PRESIDENT AHMAD TEJAN KABBAHÂ
MESSAGE TO PARLIAMENT
28 March 2002
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I would like to express my sincere thanks to you all for having faithfully performed your constitutional functions and responsibilities since 1996. I should also express my gratitude for your cooperation in ensuring that all Bills which were clearly in the national interest were enacted into law.
Since I am myself a Member of Parliament, I cooperated in the legislative process. I did never withheld my assent to any bill that was presented for enactment by Parliament. Because of this mutual cooperation between the legislative and executive arms of Government, the affairs of State have proceeded smoothly.
Even though by law the present Parliament stands dissolved on the date prescribed by law, I believe it is the important for me to witness the formal dissolution which is the first in the full term of the present Constitution.
Honourable members, I congratulate you all for a successful tenure of your parliamentary term in spite of the interruption of 1997. We now have in place sufficient safeguards to ensure that we do not have any such unpleasant experience again.
I know that most, if not all of you, are proceeding from here today to embark upon another campaign for re-election as Members of Parliament. While I wish you all every success in that endeavour, I would like to reiterate here my plea to the entire nation that we should not allow any form of violence to enter the the coming election campaign.
You have enacted the Electoral Laws Act 2002 to ensure that the upcoming elections will be free and fair, transparent and violence-free. We should endeavour to keep to the letter and spirit of that enactment.
I thank you.