(Monday October 10, 2016 Issue)
The
National Council for Civic Education (NCCE) has continued its civic and voter
education in earnest to sensitise the masses of our people about their rights
and obligations, as well as freedom and voting responsibility across the length
and breadth of the country.
This
time around, as the nation fast approaches the December 1, 2016 presidential
poll, the NCCE has reached out to the people of Central River Region (CRR)
South, where 20 communities are currently being sensitised on their rights and
responsibilities as citizens of this country.
Such
a move by the NCCE would enable citizens to fully participate in the governance
process of the country, through the promotion of political and civic
consciousness.
The
exercise would, indeed, help greatly in putting the citizenry up to speed with
the nitty-gritty of especially the upcoming elections, as people are
enlightened on the essence to vote, to be voted for and to fully exercise their
universal suffrage in the democratic process of the country.
The
Gambia, it has been noted, has been experiencing low voter turnout over the
years in past elections. And one of the reasons for the voter apathy is lack of
adequate sensitization of the public of their civic responsibility to vote in
elections.
This
situation should, therefore, be reversed through constantly educating the
people, as the NCCE is doing, on their voting rights, and why such a right
should be exercised in choosing those they want to run the affairs of the
country.
The
women and the youth are especially challenged to change their attitude towards
politics, as they constitute the majority of the population, but “do not mostly
fully take part in politics”.
Adequate
civic education of a people brings peace and stability to a nation. Therefore,
such civic and voter education programmes should be enhanced and sustained for
peace, stability and progress to prevail at all times.
We
say bravo to the NCCE and all institutions and agencies supporting and
promoting civic and voter education in this country!
“Education
makes a people easy to lead, but difficult to drive; easy to govern, but
impossible to enslave”
Henry
Peter Brougham
