As the Gambia joins the rest of the world in welcoming another new year, messages and new year greetings have come in from venerable religious leaders of the Christian faith and political leaders, to their fellow Gambian citizens. The messages from all these leaders prayed for peace and unity of the homeland, and progress and prosperity for all. We will begin with the message of President Adama Barrow followed by the messages of the venerable religious leaders of the different Christian Faiths in the Gambia.
MESSAGE FROM THE MOST REVEREND BANNIE EBENEZER F. MANGA
PRESIDING BISHOP OF THE METHODIST CHURCH THE GAMBIA
CHAIRMAN GAMBIA CHRISTIAN COUNCIL
‘‘The year 2023 has been characterized with many eventful, beautiful and some challenging stories. All of these realities continue to shape and inform our perspectives to life and community. The end of year gives an opportunity for reflections as well and projections into and for the future. It also calls for a period of thankfulness to the Sustainer of our lives. St. Paul anchors it thus in 1 Corinthians 17 verse 28 in the words ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring’.
This premise of having our lives connected in some form to the Divine, in God almighty has provoked a sentiment that echoes all through our nation. This sentiment is summed in the words: ‘it is the will of God’; ‘Ndogali Yalla’. This theory can lead some to presume that all of life and its many journeys and stories are predestined or programmed to happen thus. It keynotes an idea in which we are somehow identified to be robots or some electronic system. But we know that as human beings we are not programmed to limitations. We are given choices and called to be responsible. Together with the rest of the world, we are blessed with 52 weeks and 365 days in a leap year.
Within this scope of understanding, I stand to suggest that in our gratefulness to God for the ensuing year of 2024, with all its possibilities and concerns, the year 2024 should be declared as ‘A YEAR OF RESPONSIBLE LIVING’. I am not suggesting that we are and have not been responsible. Maybe I would say we could be more responsible. This theme must be appropriated to ourselves, our families and our nation as a whole.
The book of Proverbs chapter 11 verse 3 records these words – ‘The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity’. The wise man further admonishes us in Proverbs chapter 12 verse 24 that ‘Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in forced labor’. A similar encouragement is provided in Ezra chapter 10 verse 4 where the following words are recorded, ‘Rise up; this matter is in your hands. We will support you, so take courage and do it’. These verses of scripture encourage us to rise up and take possession of our destinies. It is about time as Gambians and non-Gambians within this Jurisdiction that we take ownership of our future. We cannot do so by lamenting forever. It is about that we reflect the words of the humanist William Pierson Merrill when he suggests the following: ‘Rise up, O men of God. Have done with lesser things; Give Heart and Soul and mind and Strength To serve the King of Kings’. These words parallel a song we used to sing in our childhood days – ‘legayejotna Gambia amnabopam.’
The year 2024 is calling us to further move away from a rhetorical standpoint to issues of relevance to either addressing them or deliberately moving towards addressing them. One of our local languages reminds us that God exists for all. He is not bias towards some and hates others. Therefore, Isaiah chapter 26 verse 3 and 4 encourages us in these words – ‘You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD himself, is the Rock eternal’. Since our nation prides itself as a very religious context, then our sense of religiousness must be seen to reflect in our daily routines. St Paul would therefore be forthright in telling us in Romans chapter 14 verse 12 and 13- ‘So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God. Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister’. Let it be emphasized that this nation will and cannot develop if we continue to put stumbling blocks or obstacles before ourselves. For all intents and purposes, we must be seen to live as Gambians if our nation must evolve into a better phase of itself.
In this regard, let me encourage the religious leaders in our nation to stop sowing seeds of discord and disunity. Religion must be premises on love for oneself and neighbour. It cannot thrive in confusion and hatred. Our national religions as I know it in experience and our studies do not promote in any form or shape the new faces of religious bigotry and discord that seemingly wants to promote itself in the Smiling coast of The Gambia. St Paul doesn’t miss his words in 2 Timothy chapter 2; verse 14 to 16, ‘Keep reminding God’s people of these things. Warn them before God against quarrelling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly’.
