Sister Jabou,
The international community can indeed play a vital role in resolving the
political mayhem we presently have in the Gambia. It may however be
dangerous if  multilateral institutions, as alluded to in your write-up, are
allowed to play a lead role. We have seen instances where international
observers have endorsed doubtful election results. This normally emanates
from the fact that they concentrate on elections rather than election
processes. I agree they can be involved but this should be to complement
national efforts.
In the past, electoral fraud in the Gambia used to be mainly in the form of
registering under-age Gambians, because as you rightly said birth
registration was not a well known practice in most of our communities.
During the economic crisis of the late 1970s and early 1980s, we started to
witness a new type of fraud in which you give money to your opponent's
supporters in exchange for them not voting at all. In moments of economic
hardship, this was a sure way of swinging the vote against candidates with
little or no access to resources, and these were mainly opposition
candidates. The fraud of giving non-Gambians the vote is not a new electoral
malpractice in the Gambia. Infact one can safely say that it started with
the first national elections in the country in the early 1960s. Then it was
basically engineered by local landlords and politicians to swell the ranks
of their supporters in elections. The numbers involved were not large and
infact if some of the people involved had any inkling of their immigration
rights in the Gambia, they could have got the vote without making themselves
beholden onto any landlord or politician. Anyway, all those who had
strangers got them registered without engendering any noticeable animosities
in the communities.
But the post 1994 coup elections have completely changed that harmonious(
though fraudulent) intergration of aliens in the electoral register. Infact
when registration started  before the referandum for the 1997 constitution,
people were told not to allow non-Gambians to get the vote.This must have
been a ploy because soon most of  those denied the vote got it anyway. It is
worth noting that because of the instability in the sub-region during this
period, the configuration of the Gambian population had undergone
significant changes. The new strangers did not integrate in our communities
like the old ones. Thus their getting the vote did not go down well with the
people as their forerunners', and this has produced synophobia in some
quarters. This was the situation before the 2001 elections. But that
election added a new dimension in the electoral mal-practice of giving the
vote to non-Gambians. This time it involved giving the vote to non-Gambians
resident outside the Gambia, particularly in Senegal. Thus between 1996 and
2001, a large number of non-Gambians resident in the Gambia and Senegal have
been fraudulently given the vote. The voters card which qualifys one to vote
in the Gambia expires eight years after the date of issuance.
Sister Jabou and folks this is the scenario. The electoral process is
already rigged!
As for the factional interests you made mention of, if you are referring to
the individual political organisations, I am afraid most of that will be
around as long as we continue to have a multiparty political culture. That
has a lot to do with the nature of multipartism. Interest groups always
manifest themselves in open societies, and it is the cumulation of their
interests that constitute the overall national interest. What is worth
mentioning here is the need for us to avoid splinter groups divisively
parochial in nature. It would be detrimental to our national well being if
those issues that are national in nature, are dealt with within the ambits
of fragmented nationalisms such as ethnicity, locality, or religion. And
unfortunately, both religion and ethnicity are prominent undercurrents of
the Jammeh regime's politics.
  Finally, I wish to reafirm my conviction that a militant opposition is
imperative to bringing down the A(F)PRC regime.And because the electoral
process is already rigged, it is a fallacy for anyone to think that we have
enough time. Perhaps we have started too late in view of the magnitude of
the task at hand. If we are to register the desired success, we must double
up our efforts. Key to this is the setting-up of a coalition machinery to
effectively coordinate the activities of the various political parties. It
should also be noted that the recent tinkering of the constitution which
eliminated the potentials for a second round ballot, has made it extremely
desirable for the coalition to come up with a single opposition candidate to
take on incumbent Yaya Jammeh. All these make an early start imperative if
we are to realise our immediate and long term goals.
Omar Joof.




>From: Jabou Joh <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: Why the silence/Sanusi/Omar
>Date: Sat, 18 Oct 2003 12:05:56 EDT
>
>Omar,
>
>Thanks for your response.
>It was evident from the last elections that the IEC is comprised of people
>who bend the rules in favour of the AFPRC regime, and that election rigging
>is
>how the regime won the last elections and that, along with brutality and
>instilling fear in the hearts and minds of Gambians is  how they intend to
>stay in
>power.
