Sanusi,

That's exactly the problem.  How can there be fair elections if the very organ that oversees elections in the country, i.e. the IEC, is not independent of such interference?

After almost four decades of casting ballots in hollow barrels, should it not be ever more clear that the simple act of casting a ballot does not determine the democratic nature of a government. We may cast as many marbles as we want, and contest as many elections as the government is willing and able to hold, but as long as the democratic mechanisms for transparency and fair play are not in place elections will continue to be a façade, a tool to perpetuate a group of people in power.

Momodou.

Sanusi Owens <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
It didn't surprise me either!!!

Once Uncle Gabbi  Roberts and Co were sacked, I had the feeling that some of IEC staff will also have to go. As mentioned in my previous positions, NADD should carefully look at how IEC operates before taking part in any elections. Jammeh wants IEC to be NON-INDEPENDENT so that he can win the show.

I hope the International Community will exert some pressure on the IEC to show some element of maturity and fair play in their operations.

In my honest opinion, NADD should only engage with IEC if they can conduct an ALL PARTY CONFERENCE on FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS IN THE GAMBIA.

Sanusi




john joof <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Folks
Let's face it. Jammeh is directly interfering with the
IEC. Now all the independent personnels of the IEC are
fired ahead of the by-elections. I suggest NADD
address this issued before contesting any election.
John



____________________________________________________
Start your day with Yahoo! - make it your home page
http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs
All Rights Reserved" name=Generator>

0&parent.frames.length) {    d=parent.frames[n.substring(p+1)].document; n=n.substring(0,p);}  if(!(x=d[n])&d.all) x=d.all[n]; for (i=0;!x&iObserver Company | Contact us | Jobs & Careers | FAQs | Help & Info
Your work is your duty; sit down and do it

 [input]  [input]
 [input]  ADVANCE SEARCHEMAIL LOGIN | MEMBER LOGIN | REGISTER Date:   Wednesday, 17 August 2005                    Your Location is:   Home  News  IEC GETS RID OF SAID USUF Site Tools HomeNewsEditorialHealthAgricultureEnvironmentReligionHuman RightsArts and CultureOpinionBantabaSportsEntertainmentClassifiedsSearch Archives





















  IEC GETS RID OF SAID USUF    Written by Alhagie Jobe    Wednesday, 17 August 2005 Said Usuf, a principal electoral director at the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC),was sacked last Tuesday, IEC top officials have told the Daily Observer.
According to official sources, Said Usuf was given his marching orders following an in-house investigation which found him wanting. An official of IEC confirmed that Mr Usuf is no longer with the commission but declined to give further details about his dismissal.

Sources added that Mr Usuf, who is believed to be a close associate of the former IEC boss, was not happy that Mr Roberts was dismissed. As a result, our sources added, his relationship with the present became strained, leading to a big misunderstanding between them.

Mr Usuf returned from Europe a few months ago  after completing a study course.

Efforts to contact Mr Usuf proved futile.

Last Updated ( Wednesday, 17 August 2005 ) Next >         SelectHomeNewsEditorialEssayReligionOpinionBantabaSportsEntertainmentClassifieds

Observer.gm Homepage
Make Observer.gm Homepage | Bookmark this Page
Observer Company | Contact us | Jobs & Careers | FAQs | Help & Info
Site map | [log in to unmask] | Advertise with us
Privacy Statement | Terms of Use
 © 2005 Observer Company Ltd.
All Rights Reserved
Powered and Administered by: elfasoft


---------------------------------
How much free photo storage do you get? Store your holiday snaps for FREE with Yahoo! Photos. Get Yahoo! Photos
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com

¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface
at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html

To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/CGI/wa.exe?S1=gambia-l
To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to:
[log in to unmask]
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