By Omar Bah
Mai Ahmad Fatty, leader of the Gambia Moral Congress, has urged Gambians to stop going after each other based on political affiliation. The veteran politician came under intense criticism for saying the Barrow Government is the most law-abiding since Gambia became independent.
“The Gambia can be the best country in Africa if we stop going after each other simply because we belong to different political parties.
If we accept that it is humanly impossible for all of us to support the same Party or share the same ideas, we will learn to tolerate/accept and respect our differences. If we learn to accept that one man’s meat may be another’s poison or your Angel may be another’s devil, then we might just get along,” Fatty said.
The trained lawyer said if Gambians learn to appreciate each other’s views, instead of questioning each other’s patriotism, “we might just as well begin to coordinate together”
“If we begin to empathise instead of condemn each time someone says something contrary to our belief, then we might just start getting along. If I respect your position, even if I strongly disagree with you, and you do the same to me, perhaps we can get to some convergence down the line. If you accept that you don’t own anyone, and no one owns you, perhaps you would be respectful in the way you express your opinion.
If you accept that we all make mistakes, including you, maybe you wouldn’t expect perfection from others, because you are also not perfect. Treat others as you would like them to treat you. No one is your slave and you cannot make others to think and act like you. Live your life and let others live their lives.
Support your political views, and don’t try to impose your political views on others. That is not just the law of democracy, it is also the rule of life. Those who cannot practice these traits, often display dictatorial tendencies believing that those who do not think and act like them, do not deserve to be heard, or are unpatriotic. That is false and such thinking is palpably defective. If we learn to tolerate each other’s views, it may help narrow down our differences,” he noted.