>There is no doubt that all of us agree that the IEC needs to be overhauled
>to ensure a free and fair election, but I think where we may differ is the
>mode
>to be employed to accomplish this.
>The AFPRC regime is a rogue regime no doubt, and their record is the
>evidence
>of this. They have failed miserably in their attempt to rule and infact,
>they
>were never competent simply because it is evident they have no idea what
>they
>are doing. They ensure their stay in power by bending and breaking the
>rules.
>
>Imagine if you will, that Edward Singateh ( Minister of Trade is it? These
>positions change so often that one would think they are playing musical
>chairs)
>demanding that Gambian small  business people reduce the prices they sell
>commodities and other goods as a strategy for reversing the economic horror
>that
>these people's incompetence has caused. Another brilliant idea I believe
>was to
>round up money changers and steal their money and such monies of course
>were
>going to "charity". One need not ask which charity that was.
>
>The important point here is that this regime does not play by the rules
>because if they did, we would not have problems would we?
>The first time that people like Dr Abdoulaye Saine, Dr. Katim Touray  and
>others advocated that a council be set up to negotiate with this regime, I
>stated
>that this regime would never negotiate with anyone simply because they want
>to stay for as long as possible and that theirs was a mission to ensure
>just
>that. I know that people got upset with  me then also because again,  they
>took
>my remarks as an attempt to undermine them but the evidence has been
>unfolding
>ever since.
>
>These people do not play by the rules, and thereore, the issue is not that
>we
>need to reform the IEC, but how  we accomplish that under a regime that
>will
>break all rules to ensure that nothing that will ensure free and fair
>elections takes place because they know that will surely lead to the end of
>their
>rule.
>
>This is why in my post of yesterday, I asked the question as to whether
>appealing to the Commonwealth could be a way to accomplish this because as
>far as
>being able to implement reform of the IEC, the cooperation of the Gambia
>government not to stand in the way must be part of it, and one cannot go to
>the wolf
>to safeguard the sheep.
>Even as we talk of Gambians resisting this regime, and in the face of their
>miserable failure to lead the country when any decent law abiding
>government
>would have stepped down by now, this regime is hard at work devicing ways
>to
>repress the people even more.
>
>The only viable way to force this regime to comply with the refom of the
>IEC
>and other electoral related issues is to take this to the international
>forum
>where international pressure can be brought to bear. The opposition parties
>in
>the Gambia are the vehicle by which we can accomplish this, and their
>formation of a united coalition is the first move towards this end.
>
>As things are now in Gambia, with the AFPRC at the helm and very much aware
>that with a coaliton in place and a reformed IEC that is composed of people
>who
>will ensure that there is total transparency in the electoral process and
>in
>any elections, it will be virtually impossible to bring about any reform of
>the IEC because of inteference from the regime. The AFPRC regime rewrites
>any
>clause in the constitution that puts any impediments to their sinister
>goals or
>that will incriminate them in the lawlessness they have employed against
>the
>people, so we are not talking about a group of people one can prevail upon
>to
>do the right thing here. They shoot students who exercise their rights to
>express themselves as provided by the constitution, and incerate  and cook
>up
>charges against politicians who ask the people to exercise their right to
>protest.
>
>These are issues the violations of which can be taken to the international
>forum, and the modality of this is what needs to be looked into because i
>am
>sure there must be a provision to accomplish such a thing. As part of the
>International commuinty who are expected to abide by the rules that ensure
>our
>standing in that arena, we must be able to prevail upon the same forum to
>ensure
>that the Gambian people are allowed to exercise the most basic of rights
>under
>any government that is only recognized by the international community
>because
>they represent themselves as our lawful representatives. If they are
>breaking
>the law in that respect, that has to allow for consequences.
>
>The first time I suspected that Jammeh was poised to rig the last elections
>was when the regime suddenly decided that all Gambians have to have an
>identity
>card and the warped and devious proof of citizenship criteria adopted to be
>able to get one was the final confirmation. In our country where births had
>not
>always been officially documented on paper, we are a people who have lived
>with each other for centuries so that it si easy to determine who is
>Gambian and
>who is not even though this may not seem very scientific to outsiders.
