In a similar outcry he made following his defeat in 2007, the opposition-NRP leader has alleged that non-Gambians from the Casamance region of neighbouring Senegal have voted against him. Hamat Bah lost for the second time to incumbent Sainey Mbye of ruling-APRC in the contest for Upper Saloum seat in the country’s March 29 parliamentary polls, but claims that the polls were not fair. “My loss was due to illegal voting as voters were illegally registered from across the border in the Casamance and ferried into Upper Saloum to vote for the APRC,” Hamat has said. “We have evidence against 178 illegally registered voters who were residents of Casamance,” he said, adding that some of them had indelible inks on them from the recently held Senegalese presidential elections and voted in Upper Saloum as well. Meanwhile, ahead of the parliamentary polls, Bah was part of a rare united Gambia opposition camp that was demanding the electoral commission to postpone the polls or they would be compelled not to participate. The opposition leader, who had the backing of three opposition parties emerged third in last year’s presidential election. But he broke ranks with his opposition colleagues who boycotted the parliamentary elections on grounds that the ground is not level for a genuine election. Although he has lost yet again, Hamat believes that he has made the best decision by contesting and has no regrets for his decision. “There is nothing we could do in bettering democracy than participating in the electoral processes,” he told a news conference at his party’s bureau Wednesday. “The NRP has the strong belief that if one does not participate in the electoral process, he/she will not be in a position to evaluate the weaknesses and strengths of that system, and also cannot measure one’s strength or level of support to forge and to formulate new policies and strategies as a way forward.” Bah described the polls, in which only one of eight of his candidates won, as “free but not fair.” He alleged that civil servants including the secretary general and head of the civil service were seen canvassing and campaigning for the ruling APRC party, using state resources. “Yes, ministers have rights to campaign because they are politicians, but they were using government resources to campaign, which is illegal,” he said. From: Haruna <[log in to unmask]> To: [log in to unmask] Sent: Thursday, 19 April 2012, 21:51 Subject: Re: [G_L] ELECTIONS CANNOT BE FREE IF THEY ARE NOT FAIR!!!Hamat stop the spin - Thanx Owens for sharing. This Hamat has a warped sense of democracy.... He says to advance democracy in Africa, he thought the NRP ought to have participated in the "elections". The $64,000 question then is: Are elections part of democracy or do elections bring democracy??????????????????????/// Then Hamat says the NRP had to fight for seats in the National Assembly so that the APRC will not have an easy ride. It tells me Hamat participated in the "elections" for all the wrong reasons. You don't participate in an election to fight for seats. You participate in an election to REPRESENT your constituents in the governance of your nation. Who wants be a seat-warmer in Parliament????????????? It would be interesting Owens if we collate Hamat's current dribble with the one he spurted after he first lost his seat to the APRC...the byelection around NADD I mean. Misguided ambition is worse than semi-literacy. This is what got me Owens: “The NRP has the strong belief that if one does not participate in the electoral process, he/she will not be in a position to evaluate the weaknesses and strengths of that system, and also cannot measure one’s strength or level of support to forge and to formulate new policies and strategies as a way forward". I suppose now that Hamat has gauged his party's strength among Gambian voters, he has all the time to formulate policy and strategy. The man only participated in the "election" to shield his job and investments from Yahya. I think he wasted his time because if he wasn't doing anything untoward in his job, Yahya has very little interest in it. He just can't own an abattoir. He can run as many hotels as he wants. Just not an abattoir. It is curious how Hamat waited for the Senegal elections to give a clear winner before he opined on his misfortunes in Gambia. I look forward to more on Hamat's expeditions Owens. Keep'r comin'. Haruna. -----Original Message----- From: Sanusi Owens <[log in to unmask]> To: GAMBIA-L <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Thu, Apr 19, 2012 10:36 am Subject: [G_L] ELECTIONS CANNOT BE FREE IF THEY ARE NOT FAIR!!!Hamat stop the spin - Parliamentary polls free, but not fair - NRP africa » gambia Thursday, April 19, 2012 The opposition