The President’s New Year Message
Culled from the Daily Observer of 2 January, 2003

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Fellow Gambians

Tomorrow marks the beginning of 2003, and as we all wait to see the New Year
begin in a few hours, it gives me much pleasure to convey to you my very
best wishes and greetings for a Happy New Year.  As we mark the end of 2002,
let us first and foremost thank the Almighty Allah for giving us the chance
and opportunity to live through and witness the Year 2002 to the end, and
for showering on us and our great beloved nation, The Gambia, his mercies,
grace and blessings.  It is but fitting to remember Allah the Almighty for
His warmth of love for mankind, His unfailing guidance, and His bountiful
provisions.  We also must thank Him for making us live with good health to
undertake our individual and collective tasks and responsibilities in the
drive to make our country peaceful, successful and enduring to live in. It
is also fitting that we today renew remembrance of, and prayers for, our
gallant compatriots, who have made sacrifices in one form or another towards
the progress of this nation, but did not live this far to see the fruits of
their sacrifices or enjoy the gains of their selfless endeavours.  We pray
that Allah the Almighty, to whom all praises belong, and in whose might we
rely for guidance and protection, grant the souls of our lost colleagues and
dear friends in nation building His mercy and eternal blessing.  Let us also
remember our duties to the sick, the children and the elderly who need our
support, care, and company to make them enjoy health and well being.  To the
sick, we pray for speedy recovery, and a return of the power, energy and
strength to be able to about their work and live the comforts of the normal
life for which we all yearn.

Fellow Gambians

Over the period since I took over the leadership of this country, my
government has not lost focus on what our development priorities are.  In
the important areas of roads, telecommunications, education, health and
agriculture, we have concentrated priority attention to the building of
infrastructure, institutional strengthening and human resource development.
Here, I wish to mention the rich and exemplary collaboration, support and
inspiration given to us by our development partners whom we consider as true
friends of The Gambia and who deserve our thanks and commendation.

The sectors of health, education and agriculture will continue to receive my
government’s fullest attention.  Significantly, the emphasis for each of
these sectors will be on ways to augment service delivery efficiently,
resource use, institutional strengthening and development.

Fellow Gambians

Our intervention in the coming year will involve programmes and projects
tied to the eradication of poverty.  To achieve poverty eradication, our
efforts will continue to be reinforced by higher rates of programme
coordination and implementation, poverty monitoring, capacity building and
resource mobilization.

The menace of HIV/AIDS poses and the potential it has to negate efforts at
nation building have not been lost sight of.  The campaign to eradicate the
spread of HIV/AIDS will therefore engage the close attention of all sectors
of the economy.

Fellow Gambians

My New Year message this year again recognizes the importance and necessity
for attitudinal change among Gambians.  Our development programmes and
projects can only be sustained provided there is a drastic change of
attitudes and a major breakaway from the dependency syndrome plaguing our
societies today.  We Gambians need to inculcate the virtues of self-reliance
and return to the traditional values of hard work, respect to authority and
discipline.  I call on all Gambians to take on these virtues as the
resolution of the New Year.  Only through these virtues can we revitalize
the true sense of nationalism and patriotism.

I urge all Gambians to implement the hard adage of ‘no free lunch’ towards
accelerated socio-economic development.  Gambians, in all fields of
discipline and work, must take a critical look at the situations confronting
us today, and must in this sense, resolve to work harder.  We must move away
from the sort of laissez-faire attitude, which is more characteristic of our
youths as they constitute the greatest source of vigour, innovation, and
hard work, and thereby form the jewel in the crown of our population.  My
government has been supportive of their development through numerous schemes
that seek to inculcate in our youths self-discipline, patriotism,
entrepreneurship, and a true sense of responsibility.  However, it is rather
sad that many still cling to laziness, living from one day to the other and
end up sitting down and doing nothing.  Gambians should endeavour to do
things for themselves and avoid high dependency on social connections and
outsiders to do things for us.  In order to do this, Gambians must go all
out to acquire skills; skills that can be used resourcefully to earn them a
living, and free them from the bondage of self-imprisonment and
non-productiveness that many of our people find themselves in.

