My Fellow Gambians !
The Presidential and National Assembly elections are fast approaching us
(God willing !) and we definitely have to prepare ourselves adequately if we
want to succeed in our aim to unseat Jammeh from the presidency and the APRC
from its majority in the National Assembly.
We have seen what happened in Kiang and Central Baddibou during the recent
by-elections and the outcomes of these give us pointers as to how desperate
Jammeh and his party stalwarts are to retain/maintain their hold on power in
The Gambia.
They have proved themselves ready to spend money (interestingly, this money
is YOURS AND MINE – it is public money that belongs to all Gambians), they
are ready to cheat, they are ready to lie, they are ready to harass and
intimidate people, they are ready to bribe, and if the truth be known, they
are probably also even ready to kill, just to maintain their power base. Be
in no doubt, they will go all out to "win" the elections, and we have to be
ready for them.
Jammeh and his colleagues are aware that their fate and their future are
tied inextricably to their holding on to power: without their current
political status, they are nothings and nobodies.
They know that once they lose the presidency and their APRC majority, then
The Gambian people will hold them totally and fully accountable for the past
seven years of misrule, mismanagement, corruption, and murder.
They will be subject to eternal pillory and condemnation from all four
corners of the world. There will be no hiding place for any of them. Each
and every single one of these miscreants will be answerable for their awful
deeds.
With this in mind, Jammeh and the APRC will do anything in their power, no
matter how illegal or corrupt, to steal the elections, to rig the electoral
process and to ensure their success. Their willingness to expend so much
public money on buying votes in the by-elections, even when they knew that
they would be very much in the public eye, is a measure of their discomfort
and fear of the future.
What they should also now know, is that we THE GAMBIAN PEOPLE, know them for
what they are. We know their desperation. We know their fears. We shall
and do hold each and every one of them accountable for every dreadful thing
that has befallen our country since 1994.
We Gambians hold the power to change the fate and future of our country in
the forthcoming elections, and we can show Jammeh and his criminal band
exactly what we think of them all, by voting them fairly and squarely out of
office.
We have seen; we have heard; we have complained time after time, about the
wrongs in our country. Now we have to ACT, and do something practical to
uproot Jammeh and his gang.
The catchword is, "ACT NOW OR REGRET IT FOREVER".
Most of the talking and the analyses have been done and all of those who
mean well for our country, are now in agreement that Jammeh and his regime
have failed totally. It is now time for us to teach them a lesson – that
power belongs to the mass of ordinary Gambians, and not to any individual or
power clique.
When the people are determined, and have the will to change the fate of
their country, nothing can stop them. Change is inevitable.
It is time for us to coordinate and organise ourselves as one people in
opposition, as one unit, against our common enemy Yahya Jammeh, and to
remove him from office.
HOW ???? you will ask.
Well, as I said in my 22nd Message to All Gambians, I shall look at five
areas which are intertwined with our success in the forthcoming elections:
A. A fair and level playing field
B. Resistance of financial inducements in the elections
C. Proper and effective monitoring of the electoral process and elections
D. Tactical alliance of the opposition parties
E. Political education of the people, especially in the provinces
A. Ensuring a fair and level playing field for the forthcoming elections.
It is important that we do all in our power to ensure that any individual or
political party contesting the elections, do so with equal status and equal
opportunity.
Yes, in Africa it is difficult to contest against an incumbent regime
because the latter usually exploit the whole machinery of state on their own
behalf. However, as we have seen in Ghana and in Senegal, there are some
checks that we can put in place in order to minimise these advantages of
incumbents.
It is important to take part in elections, but it is more important to take
part in elections which are transparent and above board. There is no point
in participating in elections which will be conspicuously rigged and tilted
towards the favour of the incumbents.
As a people, we have to demand fairness and equal opportunity. For example,
we should insist that all individuals and groups contesting the elections
have appropriate exposure on the national media.
In The Gambia, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) is mandated by law
to conduct and supervise the elections. We should make sure that the IEC
does this without bias or favour. We should be vigilant and interested in
the activities of the IEC. If there is any suspicion of foul play, then the
IEC should be publicising this in the media and reporting to the opposition
parties as well as to the international intermediaries on hand.
We have to demand that the IEC conduct and supervise the elections in such a
way that all may know that there has been fairness and transparency.
All of us need to be ready to police the electoral process because the truth
is that in Africa, the results of elections are often not determined on
election day itself, but rather in the whole run up to election day.
We should demand these from the IEC: that -
1. It ensures that all parties have access to the national media on a
pro-rata basis.
2. All parties be allowed to campaign the length and breadth of the country
3. Reputable national and international observers be invited to serve as
monitors of the whole electoral process
4. All state organised harassment of political opponents is halted
5. There is decorum amongst the parties, and an agreed code of good conduct.
We should also demand from our opposition parties and the incumbent party
that they provide an environment conducive to smooth and peaceful elections.
The party platforms should be based on issues and not personalities.
The aim at the end of the electoral process is that we should ALL of us be
able to say that fairness and decency had prevailed, and that there had been
no undue skew one way or the other. We should know that the choices made,
are indeed reflective of the independent will of the people.
