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Momodou
Denmark
11740 Posts |
 Posted - 09 Jan 2007 : 14:45:08
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A NEW YEAR FOR SELF 'REDISCOVERY'
By Baboucarr Ceesay
As the curtain of the year 2006 draws, we now enter into a new year full of hopes for lofty blessings of prosperity. A new chapter is therefore expected to open for our lives as we strive, work and pray. It can't go without saying that we are faced with the question of how to have one destiny as a people.
As citizens we should be able to 'rediscover' ourselves in politics and in the political representatives we have elected.
Instead of being mere objects of state welfare, citizens and the society should be subjects around which politics evolves. This needs the translation of political conviction into practical politics by the leadership and any alternative government.
Needless to say, the ruling party should create an order of peace and justice, promoting solidarity, dialogue and social cohesion among people rather than scouting for loyalists to kiss and identify opposition elements to hate as eyesores.
A good political party or institution that aims at development must motivate citizens to take a hand in shaping the political life of their society and be ready to equip the people through political education that would contribute towards the process of building and consolidating democracy instead of capitalising on their poverty and ignorance to hoodwink them.
The mission of all political parties should be the establishment of democratic ideas firmly in the minds of the population and educated democrats.
Since human beings are equal in value, different in nature and lacking perfection, there is nothing wrong with accepting past mistakes and concentrate on national development for the interest of all and sundry. There is no excuse of failure of any leadership that drives its people through endless trials and errors. If the government neglects the welfare of the people, then there is also the right to sloganeer that there will be "NO TAXATION WITHOUT DEVELOPMENT".
People's confidence in politics should be rebuilt. Not confidence as an abstract but something to do with truth for trust.
To conclude, the present problems and the future challenges have made it certain that the essence of the press as an important institution is not only justifiable but remains indispensable in a democratic state. If freedom of expression and the press is given a chance it would be easy to make strength out of weakness by being tolerant to criticism, respect good analyses of situations, keenly follow events and understand the realities of the time.
I hope this New Year will be an opportunity to turn over a new leaf where attitudinal change is necessarily called for.
Source: Foroyaa Newspaper Burning Issue
Issue No. 003/2007, 8-9 January, 2007
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A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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