The other day our State House correspondent, presumably out of sheer unadulterated admiration, remarked: "This man is benevolent!". Apparently the excited correspondent was referring to President Jammeh.

He had just returned from his usual coverage at the state house, where the president had been addressing a departing group of students to the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. They are the first batch of students to pursue further studies in that country through a Gambia government brokered scholarship.

Compare this to the philosophy of the man himself. "Any leader who is concerned about the welfare of his people is part of his people." These are the words of President Jammeh. They befit the man who, through his words and deeds, has won the hearts and minds of his people. He has constantly endeavored to demonstrate this in everything he does.

The most essential precondition for national development is the human resource base. However, it is out of the ordinary to note that a nation’s chances of success wholly depend on its aptitude to choose what is appropriate for its needs.

This calls for focus, steadfastness, as well as prudent policy guidelines. It also calls for honesty, sincerity and commitment. Fortunately, these are all admirable traits this nation has put at the forefront since the beginning of the second republic.

And thanks to this, the Gambia government’s policy of education for all is indeed being pursued true and true; not only at the basic education level, but also at the higher education level. Today, you do not need to show your inclination, in terms of politics, religion or whatsoever, for you to gain a scholarship you deserve.  All this is because the interest of the nation takes preference.

This is what we, Gambians, should try to get used to, especially those of us who benefit from these opportunities. Like the communication SoS put it, you are the few lucky ones out of the 1.5million Gambians. This makes your task all the more demanding.      

“A succesful revolution has the effect of destroying the old grundnorm and creating a new grundnorm from which it draws its legitimacy”

Theory of

Revolutionary Legitimacy