My dear Friend,
Thank you for your advice and practical idea.I hope that this will be
adopted by the Gambian people.But one thing is true perhaps in your country
is that the president being challenged got elected by voting.
What we have is a miltary leader who uses the electroral process as a
coverup to force his will!He has no real respect for majority vote.
When Yaya met with the Gambians in new york he was asked by a gentleman
about this question he started laughing,casually asking in his self
procaimed wisedom:"Do you know how much it cost to transport a ballot box
from Gambia to the United States!"These are his exact words!He was Aked
about Human Right Abuses by me;He snapped in without even trying to
understand my question:"What human rights!" I swear to god he acted like his
brain was made out of wood!I wondered to myself how can a good
God do this to The Gambia people.I am yet to figure the answer out.
WE can vote all we want but he will not let our wishes surface,to him
we do not have any rights!To him we do not deserve to be heard! To him
our collective desire is a joke to be laughedoff!To him to get him out you
need to engage him in a war!He has the utmost snob for intelegence!
Nevertheless we should adopt this system of voting by mail.It is very cost
effective and a proven means of exercising ones right to vote.
But unless this election is monitored by an independent board such as the
UN we can wish our collective desires good bye! Yaya doesnt have it in him
to step down in the name of Gambian people.He has shown enough disrespect
for the country to attest to that!
Unless we put in place a foreign and fair independent monitors who cannot
be intimidated by Yaya we can dream if we may but forget a fair electoral
process!
The Gambia is a nation under siege its no normal stragedy that shall free
her! It will take more than a usual election to free her.
sincerely kalilu
>From: Asbjørn Nordam <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: Election Petition Draft
>Date: Thu, 22 Jun 2000 18:59:12 +0200
>
>Friends,
>returned from 12 days in Holland/Begium for European Football Championship
>it is a surprise for me to see that you as gambian citizens living abroad
>has no practice/rules for exercising your right as a citizen to cast your
>vote in national elections.
>I don´t see any reasons you should "pay" anything for exercising that
>fundamental right, as suggested by some of you. It will be costy enough if
>you got to travel to the nearest gambian representative to register and
>vote.
>
>In Denmark the rules are very specific. If you are registered in Denmark,
>you can from 3 weeks ahead of election-day and until few days before
>election day cast your vote by "mail" to the local authorities where you
>are
>registered. That is for local elections, parliament elections, or any
>referendum. By "mail" means that you go to the local authorities,where you
>are registered , you get your "voting paper", you exercises the voting and
>put it in an envelope which is sealed and kept safely and will not be
>opened
>until the elections is declared ended and all the votes are going to be
>counted.
>It´s important that you personally present and identify yourself as the
>voter registered.
>
>When living or travelling abroad you can vote "by mail" at a danish
>consulate or embassy.
>
>In november 1997 we held elections in Denmark, and I left before (more than
>3 weeks) it was possible to vote by letter, and stayed in The Gambia on
>election day. I registered at the local danish authority (consulate) Mr.
>Peter Smith (those days in Banjul, now Serekunda) and should be given the
>papers so I could vote from The Gambia. Unfortunately something went wrong,
>so Peter Smith never received the documents from the nearest danish Embassy
>(in Marocco) and no papers from Denmark, so even I came to his office every
>third or forth day under my visit to the Gambia, I could not vote. After
>returning to Denmark I delivered a formal complain to the authorities in my
>home town, that I for the first time in my life could not vote. The
>complain
>went to the interior Ministry, which is the authority for elections, but
>due
>to the situation they asked the foreign Ministry to examine why I as a
>danish citizen was denied my legal right to vote. After several months of
>investigations both in The Gambia and Marocco and the ministries, I got an
>official "explanation" and "excuse" from the Ministry.
>All this to say that voting-rights has to be handled very very strict and
>with highest priority in a democratic country.
>
>So I hope that you will have the same right as gambian citizens no matter
>where you live, travel, study to vote both for parliamentary and
>presidential elections.
>
>I see no restrictions. You are registered gambians, you call the nearest
>gambian representative where you are now staying, you go and identify
>yourself (as you have to do it if it was at the voting place back home)
>f.in. up till 1 week before election day and vote by "letter", the votes
>are
>returned to the Gambia and will be handled as they were delivered there.
>
>It is very seldom but is has happened that the "mailed-votes" changed the
>situation here in Denmark. One seat moved to another person or party, and
>majority changed after counting the "mailed votes".
>
>I really do hope that most of you will be able to vote. It feels good to
>exercise that right, even you sometimes think it doesn´t matter who and
>what
>you vote for.
>
>Just a comment from Asbjørn Nordam
>
>
>on 14/06/00 0:56, MOMODOU BUHARRY GASSAMA at [log in to unmask] wrote:
>
> > Hi!
> > I have decided to volunteer and draft a petition to enable Gambians
>abroad to
> > vote as requested by Abdoulie Saine. Maybe others can volunteer and
>draft the
> > other petitions requested by Abdoulie. Feel free to make any changes you
>wish.
> > Thanks.
> > Buharry.
> >
>______________________________________________________________________________
> > _______
> >
> >
> > Dear Sir,
> >
> > We the undersigned, as Gambians living abroad seeking to exercise our
>right to
> > participate in choosing our representatives to public office as
>guaranteed
> > under the Constitution of The Gambia, respectfully request your
>Commission to
> > make arrangements and put in place mechanisms to make this a reality. We
> > derive our wish to participate in electing our representatives not only
>as
> > concerned citizens living abroad who make substantial financial, social,
>moral
> > and other contributions to the development of our country, but also as
> > citizens wishing to exercise rights guaranteed under the Constitution of
>The
> > Gambia which is the fundamental law of the land. Section 26 of the
> > Constitution states:
> >
> > "Every citizen of The Gambia of full age and capacity shall have the
>right,
> > without unreasonable restriction -
> >
> >
> > (a) to take part in the conduct of public affairs, directly or through
>freely
> > chosen representatives;
> >
> > (b) to vote and stand for elections at genuine periodic elections for
>public
> > office, which elections shall be by universal and equal suffrage and be
>held
> > by secret ballot;
> >
> > (c) to have access, on general terms of equality, to public service in
>The
> > Gambia."
> >
> > We believe that it is within your mandate to make the exercise of our
>rights a
> > reality as section 141 of the Elections Decree states:
> >
> > "The Independent Electoral commission may make rules for Gambians in any
> > foreign country to vote in a Presidential election."
> >
> > We therefore respectfully request and urge you and your Commission to
>look
> > into ways and means of making our wish to participate in the election of
>our
> > public officers a reality. Whilst awaiting your co-operation and
>consideration
> > in this issue, we would like to thank you in advance and extend the best
>of
> > wishes in the execution of the noble task you have been entrusted with.
> >
> > Sincerely,
> >
> >
> >
> > Concerned Gambians.
> >
> >
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> >
> >
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