ADDRESS TO THE NATION
ON THE OCCASION OF EID-UL-FITRI
BY
HIS EXCELLENCY THE PRESIDENT
ALHAJI DR AHMAD TEJAN KABBAH
24 OCTOBER 2006
"RESTORING THE MORAL FABRIC OF OUR NATION"
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Sisters and Brothers:
On this Eid-Ul-Fitri (Festival of the Breaking of the Fast) I would like, on behalf of the entire nation and on my own behalf, to congratulate Muslims all over the country on this auspicious occasion marking the successful completion of fasting during this holy month of Ramadan. May I also take the opportunity to thank all our compatriots including those belonging to other faiths for supporting our Muslim brothers and sisters during the fasting.
Eid-ul-Fitr is both a holy day and a holiday. It is a holy day because of its spiritual significance, marking the end of fasting in the holy month of Ramadan. It is also a holiday because it is a time of festivity, a time for celebration and a time for thanksgiving for Allah's grace and mercy for all the blessings He has bestowed on us. As written in the Holy Quran: "Praise be to Allah, the Creator of heaven and earth! The blessing which Allah bestows on man, none can withhold, and that which He withholds none can restore. He is the mighty One… His grace is infinite."
As we join with Muslims all over the world in this celebration, we in Sierra Leone have a particular reason to be grateful to Almighty Allah for bringing back peace to our beloved country and for making it possible for us to live in harmony with one another in spite of the fact that we may belong to different religions and ethnic groups. We must once again feel very proud of the gift of religious tolerance that we continue to enjoy in our country. Unfortunately, this fact, this positive aspect of our country's image never appears in the front pages or headlines of the media. This notwithstanding, I am sure you will agree with me that today, Sierra Leone deserves to be ranked among the top nations in the world in terms of religious freedom and tolerance.
Our Constitution guarantees all aspects of freedom of religion. However, we ourselves have learned to tolerate and respect each other's faith and religious belief. We inter-marry. Muslims and non-Muslims often join the celebration of Eid, Christmas and other religious festivities. Indeed, my Eid-ul-Fitr/Ramadan message is addressed to every Sierra Leonean irrespective of his or her religious affiliation.
Our country - in which all religions co-exist in harmony - justifiably prides itself on its religious tolerance. It is therefore a matter of pride that we can all celebrate this day in unity. But beyond the harmony and unity it is imperative that the Ramadan spirit should transcend the personal and apply to our national life. In other words, we should be able to blend the spirit of unity and harmony with that of self-discipline in order to achieve peace and prosperity for our nation. Today's occasion therefore presents us with an opportunity to renew, and commit ourselves to improving our attitude to the nation.
In celebrating this joyous festival we should also bear in mind the significance of the holy month of Ramadan in terms of the need for self-discipline, upright behaviour, abstinence from the daily pleasures of life, which together lead to spiritual purification and renewal. While these are personal challenges for every Muslim during the month of Ramadan, they are of equal relevance and importance and have the power to illuminate our attitude to the task of nation-building.
While Government has always endeavoured to provide physical safety and facilities so that each and everyone of us can realize our full potential, over the years we have observed with despondency how the values of honesty, hard work, respect for authority and Government property (your property) which had obtained in the nation have been undermined and eroded. I am referring, for example, to recent reports of theft of electrical pylons intended to transmit electricity from the Bumbuna Hydroelectric Project, to the wanton vandalism inflicted on vehicles donated to the nation to improve transport and communication or to the diversion of Government resources from the purposes for which they were intended. Such behaviour not only manifests a lack of personal discipline and self-respect but is wholly incompatible with and detrimental to the effort we are making to bring peace and prosperity to our country. Surely we cannot eradicate poverty when some in the society at large engage in such destructive activities.
Of course the police and other law enforcement agencies can be called upon to investigate and put an end to such activities, but the issues involved extend beyond law enforcement. They are also societal. Where Government provides essential services for the benefit of all, it is legitimate for it to demand that as citizens we show a sense of honesty and responsibility to respect and protect such services. Accordingly, each and every one of us must regard it as his or her personal duty to protect and safeguard Government property, which after all, is your property. Hence, I call upon you all, fellow citizens, to make a radical break with our present behaviour and bring about a fundamental attitudinal change for the benefit of our nation, extend to our national life those virtues displayed during the holy month of Ramadan, namely, honesty and self-discipline, which when applied to the nation's affairs would ensure respect for the law and authority and the protection of Government property. This is where I want to make a special appeal to civil society to take responsibility for sensitising our people about their obligation to protect and safeguard government property and to be law-abiding at all times. Each and every one of us must regard it as his or her duty to protect and safeguard Government property, which is after all your property.
In conclusion, I would like to remind you that ours had been a proud nation - pride born of self-discipline, the character of our people, respect for education and learning - all attributes for successful nation-building. It is not inevitable that attempts to restore these qualities and these attributes to our national life should fail but when applied they are a sure recipe for national progress. Hence I renew my appeal to you all - in particular Imams and Priests - to join me in spreading this message of change of attitude not only in our personal lives, in the spirit of Ramadan, but also in our national life.
I wish you a happy Eid and God bless you all.
Asalamu-Alaikum Waramatulai Wabarakatu