…ADMITS THAT OF COURSE THERE ARE IRREGULARITIES IN SOME AREAS

‘DONORS REFUSED TO FUND GAMBIA’S ELECTIONS’

A leading opposition leader in The Gambia is impressed with the ongoing voter registration taking place in the country—even though he admits that there are cases of irregularities with non Gambians, including minors being registered by the Independent Electoral Commission. The opposition leader said this year’s voter registration is one of the best ever conducted in the country’s electoral history.

National Reconciliation Party (NRP) founding leader Hamat Bah, who is also a Presidential hopeful in the forthcoming November elections, praised Gambia’s Electoral Commission for its impartiality, and vigilance during the crucial period of the nation’s democratic process. Mr. Bah, said the IEC has done its very best by ensuring that there is a level political field in The Gambia.

The NRP leader speaking in an Exclusive interview with Freedom Radiosaid the voter registration is going on very well in The Gambia, and for the first time in living memory that opposition parties are being allowed to have representatives at various voting centers across the country to monitor the voter registration exercise. Bah, observes that even though there are no electoral laws put in place that caters for opposition parties to monitor the registration of voters, the IEC this time around had decided to allow parties to send in their representatives to observe the registration. This he went on, is a significant milestone on the side of the IEC, and that of the nation’s democratization process. 

He said despite there were some irregularities, so far this is one of the best registration exercise ever conducted by the IEC. A differing view, compared to the position taken by the  leader of the main opposition UDP Lawyer Ousainou Darboe, who described this year’s voter registration as one of the "worst" in the nation’s history.  Mr. Darboe strongly lamented about the registration of minors, and non Gambians by the IEC. He also complained about Gambian soldiers without proper national documentation being allowed to acquire Gambian voters card. Mr. Darboe, is of the view that there cannot be free, fair, and transparent elections if such irregularities are not addressed by the IEC.  He is not convinced that the IEC had so far done a good job in addressing some of the electoral anomalies cited above.

But NRP leader Hamat Bah argues that credit should be given to the IEC despite such shortcomings.  He said the IEC is on firm ground and had always jealously safeguarded its credibility. Mr. Bah cites the registration of minors which the IEC jointly condemned alongside with the opposition. He said his own agents monitoring the voter registration in Upper Saloum were assaulted by a police officer. He added that  the said agents were arrested by the Governor of the area, and were beaten by a member of the police.  Thanks to the IEC’S intervention, he said, his agents were released from custody within one or two hours. He said the Governor was made to drop the NRP agents where he picked them from following IEC’S protest against the mistreatment meted out to his representatives by the police. Mr. Bah said the assault case his agents is being investigated by the police.

Mr. Bah, told Freedom Radio that his party had documented over 300 non Gambians registered in Upper Saloum. He said some ruling party militants are bringing non Gambians from neighboring Senegalese villages to obtain voters card in The Gambia. He said his party will contest the illegal registration in the revising courts after the completion of the registration exercise. 

Mr. Bah, wants the IEC to ensure that the revising courts remain impartial during such hearings.  He observes that the country’s peace, and stability would only be guaranteed if there is a just, and fair legal system in the country. He said the judiciary should dispense justice with fairness irrespective the powers that be. He said some people might be skeptical about the impartiality of certain magistrates, but at the same time Mr. Bah appealed for restraint. He calls on Gambians to allow the rule of law to prevail in The Gambia. He said aggrieved parties should resort to the revising courts to contest the alleged illegal voter registration. 

Gambians From Mauritania Acquiring Voters Card!

Mr. Bah, said about four hundred Gambians residing in the Islamic nation of Mauritania were transported into the country by the ruling APRC Government to take part in the voter registration. Mr. Bah, said he doesn’t see anything wrong with Gambians overseas, or in the sub-region coming home to take part in the voter registration. He said what his party is opposed to is for such prospective voters to register in localities they never hailed from. He said both the opposition, and the IEC had protested that Gambian/Mauritanian voters should be registered where they came from, and not in the KMC area. He praised the IEC for its firmness in protesting against such irregularities.   

Mr. Bah, said if the ruling Government can afford to facilitate the transportation of its supporters outside the country to take part in the registration exercise, he has no quam with that. He noted that there is no guarantee that the transported prospective voters will vote for Jammeh, and his APRC.  He said Gambians are disenchanted with the status quo. And come the November elections, he said, his party will dislodge Jammeh from power. Bah said he is certain about NRP victory. He said the silent Gambian majority are in for regime change.

Mr. Bad said due to lack of enough budget the IEC could not facilitate the registration of Gambians abroad. He said people should not misconstrue the recent move to allow Gambians residing in Mauritania to obtain voters card. He said every Gambian irrespective of where you reside, has the right to obtain voters card.  And The APRC supporters in Mauritania are of no exception, he said.

Regarding the possibility of any opposition merger, Mr. Bah said his party will not join any political party in the coming polls. He ruled out that possibility. He said he is not stopping political parties from joining the NRP to take on the Jammeh Government, but forming an alliance with the UDP, PDOIS, or any other existing opposition party in The Gambia is not going to happen. Bah, said the country’s opposition had disappointed Gambians with their past history of lack unity, and consistency. He said he will not waste his time forming an alliance with any party—even though he admits having high regards for Lawyer Darboe—a man he describes as a true patriot who loves his country.

Donors Refuse To Finance The Elections

According to Hamat Bah, despite repeated request made by the IEC for donor partners to help finance elections in The Gambia, the donor community refused.  Although, Mr. Bah will not disclose why the donors are refusing to fund the elections.  “ You ask them. They know why they are refusing to fund the elections,” Bah said adding that the 2011 elections are funded by The Gambian Government. Mr. Bah contends that the donors might lack faith in the IEC, but was hasten to add that all these are probabilities. He said The Gambia is a sovereign nation, and should endeavor to fund its own elections. He said as far as the NRP is concerned the IEC is doing a good job, and deserved to be given tap on the back.

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