THE VOICE OF THE

Conceptions, visions and ideas to chart the way forward and carve a prosperous and happy future has never been far fetched. Africa has at one time or another been blessed with the emergence of dynamic and farsighted leaders who have the interest of their people at heart. Leaders who have galvanized the dreams of their people, leaders who stood the test of times and have been in the forefront of the struggles against the assaults of poverty, wretchedness and marginalization imposed by dehumanized and cowardly leaders and circles both local and foreign, to this The Gambia is no exception. History teaches us with abundant clarity that correct theory, concepts, visions and ideas are not enough to emancipate the victims of society from devastation. These ideas must permeate the body and soul of society and transform it into one organized, consolidated and revitalized instrument for the disarming of the enemies of society and humanity and at the same time serve as a vehicle for prosperity and the humanization of the masses. The APRC and in particular its leadership has already set the stage for this forward march, this has been aptly illustrated by HE Dr. Alh. Yahya A.J.J. Jammeh since the dawn of the July 22^nd 1994 Revolution. The empowerment of the people has since then become a popular slogan which should be embraced as a guide to action and further translated into reality through the day to day activities of all cadres and militants, supporters and sympathizers of the APRC particularly the youth wing. This is definitely the moment of organization, consolidation and revitalization of popular energy for the envisaged mission of our dear leader who has amply demonstrated in words and actions that development and advancement have never been the product of idle dreams and wishes but conscious daily struggle as illustrated in the numerous infrastructural and social developments particularly in education, health, communication and recently the accelerated efforts on electrification. Fellow comrades and militants, it is an established fact that these are fundamental Pre-requisite for the building of a prosperous and dignified nation. Through his actions we are blessed with very bright examples and guide for he is one of or the only leader that dares to sacrifice and toil under rain, storm and sun on the land to finance a foundation (Jammeh Foundation) that provides scholarships to needy students and provide capital to grassroots organization geared towards their socio-economic empowerment. This is teaching by action when the leader of the nation toils under sun on the land then nobody is too good to do the same.

The emergence of the Social Development Fund, National Youth Council and all its other components are all geared towards nothing but the empowerment of the people. Provision of Capital Instruments Machines, equipments and even basic commodities for trade to grassroots groups, organizations and communities are all indicative of our dear leader’s commitment to the empowerment of the people, a trend hitherto unknown in the history of our beloved motherland until the dawn of that glorious Friday of July 22^nd 1994. It is a reality that the one time mystified and remote public institutions are being demystified and daily brought closer to and at the service of the masses. As we move towards greater consciousness we must dare to invent a brighter future by making the most of the opportunities of the reality which was engendered by the popular revolution of July 22^nd 1994. Development is the product of struggle, but the triumph of every struggle is punctuated with organization, co-ordination, clarity and commitment to the common aspiration, which is an embodiment of all personal aspirations. A national programme for advancement must be wholistic, comprehensive and viable.

As we celebrate this 7^th anniversary we call on youths through- out the length and breath of the motherland to rally behind and learn from the declarations and actions of our dear leaders in the ouslaught against poverty. Backwardness and dehumanization.

The urgency of our reality dictates that we must with maximum speed, efficiency, clarity and commitment mobilize and organize our efforts and minds around all factors affecting our lives in order to ensure a dignified existence and this comrades must be a full time pre-occupation 24 hours a day as the world is moving with an unprecedented rapidity. Our leader has taught that the continued dignified existence of humankind can only be guaranteed by the politics of development. The Politics of rumours, deception, discord and insults should never be allowed to consume our most precious time and energy.

We must begin to organize and Marshall all forces and potentials now not even this evening but at this very moment. For while we buy time, non Gambians are dominating our economy (not narrow nationalistic sentiment ) e.g non Gambians buy fruits from Western Division from our comrades and sell it to comrades in Banjul at a profit. Why can’t we organize this venture into a viable project and approach SDF for financing. In short what we are calling for is the complete organization of society into productive economic and service entities for advancement.

All sectors of society then together we shall approach the Chamber of Commerce, State Department for Trade, SDF and all other relevant institutions for that matter, to facilitate the organized marketing of our products both at the national and international level with the objective of promoting and developing a vibrant productive base which is indispensable in the urgent march to progress.