A strong supporter of the opposition NRP who recently defected to the ruling APRC in Upper Saloum has said that he mobilised Senegalese residents at the border in that area to register and vote for the NRP during the last elections in the country.

Demba Sey made this startling revelation Tuesday while addressing thousands of APRC supporters during a meeting in Kaur as part of the president’s ‘Dialogue with the people tour’. The former NRP stalwart, while expressing what he called a ‘regretted moment’ in the opposition, also shared his experience in politics with the gathering. He asserted that the NRP has lost ground not only in Lower Saloum but the entire country.

He said: “I was moved to join the APRC after realising that it is a waste to follow oppositions in this country. I have realised now that there is no credible party that can win APRC in election. So I feel I should join the majority.” Speaker after speaker during the meeting heaped praises on President Jammeh for taking The Gambia from nowhere to where it is today. After listening to all the speakers, the Gambian leader mounted the podium to reaffirm his earlier declaration that he will not campaign for the forthcoming presidential election. He also expressed gratitude at the warm welcome accorded to him and the delegation.

President Jammeh noted that Kaur was the second village after Sukuta to offer him honorary citizenship. “I thank you for that and my advice to you the youths is that if you are beating your chest saying, this is my father’s compound, because your father had sweated to acquire that compound. If you sit down and fold your hands and say I want to go to Europe. If that is what would take you to Europe then you shall see. Remember there are three days in life, yesterday, today and tomorrow. Sitting and beating your chest, saying, this is my father’s compound, this is because he had worked for it, and one thing I cannot understand and it worries me is that young people of this generation must understand that the world has not changed. Since we came to this world, we have been seeing the sun rising from East and setting in the West. So how can we say the generation has changed? It is the people who change and the same thing applies in the days in the week and nights and days,” said the Gambian leader.

He then put it to the gathering that the world has not changed, but instead, it is the people changing their attitude and adopting life that does not suit our culture and tradition. He continued: “No matter however rich and poor you are, the world is three days and these are the concrete facts, yesterday, today and tomorrow. So, these are words to you the young people and I want you to understand that if you are still being fed by your parents it is high time you tighten your belts and go back to the land. I am not a politician, but a farmer. I am here to work for you and serve your interest and I am doing what God has tasked me to do and I will never tell you something that I will not do. If I promised you something and you feel happy and clap for me and I do not fulfill that promise, when we meet tomorrow, even if I tell you the truth you will say he is a liar. I will prefer telling you a bitter truth and you frown your face and after you realise that you were frowning on the truth.

“My fellow youths, if you are beating your chest and boasting, saying ‘this is my father’s compound’, it is because they have struggled to feed us up to that age. What we are supposed to do as young people now is to work for our parents and seek their blessings for the betterment of our future so that our sons could also have something to boast of. It will be a disgrace for you to beat your chest and say this is my father’s compound and your children too also come and boast and say this is my grandfather’s home; it is a disgrace to you the father. We have to try and work hard and this could only be possible when we bear to suffer by working hard. If you think that the only way you can help your parents is going to Europe, then you are deceiving yourself. So, as long as you are here seeing your parents working on the farm while you spend your entire youth age playing around and your father going to farm feeding you, you will never achieve your desires. Even if I promise you that I will offer job to all those going to school, I may be deceiving you. Why? Because even God himself who created us could have made everybody rich and everybody poor, but he knows why he did not do that. What I want to tell you is that every young person should struggle and work hard, help your parents. As young people you must remember that you must grow older one day and no matter how powerful you are you must become old and powerless one day. Think of a time when you will become old and how will you take care of yourself? If you are idle at your young age by the time you grow old you will become lonely and that is the time you will start suffering, so before you get to that stage, plan your life and the only way you could succeed in that is to tighten your belt and work hard.” 

President Jammeh pointed out that for one to be guaranteed a better life here and hereafter, one must have to worship Allah and worshipping Allah begins at home. “That is to say, first you have to respect your parents, work for them and seek for their blessing,” he added. He said even after all that, one is not guaranteed going to paradise and death comes before that. “My fellow youths, let’s think about our tomorrow so that when we have somebody to call us father we could have a place where to put them. Let us ask our fathers as to how we could acquire lands. They worked hard to acquire those lands, they built compounds.”

He reminded the youths that football existed long before they were born, but there is no country, not even Brazil where more than 10 000 people are living on the proceeds of football. He recalled that the English with all their football games came to Africa, ruled us and stole all our belongings, and up till now, Africa is still living in poverty. “Let us know that not all of us can be rich from football, and what is more important is that we go back to the land and farm,” the president advised. Speaking earlier, the minister for Information Communication and Infrastructure, Alagie Cham who doubles as the APRC liaison officer for the Central River Region (CRR) thanked the people of Lower Saloum for turning out in large numbers to welcome the Gambian leader and delegation. He assured them that all the promises made to them will be fulfilled.

While urging the young people to reaffirm their unflinching support to the president, Minister Cham assured that the APRC government will continue to create the conducive environment for them [the youths] and create more innovative and productive avenues where young people can actualise their desired objectives. He further promised that there is a lot of things in the pipeline for young people to benefit from. “All we need is your cooperation, hard work, dedication and loyalty to the APRC government,” he said. Fatou Lamin Faye, minister for Basic and Secondary Education joined speakers before her to highlight the numerous developments registered after the July 22nd Revolution. She also prayed for God’s guidance and protection for President Jammeh to enable him accomplish his mission.

Minister Faye finally announced the donation of a huge sum of money meant for students to come together and refresh themselves, as a reward for their untiring efforts in welcoming the president each time he sets out of his office to meet with the people. Dr Njogu Bah, minister for Works, Construction and Infrastructure assured the gathering that all their appeals and concerns have been noted. He promised that concerns like feeder road rehabilitation and water expansion are in government’s plans. He also disclosed that funds have been secured to rehabilitate the major feeder roads that link other villages to Kaur.

Minister Bah finally urged the people of Lower Saloum to come out in their large numbers and vote in the forthcoming election. Yankuba Colley, the mayor of the Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC) who doubles as the APRC national mobiliser predicted a landslide victory for the ruling party in 2011. Malick Mbye, the chief of Upper Saloum welcomed the presidential entourage to Kaur and the CRR. He also thanked the president for taking The Gambia from nowhere to where it is today. Ali Touray, the chief of Lower Saloum; Kaba Touray,the National Assembly member of Lower Saloum and Aja Yateh Faye of Kaur, all spoke at the meeting.

The occasion was moderated by Hon. Sainey Mbaye, NAM for Upper Saloum Disctrict, who is also the APRC desk officer for CRR.