Leaders have big responsibilities, and society should also adapt to changes and not entirely hold on to cultural values, since we take our kids to school and learn western education and western capitalist systems, then we can’t hold on to 100% of our cultural values since we’re not running our departments and financial institutions in traditional values. This in turn, confuses our younger generations, because they have been already influenced by western values. By saying this, some will in turn insult me as a lunatic… So society needs to adapt, and believe in the need to preserve our traditional values. Instead train our kids to navigate their own lives without constant interference. In the Gambia, we rely so much on our kids, by even thinking that they have to travel to Europe or can’t be successful, it’s our governments responsibility to provide free education by putting tax on big cooperations to pay for it. So our kids need to be free to make choices. It brings lots of burden on their ability to take care of their own families, much to the greater extend that, parents think it’s their kids’ responsibility to Carter for them. We have to see the government as our soul protector and soul provider, rather than our kids or family members. As Gambians, we believe it’s my brother, sister, uncle, aunty or father should provide, and be responsible for our problems. This makes us lazy. In reality we should hold our leaders accountable for our problems by being responsible citizens. This is the reality we face as a nation. Thinking our soul aim and interest in politics should be going round in every political campaign shouting insults at each other, rather than studying every political manifesto. There is one reason leaders take us for granted, because we all have interest in our leaders at elections, and not after elections. No one is allowed to talk about Jawara, Jammeh or Barrow, without being met with hostilities. Other than to say he is a good president, but hang on, if you are president with the power to rule, then we as the subjects should also have the same rights to talk about you as the president. See two rights! Then there should a general understanding that society comes first before government. We have to see our leaders and government as our protector and provider by participating in healthy debate and see our kids as nation builders and not having to believe that they have to have a good education and start taking our entire problems on as their parents. These cultural norms should be changed.
Seedy Drammeh
Ends