Her Excellency Ramzia Diab Ghanim, Gambian High Commissioner to ASEAN countries on Saturday called on every Gambian citizen irrespective of political affiliation and creed to uphold democracy as a top priority in the rebuilding of The Gambia after two decades of dictatorship and plundering of the country’s economy.
Her Excellency Diab made these remarks on Saturday 23rd February, 2019 while addressing Gambian students in both Jakarta, Republic of Indonesia and in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on the occasion of The Gambia’s 54th Independence Anniversary celebration on the theme “Strengthening The Gambia as an emerging democracy”.
In her keynote remarks as Chief Guest-of-honour, High Commissioner Diab noted that the theme of the occasion is significant and is anchored on the backdrop of our new found democracy and independence.
She underscored the strong bilateral ties between The Gambia and Southeast Asian countries in the context of history, shared values and current aspirations of our friendly nations. The Gambian High Commissioner also highlighted the role of trade and investments and the potential in the promotion of the economies of The Gambia, Malaysia and Indonesia.
Speaking further, High Commissioner Diab noted that apart from economic interest, the potential to further tighten the social relations of the countries is of great importance in the subsistence of the cordial inter-ethnic relations which she added is critical for people building sustainable and enduring relationships.
High Commissioner Diab reiterated that it is timely for Gambia to discuss on matters of strengthening the country’s emergence as a democratic nation and called on African countries to consolidate their bilateral ties with Southeast Asian nations like Indonesia and Malaysia.
The 54th Independence celebration in Jakarta, Indonesia which was presided over by Mr Sulayman Sillah, Financial Attaché of The Gambian High Commission on behalf of the Gambian High Commissioner was attended by the Gambian students, members of the Gambian business community in Jakarta, Dean of the African Ambassador in Indonesia, HE Abdelkader Aziria, Indonesian authorities from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education, officials of public and private universities in Indonesia.
The event chaired by Modou Jonga, a Gambian student at Universitas Gadjah Mada, was punctuated by a video streaming of The Gambia and a poem entitled “I am not from The Africa but The Gambia in Africa” read by Dr Kebba Bojang at Universitas Brawijaya.
As part of activities marking the 45th Independence anniversary celebration, a panel discussion was held on Sunday 24th February by Gambian students in Indonesia on the theme “A reflection on The Gambia’s Independence and contemporary issues in the New Gambia from an intellectual and intergenerational perspective”.
It was moderated by Momodou Sowe and Omar Sambou, both students at Universitas Brawijaya.
Issued by the Communication Unit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Gambians Abroad
