite blessings upon this great country throughout
the past nineteen years. Thanks to Allah’s guidance, blessings and protection,
today we have a lot to rejoice for and celebrate the fruits of our 19 years
journey through turbulent waters and stormy weather. Thanks to the Almighty
Allah, the Gambian women and youth and our gallant Armed and Security forces
together with Government, have succeeded in building a modern, peaceful and
stable country in the most volatile and crisis ridden region of Africa.
Praise
be to Allah, for all his infinite mercy, bountiful blessings upon and
continuous protection of our great motherland. This year’s celebration falls
within the Holy Month of Ramadan, making it a special period for prayers,
sacrifice and profound reflection. It is for this reason that the celebration
is low-keyed. This gives us a golden opportunity for much contemplation and
stock taking on the state of our moral wellbeing and our adherence to the
teachings of Islam as prescribed by Allah Subhana Wa Ta’ala especially in the
way we conduct our lives in private, in public and in government; in short –
our lives as individuals, communities and nation as well as a sovereign people.
Therefore, in this blessed month of Ramadan, I would like you to join me in
reflecting candidly upon our individual and collective way of life, taking into
consideration our religions inclinations. This is necessary if we are to avoid
the catastrophic consequences that humanity faces today as a consequence of
some very satanic, evil and abominable ungodly behavior that has never been so
rampant in the entire history of human existence.
It is
therefore my duty to share with you the essence of this year’s theme ‘’Let’s
Live and behave according to our religion’’.
As
strong believers in the One and Only TRUE GOD; THE ALMIGHTY ALLAH, we must
accept that only religion and its basic teachings should provide the guiding
principles for our thoughts and actions as human beings and that all our
interactions and interpersonal relations should be guided by these religious
tenets. Therefore, I enjoin all Gambians to continue to live by the teachings
of their Prophets and supreme HOLY QURAN for the Muslims and the Holy Bible for
the Christians.
As
faithful believers, it is obligatory that we live strictly by the dictates of
our religion in order to build on the gains made over these nineteen years and
accelerate our rate of development, no matter how imperative it has been.
As human
beings, we should always live our lives within the limits of the natural order
and reject the moral decadence of homosexuality, lesbianism and other immoral
acts that are slowly creeping into our lives as individuals and society in
general. Certain societies have turned such vices into virtue and virtue into
vice often incurring the wrath of the Almighty Allah, which are often
manifested in inexplicable calamities. However, we are thankful that such ugly
phenomena will not take root in our country. We must jealously guard our
traditional and religious values as these will lead us not on to temptation and
sin but salvation and virtuous lives.
In fact,
promoting homosexuality and imposing it on weaker or poorer nations is a
declaration of war on both religions and human existence. For Muslims, this is
a Declaration of WAR ON ISLAM, A Declaration of WAR AGAINST ALLAH, A
Declaration of WAR on HUMAN EXISTENCE – for which every true believer must be
ready to lay down your life to defend ISLAM, FIGHTING THE CAUSE OF ALLAH and
Defend HUMAN EXISTENCE.
These
satanic and decadent powers that promote such UNGODLY and Satanic behavior in
the name of Freedom and Human rights would fail just like the crusaders failed
to stop Islam. The crusaders failed because true Muslims stood up to them.
These homosexuals promoting powers would fail miserably because all true
believers, Muslims and Christians are standing up to them.
I will
use this occasion and in the spirit of Ramadan to commiserate with our Muslim
brothers and sisters around the world whose countries have been plunged into
chaos often instigated by bigger non-Muslim countries seeking to impose their
evil and Anti Islamic will on Allah fearing independent minded people and
countries.
Fellow
Gambians, in spite of all the scepticism and cynicism expressed in the past, I
am proud to state that today, a great deal of remarkable successes have been
registered thanks to the Almighty Allah. Nineteen solid years of uninterrupted
rapid socio-economic development, in a region saddled with economic uncertainty
and senseless conflicts, provides a huge platform for us to declare that we as
Allah worshipping Gambians are able to achieve this only by THE WILL AND
BLESSINGS OF THE ALMIGHTY ALLAH.
