Honorable Chairperson, GAP National Executives and Regional Representatives, Members of the Press, Distinguished Invited Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, All Protocols duly and respectfully observed.
Kindly allow me to begin by seeking refuge in the name of Allah from Satan the accursed. We warmly welcome you all to this magnificent occasion as far as the Gambia Action Party is concerned and the Gambia as a nation.
I greet you all with the noble statement of peace, ASSALAMU ALAIKUM WARAHMATULLAHI WABARAKATUHU.
Today marks another historic event of our lives and we must be proud for being part of pioneers that will positively reshape the destiny of our people and the nation in general.
We are pleased to be here today to reveal shortly the Presidential Candidate of Gambia Action Party and which will mark this occasion permanently.
Time is better preserved in this historic place than in fallible human memory.
At the very beginning of the Gambia Action Party, we promised to be a pragmatic political party that believes in democratic principles, rule of law, good governance, protecting the fundamental human rights, effective and efficient leadership that will render services to our men and women across the length and breadth of the country.
Time also tells its own story. Thus, after a smooth and cordial consultations with all the members of the executive and honorary members of GAP a unanimous decision was reached to select the Flag bearer or Presidential candidate of our esteem political party and which we are about to unveil today. This selection was done in line with the Party rules and regulations a choice we highly value and cherish.
Few months ago, the Gambia Action Party had just emerged with enthusiasm tinged with uncertainty about the challenges ahead for the Party. However, as the party embarks on its activities it was not long and difficult to identify that naturally some people are endow with leadership qualities.
The classical traits of leaders, thus, honesty, fairness, robust, smart, kind, sincere, well-mannered and experienced are all what our Flag bearer possesses. If you are with him you will quickly notice that he does not tell his subordinates to go and he will meet them there but rather he leads and they follow.
His decision making processes is always others first and self-last and he champions selfless services as a condition to make the less privileged and voiceless seen and known.
He believes that this is a land the Gambia where men and women are equal under the law and all people must be respected, regardless of how they live, how they look or their social inclinations.
He understands the beauty of our beloved country which is endowed with many races, faiths and customs.
If, as Gandhi asserted, “the best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others”, then the Presidential Candidate we are about to unveil in a short time must have found Himself countless times over the past two and half decades.
He has dedicated his life to others.
The daily example that he set, mirrored the achievements in his adult life which matches with his courage and spirit of brotherhood in an extraordinary fashion.
Yet perhaps the flag bearer of Gambia action party most profound contribution is to continue in the service of others.
The man we are about to unveil today lived an honorable and honest life. He is kind, fair, sincere, hardworking, firm but very fair. His leadership skills have been tested when he was just an adolescence and a test he passed well which gave him the accolade ‘leadership by example has no substitute’.
It was exactly on the 5th of January, 1969 when this gentleman was introduced to the world.
He was born and raised in a settlement called Brufut in Kombo North, West Coast Region.
He is known to be a respectable person, a philanthropist who helped lots of people within and beyond his neighborhood.
He dedicated his entire life in the services of the people regardless of ethnic, religion, race or color.
He attended Brufut Primary School from 1975 to 1984 and after passing the common entrance examination got admission at Saint Peter’s High School. During his school days, he was quiet type, smart and outgoing fellow.
His discipline and likable character earned him the respect of both his peers and teachers.
After his ordinary level examination he was enrolled in the Gambia College School of Nursing and Midwifery from 1989 to 1992 the highest learning institution at the time where he graduated as a State Registered Nurse (SRN) and after few years of practice at various hospitals in the country did the midwifery course and graduated as State Certified Midwife a path he took to become a doctor.
As a result of his dedication and commitment to achieve excellence, he continued in pursuance of education and in 2009/10 academic year, he had undertaken an industrious journey to Ghana and studied Public Administration and Management at Higher Diploma and Post Graduate Degree level respectively at Ghana Institute for Management and Public Administration at (GIMPA) Ghana.
As a young man his ambitions and desire to excel in academic field continued to grow. He continued in studying Defense and Conflict Management, Crisis Management, Integrated Peace Support Operations, PSO Deployment and Logistics Planning and Negotiations at Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA).
He further traveled to United States of America in Washington D.C. and study Senior Leadership Course (SLC) at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies.
Currently, he is studying International Affairs, majoring in Leadership and Diplomacy.
