United Democratic Party To Challenge Johnson's Sacking In Court

 The Point (Banjul)

December 20, 2000

Banjul

UDP, the United Democratic Party, in consultation with other political parties,
NRP and PDOIS, will sue the Gambia government for unlawfully sacking IEC
chairman Bishop Johnson and commission member Alhaji Saja Fatty. UDP leader
Ousainou Darboe said he has already contacted NRP leader Hamat Bah and will
today try to talk to Sidia Jatta of PDOIS.

This was part of a strongly-worded statement issued at a press conference
yesterday at the party's headquarters in Banjul. The party described as "a total
violation of the constitution, the act of president Jammeh to sack the IEC
Chairman Bishop Johnson."

The statement drew the attention of the public to the unconstitutionality of the
president's act, thereby showing his non-compliance with the constitution and
non-adherence to the oath he subscribed to on January 16th 1997.

"It is clear that the IEC has been asserting its independence and of course the
executive is not happy about that," Darboe noted. In the case filed by the IEC
against the Attorney General, the counsel representing the state stated the
position of government in court when he in effect said "the IEC was causing
embarrassment to the Government." The removal of the member therefore would
really leave a commission not constituted according to law, this would in effect
result in the postponement of the January 15th deadline earlier given by the
IEC.

It is a matter of common knowledge, the statement went on, that the two men are
all religious leaders who have been performing the functions entrusted to them
and as such no member of their congregation, no Gambian for that matter has
insinuated any physical or mental disability on their part.

No circumstance therefore has risen under section 42(s) of the constitution
which disqualifies any of them.

The sacking of these members by Jammeh, the statement continued, is not only an
extension of his policy of intimidation but a deliberate attempt to impose his
will on the constitution so that members of the IEC will become servants, whom
he enjoys sacking with impunity.

On the proposed constitutional amendments, Mr. Darboe stressed his party's
unequivocal opposition to the amendments.

A close look at the proposed amendments showed that the whole purpose was to
concentrate power in the hands of one man, president Jammeh, to enable him and
his party to perpetuate themselves in office. According to Mr. Darboe, while the
Jammeh government was talking about the setting up of good governance committee
on the one hand, it was on the other hand bent on deliberately stifling a very
basic tenet of democracy, the people's right to choose their leaders through
free and fair elections. Certainly, Mr. Darboe said, the rejection of Kebba
Fanta Comma in the Sami elections is a rejection of the APRC. Finally, he urged
all democratically-minded people, the civil society, all political, parties,
particularly PDOIS and NRP to close ranks with the UDP in the face of this very
threat to the country's democratization process, and looming constitutional
crises.

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