The Inter-Party Committee has learned with great concern the re-emergence of hate speech in the Gambia and would like to take this opportunity to send a strong reminder to all political parties and people living in the Gambia to desist from using language that has the potential to injure the peace that the smiling coast of Africa, The Gambia, has been known for.

It is self-evident that no country can develop in the absence of peace and everything legal should be done to maintain peace.

The IPC would like to remind all political parties to remain steadfast and continue to commit fully to and abide by all the rules and regulations as laid down in the IPC MOU and code of conduct and as well as the IEC Code on ethics as guiding principles in their inter-party relations.

Furthermore, the inter-party committee would urge all political parties in the Gambia to educate and enlighten their members about instruments laid down for a peaceful co-existence and social cohesion. The political party leaders are strongly urged to support all institutions of government involved in the maintenance of peace, observance of human and people’s rights and the supremacy of the rule of law. The Inter-party committee believes that what we say against each other in public space can be an indicator of how far the peaceful co-existence can last.

We would therefore remind all and sundry particularly political party leaders to be measured in the languages they use in their public engagements particularly when it refers to other political entities for the preservation of good governance and democracy. We would end the release by recalling what the first President of the Republic of the Gambia, Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara said about peaceful co-existence and unity of purpose in nation building;

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“It is the combination of government and people working together in unison and harmony,

That still lead us to achieve the progress that we all desire. We must stand together as one people with one goal and move forward as one nation.

For if we insist on pursuing our personal goals without keeping our collective objectives and responsibilities in mind.

Then indeed we shall be divided, and divided we shall fall”.

The IPC is established by political parties as a forum for dialogue and cooperation to promote adherence to the MoU and code of conduct, promote national reconciliation and ensure consensus building amongst political parties on contested political and electoral issues.