The process of nation building is not an easy task, more so in any country where the mention of one politician or the other can generate insults and verbal abuses of unimaginable proportions. The critical role of unity and cooperation in building a strong and prosperous nation cannot be overemphasized. Societal divisions, especially those based on ethnicity or politics can have detrimental consequences, hindering progress and fostering conflict.
As a people, we must, therefore, not allow our political and ethnic differences to dictate how we view and treat each other. We must not let these differences destroy the bonds we share. We must all understand that National Unity is the foundation of every country and is important for achieving peace and social harmony. When a society is divided, collaboration and cooperation become more challenging with the potential to impede progress. Working together with respect and understanding is crucial for creating a positive future. A nation’s strength lies in its ability to unite diverse individuals and groups towards shared goals rather than allowing differences to lead to fragmentation and discord.
Leaders at all levels of Gambian society must be very mindful of making utterances that have the potential to devalue the opportunity for peace, tranquillity and national unity. No human being deserves to be vilified or called names because of their ethnicity or the political party and/or leader they support. That we belong to different tribes is by the grace of the Almighty God, the creator of the universe and everything in it. None of us can claim to have discussed or spoken with God to become part of the family and ethnic group that each one of us found ourselves in today. We were all born into this world without a language, tribe and even a religion. Every child is transformed by their parents and / or the community in which they were born. For example, the children born to Serere parents are taught the Serere language, culture, and traditional beliefs while growing up. If the parents are Muslims, they are also taught Islamic religious practices to become Muslims, and the same is true of children born to Christian parents. The children born to parents from other tribes also follow the same process of transformation to becoming who they are today.
Fundamentally, what this demonstrates is that we are all God’s creation and any verbal attack on any tribe or person because of their ethnic identity is a direct attack on God. It is undisputable that if a child born to Fulani parents is dumped and got picked up by a Manjago family that has no idea whatsoever of the origin of the child; they then give the child a name, speak to them in Manjago, teach them the Manjago culture and traditions; that child automatically becomes a Manjago even though they were originally born to Fulani parents. There is no doubt that there are so many examples of that in our society.
As a nation proudly known as the smiling coast of Africa, we must all strive to rise above making politically and ethnically charged rhetorics that have the potential to threaten the unity, peace and security of our country and focus instead on the real issues that can effectively shape our national development drive for the good of the country. In my opinion, politics is supposed to be a contest of sound ideas on how a country needs to be governed and, in our case, what we honestly think needs to be done to move The Gambia from a Least Developed Country to a Highly Developed Nation. Looking down on others or promoting tribal politics or conferring on oneself the authority to determine who belongs to a particular tribe and who does not has got nothing to do with Nation Building and/or how a country needs to be governed. It is reckless. It is sinister and dangerous and therefore must not be encouraged.
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