Gambia: What’s the Sense in Registering a New Political Party Barely Six Months Before Elections?

Back in April, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) announced the de-registration of two political parties and the dissolution of one. The National Democratic Action Movement (NDAM) and the Gambia Democratic Party (GDP) were deemed dormant as they did not meet all the commission’s requirements, whereas the National Alliance for Democracy and Development was confirmed as dissolved, thus not in existence anymore. 

Election Ballot Boxes. Sources: kibaaro

This followed the March 31st deadline set by the so-called independent body for all political parties to regularise their status in line with the 2015 Election Amendment Act. Among the requirements of the Elections Amendment Act is for all political parties in the country to get offices in all the seven administrative regions of the country and to furnish the IEC with the addresses of the regional offices. They were also mandated to submit their audited accounts to the commission and for all executive members of political parties to be resident in The Gambia.

Meanwhile eight parties were declared to have met all the requirements and are therefore approved as “bona fide political parties” in the Gambia. Am not so sure about that because as far as I understand, two individual party leaders are not currently residing in the Gambia. The GPDP leader is a resident of Germany and the GMC leader currently resides in Senegal. So how they meet all the requirements of the commission is beyond me. Notwithstanding, the following political parties were approved and therefore deemed fit to run for the December 2016 polls:

Gambian Opposition Party Leaders. Source: jollofnews

• People’s Progressive Party (PPP)
• National Convention Party (NCP)
• People’s Democratic Party for Independence and Socialism (PDOIS)
• Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC)
• United Democratic Party (UDP)
• National Reconciliation Party (NRP)
• Gambia Party for Democracy and Progress (GPDP)
• Gambia Moral Congress (GMC)

To compound my bemusement however, the IEC some two weeks ago announced the registration of a new political party. A  statement issued by the commission read: “In accordance with Section 105 of the Elections Act and the Elections Amendment Act 2015, Gambia Democratic Congress (GDC) has been registered as a bona fide Political Party in The Gambia.The colour of the party is PURPLE and the symbol is an Open Calabash in Two Palms. The motto of the party is: One Gambia One People. The Party Leader is Mr Mamma Kandeh.”

That then brings the total number of political parties registered for the forthcoming presidential elections to nine. So what has the new party got to offer to Gambian voters and how will it differ from other parties. This is the question in every Gambians mind. However, most people, myself included have serious doubts over whether the new party will be able to meet all the IEC requirements prior to the elections. There is also what some might call - a certain degree of conspiracy theory coming from some corners surrounding the formation of the GMC party. Some people even argue that they are just set up to destabilised the opposition and to strengthen the incumbent’s grip on power.

Whatever the motives behind the registration of a new political and whatever people’s opinions are, the bitter truth is; no one opposition party in The Gambia is able to take on the ruling party on its own. So the only slim chance that the opposition might have come December is to form a coalition of parties and choose one flag bearer to challenge the APRC candidate. This have been advocated for by so many people in so many forums. Unfortunately, barely six months to the elections, there is still no sign of progress on that front.

So to all opposition party leaders aspiring to contest the coming elections, we appeal to you to put your acts together. Please listen to the people and try to form a coalition! But first, you should all come together ASAP and work tirelessly towards the unconditional release of the incarcerated UDP leader and all his party militants. From there, you embark on a strategic and progressive campaign to win the hearts and minds of electorates across the nation. Failure to do so will automatically categorise all of you as non-serious-politician in my book! You all know as I do, that the country is at a tipping point at the minute. And judging by recent events, you should all realise by now that, majority of Gambians would like to see the status quo change through the ballot box rather than through violence means. May peace continue to prevail in The Gambia.

Gambia - Senegal Border Impasse: First Round of Negotiations Held Amidst Blame and Finger Pointing

A Gambian government delegation led by the foreign minister - Neneh MacDouall Gaye visited Dakar on Sunday 15th May 2016, to discuss formalities of re-opening the borders between the two countries which has been closed for the last three  months. It is no secret that relations between the two sisterly nations have been strained for a while now with the two governments having a lot of differences and appearing to harbour a lot of mistrusts for each other.

Presidents Jammeh of The Gambia (l), Conde of Guinea Conakry (c) and Sall of Senegal (r). Source: gambiamonitor

Hopes were high when it was announced some two weeks ago that, plans were on the offing to negotiate the opening of the borders. But people’s optimism were quickly dashed when the meeting in Dakar failed to produced any real meaningful outcome after several hours of deliberations. President Alpha Conde of Guinea Conakry orchestrated the mediations by initially trying to invite his Senegalese and Gambian counterparts to meet in Conakry. However, his invitation was declined by the Senegalese President - Macky Sall who was reported as saying; “it is The Gambia that triggered the hostilities by deciding to close its border, so if Banjul wants to negotiate, they can come to Dakar and we would give them the chance to deliberate.”

