Opposition Promised Equal Access to Public Media





Daily Observer (Banjul)

February 16, 2001
Posted to the web February 16, 2001

Banjul

The Tourism secretary and APRC national mobiliser, Yankuba Touray, has said
that opposition parties would be given equal access to the public media in
the next presidential and National Assembly elections in accordance with the
provisions of the Independent Electoral Commission.

He however accused the opposition of abusing the access they had to the
public media in the last elections, contrary to the 1996 election code of
conduct.

SoS Touray argued that although "some parties did try to present their
programmes and manifestoes to the public accordingly, but some resorted to
insults using all sorts of abusive language, which were not in conformity
with our tradition and ran contrary to electoral laws instituted by the
IEC."

He said punitive measures should be instituted against any party that
violates the procedures guiding access to the public media in the next
elections.

By-elections The APRC national mobiliser also refuted claims that the ruling
party is unable to put up candidates for the Baddibu Central and Kiang East
constituencies in the pending March 31 by-elections.

He said the APRC had received applications for both seats but that the
party's executive committee would soon meet to select candidates. "In the
final analysis, we will come up with candidates as provided by the
constitution and related laws. We shall never breach our own laws," he
noted.

SoS Touray added that "after intensive consultations with people of both
constituencies, I am more than confident that the Kiang East seat will be
captured by us. But as I said some time ago, the race for the Central
Baddibu Central seat will be a tug of war between the APRC and the UDP."

However, he said the APRC will put up a candidate who will win the seat.

Toyota vehicles Reacting to the call by the minority leader, Kemeseng
Jammeh, for President Jammeh to disclose the source of the 10 Toyota
pick-ups he recently donated to various APRC wings, SoS Touray said Kemeseng
should realise that there is a difference between the government and the
APRC as a party.

"The APRC is a political institution which could raise its own funds through
national and international activities. The APRC has never been supported by
the government. The president himself, who is leader of the party, is aware
of these facts," he said.

All the sponsorship and support given to the public by President Jammeh,
according to SoS Touray, were offshoots of the APRC's fundraising activities
since its inception in 1996.


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