After
having had a blissful and blessed Ramadan month and Eid holiday, we are back to
business.
We
should, therefore, thank the Almighty Allah for blessing us with long life,
good health and the wherewithal to meet our needs during the holy month, and
for seeing us through the Eid celebrations.
We
should as well continually pray to God for more blessings, long life and good
health to see many more Ramadan months and feasts to come
Meanwhile,
we are back to our usual daily business transactions, albeit under the guidance
and tenets of the Almighty God. That is why even though the Ramadan is over we
are still obliged to lead a virtuous life acceptable unto the Almighty Creator.
So
as we get back to business, we are confronted with the social, economic and
political life of our nation.
For
instance, our national economy has taken up a somewhat turn for the better and
for the worse in the last four months.
For
the better, in the sense that it has registered some growth in reserve money,
and for the worse, as the country’s domestic debt has continued to increase
over the year.
Both
of these developments are necessitated by certain factors as stated by the
Central Bank of The Gambia’s Monetary Policy Committee report declared on 9
June 2016.
The
report stated that The Gambia’s reserve money grew by 11.9 per cent in the year
to end-March 2016 from 12.4 per cent a year earlier.
“This
was solely as a result of the 39.7 per cent increase in the NDA [net domestic
assets] of the Central Bank.”
On
the other hand, the country’s domestic debt rose to D23.2 billion at end-March
2016 (54.7 per cent of GDP) compared to D19.3 billion (48.3 per cent of GDP) in
March 2015.
Politically,
we are looking up to the December 1st Presidential Election, to which many
things are tied as regards the political scene in the country.
Parties
are bracing up their belts for the upcoming elections albeit some air of
unforeseen circumstances.
As
we go on, we call for the maintenance of peace and tranquility in the country,
for we are known for peace and oneness, regardless of our political
affiliations and other lineages.
Mahatma
Gandhi once said, “An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world
blind.” He also said that “the weak can never forgive, as forgiveness is the
attribute of the strong.”
So
let’s live in peace and harmony, for we are one and kindred, as we hope for the
better, socially, economically and politically.
“Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.”
Albert
Einstein