As we commence the year 2024, I encourage us all to be reminded in the words of Colossians chapter 3 verse 23 to 25 ‘Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favouritism.’
In the daily living of the year 2024, I assure you of our continued prayers and love. On behalf of the Methodist family here in The Gambia, I pray for a blessed and fruitful year in Jesus’ name. Amen!
2024 NEW YEAR MESSAGE FROM THE BISHOP OF THE CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF BANJUL
(‘GIVE THANKS IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES … AND THE GOD
OF PEACE WILL BE WITH YOU (1Thess. 5:18, Phil., 4:9)
The end of the year and beginning of a New Year is a unique moment in our lives as believers and members of Christ’s Body, the Church. We reflect on our past experience in life and we look forward in hope to the future. At the same time, we thank God for his blessings and protection and we pray that he will grant us a prosperous, peaceful, and healthy New Year that will renew and strengthen our faith and life on earth. We also make resolutions and promises to God, in order to, overcome our failures and weakness in our relationship with God and one another. But we do not fully know what will happen in the New Year whether it will be good for us or not. We, therefore have doubts, uncertainties, and plans at the beginning of the New Year as a result of our human limitations and experiences. We even imagine the possibilities and incidents that will happen in our lives but we generally do not know what the future holds for us. So, we wonder about our future and obligations in the New Year. Considering our fears and uncertainties, hopes and expectations, doubts and questions at this moment, I will focus my New Year’s Message on St. Paul’s exhortation in 1Thess. 5:18 that we should, “give thanks to God in all circumstances for this is the will of God for us in Christ Jesus.” If we give thanks to God at all times whether in times of joy or sorrow, success or failure, peace or instability, the God of peace will also be with us (Phil. 4:9).
In his letters to the local churches he established during this missionary journeys, St. Paul always expressed gratitude and thanksgiving to God for what God has done for him; for enabling him to preach the message of the Gospel of Christ to the Gentiles. He expressed his gratitude to God in 1Cor. 1:1-4 and Phil. 1:1-4 for his special vocation as a servant of Christ and his fellowship in spirit with the members of the Church. So, he appreciated God’s divine grace, blessings, and assistance in his life and ministry in the local churches. The members of the churches were equally encouraged in the same spirit to offer their gratitude and thanksgiving to God for his gifts, mercy, compassion, and salvation in Christ Jesus. He instructed the faithful in Eph. 4:20, “to sing psalms and spiritual songs and make music to the Lord with all their hearts and always give thanks in the name of Jesus Christ to God, the Father for everything.” They were also invited in Col. 4:2 to persevere in prayer, be grateful to God, and beseech God to open a door for St. Paul to preach the mystery of Christ in his captivity as a prisoner of Christ. But he was more emphatic and persistent in 1Thess. 5:18 that they should constantly pray and give thanks to God in all circumstances. They were consequently required to offer their prayers of thanksgiving to God at all times regardless of their situation and condition in life. Every occasion and situation was, in that case, a moment to offer their prayers of thanksgiving to God for his gifts, mercy, and goodness. So, their gratitude was unconditional and independent of their experience and circumstance in life.
The obligation of the faithful to offer thanksgiving to God at all times and in all circumstances was, in that regard, a principle of life St. Paul required them to obey irrespective of their condition and experience in life. This principle is equally important for us in this New Year. We should express our gratitude to Godin all circumstances for our vocation, life, qualities, and prospects in life. Our gratitude to God should not therefore be limited to what is useful and beneficial to us. We should be grateful to God even if we do not gain or experience in the course of the New Year what we expected, deserved, and desired in our lives. So, the idea and practice of offering thanksgiving to God only when we experienced or received God’s blessing, protection, and assistance in answer to our prayers is not in accordance with St. Paul’s preaching and teaching on thanksgiving. We should always, as St. Paul said, give thanks to God in all circumstances both in good and bad times; in times of joy and sorrow. So, we should not expect God to grant our prayers, needs, and plansin the New Year before we offer our thanksgiving to him. Nor should we wait until we are successful, rich, and comfortable in the New Year before we express our gratitude to God. Our thanksgiving to God should always be spontaneous, unconditional, and continuous in appreciation of our identity and existence in life.