A few
examples will suffice to substantiate this. The massive expansions in Education
at the basic and tertiary levels, and the huge investment and achievements made
in health care have literally taken these two vital services to the door steps
of every Gambian. Also, the construction of first class mosques, road networks
coupled with the emergence of world class hotels and hospitality
infrastructure, the thriving financial institutions and steady economic growth,
among others, attest to the strong commitment and dedication of my Government
to the building of an ultra modern nation.
INSHA
ALLAH, our dream nation is within our reach as long as we remain righteous,
pious and ALLAH-Fearing Muslims and Christians.
Fellow
Gambians,
Distinguished
Friends, Africans and the rest of Humanity
Let me
reassure you again that my Government will continue to pursue the economic and
fiscal policies which underpin our rapid development, and have for the past
nineteen years made our economy successful and resilient to international
economic shocks and global financial difficulties. So far, our remarkable feat
in economic management makes it possible to transform The Gambia into an
economic super power where anyone can attain the highest living standards in
the world if he/she makes such effort.
Fellow
Gambians
Distinguished
Friends, Africans and the rest of Humanity
During
these nineteen years, the translation of The Gambia’s attainment of
Independence into positive development has endeared patriotism to many at home
and abroad. We shall continue the path to rapid and quality development, with
religion being our guiding pillar. The ALMIGHTY ALLAH IS OUR SOLE Protector,
Provider, Sustainer and above all, our SUPREME ATHORITY that we will only bow
down to. With this ABIDING FAITH in THE SUPREMACY of the ALMIGHTY ALLAH, and
placing our individual and collective destiny as a nation in THE HANDS OF OUR
ALMIGHTY Creator, Our Government will not only consolidate these developments
but achieve greater success and make giant strides in agriculture, trade,
tourism, energy, petroleum and construction. We will continue to create the
enabling environment for the development of the private sector as well, in view
of its great potential to contribute significantly to sustainable economic
growth, development and prosperity for all inhabitants of this great nation.
Fellow
Gambians
Distinguished
Friends, Africans and the rest of Humanity
Religion
prescribes hard work and living by what we sweat for. This is particularly
relevant in relation to agriculture, where as Gambians, we should endeavour to
‘‘grow what we eat and eat what we grow.’’ In this direction, we will strive
for and ensure self-sufficiency in food production in three years and go into
the export domain in 2017 without fail INSHA ALLAH.
Fellow
Gambians
Distinguished
Friends, Africans and the rest of Humanity
The
health sector will continue to be a priority for my Government, and this is
evident from the massive investment in the sector that has spanned the length
and breadth of the country. The result of such investment includes the
expansion of public health facilities, extensive training of the much needed
health human resource base, the provision of adequate supply of essential drugs
and cost-effective preventive public health interventions. Although health care
delivery is within reach of all Gambians irrespective of location, specialist
care is still limited. In this direction, a proposal for modern diagnostic and
specialist equipment has been developed for the Edward Francis Small Teaching
Hospital, as well as other major Hospitals. Insha Allah, we will implement all
these projects very soon to usher in world class, medical care for all and
sundry.
My
Government continues to commit resources and time to developing the human
capital stock by investing heavily in health and education, as this is the only
way we can achieve our desired developmental goals in record time. In
consequence, relevant, good quality and accessible education will always be a
hallmark and a priority for my Government. In fact, it is only through
education that we can understand our religion and live by it. From the
beginning of human civilization, the function of education in society has been
to prepare people to live useful and fulfilling lives as well as become good
citizens, amongst others. In fulfilling this role, education systems the world
over have indeed made conscious efforts to provide appropriate educational
content geared towards this end. From this perspective, the theme for this
year’s anniversary is arguable more meaningful and relevant to our social
being, attitude and spirituality than anything else. We will train scientist,
medical experts, professionals, in all aspects of human endeavour so that in
the next decade, we will not depend on foreign expatriates who have become too
expensive and beyond the reach of most third world countries.
