Well, sorry to butt in Mr. Manneh (I saw that you addressed your piece to
Ebrima Ceesay). Thank you for a well thought out piece. It came up with some
practical measures to ensure a level playing field for the next election
cycle. I hope the opposition parties pay attention to some of your
suggestions. I like your magic (indelible) ink that seems to cure almost all
the ills that were present during the former regime's elections. Although I
think that your title is a bit misleading, I think I can live with it.
However, I would like to point out to you that votes are not rigged
(manipulated) solely on election day. The period leading to the elections is
equally (if not more) important. It is worst to intimidate people to vote
for you than to buy their votes to prevent them from voting against you. I
do not condone either practice. So, the structures you cited are well and
good for monitoring voting on election day. But do these safeguards
guarantee a voting free from rigging? You also went through the dangerous
path of comparing the situation during the Jawara regime to what obtained
during the last election in order to rationalize the role of the elections
commission. You gave the commission a clean bill of health by rhetorically
asking why no one sued them in court. That same logic can be turned around
thus: if the old system was so rotten, why did no court overturn election
victories on behalf of PPP, PDOIS or NCP after the 1992 elections? If PPP
was so versed in the tactics you said were taking place in Banjul and
Serrekunda, why didn't they use those tactics against Dembo in Bakau or
Gibou Jagne in Serrekunda West? If the registration of alien voters was so
rampant why didn't parties use the existing laws to successfully challenge
the illegal registration of voters? Again, I hold no brief for the PPP
regime. As I said yesterday, the PPP regime is a dismal failure. Gambians
should expect more from Yaya and his cohorts. It is no excuse that one is
doing slightly better than one was doing during the PPP regime. We should
aim higher and do lot better. If we should be contented with the status quo
ante or slightly better, then there is no justification for change from the
Jawara days and Yaya and his gang should be booted out. All participants in
the coming elections should ensure that before they go around legitimizing
Yaya, they should ensure that there is a level playing field. Otherwise,
boycott the elections and isolate Yaya further. Makes it easier for us to
pounce on him. Grasping at justifications such as tribalism in order to
rationalize Yaya's victory does not cut it. Too much is made of the TV,
radio and newspapers. How many Gambians are literate or have access to
electricity? What is more important is to give opposition leaders free
access to their constituents to conduct rallies without intimidation;
showcase the brutality and corruption of this illegal regime without fear
for ones life. Intimidation and general lawlessness is the problem. Gambian
voters are not stupid and they are not bigoted. If allowed to vote freely,
they will put in place a government that puts their interest paramount. So
bureaucrats and security forces should not drop the ball and then blame the
Gambian public. Please enlighten us on the structures put in place for
challenging people's eligibility to register and vote. The tokenism of
government ministers going to voting stations to test the veracity of the
electoral laws is not enough. Also tell us more about returning officers.
Just also want to point out that computers are operated by the same
potentially corrupt human beings that gather data in a manual system.
Finally, I would respectfully urge advocates of elections and well-meaning
Gambians to ignore self-promoters on this List and scrutinize what Mr.
Manneh wrote and see if they can improve on the good practical suggestions
he gives. I for one do not believe that Yaya and his gang are capable of
ensuring a free and fair elections in The Gambia. But the significance of
the debate we on the List contribute to our national development goes
without saying. Anyone that doubts me should just read the local newspapers.
This is not a knock on the brave journalists on the ground. We know that you
are constrained (threatened by deportation, torture and murder). That is why
we say things here that no sane person (that does not want to commit
suicide) back home would hesitate saying. We will continue to showcase the
brutality of this regime and pursue all avenues to rid our country of the
cancer in the person of Yaya.
KB


>From: Lamin Manneh PF <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Yahya CANNOT rig voting and counting
>Date: Tue, 11 Jul 2000 00:45:30 PDT
>
>Ebrima, i want to tell your secret informer that Yahya and his men cannot
>rig voting and counting process in The gambia due to the high level of
>transparency and constant surveillance mounted by all the political parties
>involve.
>The military junta really tried to cheat using the methods used by the
>defunct PPP and NCP but all the "Tapaley" doors were closed by PIEC before
>the election took place. The PIEC conducted a study of how the former
>regime
>carefully arranged their dishonesty to victory in opposition strong hold
>areas and came up with very good solutions.
>Here are some of the election frauds during the PPP regime and what PIEC's
>deterrent measures were.