Throughout this New Year, we should thank God for our life and health, faith and gifts, vocation and status in life, blessings and challenges, success and failure, pain and suffering. Our life and health are not our own provisionsbut God’s precious gifts to us. We should, therefore, give thanks to God at all times and in all circumstances for our existence no matter our experience and misfortunes in life. God is also the source of our faith, as well as, our spiritual and human gifts, and vocation. We are obliged, for that reason, to always thank God for these sacred gifts we received at our baptism, confirmation, consecration, and ordination. His abundant blessings to us should also be acknowledged and appreciated when we experience God’s favours, goodness, and assistance. For God’s blessing is defined in the Catechism of the Catholic Church nos. 1078-79, as a divine and life-giving action of our heavenly Father that is both a word and a gift… From the beginning until the end of time, the whole of God’s work of creation and redemption is a blessing. When we experience failure, pain, and suffering, we should also offer our prayers of thanksgiving to God for enabling us to participate in Christ’s suffering. This may be difficult to appreciate but our faith in God’s providence and wisdom should enable us to acknowledge his goodness even in our disappointment and suffering in life. The psalmist still expressed his gratitude to God in Ps. 41:1-3 in his poverty and sickness. He said, God delivered, protected, and kept him alive; he sustained him on his sickbed, and he healed him of all his infirmities. St. Paul also affirmed in Rom. 5:3-5 that we should bear our sufferings because suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and our hope does not disappoint us. We should not, therefore, consider our failure and suffering in life as a worthless experience.
Whatever our situation and experience is in this New Year, we should offer our thanks giving to God in the Eucharist we celebrate, our daily prayers, offerings, acts of charity, and selfless service to God and humanity. We have different options to thank God in both word and deed. So, it is not too demanding and costly to fulfil our obligation of thanksgiving to God for his providence, mercy, assistance, and guidance. Each and every one of us should be grateful to God if we cherish his generosity in our lives. We can offer the Eucharist in thanksgiving to God. For, the Eucharist is not just the Sacrament of Christ’s Body and Blood that we celebrate as a memorial of his sacrifice and death on the cross. The Eucharist is also, as stated in CCC nos. 1359, a sacrifice of praise in thanksgiving to God for creation and salvation in Christ Jesus. It is therefore appropriate and highly recommended for Catholics to request Mass as their form of thanksgiving to God for his blessings, protection, and assistance. Our prayers, offerings, and acts of charity can also be our gratitude to God. What we present to God should, therefore, be proper, precious, and worthy of God’s goodness, gifts, and deliverance. We should not, for that reason, underestimate the gifts and offerings we present to God. If we dedicate ourselves at the service of God and humanity without counting the cost, our service can also be our offering of thanksgiving to God. Our work and life of witness can also be our gratitude to God for his wonders and blessings.
If we thank God at all times and in all circumstances, we will experience God’s peace, goodness, and rewards. We will gain more from God if we offer and express our thanksgiving to God in the Eucharist, in prayer, and our service to God and humanity. We should not, therefore, assume that our acts of thanksgiving benefit God more than us. For, the Church clearly affirms in the fourth Preface of the weekday Mass that, “our prayer of thanksgiving adds nothing to God but profits us for our salvation.” We should, therefore, appreciate this fact and be willing to fulfil our obligation to thank God at all times. The Samaritan man who returned to express his gratitude to Jesus in Lk. 17:11-19 was rewarded for his gratitude. Jesus assured him that his faith has healed him. The other nine who never thanked Jesus were not only ungrateful; they never attained the blessing and holistic healing of the Samaritan.We willalso experience God’s peace, blessings, and assurance in our lives if we give thanks to God at all times and in all circumstances during this New Year. Our conscience will nottrouble us if we express our gratitude to God. We will be at peace with ourselves and the God of peace will also be with us in our homes and place of work. The importance of offering our prayers and thanksgiving to God should, therefore, be fully understood at this point in time. If we experience joy or disappointment at any time, the God of peace with still be with us.
