Gambia: On Gambia Election Day, President Displays Contempt for Press Freedom

IPI Clarifies that Media Freedom is Not Just for Journalists
By: Naomi Hunt, Press Freedom Adviser for Africa

VIENNA, 28 Nov. 2011 – As Gambians went to the polls last week to vote, incumbent President Yahya Jammeh rejected international criticism over the country’s press freedom record, which, since Jammeh took power in a 1994 coup, has been characterised by the intimidation, jailing and torture of journalists, and control of the media.

"When they talk about rights, freedom of the press and [saying] this country is a hell for journalists … There are freedoms and responsibilities," the BBC quoted Jammeh as saying. "The journalists are less than 1% of the population and if anybody expects me to allow less than 1% of the population to destroy 99% of the population, you are in the wrong place."

The International Press Institute (IPI), a global press freedom organisation comprised of publishers, editors and leading journalists, criticised Jammeh’s reported remarks.  

“The reason that journalists must be permitted to work without interference, detention or torture, and the reason the media should not be compelled to report only the current government’s version of events has nothing to do with protecting a small segment of the workforce, as President Jammeh suggests,” said IPI Executive Director Alison Bethel McKenzie. “Responsible journalism upholds democracy by holding government accountable; a free media provides space for a robust and critical public discourse.” 

The election was monitored by observers from the African Union (AU) and the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), but the West African regional organization, Ecowas, said the vote was not legitimate and that their investigations had revealed “"an opposition and electorate cowed by repression and intimidation,” the BBC reported.  

In cases brought by the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), the Ecowas Community Court found the Gambia responsible for the 2006 torture of journalist Musa Saidykhan and ordered the country to pay him reparations. The Gambia has failed to comply with the order. In 2008, the court also ordered The Gambia to release missing reporter Chief Ebrimah Manneh and pay him reparations. Again, The Gambia has failed to comply, denying instead that he is in their custody. In October this year Justice Minister Edu Gomez told the Daily News that Manneh was alive but not in government hands, although he refused to provide more information.

Source:http://www.freemedia.at

Gambia: Commentary: The Gambia’s darkest hour!

By Mathew K Jallow

Friday 25^th November 2011, will in the annals of The Gambia’s history, be forever remembered with consternation and utter disbelief as one of our country’s darkest hour; a dark day in which Gambians everywhere descended to the lowest points of our political lives. The shocking results of Gambia’s recently concluded presidential elections are a manifestation of the power of tyranny and the length to which Yahya Jammeh will go to remain in power.

There is hardly a soul that is not surprised by the election results; and even more telling still, hardly anyone who does not think that the results are blatantly fraudulent.

In every way, we were all caught in the most devastating surprises of our lives, because no sane Gambian expected the results to be so insanely skewed in favor of Yahya Jammeh’s military regime.

For many months now, Armed Forces Provisional Ruling Council (AFPRC) party militants have echoed and reechoed the same refrain; that the “AFPRC will win with a landslide”, but many of us took their refrain as a mere dramatization of their political demagoguery, rather than a statement of fact they knew all along.

The certitude with which AFPRC stalwarts carried themselves throughout the electoral season was buttressed by Yahya Jammeh’s own incendiary outbursts of stupidity and callousness in which his emphatic pronouncement that “neither elections nor coup’ can bring down his regime, caught the attention of both Gambians and the international community as indicative of his contempt and disregard for the democratic values of the electoral process.

In hindsight, both Yahya Jammeh and his bloodsucking leaches knew something the rest of us did not. The AFPRC cabal; which includes village alkalos, district chiefs, divisional commissioners, rural area civil servants and the formidable AFPRC machinery has collectively made sure Yahya Jammeh did not lose the elections.

Today, what really happened is still a mystery. We all know without a shadow of doubt that something egregious happened in these elections, but perhaps only the passage of time will bring the truth out. One day, some of those involved in this biggest electoral sham West Africa ever experienced, will be weighed down by the guilt of their consciences to tell the world the truth.

Just as the one of the murderers of Deida Hyrada confessed to Freedom Newspaper, the truth about these fraudulent elections will see the light of day. Meanwhile, as the paralyzing despair and the agony get the better of us, we must remember that no one said it was going to be easy. Yahya Jammeh knows what his loss of political power means; for more than any person, he has the most to lose; which includes either his life or his freedom for the rest of his life.

