Your role is indispensable in nation building; President Jammeh tells religious leaders

His Excellency, Professor Alhaji Dr Yahya Jammeh, President of the Republic of The Gambia, has underscored the significance of the role of religious leaders, describing it as ‘very important and indispensable in nation building.’

Professor Jammeh was speaking, last Wednesday, as he addressed the Greater Banjul Inter-Region Leaders who called on him at his office at the State House in Banjul.
The group’s visit to State House was meant to extend prayers for His Excellency, the president, and for the continued peace and stability of The Gambia. And accordingly, the visit is an annual tradition, taking place every New Year, since the organization’s inception, over 22 years ago.

Wishing his visitors a prosperous and peaceful new year, President Jammeh commended them for their ‘great effort’ in making The Gambia a better place. “Religion,’ he said, ‘is very important in any society. We all know that no nation can develop without honesty, peace and stability, and that there cannot be peace and stability where there is corruption, dishonesty and hatred.’

‘So,’ Professor Jammeh went on, ‘the role of the religious leaders and religion is indispensable in the positive development of any human society. Therefore you are not seen as outside government, but you are part and parcel of government, because you constitute the government.”

President Jammeh observed that 99% of mankind would want to go to heaven, so that the fear of going to hell makes them to listen to religious leaders rather than government, ‘because at the end of the day, you are telling them of a supreme authority that knows what all of us do - whether in public or in secret.  So your role is a very important and indispensable role in nation building,” stated the Gambian head of state.

And he continued: “You inculcate in the minds of your followers the virtues of honesty, hard work and sincerity. You always tell them the rewards of being honest, peace loving and realistic.’ According to President Jammeh, both Islam and Christianity teach humanity to do good deeds.  

As long as you believe in one God, he said, any good Muslim should respect Christians and any good Christian should equally respect Muslims. “Religion,’ he emphasised, ‘is one. As far as you believe in one God and as far as I am the President of The Gambia, Gambians will live in peace and harmony,” he promised.
 
“The Gambia Christian Council have the authority to register or deregister any new church that comes to The Gambia, and the Supreme Islamic Council also has the authority to register or deregister any Muslim group that comes to this country.  

We should not allow people who make trouble elsewhere to come and bring trouble in The Gambia,” President Jammeh told his visitors, and he added, “I don’t think any outsider can come to The Gambia and teach Christians in The Gambia something they don’t know in the Bible or a Muslim to come to the Gambia and teach Muslims in the county something they don’t know in the Qur’an or anything in Islam.  

I am not saying you should not allow groups to come, but the responsibility will lie on your heads. Whether it is a Christian group that is creating trouble or a Muslim group creating trouble, the two bodies will be held by government to account,” he said.

President Jammeh advised them to continue working together to ensure that the peace & tranquillity in this country is gained by all, and he reassured them of his government’s support, praying for the founding father of the group, the late Alhaji BO Semega Janneh. Known for his generosity and kindness, President Jammeh donated a cash amount of D150, 000 to the group.

For her part, Aja Dr Isatou Njie-Saidy, vice President and secretary of State for Women’s Affairs, delved on the need to consolidate the level of peace and stability the people of the country enjoy, something she said is worth emulating by the rest of the world. She described the peaceful relationship that exists between Christians and Muslims in The Gambia as excellent, adding that it would go a long way in helping to make the job of government easy and successful.

According to Vice President Njie-Saidy, religious leaders are not only there to win the hearts and minds of the people, but they also participate in national development. And, on behalf of the president, she commended the visiting religious leaders for their ‘hard work’ and wished them a happy new year.

Hatib B.O Semega Janneh, the chairman of the organization, reminded the gathering that it had been initiated by his father, the late Alhaji B.O Semega Janneh, 22 years ago. He added that their aim is to ensure that peace and stability continues to prevail in the country. He prayed for the leadership of the country as well as the government and people as a whole.

Bishop Patrick Ellison, chairman of The Gambia Christian Council and Bishop of the Catholic of The Gambia, expressed gratitude and delight at the initiative. Bishop Ellison highlighted numerous developments undertaken by the Christian Council and assured the gathering of their resolve in working in closer collaboration with The Gambia Supreme Islamic Council.

Imam Barham Jobe, Imam of Serrekunda, who spoke on behalf of the Muslims, used the opportunity to congratulate the Gambian leader and wished him a happy new year. Imam Jobe also highlighted the numerous achievements registered by the Jammeh administration, and commended the head of state for, among other things, his back to the land initiative.

He assured Professor Jammeh of their unreserved commitment towards ensuring peace and tranquillity in the country. Other speakers included, Crispin Grey Johnson, Momodou Kotu Cham, Dr Omar Touray and Fatou Lamin Faye, secretaries of state for Higher Education; Research, Science and Technology; Forestry and the Environment; Foreign Affairs; and Basic and Secondary Education, respectively. They all were unanimous in their preaching of unity and peace in the country.