I am dissappointed at the apparent loss of the UDP seat in Kiang. Initial
indications are that more than a thousand registered voters did not vote in
this particular district. The idea that all of a sudden a thousand people
decided they would not vote can only be plausibly attributed to vote buying.
A surefire way to determine an outcome is to buttress a limited support base
with an aggressive campaign of ensuring that gaulible supporters of your
opponent are neutralised  with last minute cash inducements. While true
democrats would abhore this kind of practice, the ultimate responsibility
lies with the person who would exchange his right to vote with a dollar or
two. It cannot all simply be explained away as a lack of understanding of the
clear and present sets of issues facing our country. If a poor farmer can
choose to vote for a gov't that has  brought much misery on him in all these
years  for no reason other than a last minute D25 payoff, I would suggest we
would get the kind of outcome we have seen today in Kiang . It is those who
choose to vote for their candidate of choice purely out of their own volition
and faith in them that must keep us all working for a better Gambia.
Karamba

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