>1. Double or more voting by an individual within and/or another
>constituency. This was common in the Kombos and Greater Banjul Area where
>transportation is easy and not everybody know each other. So one can vote
>for OJ in all the polling stations in Bundum and travel to Pirang, Kombo
>East, and vote for Lamin Kitty Jabang without being detected. PIEC --- put
>Indelible ink on everybody's tomb after voting
>2. Double registration in different constituencies: Common areas- Banjul
>and
>the Badibus, Serrekunda and the Fonis, Brikama and the Kiangs. PIEC :
>Control registration and use of indelible ink
>3. Suppress supplementary Registration in opposition strong hold areas and
>secretly register families of PPP militants, Saffelo, Alkalo and top civil
>servants. Common places: Anywhere the opposition poses threat. PIEC - There
>was no supplementary registration before last presidential election
>4. Meddle with the manual voter register: PIEC- Computerised Head Register
>controlled by United Nations contract staff.
>5. Buying votes from poor opposition families. PIEC- No control
>6. Registration of aliens. Common in Serrekunda, Banjul, Western Division
>and the Fulladus(both East and West). PIEC- The registration officials
>contracted by the PIEC were very competent, honest, brave and responsible
>young men and women. They strictly work according to the ethics of their
>duty and refused to register anybody who did not have proper paper works
>and
>the approval of the elders. The following people were not issued with
>voter's card at the registration grounds: Sankung Badjie Inspector General
>of Police, Yankuba Touray Minister for Youth and Sports(both were latter
>issued after the intervention of Gibriel Robert), some close family members
>of President Jammeh were not registered when they refused to comply with
>PIEC regulations. Two senior PIEC officials at that center were later
>arrested and detained at Kanlagi Police Station.The former minister Kabba
>Bajo, Tominic Mendy and many senior army officers were denied the usual
>preferential treatment at registration centers and they had to joined a big
>line inorder to be registered. One senior registration officer almost
>exchange blows with Major Bojang in Niamina when he attempted to disrupt
>the
>registration process . So these boys were really great!
>7. Bribe registration and election duty officers. PIEC-- paid officers very
>well. The lowest salary rate was D95.OO a day
>As you can see, most of the cheatings were done before election and
>counting
>of votes.
>
>WHAT LED TO YAHYA'S VICTORY
>Yahya Jammeh and his political adversers after knowing that they cannot
>twist the hands of PIEC officials, resorted to the following strategy to
>win
>votes:
>1. Controlled both private and public media. UDP had no media coverage
>throughout their campaign. Radio Syd started to cover some political
>rallies
>for all political parties but they were forced to stop it immediately.
>2. Tribalism: When Yahya was fully in control of all national media
>networks, some prominent Mandinkas among his national campaign team,
>denounced their own ethnic group as selfish and tribalist people over Radio
>Gambia. This really boost Yahya's image among the Fulas and some wollof
>voters because Darboe has no access to the radio to refute these
>allegations. In fact before official campaign begins, i went on an official
>tour of over 104 villages in CRD and over 90% of voters(except the
>Saloums)were supporting Darboe. But the negative tribal comments by the
>APRC
>Mandinka Jon-o-lo attributes to Darboe's awful defeat among minority
>tribes.
>3. Intimidation. This was a very successful tool used by Jammeh. All civil
>servants of all categories were intimidated by government to vote for APRC.
>In Janjanbureh, Major Bojang convened a meeting in his office with all the
>heads of departments in CRD and threaten to fire anybody who supports
>Darboe.  He held similar meetings with all the Alkalis and saffello(NO
>WONDER HE IS REINSTATED). Guess what this  brought to Jammeh considering
>the
>extended family system in The Gambia and dependency level of the poor and
>the unemployed to these civil servants and traditional rulers.
>Ebrima, the blunt fact is that the Mandinkas(except Jarra and Kiang) who
>were actually describe as tribalist were the very people who voted Jammeh
>to
>power. Can you believe Darboe lost in Bansang Town, Sami District, Brufut,
>Pirang, etc?
>What UDP should fight now is a free and fair campaign--- equal media access
>by all political parties, no intimidation on civilians, Commissioners,
>Chiefs, Alikalolo and top civil servants be neutral and Ousanou should
>deploy the same die hard polling and counting agents like the Bakau women
>in
>all polling and counting centers.
>
>I will end this paper with TWO rational questions: If the votes were
>rigged,
>why nobody sue PIEC?  Please give an example of at least one polling and
>counting center where voting was rigged.
>In my next article, i will briefly describe the voting and counting process
>of the last presidential election.
>Its too late here, have a wonderful day.
>Cheers
>Lamin PF Manneh
>
>
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