We always thank God on New Year’s Day for what he has done for us in the past year and his love in enabling us to witness another year in our lives. So, many believers and members of the Church often celebrate New Year’s Day as a day of thanksgiving and gratitude to Godthan the feast of Mary, Mother of God. Both celebrations can be observed on New Year’s Day because they are not contradictory.But we should not only express our thanksgiving to God on New Year’s Day. We are required and encouraged by St. Paul in 1Thess. 5:18 to always give thanks to God in all circumstances throughout this New Year and the God of peace will be with us in our homes, places of work, and society (Phil. 4:9).Our gratitude and thanksgiving to God should not, therefore, be limited to a particular occasion or be conditioned by our position or situation in life. We should always and at all times offer our prayers and acts of gratitude to God on account of our faith in his goodness, mercy, and guidance. For, we have many reasons to thank God in spite of our fears, hopes, expectations, and experience in life. We should equally be inspired and motivated by this New Year’s message to cultivate the spirit of gratitude and be more eager and willing to offer our gifts and service in thanksgiving to God. As the Bishop of the Diocese of Banjul, I wish the priests, deacons, religious, seminarians, and all the lay faithful of the Diocese, our Christian brothers and sisters in Christ, Muslim believers, believers of other faiths, people of goodwill, and all Gambians at home and abroad a blessed, peaceful, healthy, successful, and prosperous New Year. May God hear our prayers, accept our offerings of thanksgiving, deliver us from all evil, and grant our needs through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen.
Yours Servant in Christ,
Most Rev. Dr. Gabriel Mendy,C.S.Sp.
Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Banjul,
The Gambia.
PRESIDENT BARROW’s 2024 NEW YEAR MESSAGE TO GAMBIANS
Below is the full speech of President Adama Barrow’s New Year message that was delivered to Gambians and friends and residents of the Gambia on state media, and relayed by other private media houses.
‘‘Fellow Gambians and Friends of The Gambia,
Another year has elapsed once again, giving way to a new year. As we look forward to 2024, we do so with gratitude to the Almighty God for the blessings and achievements of 2023, and we do so with much optimism as well.
Looking back, since the advent of the Corona virus in 2019, 2023 was by far the most productive year in The Gambia, despite the persistent global economic crises and the inflationary backlash undermining our economies globally. Our international image and ratings confirm this convincingly.
During the year, we registered remarkable successes, particularly, in our priority areas of infrastructure development, energy and water provision, education, health, agriculture, and justice delivery, to name a few examples.
Overall, the country is stable, and there is peace countrywide. Besides the lamentable last September fatal shooting incident that involved three security personnel, and a few other cases of murder and suicide, the crime rate in the country has dropped.
To deliver on our promises, my administration’s focus on development is now firmly anchored to the National Development Plan -YIRIWA (2023 – 2027) and the Medium-Term Economic Fiscal Framework (2023-2026) for macro-fiscal stability.
Although inflation has risen to 18%, The Gambia is faring much better than many other countries. However, we admit its far-reaching impact on the cost of living in the country, especially on the poor. Part of the solution to this challenge lies in stepping up local production to reduce imports and, thus, avoid the cost burden associated with importation. My government will continue to subsidise essential imported commodities, even though this reduces our spending ability on development projects. Thus, to compensate for this, we must fall back on taxation; that is, taxation purely for inclusive development.
