Service is Temporary
Mr President, the reality is that all who serve will one day be ex-public servants. Whether by retirement, dismissal, or death, the authority of office is temporary. Yet the legacies created in service are lasting. The seat may change hands, but the consequences of choices—good or bad—remain in the lives of the people.
Responsibility vs. Accountability
Mr President, whilst in office, public servants are responsible for their actions. That responsibility demands discipline, transparency, and fidelity to the national interest. But once they leave office, they become accountable—to history, to conscience, and to the people. Accountability means that actions taken in office will be measured not by speeches, but by their real impact: Were resources safeguarded? Were opportunities created? Was the nation placed above self?
The Moral Compass of Service
Mr President, good governance requires that public servants, from the highest minister to the newest recruit, embrace one simple rule: always do the right thing. Doing right is not always easy, nor is it always popular. But it is the only way to guarantee a legacy of trust and progress. Expediency fades, integrity endures.
A Call to Build a Culture of Service
Mr President, this is the challenge before us: to build a Gambian public service that is citizen-focused, efficient, and accountable - a service where decisions are driven by patriotism, not personal gain. A service that remembers power is borrowed, but legacies are permanent.
Conclusion
Mr President, leadership is temporary, but legacies endure. History will not remember titles, cars, or offices—it will remember impact. The time is now to remind every servant of the Gambian state that their highest duty is to serve with integrity, and their greatest reward is to leave behind a legacy of trust, fairness, and national progress.
Good day!