The importance of peace and stability during and aftermath of 2021 presidential election in The Gambia

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By ABU AYOUB E SISE

Every Gambian must be reminded that the precious value of peace is priceless and always worth protecting.

This is because without peace, the valuable human lives lose the worth of their value and dignity.

Hence, maintaining national peace and stability during this exciting 2021 presidential election and after the election is the responsibility of every Gambian local and diaspora.

All should be reminded that we are going to the poll to vote for a person whom the majority of the Gambians believe to be the most appropriate leader to steer the affairs of the nation for a better development, general wellbeing, and all the benefits listed in the candidate’s manifestos.

It is prudent to comprehend that that no development is feasible without maintaining peace and stability in the country.

Thus, the responsibility of every Gambia-loving citizen or resident to work hand in gloves in the nation building, the first step of which is maintaining peace as no development can take place without peace; and this is a universal fact requiring only common sense to understand.

We should caste our minds back on the serious undesirable consequences faced by some nations where the citizen acted emotionally and failed their responsibility of protecting peace.

Importance of peace in our daily life and national development

We should not lose sight of the fact that it is only in a nation with peace and stability where adults can routinely go out to work and earn money to put food on the table, ambitious youth can develop careers, build houses, settle down, and build families.

Only in such a nation, children and adolescents can go to school to learn and become independent valuable human resource in the future.

It is only in a peaceful nation that people can have sound sleep and enjoy their relationships and social coexistence.

Furthermore, the essence of peace and stability allows us to go to the market daily to shop, cook our favourite foods and eat with peace of mind.

Most importantly, in terms of collective national development, only in a peaceful national environment can a government with its functionaries operate to provide the needed such as better security, healthcare, agriculture, economy, standard education, better infrastructure, stable electric supply, adequate and accessible clean water, controlled prices of commodities, standardize tax collection, better tax utilization.

In a peaceful and stable atmosphere, tax payers’ monies will be returned benefits in the form of social amenities or services and standardize annual salary review for increment policies.

Peace and stability enable these important government operations and services for providing a conducive and happy life which all citizens in accordance with citizens’ aspiration.

This is why, peaceful election is the number one priority and a prerequisite for the anticipated post-election development.

That type of environment enables the citizenry to hold government accountable in accordance with the laws of the land.

Serious implication of lack of peace and stability

I hope that all rational people will agree with me that when thirsty, having and seeing a glass of water half-full or half empty is far better than completely empty.

We need to act wisely and peaceful. Otherwise, if we let our emotions to override our intellect to act emotionally and sacrifice our peace, we will absolutely regret to have the glass completely empty which is destruction instead of development.

It is not rocket science for us to understand that without peace we can’t achieve and enjoy any form of development we wish to have in The Gambia.

Citizen’s individual & collective responsibility in maintenance of peace and stability

In the maintenance of peace and stability, each and every Gambian has individual and collective roles to play; and these roles are simpler than many may think.

Everyone can play the following roles: 1, To respect our individual differences while agreeing on prioritizing the national interests; 2, To act considerately by treating others with human dignity as the way one will love to be treated; 3, To view and treat one another as lovely siblings of one parent, The Gambia; 4, To operate and interact with maturity and intelligence by evaluating the likely consequence of every sensitive action before engaging in it; 5, To have the common mind-set of developing The Gambia for a better living while cleansing ourselves of any corrupted selfish-personal interest-driven mind-set; 6, Everyone could remind himself/herself that different political parties are not enemy opponents but competitors with similar agendas for better development of The Gambia.

And after the election, the supporters of different parties will be working together for the common interest of The Gambia.

So, if we could act on these simple points, there will be no fighting within ourselves.

Remember, we should all be committed to further disciplining ourselves by respecting and prioritizing the national interest over any personal interest.

Likewise, the primitive tribalism, nepotism, and any form of sectarianism have no room for any realistic national interest and all sentiments of these retrogressive thinking and attitudes or behaviours should be discarded into a rubbish bin if we are to have a meaningful national development.

Reflective lessons from current nations that citizens fail in their responsibility of peace maintenance

As Gambian people are predominantly peaceful and peace loving which is a wise attitude and wise people are characterised by utilizing their mistakes and others’ mistakes as lessons to avoid making similar mistakes.

We are lucky to have seen nations that were far developed in all aspect as compared to the Gambia, but when they sacrifice their peace by fighting one another numerous precious lives got lost, beautiful and precious women became devastated widows, adorable children became pathetic orphans, tents became their shelters in harsh deserts, their living maintenance became dependent on foreign emergency relief packages, while others became homeless refugees scattered in foreign countries unwelcomed.

It is worthy asking oneself as where we will go and feel comfortable as when at homeland if we emotionally sacrifice our peace. It is worth simple critical thinking to avoid big useless regret.