Members of GAP family, invited guests, the Press, Ladies and Gentlemen. The flag bearer of Gambia Action Party has all what the Gambia and Gambia Action Party need to transform the Gambia.
He is aware that transformation is inevitably turbulent but it has been his singular accomplishment and unique capacity, to hold together people with diverse backgrounds.
When this gentleman was abruptly retired from the military in 2012 he was redeployed in to foreign services a challenge he took sincerely without any regrets.
The Gambia Action flag Bearer took his first foreign service duty at the Embassy of the Republic of the Gambia in the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia, Riyadh as the Deputy Ambassador and few years later was appointed as the Consul General in Jeddah, kingdom of Saudi Arabia and charge with coordination of Hajj matters and other.
The Flag bearer brought in significant improvements in the conduct of hajj and also uplifting the image of the Gambia in the Kingdom.
After five years this gentleman was redeployed to the Embassy of the Republic of the Gambia to the Russia Federation as the Deputy Head of mission the Position he is still holding.
The GAP flag bearer unique combination of Security expert, Geopolitics and Medical background makes him the right choice and right candidate to redeem the Gambia from the predicament in which we are in currently.
Fellow Gambians and the friends of the Gambia. It is with immense pride and joy to report that the flag bearer of our dear party is a security expert. He was enlisted in to the Gambia armed forces in 1995, thus the first intake of the Second Republic of the Gambia.
After graduating from the basic infantry training conducted by the Gambian instructors for the first time a recruit intake was trained entirely by Gambians as the best recruit of intake 17, the flag bearer was posted at the Yundum Barracks Medical Centre as the Head of the Unit. And in 1996 sat to the Cadet exams and emerged first. The flag bearer had his basic officer training at Ghana Armed forces Military Academy where he studied military science.
And he did his company and junior staff courses at JAJI Nigeria where he bagged the best allied student award.
He also did his senior staff course at Ghana Armed forces command and Staff College.
It will be important to note that the flag bearer of Gambia action Party held all the senior positions in the military except the CDS and the Deputy CDS. Some of the notable positions amongst these were commanding officer 2Infantry Battalion, commanding officer Guards Battalion, Commanding officer 1Infantry Battalion.
When he was the Commanding officer State Guard he also served as the Chief of the Republican National Guard the first time for a Commanding Officer of the State Guard to hold such position at the same time in the history of the Gambia.
Before his untimely redeployment into Foreign Service the Flag Bearer was the Chief of Army Staff from November 2010 to 2012.
He had participated in many Peacekeeping Operations within the sub region and African continent. He was amongst the first batch of officers who were deployed to Sierra Leone from 1999 to 2000 and in 2004/05 he was again part of the mission that went to Ivory Coast. He was also deployed in the mission to Darfur as the contingent second in command, Sudan in 2007.
The gentleman was awarded on three separate occasions with the medal of National Order of the republic of the Gambia. He is happily married and blessed with children.
Fellow Gambians, Ladies and Gentlemen, invited guests, the press, Party Militants and Supporters, Honorary members, Yaye Compins, Youth Leaders, Female Mobilizers the moment we are all waiting is now.
On behalf of the entire GAP family, executive, friends and well-wishers I have the singular honor and privilege as the Secretary General and Party Leader to announce that the Flag Bearer and Presidential Candidate for Gambia Action
Party for election in 2020 or 2021 is Retired Brigadier General HE Mr Lamin Bojang.
May I please add that Mr Lamin Bojang will be caught unaware of this announcement because he was not consulted prior to this announcement.
It is hope that he will accept our selection and lead our party to victory in sha Allah.
The Gambia Action Party has decided to select Mr Bojang not only base on the qualifications and experiences, but also his passion and determination to work for this country and for the people of our dear mother land the Gambia.
Finally, we assure the Gambia Action Party family and the entire Gambians that he’s the solution to all problems we are facing today. Gandhi also observed that “in a gentle way, you can shake the world”.
Our Flag Bearer, in a gentle way will shake the Gambia.
On behalf of all the members of the GAP, may I thank you wholeheartedly for all that you have done, are doing and will do for the good of our country.
Again, we would like all the citizens from all walks of life to render support to him. We thank you all for attending this historic event, may Allah bless you all abundantly.
LONG LIVE GAP AND LONG LIVE GAMBIA!
Secretary-General and Party Leader GAP,
Musa Yali Batchilly.
