Foroyaa Editorial: The Complaints have Started to Come on Citizenship and Access to ID Cards, Is the Government Listening?

Citizenship is a very sensitive issue. The introduction of Biometric Identity Cards means that all Gambians above 18 would ultimately have to renew their Identity Cards or get one if they have never had any. It is amazing that after 44 years of Independence we are yet to have a system of registration of citizenship which enables each to know their status. Every time there is change of National Identity documents, immigration officers who conduct interviews usually turn away tens of thousands of people who approach them for ID Cards. Some of these people have been born in the Gambia . Others have lived here for half a century and have children and grand children in the Gambia .

The contradictions become rife when a person born in the Gambia is deprived of an ID Card only to witness another villager who came to the Gambia in his or her presence being given an ID Card.

This is a source of tremendous frustration and alienation. The Rights NGOs are failing to look into the grievances of such a huge number of stateless persons currently resident in the Gambia . The most amazing experience is to have a relative in the immigration Department while one is questioned about one’s citizenship. Many are tempted to point accusing fingers at people in position of authority and accuse them of having the same origin as they have but hardly have their citizenship status questioned.

There is need to look into the Law on citizenship with a view to promoting reform so as to bring it into conformity with the current trend of linking citizenship to birth and providing possibility of naturalisation to those who have been legally resident in the country.

The establishment of a biometric identification system is not sufficient to ensure proper allocation of National documents to those who deserve them. This requires proper registration of births and proper reform and sensitization of citizenship laws.

The international Community should focus on this issue if we are to eradicate the number of stateless persons in the country, avoid a Cote d’Ivoire type scenario where some are considered to be Gambians because of the position they occupy while others of the same origin are treated as aliens in their country of birth.

The NGOs should take this matter up as a peace promotion agenda. National sensitisation should be done on who is a Gambian under the current law and recommendations for legal reform should be instituted and prosecuted until it is done so that all those who are born in the Gambia and all those who have been resident and have children in the Gambia who want to naturalise would not face any obstacles to their attainment of citizenship status. This is urgent if a biometric system is to be of any relevance.






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