As incredibly painful and depressing as the situation is for us, we cannot with abandonment continue to wallow in our collective misery; rather let us dust ourselves up again to ready ourselves for the next chapter. ECOWAS’s groundbreaking castigation of Gambia’s electoral process is both a reaffirmation of our storied history under Yahya Jammeh’s tyranny and a high point of the election season, and as a nation we can wrap ourselves in the solace and comfort that their concern has provided us, as we map out the next strategy of dealing with the menace of Yahya Jammeh.

For now, UDP’s rejection of the fraudulent election results is a start. We must begin by delegitimizing the election results and bring pressure to bear on the international community to isolate The Gambia and Yahya Jammeh’s regime. We have a starting point; the regional body which knows best; ECOWAS. Unlike the African Union and the Commonwealth who come to merely observe the logistics of the polling day, ECOWAS is concerned about the entire electoral process, and how the preexisting political climate and culture lends itself or lack thereof, to the conduct of truly free and fair elections process.


PS. As we go to press, The African Union has given, what can only be described a tacitly reserved, if not an outright condemnation of The Gambia’s electoral process. The AU delegates have surprised Gambians, but we thank them for not playing to the infinite power of incumbency in African politics.

Gambia: Main opposition UDP Ambushed in Foni Kanfenda

(Dailynews)Main opposition United Democratic Party campaign caravan yesterday came under attack at the village of Kanfenda in Foni Kansala, West Coast region.
Unidentified men suspected to be militants of ruling Alliance for Patriotic Re-Orientation and Construction fired stones over the UDP convoy that was heading for its final destination in Serrekunda to wrap up the campaigns in the crucial November 24 presidential race. 
This paper is yet to have full details of the incident, but our correspondent in the caravan quoted Babanding Daffeh, a UDP parliamentarian as saying: “These people are throwing stones over us.”
Thanks to the intervention of the military personnel at military check point at the junction that links to president Jammeh’s home village of Kanilai, the tension was defused, but some UDP militants have sustained injury. 
The military personnel then escorted the opposition entourage till Bullock village where paramilitary took over the escort to the commercial town of Serrekunda. 
Meanwhile, the incident came two days after IEC warned that it will discipline any party found wanton of breaching the electoral rules.

ECOWAS Statement On the 24 November 2011 Presidential Election in the Gambia

Abuja - Nigeria — The ECOWAS Commission has informed the President of the Gambia about its decision not to dispatch an ECOWAS Observer Mission to the Presidential Election scheduled to take place in the country on 24 November 2011, because the preparations and political environment for the said election are adjudged by the Commission not to be conducive for the conduct of free, fair and transparent polls.

In keeping with the pertinent provisions of the ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance, the President of the Commission dispatched a fact-finding mission to the Gambia, during which the mission interacted with a wide range of stakeholders to assess the state of preparedness of the country for the election. The Commission has also been conducting a regular monitoring of the political situation and preparations in the lead-up to the election through the ECOWAS Early Warning System. Unfortunately, the reports of the fact-finding mission and the Early Warning System paint a picture of intimidation, an unacceptable level of control of the electronic media by the party in power, the lack of neutrality of state and para-statal institutions, and an opposition and electorate cowed by repression and intimidation.

In the circumstance, the ECOWAS Commission is of the view that the conditions prevailing in the country do not meet the minimum standards set under the Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance for the conduct of elections and has, therefore, decided to exercise the discretionary powers conferred on the Commission's President under the Protocol to stand down the ECOWAS Observer Mission. While regretting the decision forced upon it by the circumstances, the ECOWAS Commission will remain seized with the situation in the Gambia, and expresses its readiness to engage the Government and other stakeholders in the Gambian polity, with a view to accompanying them in their endeavour to create a level playing field for future elections.

 His Excellency James Victo Gbeho President of the Commission

Gambia:Ten reasons Gambians must vote for Ousainou Darboe

By Mathew K Jallow

Barely two months ago, Yahya Jammeh told one of his minions to ask Moses Richards to write a letter of apology to him and beg for mercy. Yahya Jammeh was faced with one of two alternatives; to either free Moses Richards from Mile 2 Prisons, or face the full wrath of the Gambia Bar Association’s threat of strike action at the judiciary. Moses Richard’s apology letter, which Jammeh asked for, was meant to give him an excuse to free Mr. Richards and not seem like he capitulated to the Gambia Bar Association demands. 

Now again, it is déjà vous all over. Last week, Yahya Jammeh told his mother to ask him to go on what he calls a “thank-you” tour of the country, but rather than tell her son privately, Mrs. Asombo Bojang curiously went to the media to broadcast her message. Here again Yahya Jammeh needed an excuse to eat his words and not look like the liar he is, after he told Gambians in a rather rudely and insultingly manner some months ago that he would not campaign for re-election this year. It all boils down to one thing; despite his mad tirades and public blusters, Yahya Jammeh is a weak wreck.  