Let us take the case of food security and food self-sufficiency.  There is
no reason why this country should continue to spend large amounts of scarce
foreign exchange to import virtually all our food requirements into this
country, when we have abundance of land, and a strong youth population to
help transform this land into meaningful agricultural activities.  For its
part, Government will give particular focus towards commercializing
agriculture, and will to this end, develop responsive mechanisms for
increased access to factors of production, including land, and increased
legal title to agricultural land ownership particularly for women.  My
government is ready to work with any person, club or association through the
offer of special assistance that respond to back-to-land policy which
targets at attaining food security and poverty eradication.

Fellow Gambians

2003 will be the year for improved and accelerated implementation of
government programmes and projects, and as we prepare to usher in the year,
may I therefore call on all Gambians to come on board, join the race in the
defense of our nation.  The programmes that are set for implementation are
yours and are as close to you than you tend to regard them.  My government
will put in place concrete steps and mechanisms to empower an all-inclusive
approach to nation building in which all Gambians will have a stake and feel
part of.  In this respect, all Gambians both in the country and in the
Diaspora are invited to put all hands on deck to ensure rapid and smooth
sailing to glorious growth and development.  All of us must come on board
the national development agenda to contribute our quota.  We have nowhere
but The Gambia, and I believe that we have the talents, skills, and
resources that can be pooled for the betterment of our nation.  I invite all
Gambians to feel free to make practical contributions to nation building and
be involved in constructive criticism on how our great country should move
ahead.  I also call on Gambians in the Diaspora to emulate their compatriots
from other countries by remitting and investing acquired funds and capital
back home.  In some countries, such remittances are by far greater than the
country’s loan stock.  Our website www.statehouse.gm is open to all Gambians
interested in sharing constructive opinions and view on ways to attain the
goals of the national agenda.  Together we will make a difference for there
can be no meaningful development without an enhanced pool of the most
important resource of a nation – the human resources.  Together, we will
also overcome all threats of marginalisation and become active participants
and beneficiaries of globalisation.

In concluding my speech, and in observance of the ideals and aspirations of
all peace-loving and development-oriented peoples of the world, I want to
enjoin all nations and peoples at war, nations and peoples of the world bent
on making war and those plagued with conflict, to strive for peace and
reconciliation for the sake of humanity in the New Year.  I encourage them
to give greater chance to dialogue and building of common understanding, for
in these lies the guarantee not only for peaceful settlement of issues, but
a better world for us all to live in.  The greatness of any nation lies not
in its ability to make war but in its ability to make peace and
reconciliation with its mortal enemies.  The prevention of war is our only
safe path to global peace and security which will ensure rapid victory in
our collective fight against hate, terrorism, racism and exploitation.  To
our development partners in the United Nations system, the NGO community,
international institutions and at the bilateral level, I wish to thank you
all for being supportive of The Gambia in very many ways.  I use this
occasion to renew my government’s gratitude as well as willingness to work
together with you in our common drive to develop the nation.  As it is also
the tourism season, let me take the opportunity to wish all our tourist
friends and visitors a happy and prosperous New Year and a memorable stay in
The Gambia.  I have no doubt that those who would return the next time
around would find The Gambia a home away from home in line with government’s
objective of making this country a tourism paradise.

Finally, I pray that Allah continues to guide and protect us as we usher in
the New Year and as we go through it.  I conclude by re-echoing my call to
all Gambians in and out of the country to put all hands on deck in the true
spirit of reconciliation, nation building and patriotism.

I wish you all a Happy, peacefully thriving, prosperous, and a morally
enriching and blessed New Year.

May Allah guide and protect you.

I thank you for your kind attention.

END












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