Meanwhile, The Gambian leader - President Yahya Jammeh made a stern statement while hosting his Guinean counterpart on a day's visit to The Gambia saying; “I have no intention of going to settle the issue of the border because our border is opened." He went further to say among other things that; "they closed the border and I will not negotiate with someone that closed the border." I wonder what President Conde who earlier thanked his host for his leadership in accepting to send a delegation to Senegal, would make of such a statement! On a softer tone though, the Gambian president declared, he was going on with the negotiations for the sake of President Conde and for the sake of Islam and all the Muslims.

So there you go! the difference between the two countries, or shall I say, the two presidents couldn't be more obvious - even though the people of the two countries are culturally inseparable. It is so sad to see that in an era where the need for closer integration is ever so important, the most interconnected, interrelated and of course indivisible of any two countries in the globe continuously try to distance themselves from each other. When there are even calls for lesser connected countries like Ghana and Ivory Coast to form a dream nation dubbed Ghanivoire, Senegal and the Gambia blatantly refused to see the benefits and importance of closer integration - only to the detriment of their citizenry.

Anti-Corruption Summit: No More Hiding Place For Ill-Gotten Wealth

On Thursday 12th May 2016, the UK Prime Minister - David Cameron hosted a landmark anti-corruption summit in London aimed at stepping up global action to expose, punish and drive out corruption in all walks of life. This summit according to the UK government website is seeking to galvanise a global response to tackle corruption. As well as agreeing a package of actions to tackle corruption across the board, it also dealt with issues including corporate secrecy, government transparency, the enforcement of international anti-corruption laws, and the strengthening of international institutions.

The summit communique stressed that; “corruption is at the heart of so many of the world’s problems. It erodes public trust in government, undermines the rule of law, and may give rise to political and economic grievances that may, in conjunction with other factors, fuel violent extremism. Tackling corruption is vital for sustaining economic stability and growth, maintaining security of societies, protecting human rights, reducing poverty, protecting the environment for future generations and addressing serious and organised crime. No country is immune from corruption and governments need to work together and with partners from business and civil society to tackle it successfully.”

Anti-corruption Summit, London 2016. Source: BBC

This is the first summit of its kind, bringing together world leaders, business and civil society to agree a package of practical steps to:

• expose corruption so there is nowhere to hide
• punish the perpetrators and support those affected by corruption
• drive out the culture of corruption wherever it exists

Among the attendees in London was the Nigerian President - Muhammadu Buhari whose country was labelled as “fantastically corrupt” by david Cameron prior to the summit. Asked if he was disappointed with the UK Prime Minister’s comments, Mr Buhari said he was rather interested in the return of stolen assets held in British Banks - credit to him really. If all the money stolen by corrupt African officials sitting in foreign banks were return back to Africa, then it will go a long way in offsetting that burden of foreign aid to the continent.

It is no hidden fact that the corruption endemic in Africa is the greatest setback to development efforts in the continent. But it is equally blatant that corruption in Africa and indeed in the developing world is mainly facilitated by foreign firms in developed/western countries. Most foreign firms are often accused of engaging in bribery in order to secure favourable deals in their overseas operations. According to Transparency International, half of all OECD countries are violating their international obligations to crack down on bribery by their companies overseas.

Thankfully though a global plan to recover stolen assets was launched at the anti-corruption summit in London. To be held in the US sometime next year, it shall be co-hosted by the UK and supported by the UN and the World Bank. A step in the right direction to tackle Africa’s greatest nemesis and a global menace for that matter. Hopefully sooner rather than later, there will be no more hiding place for ill-gotten wealth anywhere in the world.

Gambia: Simultaneous Challenges Facing the Government of the Day

The Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC) government which has ruled the Gambia for almost 22 years is facing its toughest and most challenging political and economic upheaval during its lengthy tenure. After coming to power through a military coup in July 1994, and subsequently transforming the country back to civilian rule following a 2 year transition period, the APRC party has won four out of four presidential elections hoping to making it five out of five this coming December. As general election approaches, the government is simultaneously tested on two fronts - challenges which require a great deal of political maturity to manoeuvre.

The Border Crisis

Since February 2016, the borders between Gambia and Senegal have been shut resulting to massive sufferings of the people and severe economic losses. The Senegalese government is adamant that they are not responsible for the closure while the Gambia government continue to maintain that their side of the border remained open. So the blame  for the border closure therefore rest entirely on the shoulders of the Senegalese Transport Union who accused the Gambia government for outrageously hiking the tariff for Senegalese trucks passing through The Gambia to Casamance (Southern Senegal) without prior consultation.

Senegalese trucks stranded at the border. Source: kaironews

Apparently, there are now calls for dialogue between the two countries to sort out this mess once and for all. But how can there be a dialogue without any of the countries accepting responsibility for the mess in the first place? It then means that the Senegalese Transport Union must be involved in any potential dialogue. Just to buttress on the contrast in democracy between the two countries! Unionist in Senegal are so much empowered to a point that, a mere Transport Union can claim responsibility for closing the country's borders without any repercussion. Whereas in The Gambia, the Transport Union is banned from any involvement in the country’s transport sector.