Fellow Citizens and Residents of The Gambia, as I always say my slogan is: No infrastructure, no development. Similarly, I believe that without development, progress, peace and stability would be hindered. Better still, there cannot be stability in the absence of peace.
To put it squarely, development is best made possible through peace, stability, unity, execution of proper plans and policies, and wise use of the resources at our disposal.
Based on this, a key indicator of development is the number and quality of relevant infrastructure projects undertaken in the country. Thus far, we are proud of the records. On account of this, to reassure you further, my government willremain development-oriented and sensitive to the plight, concerns, and welfare of the people.
Compatriots, Friends, Brothers, and Sisters,
a major concern of the year has been irregular migration. This is not only a menace, but it also appears to be on the rise, thus putting the lives of more young people at risk. Young people have a very significant role to play in their families, communities, and in national development. Hence, we cannot watch them perish with impunity.
There are opportunities that such young persons can exploit to guarantee them success at home. Education and training for skill acquisition are the surest means for the youth to have guaranteed pathways to success and happiness.
This justifies our renewed focus on education and prioritisation of TVET, as reflected in the 2024 national budget.The local communities, especially residents along the coastline, must play a more active part in preventing irregular migration. Family units, friends, and everyone else should be vigilant enough to intercept all potentially dangerous journeys that involve Gambian citizens, either as traffickers, passengers, boat crew, or otherwise.
Fellow Citizens and Friends of The Gambia, like the Security Sector Reform, the Civil Service Reform for better national service delivery is in progress. These reforms hinge on the realisation that excellent service delivery depends on the quality, efficiency, and disposition of the workers in the public service.
As a result, their welfare will always take centre stage so that they have adequate support to perform their duties and responsibilities competently. In the same way, we denounce worker apathy, corruption, and all forms of crime, hate, and disunity.
Distinguished Gambians and Friends of The Gambia, eachNew Year inspires new visions, resolutions, plans and approaches. For 2024, in line with the new YIRIWA programme, I propose that we adopt Efficiency for Quality Output as our New Year resolution, inject quality into whatever we do, and act as agents of peace and development. It is only through quality work and quality outputs that durability is guaranteed. The infrastructure we construct, the work we do at home or in the workplace, the food we eat, and everything we produce would serve better with better quality. Consequently, every citizen should strive for quality development for quality life. I urge that all assessments of work done in the country have a component on quality variables of international standard. This is particularly important for service delivery, and it includes government contracts, policies, and personnel hired for public service.
Furthermore, for the attainment of our YIRIWA goals, I advise all public servants and institutions to aim higher, target bigger, and work harder, with a laser focus cast on the people and the environment.
For Government, the feedback from the last Meet the People Tour was positive and encouraging. We will keep our promises to the people and work together to develop the nation. This is the task at hand.
I must warn that there is growing instability within the sub-region, which we must not entertain. The Gambia has been bitterly unstable before; therefore, let nothing deceive us to fall into that trap ever again.
In this regard, the causes of disorder, such as divisive politics, land issues, and ethnic rivalry must not be condoned.
As a people, let our national pride and collective determination fuel our efforts, while our diversity, knowledge, skills, and values be the transformative tools for the change and development we so badly desire. There is no richer or more potent resource than the people. With everyone on board, no challenge is insurmountable.
Fellow Gambians and Residents of The Gambia:
I congratulate the Gambian community on our successes and count on all of you, as we march into the future. The world is designed to pose challenges to humankind, which requires prioritisation, making sacrifices, and working hard to attain our goals.
In 2024, among other events, we eagerly look forward to three major events namely, the OIC Summit, the Janjangbureh Bicentenary Festival and the holding of a referendum on the new Constitution for the Third Republic. The Government solicits your support as they unfold.
For the cooperation and collaboration we enjoy, I thank all categories of leaders in the country and all those in the public and private sectors. I am also thankful to our development partners and every citizen and friend of The Gambia.
