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. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html You may also send subscription requests to [log in to unmask] if you have problems accessing the web interface and remember to write your full name and e-mail address. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------