Yahya Jammeh will give in under the slightest internal pressure because he knows the military and security forces will side with the people in the case of a showdown, and are in fact waiting for an excuse to help the civilian population get rid of Yahya Jammeh once and for all.Equally important still, politically, he is in trouble and his reckless tirades against the Mandinka majority are predicated on the fear that the Mandinkas will coalesce around Mr. Darboe and help give him an easy victory in the polls. How I wish he is right. The fact that in the recent past, countless opposition parties in Africa have done what seemed so impossible; defeated incumbent regimes, many of which had been in power for decades, is not lost on Yahya Jammeh. And unlike previous elections, this year, the Gambian electorate is very animated and alive to what is at stake this year and we can only hope they will not give in to fear and the pressures of  Yahya Jammeh’s “chiefs and so-called governors.”  

Fellow countrymen and women, the more than 400,000 registered voters, who did not cast their ballots in 2006, have a patriotic obligation to go to the polls this year and vote for UDP’s Ousainou Darboe. This year, I have broken ranks with my party leader Hamat Bah at the NRP to support Ousainou Darboe because he has a better chance of unseating Yahya Jammeh. Nearly two months ago, I was engaged in discussions with Ousainou Darboe, Omar Jallow (OJ) and Hamat Bah to help bring them together, but Hamat Bah’s demand to be the coalition’s choice for the presidential candidacy was irrational and unacceptable. The end result is that in my support for Ousainou Darboe, I chose practical common sense over tribe, friendship and party affiliation. I am calling on all Gambians to do the same. For those who do not know the Ousainou Darboe I grew up and went to high school with; the Ousainou Darboe raised in a Wollof-Catholic family by the late United Party leader, Pierre S Njie; the Ousainou Darboe married to two wives none of who is a Mandinka; one being Wollof, and the other an Aku; the Ousainou Darboe who himself raised a Fula girl in his household to adulthood; and the Ousainou Darboe whose United Democratic Party leaders consists largely of Fulas, Wollofs and Akus; and not Mandinkas as his opponents maliciously often insinuate, is the best and most qualified man vying for the presidency of our country in these elections. I have complete faith in his ability to administer our government in an effective manner, but above all, reunite all Gambians again as one family, irrespective of tribe, religion or political 
affiliation. As a Fula, I am appealing to all Fulas across the country, especially the Fula Kundankees to put aside the temptation of tribal affinity and vote for Ousainou Darboe. The Fulas, Mandinkas and Wollofs in particular must speak with one voice and vote for UDP’s Darboe. I call on Gambians to vote for UDP’s Ousainou Darboe for the following reasons. 

As a man born in the heart of Fulladou, Ousainou Darboe does not subscribe to the delusional notion that Mandinkas own The Gambia as many older Mandinkas have insinuated in the past, so minority tribes; in particular the Fulas and Wollof, will not have that to enrage and anger them.As Head of State, Ousainou Darboe will ensure the rights of the minority tribes are protected.An Ousainou Darboe government will be represented by every Gambian tribe; not just the majority Mandinka he belongs to as Yahya Jammeh has done with his Jola tribe.

Ousainou Darboe is well educated and understands government more than Yahya Jammeh who has not education or an understanding of government and how to govern effectively.Unlike Yahya Jammeh, Ousainou Darboe will have a plentiful and ready supply of well educated Gambians both at home and abroad who will help to rebuild our country from Yahya Jammeh’s ruinous reign.Under Ousainou Darboe, true democracy will flourish, tourism will return much stronger that it had ever been, investments will flow in from Europe and America to create employment opportunities for our youth and Gambians with knowledge and expertise from every tribe will runs the country.

Under Ousainou Darboe, the presence of a completely free media will accelerate the diffusion of information and knowledge so Gambians at home don’t continue to remain ignorant as they have been the past seventeen years. The nature of Ousainou Darboe’s character and personality will ensure that no single tribe is marginalized and there is a level playing field for every Gambian to achieve their dreams.Ousainou Darboe is one of the nicest persons Gambians will have an opportunity to know, a man who smiles easily but can be tough if needs be.

With Ousainou Darboe as Head of State, arrests, detentions and imprisonments of innocent citizens will come to an END; murders, executions and tortures will STOP; the fear, intimidation and ceasure of citizen property by those in uniform will end; and Gambians will once again be free to criticize their government, go about their business without the hassles of police, military and security check point everywhere. In short, under Ousainou Darboe the younger generation will for the first time taste what is like to be BORN FREE in your own country.