UDP leader Ousainou Darboe has said a UDP government will pursue a foreign policy based on the Pan African values of ‘Ubuntu, Teranga and Boonya’.
Speaking on this year’s Africa Day, Mr Darboe said: “I pledge to you that a UDP Government will pursue a Foreign Policy based on our timeless Pan African values of Ubuntu, Teranga, Boonya; values that emphasise the worth and dignity of human beings; values that place a premium on cooperation and solidarity in place sterile competition. A new Pan African cooperation framework anchored on African culture and civilisation that celebrates our diversity in unity of purpose and shared values of democracy, good governance and respect for the rule of law.
“Over the years we have become used to seeing images of African young men & women and now children crammed into boats and makeshift rafts trying to reach Europe through the ‘BACKWAY’. According to reports of humanitarian organisations more than 20,000 people have lost their lives trying to cross the Mediterranean since 2014 including several Gambians.
“Life is so difficult for millions of people on our continent and opportunities so few that they would risk their lives crossing the sea in pursuit of a better future. In the Gambia we are experiencing a wave of violent crimes unprecedented in the history of our peace loving nation. Prompting the question what is the role of the state in ensuring human dignity security and prosperity? What is the role of Government in protecting the lives and properties of the citizens?
“UDP firmly believes that Africa needs a new theory of Government and a new vision of the role of the state in the development of the capacities of the people. To achieve that low-income small states like the Gambia must reinvent the institutions of government to increase the capabilities of the state to empower the people and to enable them to build better lives for themselves in genuine cooperation through win-win partnerships with their neighbours and the planet.”
