Prof. Pierre Gomez, Vice Chancellor University of The Gambia has urged Gambians to live in peace, not in pieces and also to tolerate each other and allow peace to reign.
He made the remarks at Town Hall Meeting, organized by the United Nations Development Program in collaboration with the University of The Gambia, held at the auditorium of UTG on Monday.
The theme of the forum was, “Reinforcing Peace Messages On political Tolerance and Non-Violence towards Free Inclusive Credible and Peaceful Elections in the Gambia.”
Prof. Gomez called on Gambians to embrace peace and not allow politics to divide them despite the political differences they are Gambians and whoever is elected in the upcoming election, the person becomes the president for the entire nation and can only serve us well if we live in peace and not in pieces.
“The next President will be the President of the Republic of The Gambia, so allow your brother and sister to vote for whoever he or she wants to vote for, but in your rights also, to vote for your own candidates, let that be respected and later on let’s go back to the Bantaba and drink our ‘Attaya’ together round the table of sisterhood and brotherhood because we are coming from one entity, One Gambia, One people and One nation,’’ he cautioned Gambians.
The United Nations Development Programme [UNDP] Resident Representative, Ms. Aissata De also stressed the relevance and timeliness of spreading peace messages to the university students and population ahead of the December 4 Presidential Election.
According to her, the 2021-2023 electoral cycle is a historical period for The Gambia after 22 years of autocratic rule, describing the December 4 election the first time in many years, Gambians are actively, freely and openly participating in the electoral process and aspiring more than ever for the Presidential seat and this is a positive trend that should be encouraged.
She reiterated that the UNDP remains committed to continue supporting free, fair, transparent and credible elections in The Gambia.
She called on all political party leaders, political actors, civil society stakeholders and development partners to collaborate and support key electoral institutions, particularly the IEC and IPC to suppress the possibility of electoral violence in The Gambia.
Speaking behalf of the Minister of Interior, Manding Saidykhan stated that election violence are triggers of disrespect for the rule of law, misconducts and brutalities that are not within the confines of the national as well as the electoral laws or regulations.
He noted that the roles of the University students are vital in dissemination of useful information about peace and security during and after elections.
“We cannot pre-empt the significant role of the Independent Electoral Commission in their discharge of functions to conducting a coordinated free, fair and transparent national elections, with capacity and credibility for the maintenance of peace and security.
Additionally, ethnicity and violence are most critical elements worth observing and monitoring during national elections because of tendencies in political and ethnic polarization”, he concluded’’.