As a
guiding principle for sustainable development, we shall maintain and jealously
guard our independent, dignity and our religious values for prosperity we will
continue producing home trained graduates, certificate and diploma holders in
various fields of study with quality and relevant knowledge, skills required
for their full participation in the socio-economic development of the Gambia.
Hence, our national curriculum would be strictly based on our National
Development requirements.
Fellow
Gambians
Distinguished
Friends, Africans and the rest of Humanity
Our
environment and all it contains is one of the most valued gifts of our creator,
and it is incumbent on all of us to preserve and sustain it for prosperity so
that generations yet unborn can be guarantee very healthy living standards.
Given the many challenges that the world faces today, especially with regard to
climate change, we must live up to the responsibility of taking care of this
earth, as its condition affects all life on it. With this in mind, together
with the realization of the degradation of the environment in many aspects,
government has undertaken a number of initiatives to address core challenges
that pose a threat to a safer, cleaner, and healthier environment. Prominent
among these are the monthly operation clean the nation and the annual tree
planting exercise. In fact, a clean environment is inevitable in the worship of
ALLAH and the practice of our religious obligations.
The holy
prophet, Muhammed (peace be upon him) is reported to have said that “if the
Hour is about to be established and one
of you is holding a palm shoot, let him take advantage of even one second
before the Hour is established to plant it.|
This
clearly demonstrates the significant of protecting our environment, which
justified government’s resolve to pursue such noble initiatives. I have been
calling on all Gambians to plant trees annually as far back as in 1995
especially during the rainy season in order to maintain a clean environment and
to have sustainable household incomes. Unfortunately, some people still cannot
get it. To this end, my government will continue to encourage and support the
department of forestry and the national environment agency for the realization
of a clean and green environment.
Fellow
Gambians
Distinguished
Friends, Africans and the rest of Humanity
Government
prides itself on the successes registered in building a modern and efficient
communication infrastructure. With the operation of several GSM mobile
companies, in the Gambia is ranked high in Africa in terms of telephone per
capita. Cognizant of the importance of telecommunication in today’s
socio-economic development, we have recently invested significantly I broadband
internet through the ACE submarine cable project which connects the Gambia to
the global information superhighway, thereby enhancing communication.
The
internet now stands out as a unique source of vast information where people can
learn about everything ranging from their religion as well as engage in our
scholastic endeavour. However we also note with grave concern that it is also
being used as platform for nefarious and satanic activities. Consequently,
government will work with relevant partners on effective cyber security strategies
to ensure cyber sanity and security.
Fellow
Gambians
Distinguished
Friends, Africans and the rest of Humanity
No
nation can achieve sustainable rapid development without reliable and
affordable energy. The energy sector continues to be a cornerstone of our
development efforts, as the provision of an efficient, reliable and affordable
energy supply is crucial to sustainable socio-economic development. In pursuit
of our objectives for this important sector, my government has, over the past
nineteen years, invested heavily in power generation and distribution
infrastructure in our endeavour to bring electricity to the homes of all
Gambians. However, we acknowledge that a lot could still be done in this area.
Affordability and sustainability are the key words in our this noble endeavour.
Therefore, government will continue to vigorously pursue other alternative
renewable natural energy sources to complement normal power generation systems.
To this end, we will pursue public private partnership as well as independent
power producers to beef up existing capacity and reduce the cost.
Fellow
Gambians
Distinguished
Friends, Africans and the rest of Humanity
As the
maintenances of rapid and sustainable development is depend on peace and
security both at home and abroad, our foreign policy agenda is premised
principally on the pursuit of and
maintenance of global peace, security and the respect of each country’s
sovereignty and the sovereign right to choose a way of life for its citizenry.
Our domestic policies will continue to be supported by a robust sustainable
development agenda that will be backed by Zero Tolerance for crime, drugs,
violence and UNGODLY and Anti Human satanic values such as homo sexuality.
These
will always continue to be the basis for our foreign policy framework as we
continue to promulgate and pursue socio economic development that is
indispensable to the realization of our supreme objective; that is the ultimate
attainment of economic super power status.
