(Thursday 12th March 2020 Issue)
Ansumana
Ceesay, senior programme officer at the National Council for Civic Education
(NCCE) has described the current tribal tension in the country as the biggest
threat to our peace and stability.
Mr.
Ceesay made these remarks at Jasobo village in Kiang East District, Lower River
Region during a sensitisation meeting at the community.
The
Council is currently on a massive awareness raising campaign dubbed “Civic
Dialogue on Constitutional Democracy, rule of Law and Peace Building”.
The
outreach covered twenty-four (24) communities in the Central River, Lower River
and North Bank regions.
He
added that religious and political differences are also major threats to our
national security, saying they need to be addressed immediately which his
office is doing.
He
pointed out that we are all equal in the eyes of the law, calling on all to
respect each other as we are all Gambians.
He
highlighted that politics come and go but as citizens we live together forever,
and therefore we must not allow politics to divide us.
Ceesay
also said that in law what is in conflict with the constitution is null and
void.
Yusupha
Bojang, programme manager, NCCE said the engagements are aimed at lessening the
current political tension marred with misconceptions and misrepresentations of
democracy resulting to disregard for the Rule of Law, slander, provocations and
antagonism, which has the potentials to cause chaos in the country if not
addressed head-on.
Mr.
Bojang, stated that a similar activity was done in November 2019 in the URR and
due to its success and significance in our present realities, they deemed it
prudent to scale it up to cover other regions.
This
he believes will greatly enhance citizens’ understanding and appreciation of
the constitution as the supreme law of the country as well as improve
understanding of democratic governance and embrace peace building initiatives
as enshrined in the National Development Plan.
Junkung
Saidy, senior civic education officer at NCCE described elections as the
lifeblood of democracy, noting that it is citizens’ duty to hold authorities
accountable.
He
added the democracy guarantees the right to political participation,
association, assembly, life, freedom of speech and expression.
Mr.
Saidy said development can only take place when there is peace, adding that it
is citizen’s duty to participate in the development of the nation.
Ansumana
Yabo also a senior civic education officer at NCCE called on citizens to
nurture the peace and stability we are known for as a country.
According
to him, there cannot be peace if citizens do not respect the law, saying if we
abuse the law, it results in violence.
He
urged citizens to put the country first and work towards its development.
Ebrima
Colley a native of Jasobo village said they have been paying taxes since the
inception of the village but have never benefited from any form of development
from government, their area council or any authority.
