“During my stay in Kigali, I was inspired and motivated by the sense of unity, solidarity and focus towards national development. In Rwanda, everybody is working tirelessly towards the peace and development of the country,” he added.
“Rwandans are collectively and collaboratively working to ensure peace, security and stability prevails. They are united in the campaign against never again as their country witnessed one of the most horrendous violence in 1994. Today, Rwandans are focused on reconciliation and development. They have learned bitter lesson from the genocide against the Tutsi which was motivated by discrimination and tribalism,” he also said.
According to him, he learned that as Gambians, ethnic diversity should be wisely utilised to harmonise and consolidate our long coexistence and to create an everlasting unity in our beloved nation. “We should always be reminded that, Gambia is one of the few countries in the world in which intermarriage has connected us flesh and blood and in fact makes us close family in distant relatives.”
He said therefore, we should not tolerate ethnicity, tribe or religion to divide us. This he went on will affect our national unity and could also hinder our development.
“The case of Rwanda in 1994 has led them to one of the most devastating and catastrophic genocides ever to be committed on African soil. From 7th April to 18th July in 1994 over 1 million innocent children, women, youth, elderly and others were martyred mainly from the Tutsi ethnic group,” Jallow said.
He observed that today, Rwanda is rapidly developing; notwithstanding, the genocide still lingers in their mind.
“It is a regrettable and unforgettable dark side of their history that will never be forgotten. However, they have liberated themselves in using ethnicity or religion to determine national or even communal matters. All that matters is that they are Rwandan. The best is what the country deserves,” he further said.
“We as Gambians have an opportunity to learn from what Rwanda had gone through. We have an opportunity to avoid and stop tribal, ethnic and religion affiliated activities in our national developmental matters. We should be development focused and development oriented. We should be accomodative to each other and embrace tolerance,” he stated.
“The Gambia is the smallest country in mainland West Africa known to be the Smiling Coast of West Africa. We have a track record of being one of the most peaceful countries in a sense that the country has not gone into any major blown armed conflict like the neighboring countries.”
However, from all conflict sensitive indicators, day-by-day signs and symbols of potential violent conflict are being manifested. When this happens, it will be disastrous and everybody will be affected directly or indirectly. The frequent hate speeches, disinformation, misinformation and remarks against ethnics and religious attacks are things that we should be careful of as a country. We should endeavor to build bridges, not to break barriers, CEO Jallow also said.
“In addition, the security in Rwanda is something that is really enviable. There is a high degree of professional relation between the security personnel and the citizenry. The cordial relations between the security and the citizens is an example of mutual respect to ensure the country is safe for all,” he also observed.
He called upon all Gambians to be united and focus on issues affecting our national development and address them decisively.
“We have a nation to build. Let us be united in our various diversities to build a peaceful and prosperous Gambia for the generations yet unborn,” he concluded.
