Folks,
The idea of Gambians in the diaspora being offered the opportunity to vote
for candidates into political office in the Gambia is a commendable one. It
would constitute a remarkable development of the democratic process in our
beloved motherland. However,the benefits we stand to gain from such a
development, in terms of good governance and democracy would be minimal, if
two crucial factors are not addressed.
Firstly,over the years, particularly since the unconstitutional removal of
Bishop Johnson from the leadership of the Independent Electoral
Commission(IEC), the majority of our citizenry have come to have less
confidence in the impartiality of the elections organising body in carrying
out its mandate. Resolving the Bishop Johnson debacle expediently through
the law courts could give back to the IEC some of its lost credibility.
Furthermore, there is an urgent need to replace the person currently at the
top of the elections body, because certain turns and twists which
characterized the release of the results of the 1996 presidential elections,
and the circumstances in which he has been brought back to head the
institution have actually dented his credibility.
Secondly,in the 2001 elections there were widespread allegations of not only
aliens in the Gambia voting to the benefit of the ruling APRC, but also of
foreigners being allowed into the country to vote in like manner. The IEC
should have looked into such allegations with a view to pre-empt the
occurences which precipitated them.
Presently, we are all thinking about how good it would be for us all in the
diaspora to be afforded the opportunity to vote in our national elections.
However, it is pertinent for us to be aware of the ways in which the system
can be manipulated to benefit only the ruling party. This makes all the more
relevant, the issue of resources for not only the IEC, but all the political
parties as well. This could create effetive checks to prevent electoral
fraud and malpratices. Otherwise, there is no guarantee that the ruling APRC
would not use the enfranchisement of Gambians in the diaspora as a  leeway
for them to pay thousands of foreigners to trek into the Gambia and vote for
them as was alledged in the last elections. Such an eventuality would in
anyway undermine the positive impact of whatever contribution the diasporan
vote can make towards the development of democracy and good governance in
the Gambia.





>From: Ams Jallow <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Possible Franchise for Gambians Abroad,              IEC Taskforce
>Working On Modalities
>Date: Wed, 28 May 2003 22:03:36 EDT
>
>
><A
>HREF="http://allafrica.com/publishers.html?passed_name=The%20Independent&passed_location=Banjul">The
>Independent</A> (Banjul)May 26, 2003
>Posted to the web May 26, 2003 PK Jarju
>Banjul: The Gambian Diaspora may soon be transformed into a voting
>constituency of its own, if feasibility studies by the Independent
>Electoral Commission
>(IEC) for that purpose, culminates in enfranchising Gambians abroad.The
>national electoral body is currently embarking on the modalities required
>to take
>the unprecedented step of extending the franchise to more than 80, 000
>Gambians
>residing outside the country in the countdown to the 2006 general
>elections,
>The Independent can reveal.Reports suggest that the IEC, which is empowered
>to
>conduct elections in the country, in exercise of section 141 of the
>Election
>Decree of 1996, requiring it to make rules for Gambians in any foreign
>country
>to vote in a presidential election, has set up a taskforce to deal with the
>modalities of enfranchising over 80, 000 Gambians who live and work abroad
>including Britain and the United States.The task force is said to be
>working
>closely with the Department of State for Foreign Affairs, which is expected
>to
>provide an appraisal of the concentration of Gambian residents abroad. The
>task
>force is also expected to work diligently to ensure that the rules and
>regulations for the conduct of free and fair elections for Gambians abroad
>are in
>place.According to report if everything including the funding of the
>ultimate
>exercise materialize, the IEC would immediately afterwards send its
>officials to
>some selected countries where the density of Gambian nationals meet the
>criteria.
>They would also study the modalities and conditions of registration of
>Gambians as voters, which would enable them to play an integral part in
>determining
>the country's political leadership. If the bid succeeds, the Gambian
>diaspora
>would be the 46th constituency in the 2006 elections, provided the
>electoral
>demarcations of the last election remain intact.This IEC move comes as a
>growing number of Gambians continue to express the desire to take part in
>the
>country's electoral process. The Georgia based Gambian Democratic Forum
>(GDF) has
>meanwhile requested to be advised on the procedures required for the
>registration of Gambians of legal voting age more specifically abroad.When
>contacted for
>comments Said Yusuf the IEC director of training, information and
>communication confirmed the story but declined to give further detail,
>saying the IEC is
>yet to receive the report of the task force, which would be released to the
>press in due course.If successfully implemented, it would be an
>unprecedented
>development that would effectively transform the Gambian diaspora into
>another
>constituency for Presidential and National Assembly elections in the
>future.
>
>
>
>"The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are
>evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it."
>Â - Albert Einstein
>"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can
>change
>the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has."
>- Margaret MeadÂ
>"When the government fears the people, you have liberty. When the people
>fear
>the government, you have tyranny."Â
>- Thomas Jefferson
>"All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing"Â
>- Edmund Burke
>
>
>
>
>
>
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