Kairaba Avenue,
Latrikunda, KSMD
14th September, 2006
Dear Sir,
UDP/NRP/GPDP Alliance declaration ahead of the Presidential election of 22nd September, 2006
The
last presidential; election in 2001 was characterized by massive and
widespread irregularities unprecedented in the Gambia’s long political
tradition. The main opposition party – the United Democratic Party –
UDP – documented scores of registration and voting irregularities in
favour of the heavily militarized incumbent APRC candidate Yahya Jammeh.
During
the final weeks of that presidential campaign, the United Democratic
Party vehemently protested to the Independent Electoral commission
(IEC) about the accelerated clandestine voter registration exercises
being carried out at non designated places and at unusually odd times
of the day.
After initially conceding publicly that voter
legibility depended on one’s name being listed in the Master Register,
Mr. Gabriel Roberts, the then IEC Chairman succumbed to pressures
exerted on him (and by extension on the entire Commission) by the APRC.
As a result of this pressure, Mr. Roberts adopted a very different
position and declared that anyone with a voter’s card will be allowed
to vote even though his or her name does not appear on the list of
registered voters compiled by the Commission.
This
horrendous declaration of the IEC and the catastrophic loss of
confidence in the IEC’s credibility and capability to run impartial
election significantly, contributed to the UDP decision to withdraw in
protest from the subsequent National Assembly elections of 7th January,
2002.
In total vindication of the UDP on this issue, the
High Court of the Gambia in a landmark ruling of September, 2005,
upheld the application of the National Alliance for Democracy and
Development – NADD – (then constituted by some leading members of five
political parties) that mere possession of a voter’s card does not
ipso facto vest in a person the automatic right to vote unless his or
her name is on the Voters’ Register.
Interestingly enough the
present Attorney General and APRC stalwart, and the IEC immediately
filled an appeal against that judgment in October, 2005 confirming what
everyone already knew – that Mr. Gabriel Roberts and the IEC were
merely holding brief for the political interests of the IEC.
We
cannot understand why the IEC in tandem with the APRC government
should find it necessary to appeal the judgment. After all, in the
first instance, we cannot see what constraint or difficulty would have
forced the IEC to leave out thousands of names from the Master
Register. We could understand a few hundreds being left out because
ostensibly as a result of “ computer error”, but thousand, indeed tens
of thousand cannot be attributed to the incompetence of the IEC. It is
a deliberate and well calculated attempt to illegally provide non
Gambians with voter’s cards after the registration exercise has long
been concluded. This is not only undemocratic but totally aberrant. In
the whole world it is only in the Gambia that persons whose names are
not on the official voters’ list are unashamedly allowed to vote in
elections.
Consequently, as we approach the presidential
election, the UDP/NRP/GPDP Alliance takes this opportunity to place on
record the following: While congratulating you on your appointment as
the new Chairman of the IEC, we hope that you will remain steadfast to
your trademark virtues of candor, fairness and courage borne out by
your highly religious and aesthetic background. We need not remind you
that there have been FOUR different IEC Chairman appointments and
dismissals in the space of ten years and that you and your newly
reconstituted Commission have an excellent opportunity to invent a
new legacy of credibility and respect for the IEC that we all look up
to as one of the most important institutions safeguarding our
democracy in this our beloved nation.
1. Since 1994, tens
of thousands of mainly unskilled workers have migrated into The Gambia
from all parts of the Sub Region. The greater number of these non
Gambians have sought and obtained Gambian ID cards as well as Voters
Cards to enhance their job prospects and residence status. They have
now preceded even further to access the hitherto exclusive Gambia
political establishments. During the 2001 presidential election, a
record number migrants from the sub region voted thus distorting the
political balance of power particularly in the three Kombos thereby
giving Yahya Jammeh an unfair numerical advantage over his opponents.
2. It
is a known fact that in Arafat Grand Yoff, in Dakar, Senegal, a
committee whose membership was ethnically from Cassamance, Southern
Senegal, identified and organized sixteen villages in Cassamance
including Balandor, Marakesh Jola kunda and Kamayo Badjikunda
specifically to campaign and vote for Yahya Jammeh.
The
scale and scope of this massive political intrusion is a provocative
and blatant interference in the Gambia’s internal affairs. The Gambia
respects the territorial integrity of the sister Republic of Senegal
and it is not in our culture to meddle in Senegalese party politics.
The
UDP/NRP/GPDP Alliance would take this opportunity to remind non Gambian
illegal voters waiting to crawl into our polling booths on September,
22nd that the people of Gambia deserve freely and without outside
interference to elect a Government of their choice.
By a
copy of this letter, the UDP/NRP/GPDP Alliance would like to appeal
most respectfully to the distinguished high Commissioner of the sister
Republic of Senegal to kindly convey to the Government and brotherly
people of Senegal our growing concern and exasperation at the
subversion of our election process by the uncontrolled intrusion of
their citizens from Cassamance in Gambia elections.
The
recent judgment of the Appeals Court allowing the Attorney General’s
and the IEC’s appeal to the earlier ruling of the High Court barring
from voting all persons whose names do not figure in the Master
Register once again opens the flood gates to a repetition of this
nefarious practice. Consequently, the APRC is placed in a position of
advantage and this indeed runs counter to the hopes and aspirations of
the Gambia people to see a free, fair and transparent election and is
unacceptable to all peace loving Gambians.
The UDP/NRP/GPDP Alliance challenges the reconstituted IEC to commit itself fully not
merely
in words but also by action to the spirit and letter of their oath of
office despite threats and pressures from the Executive as was
demonstrated during the swearing in ceremony of the new members. The
UDP/NRP/GPDP Alliance challenges the Commission members to execute and
perform their responsibilities fairly and responsibly in the supreme
interest of the Gambian people.
Yours in the service of the truth,
A.N.M. OUSAINU DARBOE
For the UDP/NRP/GPDP Alliance
Cc: - H E the Senegalese High Commissioner
Kairaba Avenue, Fajara
Justice Peace Progress
...........................................................................
Darboe
is pursuing the wrong profession. Politics is not his area. Despite the
his big followings, Darboe is afraid to organize peaceful national
strikes to challenge such electoral flaws. He is not an action oriented
politician. He bombards the nation with empty statements without any
action. Some of his supporters are increasingly becoming fed up with
Darboe's chicken hearted attitude. It's time for him to call it quits
or do what is expected of him. Darbo should be man enough to engage the
dictatorship and stop the double standards. They created their own mess
and will certainly reap what they sow. No political gimmicks at this
hour. Be truthful Bah and Darboe. It is only the truth that can set us
free. Peace.