INDEPENDENT VIEW A bad start The race for the presidency is already getting awry even before Gambians line out to cast their precious votes. It is a bad beginning…a cruel jab at our collective conscience! Four out of our five presidential aspirants have not even started playing by the rules of the game, which in principle should be seen to be running transparently. Save for PDOIS' Sidia Jatta, Jammeh, Darboe, Dibba and Bah blithely disregarded the instructive clause of the Election Decree of 1996 by keeping quiet over their bank deposits. As the big men of Gambian politics today, there is little doubt that they could be living without personal deposits that should cease to be confidential once they are cast into the political limelight. However, all four went to the IEC amidst much euphoric fanfare to register their interest in the highest office on the land and abysmally all four came out without telling Gambians via the IEC how much they are worth. President Jammeh of all politicians should have made a good start of it by not only declaring what he felt convenient to declare but also details about what he felt uncomfortable to declare…his savings. He must know that as a public figure there is really no marked distinction between the private and the public in his situation. They are one and the same…indivisible. That is why everything about his life should be laid bare for all to see. We at The Independent are inclined to believe that what the IEC received as a list of his assets is just a tip of the iceberg. Paid about D26, 000 monthly, which in five years mellowed into a whooping D5 million President Jammeh is not allowing Gambians to see his other side, which remains shadowed and sturdily tucked away from the public glare. The only side we are allowed to see is the one he is convenient to show. But declaring his bank account would have perhaps permanently laid to rest ticklish questions about his reservoir of funds into which he dips a hand to draw and donate with reckless abandon. By all reckoning Jammeh has had a problem with being transparent, which for good measure casts an ugly blemish on his attempt to make all Gambians with a few exceptions, believe he values the rule of law and all those high-sounding phrases about democracy and human rights. So seven years of his rule has shown him to be little of that which he preaches. By the same token Darboe also offended the rules when as a lawyer he should have known the benefit of holding fast to what has been laid down especially as he tries to win hearts to rule by the law. Ignoring the rules would not hand him a good case to deal with the APRC should they jump the election rules in October. After five years he should have mellowed in the art and rules of the game. For Dibba his status as a grey-haired political veteran should have been more of an asset than an empty nostalgic brand. He could have been the pacesetter looked upon for answers. For Bah five years at the National Assembly should have been enough to grasp the wisdom of going by rules, regulations and procedures that could only have enhanced his credentials. PDOIS through Sidia has always consistently showed respect for procedures and regard for the most insignificant of detail as a member of the National Assembly showing his D15,000 bank saving. Declaring all he had to declare had set him conspicuously apart from the rest. In the same vein the IEC should also be taken to task for not standing firm enough to ensure that everything was done accordingly. If there is anything the commission should lack now it should never be the resolve to ruthlessly follow the rule it has set out for the race. The IEC would be its worst enemy and inevitably that of Gambians if it is caught in compromising circumstances. We are watching with an eagle's eye. _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------