>However,the regime gave people a hard time with the proof of Gambian birth
>issue to
>frustrate people and deter them from registering, and thereby making them
>inelligible to vote in the elections.
>
>In my view,  that was the first sinister purpose of this national ID card
>requirement, the second being that it also opened up the possibility of
>providing
>cards to foreigners from across the border so they can vote for the AFPRC.
>Then Jammeh's agents at the IEC stepped in at the last minute to change the
>rules in his favour by yet another eligibility requirement change.
>
>In addition, there was the usual intimidation of opposition leaders, the
>attempt to charge Ousainou Darboe with murder after the AFPRC thugs waylaid
>his
>campaign party and tried to kill them on their way to a rally upriver. The
>attempt to charge Waa Juwara with sedition or whatever they have concocted
>because
>he called for Gambians to protest the diplorable conditions that this
>regime
>has brought to bear on them is an initial step in the AFPRC's determination
>to
>embark upon another round of setting the stage to steal another election by
>intimidation and brute force.
>
>As word spread that there is an advocation for a coalition of opposition
>parties, Jammeh is preparing to wage war both on the oppositions parties
>and the
>Gambian public, as well as the Gambians in the diaspora and the sign of
>that is
>the allegation that Gambians from abroad are being detained and questioned
>when try to enter the country, and the rumour that Jammeh was securing
>crowd
>control equipment on his last visit to Taiwan is another indication. If
>this
>allegation is indeed true, Taiwan as a responsible member of the
>International
>community has the responsibility to study the political situation of any
>country
>that they supply with such equipment before they do so, and therefore, if
>such
>equipment is supplied and used to illegally harm the people during the
>course
>of their lawful exercise of their constitutional rights, then the
>responsibility for that lies squarely in the hands of the Taiwanese
>government and the
>case can be made to the international community.
>
>There was also the accusation that some people in the Gambian embassy in
>Washington D.C were reporting Gambians to INS in hopes of getting them
>deported.
>These are all intimidation tactics, and all of them were triggered by this
>talk
>of an opposition coalition and the July 4th summit in Atlanta.
>
>Yes, Waa Juwara is right that reforming the electoral process and the IEC
>is
>the first order of business, but if one does not utilize the proper avenues
>for doing that, and instead assume that the AFPRC regime will cooperate in
>such
>a reform, they are gravely mistaken. It is time for the  opposition parties
>to
>explore what options and entitlements international law accords them as
>legally recognized political organization in a country that is part of
>regulatory
>bodies such as the Commonwealth of Nations, The United Nations, ECOWAS, and
>any
>other international organization to which Gambia is a registered member and
>therefore subject to it's rules and regulations, and to embark on an
>organized
>approach to appeal to these bodies to bring pressure to bear on the regime
>in
>Gambia to play by the rules or risk being subject to sanctions or being
>forced
>to resign.
>
>I think all of this must begin with the opposition sitting down to iron out
>any differences and form a united body the ultimate purpose of which is to
>remove the AFPRC regime without which these political parties and the
>Gambian
>people will remain in the same cycle of efforts going to waste simply
>because of
>lack of cooperation and organization. If the opposition parties and
>Gambians in
>general do not see this as imperative, then one has to begin to question
>their motives, and to wonder why their vision is so narrow that they think
>that
>personal and faction group agendas and interest will ever result in the
>achievement of any goals they may have if things continue along the same
>vane.
>
>Without the will to cooperate at this critical juncture, the atmosphere
>that
>will ensure a future where political parties are able to compete fairly for
>votes will never be realized, and we are left to wonder if our politicians
>have
>bought into the notion that political office is only to be gained by
>cunning
>manipulation perhaps, as opposed to a level playing field and so they are
>not
>willing to do what it takes to invest in the creation of a level playing
>field
>where a politcal party has to stand on their own merits alone to be elected
>by
>the people.
