President Adama Barrow has on Tuesday called for interfaith dialogue as he gave his Christmas message.
In his Christmas message on Tuesday, President Barrow said: “the dignity of the people has to be maintained through reason, dialogue and strengthening interfaith collaboration, therefore Christmas is a reminder for us to continue to propagate the true teachings of Jesus Christ. Thus, I enjoin all citizens to promote collaboration across religion and diversity in development projects, cooperate to eliminate crime and subversion, and strive to reinforce peaceful co-existence.”
“Religion plays an important role in our lives; therefore, we cannot avoid according it the significance it deserves.
Religion is part of The Gambia’s diverse cultural heritage, and it adds meaning to life through the values it teaches and the manner it shapes and modifies behaviour. This makes the role of religious leaders critical.”
“We encourage all venerable leaders to remain steadfast, with the reassurance that my Government acknowledges their contribution to our development, progress and overall wellbeing.
We are all aware of the grave distortions of religious teachings as excuse for extremism, leading to evil, social disorder, instability and loss of lives. We must not allow this to take root here,” he added.
He assured his government commitment in continuing to adhere to the principles of good governance, based on justice and the rule of law without discrimination or prejudice against any citizen or any section of the Gambian nation, adding “we will remain undeterred in upholding the spirit of the Constitution and the Laws of the country, while implementing the National Development Plan we have developed together as a nation to attain our development goals and aspirations.”
With reference to the past, much has been revealed already at the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparation Commission; yet, a lot more remains buried in our history waiting to be told. Stories of injustice, greed or civil unrest are never pleasant. The aftermath of confrontation and violence is always bitter for even those who claim victory. Therefore, reason dictates that, as civilised communities, we resolve our differences through lawfully established norms. In this way, the nation would always gain victory over all rebellious individuals or factions. The numerous nations whose development paths have been derailed or halted due to unrest provide historical lessons for us, he said.
Eh said: “we already have a solid cultural foundation to help us act and build on the values that cut across our civic, social and religious lives. We have the opportunity to tear down the barriers to peaceful coexistence, the barriers to progress and success, and the barriers to advancement as individuals and as a people with a common purpose and destiny. These opportunities must not be wasted for any reason.”
