50501 The Gambia
The Gambian leader His Excellency Sheikh Professor Alhagie Dr. Yahya Jammeh has under scored the importance of patriotism and honesty in achieving our national development objectives, as enshrined in the country’s Vision 2020 blueprint. According to the Gambian leader, with the absence of patriotism and honesty, no matter how well resources-endowed it may be or how well meaning is government is.
President Jammeh made these remarks at the July 22nd Square in Banjul, while addressing Gambians on the occasion of the country‘s 45th Independence Anniversary. The President‘s address this year was focused on the theme of the independence celebration; “Honesty and Patriotism”.
This celebration was attended by the Senegalese president Abdoulay Wade, the Guinea Conakry’s President Saikouba Konateh.
He said as we celebrate with joy and reflections, we should all give back thanks and praises to the almighty Allah for enabling us to witness yet another independence day when we recount with gratitude the achievements of the past decades and anticipate the challenges of the coming years.
He said he has decided to select Honesty and Patriotism as the theme to underscores the importance of these two attributes, in the absence of which no nation, no matter how well resources endowed it may be or how meaning its government is, could achieve rapid sustainable development.
In short, he reiterated the need for all of us to inculcate and demonstrate a more practical show to honesty, and selfless services to and infinite love of our dear motherland, the Gambia first before self, and work together in peace, unity, and mutual respect if we are to earn the blessings of The Almighty Allah for us to build one of the greatest nations on earth. He stressed that we must be ready to work harder and for longer hours with the little salaries that our country can afford now until such time that The Gambia is wealthy enough to pay fat salaries.
We have a choice to make he said, and that is to work harder with absolute honesty and build an ultra modern nation in a short span of time; where poverty, small salaries and backwardness would be a thing of the past or work less, be dishonest and stagnate the country into a backward nation where poverty, destitution and low wages would be the order of the day. He posited that nobody can sacrifice without being honest and you cannot be honest if you do not believe in Allah the Almighty and fear him.
The Gambian further expressed that, “I am confident that after forty-five years of Independence every Gambian knows what the benefits of honesty, hard work and patriotism are. Four hundred years of British rule not even one Gambian was ever commissioned to the rank of lieutenant in the colonial army. Four hundred year of British rule, not a single Gambian was trained by the colonial master to be a medical doctor. Four hundred year of British rule not a single Gambian was trained to be a scientist. Four hundred year of British rule they built only one high school (Amitage High School) and two hospitals (Bansang and Royal Victoria hospital).
Four hundred year of British rule, they constructed only one highway (Banjul to Soma) and they did not build even one two story building. And at the time of independence 45 year ago there were less than fifteen air conditioners in the country and less than five hundred ceiling fans. Four hundred years of British rule did not give us more than four megawatts of electricity in the whole country. In fact four hundred years of British rule less than one percent of the country was electrified. Today 45 years, the Gambia had become a modern country to be reckoned with. Today, 75% of the big towns and cities are electrified including street lights.
Four hundred years of British rule left us with 95% of the population without potable drinking water. Today, 85% of the populations have potable, accessible and reliable drinking water. Today we have more high schools and modern tertiary institutions and a university that can stand up to any modern university anywhere in the world. At the time of independence 45 years ago, we had less than five Gambians holding a Bachelors degree and none with Masters Degree.”
In conclusion, President Jammeh said attitudinal manifestations take roots in infantry. In this vein, he called on parents and teachers to help inculcate in our children the values of honesty, love and selfless service to the motherland. “This is particularly important because children everywhere constitute today’s into becoming responsible and dependable adults tomorrow.”
The Gambian leader His Excellency Sheikh Professor Alhagie Dr. Yahya Jammeh has under scored the importance of patriotism and honesty in achieving our national development objectives, as enshrined in the country’s Vision 2020 blueprint. According to the Gambian leader, with the absence of patriotism and honesty, no matter how well resources-endowed it may be or how well meaning is government is.
President Jammeh made these remarks at the July 22nd Square in Banjul, while addressing Gambians on the occasion of the country‘s 45th Independence Anniversary. The President‘s address this year was focused on the theme of the independence celebration; “Honesty and Patriotism”.
This celebration was attended by the Senegalese president Abdoulay Wade, the Guinea Conakry’s President Saikouba Konateh.
He said as we celebrate with joy and reflections, we should all give back thanks and praises to the almighty Allah for enabling us to witness yet another independence day when we recount with gratitude the achievements of the past decades and anticipate the challenges of the coming years.
He said he has decided to select Honesty and Patriotism as the theme to underscores the importance of these two attributes, in the absence of which no nation, no matter how well resources endowed it may be or how meaning its government is, could achieve rapid sustainable development.
In short, he reiterated the need for all of us to inculcate and demonstrate a more practical show to honesty, and selfless services to and infinite love of our dear motherland, the Gambia first before self, and work together in peace, unity, and mutual respect if we are to earn the blessings of The Almighty Allah for us to build one of the greatest nations on earth. He stressed that we must be ready to work harder and for longer hours with the little salaries that our country can afford now until such time that The Gambia is wealthy enough to pay fat salaries.
We have a choice to make he said, and that is to work harder with absolute honesty and build an ultra modern nation in a short span of time; where poverty, small salaries and backwardness would be a thing of the past or work less, be dishonest and stagnate the country into a backward nation where poverty, destitution and low wages would be the order of the day. He posited that nobody can sacrifice without being honest and you cannot be honest if you do not believe in Allah the Almighty and fear him.
The Gambian further expressed that, “I am confident that after forty-five years of Independence every Gambian knows what the benefits of honesty, hard work and patriotism are. Four hundred years of British rule not even one Gambian was ever commissioned to the rank of lieutenant in the colonial army. Four hundred year of British rule, not a single Gambian was trained by the colonial master to be a medical doctor. Four hundred year of British rule not a single Gambian was trained to be a scientist. Four hundred year of British rule they built only one high school (Amitage High School) and two hospitals (Bansang and Royal Victoria hospital).
Four hundred year of British rule, they constructed only one highway (Banjul to Soma) and they did not build even one two story building. And at the time of independence 45 year ago there were less than fifteen air conditioners in the country and less than five hundred ceiling fans. Four hundred years of British rule did not give us more than four megawatts of electricity in the whole country. In fact four hundred years of British rule less than one percent of the country was electrified. Today 45 years, the Gambia had become a modern country to be reckoned with. Today, 75% of the big towns and cities are electrified including street lights.
Four hundred years of British rule left us with 95% of the population without potable drinking water. Today, 85% of the populations have potable, accessible and reliable drinking water. Today we have more high schools and modern tertiary institutions and a university that can stand up to any modern university anywhere in the world. At the time of independence 45 years ago, we had less than five Gambians holding a Bachelors degree and none with Masters Degree.”
In conclusion, President Jammeh said attitudinal manifestations take roots in infantry. In this vein, he called on parents and teachers to help inculcate in our children the values of honesty, love and selfless service to the motherland. “This is particularly important because children everywhere constitute today’s into becoming responsible and dependable adults tomorrow.”
