By Adama Makasuba
Mai Ahmed Fatty, leader of the Gambia Moral Congress, has told Gambians to stop attacking each other’s political views because of different political parties.
“The Gambia can be the best country in Africa if we stop going after each other simply because we belong to different political parties.
“If we accept that it is humanly impossible for all of us to support the same Party or share the same ideas, we will learn to tolerate/accept and respect our differences. If we learn to accept that one man’s meat may be another main poison or your Angel may be another’s Devil, then we might just get along,” he said.
“If we learn to appreciate each other’s views, instead of questioning each other’s patriotism, we might just as well begin to coordinate together. If we begin to empathize instead of condemning each time someone says something contrary to our belief, then we might just start getting along. If I respect your position, even if I strongly disagree with you, and you do the same to me, perhaps we can get to some convergence down the line. If you accept that you don’t own anyone, and no one owns you, perhaps you would be respectful in the way you express your opinion,” he said philosophically.
“If you accept that we all make mistakes, including you, maybe you wouldn’t expect perfection from others, because you are also not perfect. Treat others as you would like them to treat you. No one is your slave and you cannot make others think and act like you. Live your life and let others live their lives,” he advised.
He called people to support their political views, and don’t try to impose their political views on others. That is not just the law of democracy, it is also the rule of life. Those who cannot practice these traits, often display dictatorial tendencies believing that those who do not think and act like them, do not deserve to be heard, or are unpatriotic. That is false and such thinking is palpably defective. Those types of views render The Gambia one of the most politically intolerant societies in Africa.
