DARBOE CAUTIONS THE TAIWANESE EMBASSY
Fabakary B. Ceesay and Bubacarr K. Sowe
Mr.
Ousainou Darboe, the UDP/NRP flagbearer has warned the Taiwanese
Embassy to desist giving out sponsorships that only promote Jammehs
image.
Addressing a rally, at Bundung Borehole on Saturday 5th August, 2006,
Mr. Darboe said that any donations that the Embassy gives to Government
should be handed over to the Department of Foreign Affairs. Mr. Darboe
said that The Gambian people fully accept the good gesture that the
Taiwanese are contributing to the development of the country. He
however pointed out that sometimes, the Taiwanese Embassy donates to
the benefit of Jammehs individual development and this promotes his
political image. He warned the Taiwanese Embassy not to sponsor any
political motives of an individual. I want to remind them that
governments come and go, but as far as Taiwan
wants to be friends with The Gambia, we will ever support their cause.
He thanked the Embassy for the role they are playing in many sectors of
The Gambian society.
For
his part, Mr. Dembo Bojang, alias Dembo by force has criticised the
Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) for registering electors at
places there is no polling station. Mr. Bojang was also speaking at the
UDP/NRP rally. He said that the supplementary registration of voter was
supposed to end on the 21st July 2006.
He pointed out that on that fateful day, the IEC team in Bakau should
have been at Independence Stadium for the registration exercise but
that there were no films up to 17.55 when the IEC staffs were told to
close and all the party agents also dispersed. He said that their
surprise was that the IEC decided to take some of their staff from
LatriKunda to the Fajara Army Barracks to register voters there instead
of sending a separate team from the Barrack constituency. He added that
the IEC team has registered fifty three (53) voters at the Army
Barracks even though there was never a polling or registration centre
at the Barracks.
The former NAM
mentioned serial numbers and names of voters who were registered at the
Barracks. He said: But am not saying the registered voters at the
Barracks are foreigners. I just want to tell IEC that the registration
process was not fair at all and if there was no fair registration,
there will be no fair election. Mr. Bojang also advised President
Jammeh to think properly before sacking and appointing IEC Commission
Members. Anytime he appoints a new one, the previous one always seems
to be better than the new Commission Member. He also said that the
APRC party is violating the Memorandum of Understanding signed at the
Kairaba in the presence of President Obasanjo. He challenged the
Secretaries of States to desist from using Government vehicles in
campaigning for the APRC party. Also, speaking at the UDP/NRP rally was
Faburama Fatty who described the street lights as an insignificant
achievement when several Gambians are wallowing in abject poverty.
Having street lights is not a development issue at a time when hunger is killing you in your houses, Mr. Fatty said.
The
Salikeni born politician has also denied recent media reports that
several people have defected from the UDP to the APRC. Fatty described
this as an unfounded and baseless story. Is it that the whole Gambia is in UDP because everybody who crosses carpet to the APRC is from the UDP, he posited.
He however said that those defectors were known to be National Convention Party (NCP) supporters.
Source Foroyaa Newspaper Banjul