(JollofNews) – President Adama Barrow has fired back at his critics, majority of who were saying they were defending Gambia’s religious secularity and criticize his announcement of constructing sixty Mosques in Gambian communities in one year.
“All religions are equal in this country and I treat everyone equally. Even in my Cabinet, I have Christians that I have so much respect for,” Mr. Barrow said in Foni Kansala village of Bwiam on Tuesday as part of his on-going nationwide tour.
In one of his meetings last Wednesday, Mr. Barrow announced a youth movement named after him called Barrow Youth Movement for Development has secured funding to construct five Mosques every month and that will be 60 Mosques in a year which spurred a wave of criticism in the country with many people calling it a misplaced priority.
He also announced that from the same project, five boreholes will be provide in Gambian communities every month which will also total to 60 boreholes in a year to help people access to clean and safe drinking water and support four gardens every month which will also total to 48 gardens in a year.
”We have different kinds of faith groups in this country, including atheist and followers of the African Traditional religion. We do not discriminate against any one religion because they are all part of my family; the Gambian family,” Mr. Barrow said.
Mr. Barrow is currently on a ten-day nationwide tour of the country to dialogue with the public on a variety of pertinent issues in the country in fulfillment of Section 222 (15) of the 1997 Gambia Constitution.
He said from the onset, the government has always adhered to the practice of religious freedom and equality for all people of faith, including non-believers, as guaranteed by the constitution of the Gambia.
Mr. Barrow promised that all religions and faith groups are safe to practice and have been catered for in the development strides of the government, emphasising that, ”we are one people and tribes and ethnicities are not important.”
He said funds from the Brussels conference will not be used by any non-government organization to promote any one religion, saying the speculators and hate peddlers deliberately picked on the mosques construction issue to bring misunderstanding in the public. “I was shocked to learn in the media that I was engaged in promoting one religion against others or threatening Christian minorities.”
He said he would remain committed to strengthening the secular republican status of the country, pointing out that was why within one week of assuming power, he reversed the declaration of Islamic statehood that was proclaimed over the republic by the former regime.
Addressing the issue of the Barrow Youth Movement for National Development, he described them as a youth group that meaningfully wants to support his government’s development agenda. He was quite unequivocal in stating that he would embrace any other organization or individual that is serious about supporting progress and development of the country.
During the former President Yahya Jammeh’s regime, there used to be a youth group that called themselves “Green Youth” comprising young people from all the regions and municipalities of the country who believed in Mr. Jammeh’s principles and called themselves his sons.
Majority of The Gambian population despised the youth movement who will be following Mr. Jammeh in their thousands during nationwide tours and enjoyed millions of dalasi gifts from him. These youth are logged in regional youth centers where many young girls ended up getting pregnant and led to many young boys and girls ending their educational career to enjoy the fun.
“I am open to anyone who wants to join me in national development. It’s in that spirit that we provided vehicles for all National Assembly Members, including the opposition, to honor and dignify the national office that they occupy. The vehicles would facilitate their movement and they don’t have to join passenger vehicles to get to work.’’
Funds for building mosques in under-served and impoverished communities should rather be added on to the effort to bring potable water and the wage war on the glaring hunger and deprivation in rural communities.
The leadership is acting as if they weren’t born and raised in The Gambia. But what else can we say other than that’s the level of thought in our Gambia!
Y’ALLAH, Y’ALLAH BEYE SA TOL DEH (Wolof).
All pray in a mosque and no work makes Afang a treacherous beggar. Those were the kind of beggars who contributed in the making of a satanic cult regime under the pretext of religion. Those were the kind of treacherous beggars who bypassed the Banjul central mosque all the way to Marina Parade to jostle for space in a tiny mosque built on the grounds of the statehouse.
May our abundant prayers shed our hearts with holy light because that is how praying right should affect our hearts. It is a good idea that mosques in the Gambia look magnificent but best we know why we go into mosques to pray. Prayers should be able to straighten up our attitudes towards one and another here on earth for it to be our salvation after death. Isn’t it a common saying that; All That Glitters Is Not Gold?Allah sees and knows what we don’t.
Quote: “……Barrow Youth Movement for Development has secured funding to construct five Mosques every month and that will be 60 Mosques in a year….. ”
“….from the same project, five boreholes will be provide in Gambian communities every month……”
Observation: Doesn’t this info ring alarm bells or I’m I being just nosy? I would certainly want to know the answers to these questions:
1. What is the nature of these funds (loan, Grant, aid)?
2. What is/are the source(s) of this/these fund(s)?
3. How much money is involved? ( 60 bore holes & 60 mosques in a year sounds like a lot of dough to me)
4. Has this movement got the competence to manage such considerable amount of funds? (Dou Sanno, the alleged architect of the movement, doesn’t sound like a person of any competence to me)
5. Who is responsible for the management and oversight responsibility for the receipt and disbursement of these funds?
6. Is there ANY connection, at all, of Government to these funds?
7. (If Yes,) What is the nature and level of this connection?
8. I don’t know what the law is, but I want to know if this movement is legally entitled to receive funding, presumably from foreign entities, for infrastructure development in the country?
Bax, the country’s wellbeing is absolutely its citizens’ and well wishers’ business. You can’t be nosy for that matter. You’ve asked very pertinent questions that need answers. I may not have answers to them but one thing for sure is that, treacherous beggars and sycophants are at it again as before. The youths in the movement should learn skills and get themselves employed. In that process, government’s help to them would be considered purely legitimate.
If indeed Barrow and his administration believes secularity of the country, then why would they build 60 mosques in 1yr with such unimaginable sums of money when 90% of the country’s youth are jobless? If the funding for building 60 mosque comes from an Islamic org. or group of any kind, that information however needs to be published. Hope the youth movement won’t call for negative prays to curse those with different opinions o this issue because Allah by his grace understands best what we all are up to.
Adama has a very shallow grasp of everything that is required to be an efficient leader at this juncture in our history. His statements and rebuttal of his critics are too far detached from the reality on the ground. For example, he said all religions are equal in The Gambia. And that tribe and ethnicities are not important.
There is no short supply of religious tolerance in our country. However, Islam gets a preferential position in all spaces, offficial and unofficial, followed by Christianity. The minority religions have no official recognition and are therefore pushed to the fringes. Islam has nearly attained the status of a state religion in The Gambia because it brings votes. That’s why government functionaries are always invited as dignitaries to this gathering or the other, where they are expected to donate cash.
Furthermore, if all religions are equal, why observe public holidays for only two religions, Islam and Christianity, and ignore those of say the Bahai faith or of those Adama wrongly refer to as traditional religions? You see leaders should carefully weigh their words before speaking, for their words carry a lot of weight capable of tilting a particular discourse in one direction or the other.
Tribal and or ethnic identities and affiliations are a reality for nearly all Gambians. How this is manifested even in public life is no secret to Adama. How can he say this phenomenon is not important? You have to manage this intelligently and use it to our benefit. But he cant. That’s a classic case of ignorance and laziness to enquire about subject matters from professionals. The afore mentioned are typical of the man we call our president.
The issue of the pick-up trucks might be the catalyst that will bring Adama before a commission of inquiry post transition period.
@Bax: I would like to associate myself to your questions. Perhaps someone out there will be listening and in a position to supply answers.