A nation is a political entity where people come together due to common interest of geographical or other forms of origin to live in an organized society. It is therefore to be expected that in a nation there may be and can be people of different ethnic groups or even different races.
This is more so in a time when the world has shrunk into a global village with many people moving from one country to another and end up settling there. If in cases like that, people settle in a particular country, marry there and ordinarily reside there, their descendants ultimately become citizens of that country who will enjoy the same rights as those whose ancestors were born there.
It is therefore foolhardy to expect that a country will be formed or owned by one ethnic group to the exclusion of all others. If anyone thinks therefore that he/she is more of a citizen than any other person in such a country, he/she would be living in a fool’s paradise.
The issue of tribal politics again seems to be raising its ugly head in the Gambia. This is totally unacceptable in a democracy especially in a country like the Gambia where society is so interconnected and interwoven that there is hardly any citizen who does not have relatives, loved ones or friends in other ethnic groups.
This is why the constitution has stipulated that no political party shall be formed on the basis of a tribe, region, religion, race or indeed any sectarian consideration. The intent of this law is to avoid division and sectarianism in the country.
It is high time Gambians, particularly the youth, realized that tribal or divisive politics will take the country nowhere. It will only retard the progress of the country and stunt the growth of all sectors of the society.
Let the population not allow unscrupulous politicians use them to further their own selfish interests as that will be of no benefit to them, or the nation for that matter.
One Gambia, one destiny, one nation!
