By Omar Bah
Omar Amadou Jallow, the Minister of Agriculture in the ruling Coalition government and the former APRC works minister Bala Garba Jajumpa have both called on the people of Foni to remain united and not allow any division among them through politics.
Both men were invited to Foni Somita by a Gambian based in the US and native of Bajana in Foni, Lamin Keita and his colleagues who are keen on reconciling the people of Foni divided by politics in the wake of the change of government.
Addressing the gathering, OJ called on the people of Foni to remember the fact that no individual is bigger than The Gambia, “including all the presidents who have served, are serving or will come to serve as president
“Many great Gambians have come and gone and the country still remains. Jawara, Garba Jahumpa, JC Faye and hosts of others have come and gone but Gambia still remains, so Yahya Jammeh should not be an exception,” OJ said.
He further told the people of Foni that they must not allow politics to come between them, because all these parties together UDP, APRC, GDC, PPP and PDOIS are not bigger or more important than the country. “So, let us see Gambia first in everything we are doing,” he advised.
He reminded the gathering that the APRC does not belong to only the people of Foni or one ethnic group. “You see even if Yahya Jammeh landed at the Banjul International Airport tomorrow and has no home to go to, I will take him to my home, because in The Gambia is either you are Muslim or Christian and both religions preach forgiveness so I don’t see any reason why we can’t forgive one another,” OJ stressed. He said every government can last only for a time. “PPP and APRC’s time are over and is the time of President Adama Barrow and we should all accept that,” he said.
The Minister thanked Bakary Keita for initiating the meeting.
The former Minister of Works, Bala Garba Jahumpa commonly called ‘Action Man’ commended the initiator of the meeting describing it as an apolitical meeting called to bring people together. “What I want to emphasise here is that, politics is not about being a Jola, Fula or Mandinka; it is about national development. My fellow Gambians let us stop the tribalism and help the new government to achieve their dreams,” he said.
Lamin Keita himself thanked the people of Foni Brefet for embracing the initiative.
Meanwhile, other speakers at the meeting included the chief of Foni Brefet Junkung Camara, the Governor West Coast Region, the Speaker of National Assembly and hosts of other Parliamentarians.
