Editorial

In modern democracy, the constitution ordains an institution of the armed forces to serve as a defensive mechanism to the sovereignty of the people. This is to say the institution of the armed forces emerged out of the economic and social utility of the people to protect their liberty, dignity and prosperity. This is why it is widely held among political scientists that the army should possess political education because they control the bedrock on which all other developments take place - peace and security. It is therefore imperative for the armed forces to be loyal to the state in all respect because without loyalty, the institution becomes worthless.

It is therefore necessary that we re-echo the remarks of the president and commander-in-chief of the armed forces that the army must remain loyal to the state. The remarks of the president have come at a much better time. He expressed disappointment about the social conditions of the army. His emphasis on the need for discipline, loyalty and respect within the ranks of the armed forces is a testimony to his determination to ensuring that the Gambia Armed Forces becomes a model of professionalism in Africa.

A disloyal soldier or security personnel is simply an enemy of process; after all there is no pride in being disloyal to the very people who give you the mandate to be at their service. Again, a disloyal soldier or security personnel  is an indisciplined one. As the president puts it: “An indisciplined soldier is as dangerous as an armed robber”.  It is quite obvious that the past 15 years have been a period of profound transition and increasing modernization for the Gambia Armed Forces, under the dynamic leadership of their commander-in-chief.

Before 1994, the army was an isolated institution, the conditions of the soldiers particularly the junior ones was quite appalling. People considered the institution of the armed forces to be a place for drop-outs and those failed to earn the widely considered formal employment sector the civil service among others.  Today however, the story is the complete opposite; the dynamic and visionary leadership of President Jammeh has unquestionably elevated the army to the highest standards ever in the annals of its history.
 
The salary structure of the army is now very respectable; soldiers can now afford for themselves compounds, vehicles and any other luxury that other high- earning employees can afford. The institution is intellectually equipped, through the intervention of President Jammeh. We now have university graduates in the army, high calibre engineers, doctors, technicians, and experts in all disciplines. More importantly, the president has widened the window of opportunity for the army; soldiers are now privileged to go out on both peace keeping and observer missions across the world. Through these members of our armed forces continue to earn international reputation and as well provide a fertile ground for the soldiers to increase their income earning level to live a decent live.

More credit is added to the social reputation of the army, instead of people seeing the army as an inattractive place, more and more civilians now feel proud of being associated with the army and more youths are motivated to be recruited. In addition, society has high hope and aspiration on the military. All these are due to the modernization efforts of President Jammeh. It is therefore professionalism of the highest magnitude for the institution of the Gambia Armed Forces to maintain the highest sense of loyalty to the president and the state at large.

Security in its broadest sense goes far beyond just ensuring the absence of violent conflict. It encompasses human rights, good governance, access to education and health care, and ensuring that each individual has opportunities and choices to fulfill his or her own potential, among a host of other issues. Our success as a sovereign state in the course of these 15 years can only be attributed to the enabling environment created by President Jammeh for the enhancement of such a security service, whose mandate revolves around these tenets. The Armed Forces should therefore ensure that they do not at any cost distance themselves from this mission.

However, it is evident that to some extent the Gambia Armed Forces has demonstrated a high sense of professionalism in the field of maintaining national security. We have seen the army performing its corporate social responsibility, an example of which is their response to the-back-to-the-land call.  We are optimistic that our gallant men and women will continue to strengthen their loyalty to the nation, discipline and conduct of professionalism.

The actions of the commander-in-chief continue to demonstrate that equipping our armed forces with modern facilities is his utmost priority. The Armed Forces should therefore endeavour to continue to complement his efforts so that we continue to enjoy the peace and security prevailing in the country.