As we celebrate the New Year, let us remember to pray for the lives lost during the year. They include the gentle souls of former Vice PresidentBadaraJoof, our fallen security personnel, the unfortunate migrants who passed on in their quest for greener pasture and those who departed this life in one way or another. God’s peace, be with them.
To conclude, I wish you all a very happy and prosperous 2024 and pray that life gets better with each New Year.
God bless us all.
I thank you for your kind attention.’’
PASTORAL LETTER FOR THE NEW YEAR ISSUED BY THE LORD BISHOP OF GAMBIA
Theme: Do not be afraid for The Lord is our light and salvation. Psalm 27:1
Dear friends, how quickly another year seems to have passed and the new year 2024 is here with us. Permit me to reflect with you briefly on some words of God’s encouragement and the assurance of His eternal presence among us as we enter this new year 2024.
Our world today, my brothers and sisters is full of fear and replete with many uncertainties. We wake up each day full of fear of the unknown ahead of us. God in many ways told our fathers in faith before us in the bible not to be afraid. As we begin this new year, I wish to assure you all not to be afraid for our God is with us to keep us safe from every evil. St. Paul is therefore right when he says to us, ‘if God be for us who can be against us’ Rom 8:31
Permit me to explore more with you on why we are not to be afraid through the unknown changing scenes of life. From the pages of the Old Testament through to the New Testament, we discover that anytime God initiated an encounter with His people, He first encouraged their heart not to be afraid. When He met with Abraham, He told him not to be afraid of the unknown, when He spoke to Moses, He assured him not to be afraid of going back to Egypt. Elijah was not to be afraid of Jezebel and Ahab and all the false prophets of Baal. He will assure Isaiah, ‘do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you and I will uphold you with my victorious right hand’ Isaiah 41:10
Jesus, severally would tell His disciples not to be afraid of the enemy. After He triumphantly rose from the grave, He appeared to his disciples and the first thing He did was to remind them not to be afraid.
From my readings of these various encounters between God and his people, I discovered something deeper and that is, anytime God announced to his people not to be afraid, He would continue to pledge that his presence will be with them. They were therefore not to be afraid because God was going to be with them.
As we edge ever closer to the threshold of the new year, I wish to assure you in words that reflect the message that Jesus shared with his disciples, do not be afraid for He is with you to protect you and to deliver you from the troubles and chaos of life. Notice that it is God who is promising to be with you. May He, who has made us this solemn promise neither forsake nor abandon us in this new year.
Having said this, let me also remind us of some of life’s realities that the devil uses to drown us deep in the ocean of fear – stress, nervousness, anxiety, sickness among others. These are the weapons the devil uses to throw us off course. No matter your state in life, no matter your age, no matter your background, no matter your academic credentials, there is bound to be something that causes you stress and anxiety. There are things in and around us that make us nervous. In the midst of all these, Jesus’ sweet utterance to us is clear and unambiguous, ‘be of good cheer, it is I, do not be afraid’ Matt 14:27.
Let us go back to the text of our theme from Psalm 27:1 and ask this pertinent question, why would David, out of all the symbols he could have used to describe the Lord, choose to say the Lord is his Light? Notice dear friends that the opposite of light is darkness and in scripture, one of the symbols of fear is darkness. So, if David is encouraging us and telling us that the Lord is his light and salvation, then David is also telling us this; as light dispels darkness so our God this new year will dispel all our fears and darkness. The enemy may do his worse against you but the assurance is that God will show up to do his best for you in the course of the new year. This year 2024, our God will be for us and nothing and no one in life or in death will be against us. This year 2024, the Lord will be your light and your salvation. He will save you from all your fears and every weapon of the enemy fashioned against you and your children will never prosper. On this high note, let me congratulate all of us for witnessing God’s blessings of a new year and to take this opportunity to wish His Excellency the President and his cabinet and the entire government of The Gambia, God’s protection and wisdom even as they lead us in this new year and the days to come. May the peace of incarnated son of God continue to reign supreme in the affairs of all
Amen.
