Letter From Birmingham: Commending Chairman Carayol

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Letter From Birmingham: Commending Chairman Carayol

Thursday, 24 November 2011 15:37

(Column) - The chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission should be commended for the way and manner he has conducted the recently concluded presidential campaign.
Since the very day he endorsed nominations of the various political leaders, Mustapha Carayol has done everything possible to ensure that today’s election is free, fair and reflecting the wishes of the Gambian people.
PK_Jarju

Unlike previous presidential campaigns, this year’s campaign although heated, have passed without any bloodshed or serious confrontation between supporters of the various political parties.

Although many have already jumped to the conclusion that the election results are going to be rigged, I will refuse to make any such ill comments without first hearing the election report by local and foreign observers on the ground.

The Gambia’s electoral register contains the names of all enfranchised Gambians who are issued with biometric voting cards. The lists of each voter in all the various polling stations are distributed among agents of the political parties. All voters will have their names checked and verified by agents of the political parties at the polling stations before they can cast their votes.

To avoid incidence of multiple voting, all voters dip their index finger in an indelible ink which takes 24 hours or more to wear out. This means that the results of any polling station will reflect the total number of tokens issued and verified by all the agents of the various parties.

That brings me to the yesterday’s statement by the Ecowas, which has refused to send a team of observers to monitor the elections. The timing of the statement raises a lot of questions about the motives of the regional body. And I think the regional body is trying to play mind games with Gambian people.

Campaigns for the election were conducted in a peaceful and organised manner and there were no reports of instances where political parties were barred from holding rallies. While there were reports that some opposition rallies where not aired by the state television, there were no reports of harassment and voter intimidation which have marred the 1996 and 2001 elections.

So for Ecowas to release it statement before even the first vote was casted is completely irresponsible. Looking at the huge crowds that have supported the three contenders, this election may produce surprises. That is why both Mr Darboe and Hamat Bah are very confident of winning it.

So what would Ecowas say if Lawyer Darboe is declared winner by the electoral commission? Would it still maintain that the elections were not free and fair?

To conclude, I will continue to refuse to tell Gambians whom to vote. I may have done so in the past, but as a journalist who is reading journalism, the ethics of my profession have taught me to be impartial and professional. And although I seriously want change in my beloved Gambia, I will always remain professional.

Comments

0 #6 2011-12-16 20:20

Your conclusion of a Free and Fair elections is based on the voting process and campaign period....Of course,this year's campaign was different from previous ones and ALL should be commended for that...Ganbia's voting process,(since the 1st Republic) from vote casting to announcement of results,is largely free and fair...

ECOWAS looked at the Political and Administrative situation in the country for the 5yr period to take the decision they took (we don't need to point out what the situation was)....That is a more broader and professional approach than yours....

So ECOWAS,far from being hypocritical,ha s taken a well informed decision which reflects the political situation in the country....And being a Regional Body,it is in a better position to gauge the situation than both the AU and the Commonwealth ....

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-1 #5 2011-12-16 17:19

well written in a very self opinionatre text. Ecowas reasonning is purely base on the governement's attitude towards the elections well before the nomination of the candidates. Jammeh has been out campaigning in various style well before the others do so. and to all intent and purposes there were also other obligations towards the opposing parties that were not honoured or harnessed by the government in the interest of real democracy and fiece oppositioning. In my opinion the commission was very week.... the results were done and dusted well before the nominations.

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-1 #4 2011-12-03 02:16

P.k kujabi, Thank you for this piece of information, you speaks the truth nothing but the truth, am proud of you, my brother, thank you, thank you, May Allah reward you, amen.

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+3 #3 2011-12-02 14:46

Responsible journalism...allows for the arrow of intent to be focused, impartial and objective.

This allows the reader to make a better informed choice or deliver a constructive opinion.

It is very rare for me to totally agree with much that is written online.

But this piece...is true,impartial and objective...and begs for constructive thinking from the reader.

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+5 #2 2011-11-24 20:12

Articulate and well written. This is what journalism is all about. Politicians who use this profession to foster their agenda have nothing to do in this profession, and should stay way, stay afilliated and support anyone they wish.

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+5 #1 2011-11-24 17:41

Well spoken. Our so-called Gambian journalists are politicians. You cannot be a journalist and a politician at the same time because the two industries perform different roles. Until our join the list people learn the ethics of the profession, bias and inaccurate stories will always be spread in their blogs.

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