For the record, the first meeting of Banjul Muslim Elders with the authorities dated 1873 with Governor Vilius Goebbels. It was then followed by the meetings with Governor Denton in 1901 to 1911, according to historian Hassoum Ceesay.
The meeting used to be issues affecting the community, and the authorities would discuss how to solve them.
Mr President, it is essential to note that a meeting with Banjul Muslim Elders is part of Eid greetings as a religious tradition that has been in existence since the colonial days, to highlight some of the vital needs of the capital city of Banjul.
To this end, Mr President, your remarks that day were expected to be in reciprocity to the greetings of the elders and to take note of their concerns to see how best to solve them.
Somehow, your responses turned out to be attacks on journalists and some media houses on the Eid day, which actually, to some extent, goes to defeat the purpose of the meeting and sends wrong signals to the audience.
The day is strictly religious exchange of greetings and to foster oneness and a peaceful coexistence between the presidency and the people of Banjul and by extension Gambians.
Mr President, as the father of the nation, on such occasions, massages of peace, oneness and national cohesion should be paramount. And we should always regard the media as partners in development, since the media is playing important role in society by educating and informing the nation of issues of national concerns and developments.
We are conscious of the fact that journalists should always be objective and give balanced reports, and government officials should respond to them in time when they are in need of clarifications on issues of public interest.
Mr President, while the social media is a very instrumental platform, regulations are needed to ensure users do not abuse the new media and cause grave harm to society. Rather all users should be more responsible hence the need for regulations.
The traditional media, it must be said, is more responsible and cautious in its dissemination of news; they should not be tarred with the same brush as the social media, which causes more serious harm to society as it remains unregulated.
Finally, Mr President, according to media reports, the people of Bundung, Mandinary, Jambur and Abuko are appealing to your government for regular water and electricity supply. They need your intervention.
Good day!