Comrades:
This really shows how democracy works. We share different
sentiments in the strategy we should adopt to salvage
our country. Because of this,we must continue this vital debate.
My call for a boycott is not from any emotional view,
but from a point of realization that The Gambian dictator
will not oblige to any instructions from IEC. I am
willing to prolong my call for a boycott and engage the IEC on
conditions for a free and fair election. One condition
is that the opposition must seek to invite foreign
observers and that the military should stay in barracks.
The IEC should invite Gambians to volunteer as election
clerks, inspectors and counters of ballots. The ballots
should be counted at each polling station and that
they should not be moved from one station to the other.
There should not be any excuse of not providing barrels in
each voting station.
With all due respect I have yet to see familiar names
on the fund driving list of comrades who are so
vehemently opposed to the boycott. Please use the
same strategy by contributing to this noble endeavor.
Naphiyo,
Comrade ML Jassey-Conteh
------Original Message------
From: Lamin Manneh PF <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: May 2, 2001 7:05:23 PM GMT
Subject: Re: BOYCOTT THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
Mr.. Conteh, talking about boycotting elections is premature at this stage
of affairs. What oppositions need to do is to engage IEC in serious and
frank discussions on what went wrong in the previous elections and find
practical solutions to all of them. Some of the pertinent issues are
campaign ethics, use of public media, the involvement of military, police,
NIA, chiefs and Divisional Commissioners(campaigning at official levels).
The IEC must keep their independence and ensure that every single rule
governing the forthcoming elections are strictly observed. They(IEC) must be
prepared to apply sanctions on any political party that infringe any
existing electoral law.
If the IEC lose control of the game and all forms of irregularities are
happening before the casting of votes, then it will be legitimate for the
oppositions to boycott the election. They can do this anytime, even on the
eve of election. Now, if the opposition parties believed that the
registration of voters was rigged but were unable to adjudicate or maybe did
but lost their cases in court unfairly, they can boycott elections outright.
But why boycott elections now? Is it mainly because of the new voter
registration plans that is underway in The Gambia? Remember, Ebrima Ceesay's
source gives rumors which most of the time has some element of truth but not
the whole truth. Sometimes very misleading. We need to know what really the
IEC is up to. It is true that there will be a six week registration exercise
fairly soon in The Gambia. But is this exercise a general supplementary
registration throughout the country or voiding the old voter's card and have
a fresh registration. If the later is true it is going to cost government
millions of Dalassis to register every Gambian 18 years and above and will
take approximately 3 months to complete with fairly the same or more
resources deployed in 1996 registration. In fact i don't think both ICE and
government have that capital base to conduct a fresh compilation of voters
within six weeks unless they have a substantial amount of money from a
foreign sponsor. The former is just a routine exercise to register people
who now reach 18 years or more and also those who missed the last
registration. It could be general(the whole country) or specific electoral
district/s.
NO FEAR AT THIS STAGE UNCLE CONTEH:
It is a civic right of all political parties and every Gambian to monitor
and scrutinize every single registration card issued to anybody during voter
registration. If these individuals or political parties or any interest
group witness or believed that some irregularities had happened at
registration centers, they have all right to go to court. If all legal means
are exhausted without any success or let say truth, then we can think of
boycotting elections.
The opposition has to be very vigilant and make sure that there is no double
registration of certain individuals either within or in different
constituency/ies and also look for foreigners.
Mr.. Conteh, i can see the type of person you are by reading your postings.
I also understand your frustrations. But let handle these issues judiciously
and professionally. Anger or emotions will not solve it. We (oppositions)
must understand our problems in order to to solve them properly.
With best regard
PF MANNEH
>From: MLJ Conteh <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: BOYCOTT THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
>Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2001 21:35:07 -0400
>
>Comrades:
>
>I concur with Kats and therefore call on the
>opposition to boycott the elections. It does
>not make any sense to participate in an electoral
>process when the presidential election is
>already won by dictator yahya jemus.
>
>The Gambian dictator will use all costs to rig
>and steal the elections. By boycotting the
>elections, the opposition will have more
>sympathy from the international community than
>participating, thereby legitimizing the dictator's
>tactics.
>
>This scenario will be similar to the tactics used
>by the Nicaraguan opposition against the
>Sandinistas. No single opposition party can
>claim to have soul rights to our struggle.
>
>Naphiyo,
>
>Comrade ML Jassey-Conteh
>
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