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Foroyaa Newspaper Burning Issues

Issue No.73/2005, 19-21 September, 2005




Editorial

THE IEC AND VOTING WITHOUT NAMES

APPEARING IN THE REGISTER OF VOTERS

The IEC returning officers need special review of section 66 of the
Elections Decree to avoid any wrong directive to presiding officers
regarding the proper way to conduct the voting process on 29th September
2005.

The returning officers should take note of the fact that no person can vote
whose name does not appear in a register of voters.

Section 60(1) of the Elections Decree requires every voter who desires to
vote to present himself or herself together with his or her voting card to
the presiding officer.

Subsection (2) makes it mandatory for the presiding officer to satisfy
himself or herself that the name of the voter is in the copy of the part of
the register of voters allocated to his or her polling station before giving
him or her a ballot token to cast his or her vote.

In fact section 66(4) (c) makes it a requirement for the presiding officer
to prevent a person from voting if the name in the voters card is not the
name in the register of voters.

The register of voters is therefore the instrument that determines who
should vote. Infact without registration there will be no way of getting a
voters’ card if one’s original card is lost or stolen.

The IEC needs to get its private legal adviser to study section 66 and come
with an independent and impartial posture on whether it is permissible under
law for a person to vote whose name does not appear in a register of voters.

THE IEC needs to act very quickly to avoid any controversy.



JUNGLE JUSTICE IN URD?



Bubacarr K. Sowe

As the campaign for the Wuli West National Assembly seat intensifies, drama
seems to have unfolded on Friday 16th September soon after a poorly attended
APRC rally in Sutukonding. By standers in Sutukonding were taken aback by
the alleged slapping of two youths by the Commissioner of the Upper River
Division, Mr. Omar Khan. The bizarre incident when Commissioner Khan was
escorted to the said village for an APRC rally by over ten police and
immigration officers, some armed with guns. According to one Mr. Jawneh, he
saw the commissioner approach a youth, one Bademba Barry who was standing at
a distance and slapped him twice. Bademba, according to the source, is an
innocent ulcer patient who was just standing by the way in peace and had not
caused any public disorder.

Reports have it that the second youth, Saikouba Danso, who attempted to
explain the misunderstanding to the commissioner also suffered severe slaps
from the commissioner. Eyewitnesses added that the police then held the two
young men, giving them nasty beatings and throwing them into their vehicles.
They were detained but at the time of going to press one of them, Badembo
Barry was released on bail.

When FOROYAA got in touch with Commissioner Khan he denied slapping the two
boys. He however admitted that he had an incident with the two boys but
declined to comment because the matter was being investigated by the police.

Efforts to reach the police PRO proved unsuccessful. However police sources
stated that the two youth are facing three charges, which include being
armed in public as one of them was alleged to be in possession of a
catapult.

Alkalo Sacked

In another development, the commissioner has declared the position of the
Alkalo of Sutukonding vacant at the APRC rally.

According to reliable sources, the Alkalo of the village was the one who
cleaned the Bantaba for the APRC rally and as the meeting proceeded, he left
the venue to answer to IEC officials who wanted to see him.

The sources went on to say that the commissioner then followed him to his
home and questioned whether the IEC or he (the commissioner) is his boss. He
reportedly  indicated to him the matter is not being a boss or not. Reports
also have it that the commissioner then told him plainly, “I have relieved
you from your position with immediate effect.”





MAYOR JENG DEFENDS HIMSELF

The embattled Mayor of the Banjul City Council (BCC), Pa Sallah Jeng, who is
fighting for his political survival following the rigorous decision of the
APRC Councillors to pass a resolution aimed at impeaching him, has brazenly
debunked the said Councillors by letting the cat out of the bag.

“The whole episode started last week when I WAS served a letter dated 2nd of
September 2005 by the Deputy Mayor, Mam Sait Njie. The letter is funny. It
is from the Banjul City Council and it is addressed to the Deputy Mayor, Mam
Sait Njie and it says it is attention to the President. It goes by saying
“The impeachment of the Mayor of the Banjul City Council. The letter is not
properly written. The letter quoted some provisions of the Local Government
Act, but the letter did not give comprehensive quotations to enable people
will not understand what they (APRC Councillors) are talking about,” he
remarked.

The resolution to impeach the Mayor of Banjul is supported by the Deputy
Mayor, Mam Sait Njie, and eight other Councillors, namely Marie Dalliah, Awa
Sillah Njie, Winston R. Shyngle, Ousman Jobe, Dawda Drammeh, Hassan S. M.
Cham and Dodou Biran Njie of Half Die Ward.

The Mayor is indicted on two grounds namely abuse of office and
misappropriation of council funds. On the first ground, abuse of office, the
councillors banked on subsection (2) of the Local Government Act which
states that a Mayor / Chairperson may be removed from office by council by a
resolution supported by two thirds of all members of the council. The
Councillors alleged that on Friday 19th of August 2005, the Mayor, Pa Sallah
Jeng, wrote a letter directing his Chief Executive Officer to pay an invoice
to Mr. Pratt of the E. A. P. Printing Press the sum of D10, 000 which was
neither approved by of council nor was it taken to the Gambia Public
Procurement Authority. They further alleged that Pa Sallah Jeng had
previously written a book and told the council that it was paid for by
himself only to be discovered later that t

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