I wish all of us a happy and prosperous new year full of God’s favour and grace.
Issued At the Bishop’s Court, Banjul, The Gambia
Bishop St. Obed Arist Kojo Baiden
NEW YEAR MESSAGE FROM GAMBIA FOR ALL
Dear Comrades and Party Sympathizers
Fellow Gambians both at home and abroad
As we prepare for the New Year 2024, we would like to take this opportunity to extend to you and your families our very warm greetings for a joyous New Year. We pray for our fallen comrades who are not around to share with us the joys of this festive season, but we will always remember them in our prayers.
For our party, the Year 2023 has been a particularly busy year,which witnessed our participation in the local government elections. We want to take this opportunity to thank our candidates and the Party members who actively participated in the campaigns.
The Party continues to pursue actively the programme of strengthening the party organs at the local and area levels to ensure improved organization and responsiveness to the challenges ahead. An important component of this strengthening process is training and capacity building for all the party structures but more specifically at the branch level. In this regard, we would like to refer to our participation in a training seminar, which took place in Accra (Ghana) on June 1 and 2. The seminar, Liberalism in Africa, discussed the value of liberal thoughts and ideas in the African context and helped expose some of our senior party cadres to the underlying philosophy of the party.
On external relations, GFA, as a full member of the African Liberal Network, has been working closely with other liberal parties in the promotion of the principles of democracy and human rights as well as the creation of conditions for citizens to improve their lives. Recently, our party participated in the Biennial Summit of the Network held in Dakar, Senegal on the 6th December 2023. The Summit assessed the challenges and opportunities facing the organisation and its members and formulated a forward-looking strategy to build on our strengths and address the challenges ahead. The party also participated in the RENEWPAC Summit in Dakar from December 3rd to 5th, which is an association of African and European Union liberal party members of Parliament to discuss the relation between the EU and the African liberal parties and define a collaborative framework that is more responsive to the present-day challenges.
For the coming year, 2024, the party will continue the important programme of restructuring and strengthening of the party organs at the different levels. We are confident that the party militantsas well as the membership will continue the high level of commitment and hard work necessary to move the party to the next level. As we have always said,we will need to retain our support base, while progressively broadening it through effective recruitment effort on a continuing basis. At the same time, the party will continue the progressive enhancement of the political awareness of the general membership, and strengthen the skills and capacities of our cadre of party workers through training and capacity development.
In the wider national context, it is sad to note the Year 2023 has witnessed a further deterioration of the living conditions of our people. Access to food and other basic services has remained difficult because of their high costs. In addition to the high costs, there is the deplorable service delivery to the public, which is the consequence of poor public service management. It is sad to note that Gambian people continue to bear the high cost of an administration that has repeatedly demonstrated its unwillingness or inability to address effectively the daily needs and priorities of the Gambian people. Increasing salaries and other benefits of the executive, legislative and the judiciary in the present circumstances of unprecedented socioeconomic hardship is a reflection of the total disregard of the worsen conditions of the people whose welfare these institutions are supposed to promote. The ostentatious life style of the executive in the midst of pervasive poverty demonstrates a cruel mockery of the ordinary citizen.
We cannot conclude this message without referring to the issue of insecurity, which continues to be a major threat to the peace and stability of this country. The recent murder of two police officers reflects the new dimension of this insecurity. We extend our condolences to the families of these officers but we insist that this and other forms of prevalent violent crime are a serious indictment of the Government’s security policy.
The country is at a crossroads and it is up to the progressive forces to work together to usher in the new era that this nation so desperately deserves. In this respect our party will not be found wanting in the effort to bring about this much needed change.
Once again, we wish you all a happy and prosperous New Year!
Long Live The Gambia! Long live GFA!
DEWENATI!
Chief of Staff
GFA