National Reconciliation Party (NRP) has described last month’s parliamentary elections as “free but not fair”, alleging that civil servants including the secretary general and head of the civil service were seen canvassing and campaigning for the ruling APRC party, using state resources. “Yes, ministers have rights to campaign because they are politicians, but they were using government resources to campaign, which is illegal,” party leader Hamat Bah said yesterday. Speaking at a press conference held at the party’s bureau in Banjul, NRP leader Hamat Bah, who contested and lost in his Upper Saloum constituency, said the arrest of the NRP candidate in Sabach Sanjal constituency, who is currently being held in prison, leaves a lot to be desired. “We believe that the election was free, because there was less intimidation with the exception of a few places in the Niamina West constituency, but it was not fair because civil servants were using state resources, which we do not have access to,” he added. Bah, whose party broke ranks with the rest of the opposition parties that decided to boycott the polls, said his party participated in the election with the strong conviction and strong belief that it was a worthwhile move. “There is nothing we could do in bettering democracy than participating in the electoral processes. The NRP does not believe in boycotting or not participating in election processes, because this has some very negative impacts in the development of democracy in Africa, particularly in this part ofAfrica; although people have a right to boycott or not to participate in elections,” he stated. To him, the NRP which contested in eight constituencies, but won only one seat, is convinced that it was important to get into the election and fight for the seats, “so that the APRC party will not have an easy ride”. While commending the Gambian electorate for the peaceful conduct of the polls, despite some hurdles, Bah said Gambians have demonstrated their desire to choose and to be part of the processes of electing a representative to their National Assembly. “The NRP has the strong belief that if one does not participate in the electoral process, he/she will not be in a position to evaluate the weaknesses and strengths of that system, and also cannot measure one’s strength or level of support to forge and to formulate new policies and strategies as a way forward,” he explained. Noting that his party has learned a lot during the parliamentary elections, Bah stated that it has also indicated to them that the NRP has support at the grassroots. As a result, he went on, the NRP will be reorganized and transformed in the next couple of months, so as to get it better prepared for coming elections. According to Hamat Bah, if all the opposition parties had participated in the election, the results would have been completely different, adding that the APRC party was scared of the participation of the NRP and independent candidates during the polls. While also acknowledging that this was an opportunity they had missed, Bah expressed hope that the Independent Electoral Commission would learn lessons in the process. He commended the IEC for introducing the on-the-spot counting of votes, which he said will ensure more transparency. From: Haruna <[log in to unmask]> To: [log in to unmask] Sent: Thursday, 19 April 2012, 1:14 Subject: Re: [G_L] President Sall: Mali's Ex President Amadou Tumani Toure at Senegalese Embassy Residents in Bamako - Thank you Demba for clarifying. I thought that quip about ATT being in Gambia was for a different reason. I had truncated that full report. I didn't think ATT was that desperate to seek refuge with Yahya. Although it was considered, the overture came from Banjul and not from ATT or Mali. Haruna. Thanx for the update Demba. -----Original Message----- From: Demba Baldeh <[log in to unmask]> To: GAMBIA-L <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Wed, Apr 18, 2012 8:04 pm Subject: [G_L] President Sall: Mali's Ex President Amadou Tumani Toure at Senegalese Embassy Residents in Bamako - Contrary to earlier reports that Mali's Ex President has taken refuge in Gambia, Senegal's President Macky Sall reported that Ousted President Toure is in the residence of the Senegalese embassy in Mali... "President Amadou Toumani Toure (is) at this moment on the territory of the residence of the embassy of Senegal in Bamako," Sall said during a press conference with French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Courtesy of Jollofnews: http://jollofnews.com/20120418macky-sall-ex-mali-president-at-senegal-embassy-residence.html Thought it would be good to clarify that he is in fact not in Gambia!!!! 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