Crucially,
our foreign policy agenda is anchored on the principle of being a friend to all
as much as possible and An Enemy to none. My government also strongly believes
that any interaction between states should be based on the spirit of peaceful
co-existence, mutual respect for each other’s territorial integrity,
independence and sovereignty. This being the case, we will continue to promote
regional and international peace by any means including helping to restore
peace to any conflict area around the world. This is a noble and divine duty
and an obligation to all human beings in general and Gambians in particular.
Islam
and Christianity command us to maintain peace, promote social equity and
cohesion, sustainable socio-economic development, respect for the sanctity of
life and above all JUSTICE. In numerous verses of the Holy Quran and the Bible,
God enjoins on us the obligation of embracing the virtues of mercy, forgiveness
and trustworthiness. We are also instructed to promote the values of reconciliation,
peaceful co-existence, by discouraging Fitna aggression, adhering to peaceful
resolution of conflicts and respect for the rule of law. Furthermore, our
Islamic faith entrusts on all leaders the sacred responsibility of promoting
social JUSTICE, equality and fair play, respect for religious and cultural
diversity, eradication of satanic tendencies and ensuing equitable distribution
of national resources.
Fellow
Gambians
Distinguished
Friends, Africans and the rest of Humanity
In the
coming months, due priority will be given to the proposed “pay and pension
reform” and the implementation of civil service revolving loan scheme that is
aimed at boosting staff morale and improving on retention strategies.
Importantly
for us all, we should not allow the achievements of the public service in the
socio-economic advancement of this country to be derailed n the altar of
foreign value systems passing off for modernity and freedom. For example, it is
unacceptable to allow imported cultures such as homosexuality to reduce us to
ALLAH DISOBEYING satanic children that would eventually live in an anti Islamic
devil-worshiping and immoral state. Rather, we should preserve our God-given
human dignity and live according to the teachings of our great religion, Islam.
The
philosophy of being spiritually and morally up right in our daily lives as in
the theme for this year’s commemoration of the July 22nd revolution
should commit us all to transcend the shallow recognition of one another as
mere Muslims and Christians and rise up to the challenge to live by the values
of our great religion in all our activities and interactions. Islam and
Christianity advocate a society of equal opportunity, respect and love, fair
dealings, truthfulness and sanctity of life with the ALMIGHTY ALLAH BEING THE
ONLY SUPREME POWER AND AUTHORITY. These are virtues that required universal
application in both private and public life.
We will
live and die as true servants and slaves of only the almighty ALLAH and nothing
else. These virtues we live for and if need be, die defending for the rest of
our lives.
Fellow
Gambians
Distinguished
Friends, Africans and the rest of Humanity
Finally,
I wish to congratulate as well as thank all Gambian patriots and genuine
friends of the Gambia who have contributed to the successes that have
characterized our noble struggle and divine journey throughout the past
nineteen years. The struggle continues until we reach the promised land of “all
for ONE and ONE for All” in absolute peace and prosperity.
I commend
the Gambian women and youths whose tremendous support and subscription to the
vision, ideology, ideas and principles of my leadership; led to this very great
success story.
However,
the journey is just beginning and I continue to count on the unflinching and
ALLAH guided love and support of the most wonderful women and youth of Africa,
you the Gambian women and youth.
Together
with you, you have made our journey a very comfortable and rewarding one for
the past nineteen years.
We
should therefore be more determined for the rest of the journey knowing that
the ALMIGHTY ALLAH is ON OUR SIDE ALWAYS. WE WILL NEVER FAIL AS LONG AS THE
ALMIGHTY ALLAH IS WITH US.
Long
live the July 22nd Revolution
Long
live the Gambia
Long
live Africa
IN Islam
I salute you, ASSALAKUM ALAIKUM WA RAH MA TU LAHI WA BARAKATU
I THANK
YOU FOR YOUR KIND ATTENTION, Ramadan Mubarak and I pray for good rainy season
and a bumper harvest.
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