At the signing ceremony of a memorandum of understanding and the presentation of 13 tractors to the government of The Gambia yesterday, he said: “The memorable day of 22 April 2011 has been a decisive date in the annals of the modern history of Libya. At a time when most African countries stood by silently at the horrendous crime of attempted annihilation of our countrymen in the hands of the henchmen of the former regime, the world at large and Africa in particular was overtaken suddenly by the unique and courageous recognition of The Gambia of the ideals of the new Libya.
“This is timely and decisive stance from the geographically small country of The Gambia but great and magnanimous in its leadership and national will, had irritated the continent and affected a change in the noncommittal position of the African Union thus quickening the pace for the birth of the new state of Libya. We shall never forget that paramount stance and, in effect work hard towards developing and revamping the existing relations for the mutual interest and benefit of our people.
“At this juncture, we want to reassure the Gambian leadership and people respectively that there is no cause for reprimand between sisterly peoples. We fervently appeal to The Gambia to accept our excuses and exonerate us from any deliberate attitude of ingratitude to its unforgettable stance because we are yet to put our house in order and despite that, part of our attention is on The Gambia and the other is on the world,” Dr Abusheriah affirmed.
He said what is unfolding in Libya today is “normal and natural evolutionally; a healthy secretion and a normal feature in the invariable movement of history as a result of the volcanic emergence of popular revolution. Invariably, revolutions and the fall of regimes are followed by national quacks and hiccups here and there.
“At the end of the day, Libya will revert to stability and sketch its national path towards a bright future. It will occupy its rightful position within the framework of its regional and international roles, and will certainly lead initiatives within the Mediterranean, Maghreb, African and Islamic spheres.
“We welcome the policy of cooperation for economic development with the international community but we will never allow for foreign intervention in our affairs that will violate or compromise our national sovereignty… The highest ideals and aspirations we want to achieve in Africa is to see that it is free from poverty, ignorance, exploitation and injustice” he said
In his statement, the minister of agriculture, Solomon Owens said the donated tractors will form a major component of The Gambia’s agricultural input and be a catalyst for rural development. “The president has proclaimed that come 2016, the importation of rice into The Gambia will be reduced to a minimum or zero rated. Therefore, the coming of these tractors is timely in the intervention of rice production through mechanisation.”
Owen further stated that the 2016 initiative will require an increase area under rice production by 32.5% that is from 66,380 to 87,984 hectares by 2016.
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