B. Resistance of financial inducements.
We heard reports in the last Kiang by-election, of vote-buying by the APRC
which led to a less than impartial electoral result.
We have to do all in our power to prevent a reoccurrence of this. Any hint
of financial inducement should be reported immediately to the IEC, to the
opposition parties, to the international and national observers, and to the
media.
Unless we bring this underhand and illegal practice into the public eye, we
shall not be able to prevent it. We have to stamp on this type of
corruption and make it very clear that we Gambians are not willing and ready
to put up with it any longer.
The people ought to know that their vote is as important as their very
lives: they have to make sure that their votes are given to presidential or
parliamentary candidates who are worthy, who will work steadfastly for the
public good and not for private gain.
The whole notion of elections is to ensure the freedom to vote for the best
and most effective candidates. It is not about selling one’s vote to the
highest bidder.
For those who do sell their vote for a measly pittance, then be sure that
you will get a small amount of money in the short term: this may last you a
week at most, and then you will be left with the same underlying hardship
and distress which caused you to sell your vote in the first place. Your
problems may ease in the very short term, but THEY WILL NOT GO AWAY, even if
you sell your vote for 250 Dalasis.
The degree of poverty in The Gambia is such that the government has now
admitted that it is actually unsustainable. We therefore have to elect a
new president and National Assembly who can give us the leadership we need
to take us forward into a brighter and more honest, corruption-free future.
The draconian and obnoxious Indemnity Bill being put before parliament at
the moment, gives us an idea of the type of regime we are dealing with, but
more importantly, proves the point that we have to select and elect
representatives who are worthy of us: who are sincere, honest, dedicated,
and hardworking, and who are parliamentarians whose only aim is to strive
for the country’s best interests.
C. Effective monitoring of the electoral process and the elections
themselves.
Knowing the regime we are dealing with, we should not take any chances and
allow ourselves to be caught unawares. Whilst it is the duty of the IEC to
organise, supervise and conduct the elections, we also have a duty to police
the whole process ourselves. Let us open our eyes and ears to any hint of
foul play or suspected attempt to manipulate the elections unfairly.
As well as calling for independent international monitors and observers to
oversee the whole process, we should also be looking to ourselves and the
media services to undertake a careful and impartial monitoring role.
We should also be interested in the registration of voters at any time we
hear this is taking place, in order that we can ensure that only those who
are qualified to have a voters card, should get one. If we believe that
anyone has been unfairly issued with a voters card, then we should report it
to the Opposition parties, to the IEC and to the international community.
D. Tactical alliance of the opposition parties.
In order to see the back of Jammeh and the APRC, it is absolutely VITAL that
we present a united oppositional force. In my view, we are facing an uphill
battle: to defeat Jammeh in the ballot boxes is going to take all our
concerted efforts, and let there be no mistake, it will be difficult.
There is an urgent need for a united opposition, engaged in a coalition
–this has to be the best way forward in the short term to ensure that we rid
ourselves of Jammeh and his regime.
I have come to realise that this is the KEY issue in our struggle, and it
will need a separate posting. My 24th Message to All Gambians, will
therefore focus on this issue, and on the ways in which we may best work
together for a successful tactical alliance.
E. Political education of our Gambian people.
If you talk to Gambians, be they at home or overseas, we all concur that
Jammeh must go, and that the Gambia’s future would be bleak indeed if we
allowed him to triumph at the next elections. People clearly want change,
because they understand that it is only Jammeh and his cronies who are
enjoying the fruits of their mismanagement.
The people want change, but they need to be organised; they need to be
enlightened; they need to be guided; they need to be politically directed
and educated. But HOW may we do this ?
Whoever is interested in change in The Gambia has also to be interested in
the ways in which we may educate the ordinary person at home.
Political issues are complex and rather incomprehensible, even to
enlightened citizens. They need to be dissected, clarified and simplified
in order that ordinary people may access the thinking and the arguments.
We have to make it very clear and very plain that The Gambia’s governance
problems and crises are not God-made: they are artificial, and they result
from our having elected the wrong people to power.
People have to be enlightened on what to expect from their Representatives
and from their president. They elect their representatives to manage their
resources honestly and efficiently, and so our parliamentarians have a duty
to deliver the goods. If they cannot, then they should be voted out of
office.
Our representatives should be our servants and not our masters. We should
understand that they are working with our money: with public funds which
belong to us all. They have to be accountable to us.
These amongst others, are the complex issues which need to be clarified for
our people, and it is the duty of all of us to ensure that the messages
reach the people. Each and every enlightened Gambian should in turn
endeavour to enlighten and educate others.
All of us, politicians and non-politicians alike, should take part in this
process. We should explain the vital and key issues to our parents, to our
aunts and uncles, to our sisters and brothers and to our children.
I challenge each and every enlightened Gambian to take or send these
messages home, and ensure that they are disseminated there at every
opportunity. Only by educating the people shall we ensure that they are in
a position to understand fully their political power.
We should make sure that each and every Gambian realises that his/her vote
WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE to the results of the elections.
THIS IS POLITICAL POWER - and it is in the hands of us all.
Ebrima Ceesay,
Birmingham, UK.
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