Folks,

The reaction to the result of the by-elections held in Kiang and Badibu by
some people on the L really frightens me. In kiang the voter turnout was
86.07 % while in Badibu the turnout was 71.40%. For any by-election or
election for that matter are these turnouts unreasonable? In Kiang, 64.29 %
of voters who voted, voted for Mahawa Cham while 35.75 % voted for Bakary
Jarju. In Badibu, 51.44 % of those who voted voted for Lamin Dibba while
48.56 % voted for Sekou Satou Saho. Human rights activist, Sheik Lewis and
Joseph Peacock, youth activist are both quoted by the Daily Observer
reporters A.B ceesay and Sheriff Bojang Jr as describing the elections as
"free, fair and transparent".

If these by-elections were meant for the people of Kiang and Badibu to
demonstrate their faith or lack of it in the APRC government, they have
amply demostrated it. It is therefore very rediculous and absurd for any one
to inteprete these results in any other way than an expression of the wishes
of the people. How can anyone just dismiss the wish of the people as if they
didn't know what they were doing when they were alone facing only 2 ballot
boxes. If it is true democracy is what we are all yearning for, then this
must be a step in the right direction. Any body who feels that the people
are still not aware of their own plight or what they wanted this fateful
saturday, then that person has a serious problem. These by-elections may
have been contested on a partisan basis, but don't forget that the people
were actually choosing between two people in each of these constituencies to
REPRESENT them.

I would to end this post by quoting one Lamin Saho who, writing on the Daily
Observer last year about a week before the student riots of April 2000,
wrote "... whatever happens, whatever the circumstances, we must not allow
our emotions to run riot with us making us arrive at wild and imaginary
conclusions that question the very basis of our intellectual capability and
enlightenement". This he wrote cautioning reporters not to sentionalise
sensitive issues just to sell their papers.

Bye 4Now, KB Jobe.



     ==========================================================
"There is a time in the life of every problem when it is big enough to see,
yet small enough to solve"

                  (MIKE LEAVITT)
     ===========================================================



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