"President Jammeh Was Wrong"
The Independent (Banjul)
June 8, 2001
Posted to the web June 8, 2001
Omar Bah
Banjul, the Gambia
Halifa Sallah, a Gambian sociologist and politician has issued a statement
refuting President Jammeh's assertion that no question should be raised to
disqualify from being registered a holder of either a birth certificate,
Gambian passport, Gambian I.D Card, or a document certified by five elders
residing in the applicant's place of birth. President Jammeh was quoted as
saying in the presence of a council of elders in his office that any
national document will be enough to qualify any holder a voter's card.
According to Mr. Sallah, section 18 of the Elections decree empowers the
registering officers to examine all applications for registration. He said
that they could call for, receive and consider evidence that they may think
touch upon the validity of any person's claim of citizenship. He added that
they could even administer oaths to scrutinize evidence, and also seek
assistance from witnesses to determine any claim. "The president was
therefore wrong to say that once a person has these documents, the
registering officers should not raise questions. It is the executive and
members of the National Assembly who should tell the truth to the people.
They have power to make laws on citizenship," he noted.
Mr. Sallah however, went on to advise people who are not Gambian citizens to
press for naturalisation whenever they are approached by any politician to
acquire a voter's card. Mr. Sallah said non-Gambians who want to get voters'
cards should apply to become citizens first. He said politicians who would
want non-Gambians to register without being naturalised citizens just have
their selfish interest to advance.
Mr. Sallah went on to blame the registering officers for disallowing some
honest claims of Gambian citizenship.
According to him, people who have stayed in the country for a long time
should be shown how to naturalize and become Gambian citizens before they
are issued voter's cards. He further stated that the executive and the
National Assembly have the powers to ensure that all those who are born in
The Gambia become citizens.
On recent reports surrounding the issuing of national ID cards, Mr. Sallah
said that the issuing of ID cards in places like the KMC premises has been a
matter of concern for its supposed lack of transparency.
However Mr. Sallah added that press reports of the situation has awakened
registration officers to the problem. They are applying section 18 of the
Elections decree more stringently according to him. He said if only section
18 were applied religiously it would have been difficult to escape scrutiny.
Elaborating more on the citizenship issue, Mr. Sallah stated that under the
1965 constitution, people who have stayed in the country for seven years
could naturalize to become citizens of The Gambia. He said the former regime
should have explained this to the people a long time ago so that they could
have acquired their citizenship lawfully. There was a provision in the 1965
constitution he said, which gave power to people born in the Gambia to be
registered as citizens before 18th February 1967, whom he said were also
never informed of this right.
Mr. Sallah further stated that interestingly enough, laws were made for
investors to have Gambian citizenship. He said that Africans from the
Caribbean and the US have been given Gambian passports and Gambian
citizenship.
"There are however many people from neighbouring countries who have lived
here for decades and have children who were born here, but nothing has been
made to help them acquire citizenship. This is creating a lot of confusion.
At the moment, those who are 18 years and above depend on laws on
citizenship, which says that a person must be born in The Gambia, one of
whose parents or grandparents must be born in the Gambia before he could be
considered a citizen" he explained. Mr. Sallah said that the presence of
party agents in registration centres is to ensure transparency during
voting.
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