By: Kemo Kanyi
President Adama Barrow has issued a clarion call on the Gambia’s political parties to embrace their divergence for national development.
Addressing the unprecedented dialogue of the country’s political parties at State House on Monday, the Gambian leader made a strong call on parties not to employ their divergence as a tool of enmity and disunity.
The State House has called for an all-inclusive national dialogue of political parties under the theme: Our Collective Responsibility in Preserving the Nation, Safeguarding the State, and Securing the National Resources.
“I think I stand to be corrected because we have many experienced politicians in this house but I think this is the first time in the history of our country[that] we have such a very formal meeting between all political parties. I welcome you to the first of a series of national consultative dialogue forums,” said the President.
According to President Barrow, the key objective of the consultative meeting is to build consensus, highlighting the need for institutionalizing the national dialogue as recommended at the first public forum held last year as part of events, marking the Gambia’s 58th independence anniversary.
As the country counts down to its 59 independence anniversary, a presidential directive was given to acommittee to work on this national dialogue and according to the Gambia leader, the rationale is to encourage and stimulate reflection and dialogue on selected national issues to promote, protect and to nurture the peace in the country and safeguard thestability of its democracy.
“You may have realized that I have continually called upon my colleagues and fellow Gambians to come together and work in the best interests of the country. It is every citizen’s responsibility to contribute towards our overall security, peace, and stability. Be it in an official or private capacity as public servants or bonafide citizens, my government holds the view that we should always try national consensus on national issues that generally divergent views, so divergent, must not result in enmity or disunity,” the President stated. He added that with these things in the minds of all Gambians, all citizens will have the opportunity to sustain peaceful coexistence.
He finally called on all Gambians to come to terms with their collective responsibility to work together in the country’s interest.
