By Bakary Ceesay
President Adama Barrow has called for a strong spirit of nationalism and citizenship, love and defends the country, saying that “We must defend our hard earned democracy.”
As citizen we must have that strong spirit of nationalism and citizenship, love and defend our country and sacrifice personal interests for the common good at all times,” , he said over the weekend during the 11th convocation ceremony of the University of the Gambia which saw some 681 students graduate at at QCity in Bijilo.
“In short, it is the responsibility of every Gambian in the New Gambia to: respect, support and defend the Constitution and its ideals; promote, participate in and defend democratic processes; respect the rights, beliefs and opinions of others and to live in unity and harmony; render selfless national service when and where required; participate fully in local community activities and issues with a view to improving people’s well-being; work conscientiously in whatever position we find ourselves and give necessary support to government institutions and agencies in the maintenance of law and order, peace and stability; sustain our hard earned democracy by holding government accountable to protect and preserve common wealth and public properties; and shun divisive politics and tactics and respect the country’s economic policies, avoid all acts of sabotage and dishonesty; and pay our taxes and support government execute its programmes.”
He noted that he believed the overall goal of acquiring a degree is to help transform society using the knowledge and skills acquired from university education.
“Therefore, the burning question in the hearts and minds of all graduands today should be, ‘What constructive change will I bring to this Nation and the world at large now that I have earned this new qualification, you are no doubt the potential experts, future leaders and next generation of solution providers in various aspects of national life,”
He urged students individually and collectively to do everything possible to contribute their quota in building a strong nation that can stand high and be proud among the community of Nations.
Barrow stressed that: “Government and its structures and all citizens have a stake in and a duty to actively and effectively participate and improve the process of nation building. In other words, all hands must be on deck to bring about the desired changes,”
