A Moment of stocktaking

Yesterday was independence day. We celebrated 43 years of nationhood.

And accordingly, that mainly formal march past and speech delivering occasion, characterised by cultural display, would be succeeded by a series of inaugurations of recently completed projects dotted around the country. This has been the hallmark of this national occasion for some time now. And it has intensified since the inception of the second republic.

Indeed we can not divorce merry making from this auspicious occasion, but we would be naive to allow fan fair to eclipse the rationale behind the whole celebration.

The idea is not to merely celebrate, but also to commemorate and assess our post-independence performance as a nation. In order to grasp the true meaning of this achievement we so dearly cherish, we aught to accept the fact that this is a moment of stock taking rather than one of wining and dinning.
 
Was it justifiable that we demanded self-rule? Have we proven - at least to ourselves - that we were indeed right to yearn for self rule? These are the questions that we shall be asking, and by the time we get to the bottom of it, we certainly will have paved the way for future actions. 400 years of British rule, what did it gain us?

Today a host of mementoes of economic, social, as well as political deficiencies constantly remind us of the ills of colonial rule.

When slightly over 4 decades ago we braced ourselves for the dawn of a new day - the birth of a new nation - little did we know the magnitude of the herculean task ahead. The future of our new nation had been set on a weak foundation.

A tattered core of human resource deprived of everything that had something to do with education and enlightenment. But thanks to Allah for the foresightedness of the architects of our independence heroes, today the decisions we take reflect the true feelings of our people, even if they do not make sense to others. As in the words of President Jammeh: “The true meaning of independence and nationhood can be wholesomely appreciated only when we can cogently and aptly tie these to our dignity and relevance on the global stage as a people.”

Precisely 43 years on, we are today poised to vindicate the series of nationalistic events, by our gallant men and women, which preceded the attainment of right to self determination. However, the road has not been all that smooth. All we had been yearning for was the chance to take part in the upliftment of the status of our people. And this would only be possible by fixing the woes of the colonial imperialism. And we can only succeed in this by intensifying our positive stance on nation building, and also thrive to consolidate on current gains.

Present indicators reveal that the government of the day is indeed true to its commitment in furthering the course of its people. But success - as matter of fact meaningful success - can only be guaranteed with the input of the people themselves.