>
>I believe that this lack of a common vision where and when it is needed is
>the reason that our societies are the perfect venue for dictatorships to
>not
>only sprout but to survive. People are simply too busy focussing on
>factional and
>self interest until someone with a dictatorial personality recognizes this,
>siezes the opportunity and springs up amongst us because they know that
>they
>can always depend on the people being too pre-occupied with factionalism
>and
>self interest to ever come to a concensus to take the necessary steps to
>organize
>ourselves for the common good of all.
>Jabou Joh
>
>In a message dated 10/18/03 1:14:57 AM Central Daylight Time,
>[log in to unmask] writes:
> >
> > Folks,
> > I apologise for coming back to the debate so late, and I hope you will
> > appreciate my position when I say that I was simply held up by school
>work.
> > All the same , both sister Jabou and Sanusi have raised  points which I
> > intend to address here. But before coming onto that, I wish to say
>something
> > in connection with another angle to the debate going on, in which Musa
>Jeng
> > (mose) insist he has(or would have) questions about Waa's politics.
> > Musa, like anyone of us has every right to raise questions pertaining to
>any
> > politician's politics. Suffice it to say that on this occasion he has
>not
> > raised any specific questions about Mr Juwara's politics. If he means to
>say
> > that he will continue to distrust Waa's politics, and he has the decency
>to
> > say so in public, then one would expect him to have a good enough reason
>for
> > such a position. A reason that he can publicly discuss without losing
>face.
> > However, Musa has written of Mr Juwara forming NDAM as if it is his
>personal
> > property. This is very wrong. NDAM infact was formed by a collection of
> > individuals in the Gambia and the diaspora. Thus it is again wrong to
>say
> > that it was formed by any one individual.
> > With regard sister Jabou's question pertaining to what to do in view of
>the
> > Jammeh regime's flagrant violations of the constitution and other laws
>of
> > the Gambia, the answer is as simple as this: let the masses defend the
>law.
> > For example, in the run up to 2006, through the coalition, the
>individual
> > political organisations and all civil society organisations, let us all
> > advocate for free and fair democratic elections. Then all of us should
>adopt
> > zero tolerance for electoral fraud, and be prepared to defend the will
>of
> > the people at all costs. I am convinced that the top brass of the APRC
>of
> > the AFPRC, does not believe in democracy. They would do anything that
>would
> > perpetuate their stay in power. They believe in terror and aggression,
>and
> > they would brutalize and murder us if that is what would brake our
> > resilience so that they can walk over us. Softly-softly politics will
>never
> > bring this regime down, it simply gives them the opportunity to spread
>their
> > nefarious tentacles in our society and strenthen their stranglehold on
>the
> > Gambia.
> > As for the reconstitution of the IEC which mr Juwara advocated for, it
> > envisages the inclusion of representatives of political organisations to
>the
> > membership of the IEC. The reality at the moment is that the IEC has a
> > chairperson who is known to be a defactor member of the APRC/AFPRC. His
> > neutrality in the execution of his duties has never been trusted,
>therefore
> > it would only be fair if the other political organisations in the
>country
> > are represented  in the IEC. This could also represent opening up the
>IEC
> > thereby effecting transparency.
> > It should be noted, in conclusion, that the urgency of the need for the
> > coalition to set up a machinery on the ground now cannot be exaggerated.
>I
> > agree with sister Jabou that we need an organisation like a coalition to
> > coordinate our struggle against injustice in the Gambia. This would
>improve
> > our chances for success in our drive for free and fair democratic
>elections.
> > The task at hand is a very difficult one. After having so many skeletons
>in
> > its  cupboard, it should be expected that the APRC of AFPRC  will make
> > dogged efforts to clink onto power even if faced with an overwhelming
> > challenge. But we should all take heart because this is a struggle
>between
> > right and wrong; the good and evil; a struggle to supplant a barbarous,
> > brutal, criminal and incompetent political leadership with a just and
> > efficient one.But the bottomline is, we must back our words with action.
>We
> > must not only make it obvious to the Jammeh regime that we are fed up
>with
> > its acts of injustice, but we should make it cristal clear to them that
>a
> > subversion of the will of the people will not be tolerated again.
> > Omar Joof.
> >
>
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