If unionist were equally empowered in the Gambia as they are in Senegal, this whole situation could have been dealt with differently. The two country’s transport unions could have therefore negotiated at their levels and in their capacities. And if they fail to reach an agreement, then the two governments can step in. But now even if the Gambia government are ready to enter into dialogue with their Senegalese counterpart, it is highly likely that they will be forced to negotiate with the Senegalese Transport Union which is a big blow to their reputation. Talks are however expected to begin by mid May but mind you, it’s not going to be easy. I heard one of the Senegalese Transport Union leaders in in an interview saying that, any agreement on reopening the borders must include the construction of the Trans-Gambia Bridge which was agreed some years ago.  

The UDP Uprising

On the fateful day of April 14th 2016, a handful of United Democratic Party (UDP) supporters led by the party’s youth mobiliser assembled at the Westfield junction displaying a banner which read ‘We need political reforms’. Minutes into the protest, they were rounded up and bundled into trucks by officers from the Police Intervention Unit (PIU). With rumours circulating that the youth mobiliser - Mr. Solo Sendeng  was tortured to death overnight, the Party leader - Lawyer Ousainou Darboe together with a significant number of his executive and non-executive members took to the streets two days after in a reactive protest to demand the release of Solo Sendeng, death or alive! This demonstration also ended as soon as it started and they were all rounded up and arrested by the police.

Anti-Government protesters. Source: jollofnews

For over three weeks now, the UDP leader and his party militants have been plying between the State Central Prison - Mile II, and the courts in Banjul prompting a large number of disgruntled UDP supporters and sympathisers to congregate in and around the courts during hearings, to demand the immediate and unconditional release of their party leader and supporters. Despite the public outcry though, the UDP leader and his party militants continue to languish in prison having been denied bail on numerous applications by state prosecutors.

It is fair to say that the authorities are treating this case rather too cautiously as the international community is closely monitoring the case. It also appeared that the security forces are now employing a rather common-sense approach to the matter. We have seen some very incriminating banners being displayed around town lately. People especially women are also openly voicing their grievances regardless of the presence of armed security officers. These are things no one would have imagined in The Gambia prior to the incidents of April 14th and 16th.

Trying times for the government indeed! The lengthy border closure does not go down well with most people and the continued incarceration of Lawyer Ousainou Darboe and his supports further fuels the general public's anger. A political maturity is therefore needed to defuse any potential crisis in the country. The government should try by all possible means to negotiate the permanent opening of the borders with Senegal, and to work out modalities for the immediate and unconditional release of all imprisoned UDP militants. Failure to do so could easily lead the Gambia to be next fail state in Africa. May Allah (SWT) forbid that!

Gambia: A Responsible Government Should Prioritise Listening to the Voices of its People

For over two weeks now, the leader of Gambia’s main opposition party - Lawyer Ousainou Darboe together with a significant number of his party militants have been put behind bars for simply carrying out a peaceful protest. The protest which took place on Saturday 16th April 2016 was in retaliation to an earlier protest orchestrated by the party’s youth wing in which the youth mobiliser - Solo Sendeng was apparently tortured to death.  

It is now confirmed that a total of 20 members of the United Democratic Party (UDP) are charged with multiple court counts including unlawful assembly, riot, incitement of violence, riotously interfering with vehicles, holding a procession without a permit and conspiracy to commit felony. All the accused pleaded not guilty to the charges and the case was then adjourned to a future date.

Crowds outside the High Court in Banjul. Source: jollofnews

Ever since the UDP protesters were arrested, they have criss-crossed between the state central prison and the courts in Banjul on numerous occasions. To say that the atmosphere is tense during the court hearings is an understatement! Relatives, party militants and sympathisers congregated in and outside the court area while heavily armed security guards visibly present to disrupt any potential unrest. We ask if this is at all necessary, and the answer is, surely not! The continued incarceration of the UDP leader and his party militants will only inflate the already tense atmosphere in the country.

As a government, you are representatives of the people - lest we forget! So if people voice their concerns, you ought to listen to them and not try to repress them in anyway or by any means. Needless to reiterate the repercussions of a public uprisings. As seen time and again in so many regions of the world, power belongs to the people! And whenever people want their power back, there is no stopping that. It might take a lot of atrocities and material damages, but ultimately the people will emerge victorious.

This is the situation in the Gambia right now. So many people are fed up with the status quo and have been for so long. But the striking thing is, disgruntled people are beginning to openly voice their concerns, something they haven’t had the audacity to do for the last 20 odd years or so. The writing is therefore on the wall for the authorities to see. The people have spoken and you ought to listen. Failure to do so will only create a political turmoil in the country. Free Lawyer Darboe and co ASAP in order to avert any imminent uprising.