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Momodou
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 Posted - 20 Oct 2007 : 23:12:12
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FOCUS ON POLITICS
THE 1987 GENERAL ELECTIONS WOULD THERE BE FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS?
The Debate Goes On
By Suwaibou Touray
We have been focusing on politics in this column and this motivates us to narrate the history of Gambian politics from pre-colonial to post-Independence era. We have since then followed the narration of events up to 1987, which was an election year for both Presidential and Parliamentary elections.
In the last issue we have narrated some contradictions that emanated during the 1987 general elections.
Let us continue from where we stopped.
The criticisms leveled against the PPP’s brand of democracy came from all angles. This compelled the PPP to defend their brand of democracy.
According to the then vice president and leader of government business in the house of parliament, in defending his government’s policies, the opposition did question the assurance that the general elections would be free and fair. Mr. Bakary Darboe said the elections were going to be free and fair. He simplified it to mean that the opposition parties were just afraid and that was why they were expressing fears. Mr. M.C Cham however expressed concern with the activities of the opposition and accused them of spreading false information. He
further went on to indicate his fear of threats to candidates; that the opposition were attempting to split the people. He labeled the opposition as confusionists and misguided politicians, justifying the reason why they should be given security escorts during campaign.
Mr. Assan Musa Camara, leader of The Gambia People’s Party (GPP) was interviewed by the BBC. Mr. Camara complained that the PPP Government Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries utilize government vehicles and fuel to conduct their campaigns which, he said, was no news to anyone who was familiar with the PPP’s brand of democracy. He accused the PPP of mixing up party and state matters.
Mr. Camara told the BBC that the PPP was infact using UN and WHO vehicles in their campaigns. He said he has personally seen one UN vehicle displaying a portrait of a PPP candidate and another flying a PPP flag. Mr. Camara said he could not understand how such reputable international bodies like the United Nations could allow their properties to be utilized in the election campaign which he said tantamounts to interference in our internal affairs. He accused the UN for putting their political neutrality in question. Mr. Camara said the
whole diplomatic corps accompanied Sir Dawda Jawara on the “meet the farmers’ tour” which turned out to be the “meet the voters tour” only talking PPP politics. He expressed surprise that, that was not enough to make the UN personnel suspicious of being used as pawns in the local political chess game to promote certain parochial interests. At this stage PPP’s defence was that they adhered to democratic principles and respect for the rule of law.
In a question posed to the then Attorney-General in an interview, Mr. Hassan Jallow asserted that The Gambia was one of the few democracies that existed on the African continent; that it is a country which has always had a constitution since independence with a Bill of rights guaranteeing fundamental rights and liberties which, can only be altered through a Referendum. These rights, he said, were enforced by the Supreme Court.
Mr. Assan Jallow said there is no repression against anybody for having political views which differ from those of the government; that there has never been any restriction on the establishment of political parties. The PPP is proud that since independence there has always existed at least one opposition party; that they had three opposition parties with the emergence of PDOIS.
Mr. Jallow said although there was some limitation on civil servants, he said that was for obvious reasons not to publicly manifest their support for any political party, be it governing party or opposition.
According to Barbara Goodwin, Democracy Theory entails:
1. Supremacy of the people
2. The consent of the governed as the basis of legitimacy.
3. The rule of law: peaceful methods of conflict resolution.
4. The existence of a common good or public interest
5. The value of the individual as a rationale, moral active citizen
6. Equal civil rights for all individuals.
According to her, democracy is based on the legal idea of a contract between the representatives and the electors.
The debate as to whether the 1987 elections would be free and fair continued unabated. Sympathizers of the NCP were of the view that foreign observers and journalists should be invited to witness the elections; that this would be a test of Sir Dawda’s determination to show if he really meant what he says.
As far as the Nation Newspaper was concerned, it was crystal clear that the PPP’s actions made a complete mockery of it’s regime’s claim to adherence to free and fair elections because as they said the very process that leads to the elections is anything but free and fair.
The Nation criticized the old brand of politicians and said they and their surrogates have been traversing the countryside with their old tricks to win the minds and sympathies of the masses. The Nation insisted that they used all kinds of unconventional methods to outwit their opponents. The Nation accused the old brand of politicians that instead of electioneering on policy issues and programmes, they brandish their ill-gotten wealth and other sweet promises in a bid to get re-elected for another term.
The Nation opined that the PPP anticipated that a low-turn out of voters would be to their advantage and therefore they would not be quite particular about a high turnout. The Nation also reported an allegation that the PPP may have bought all the fuel to enable them to move about and to transport their supporters whilst they created an artificial shortage of petrol thereby making the opposition stranded, The Nation criticized the regime for its virtual control of the National radio and the government apparatus for their campaign; that sometimes the ruling party controlled state media convey very trivial matters like the socalled carpet-crossing of prominent opposition figures to their party, with the sole objective of demoralizing opposition supporters. It accused the PPP of using the National radio as if it was their personal property. The Nation also attacked
what it called opportunists element in the civil service who deliberately assist the PPP in their nefarious escapades.” Instead of performing their duties without fear or favour as public servants, these egocentric individuals would willingly use their official status to help promote the aims of the PPP,” the Nation attacked. The Nation states that it is ok with the regime if civil servants support them but that if any of them were to show any opposition sympathies they would not hesitate to unleash their wrath on you.
The Nation also stated that it was a well-known fact that commissioners and District Chiefs had mostly been reduced to PPP campaign agents in the provinces; that It had infact been reported that some chiefs have been threatening to depose “Alkalolu” or village heads, who showed any sympathy to the opposition.
The Nation decried that despite all these unfair methods being employed by the PPP regime to cling on to power, they still continued to make a lot of noise about their adherence to democratic principles and respect for the rule of law.
The Nation opined that the fact that the president had personally denied the PDOIS access to Radio Gambia just because they had no representation in parliament, eventhough the parliament was dissolved, was enough to demonstrate the undemocratic nature of the regime. The Nation went on to cite Mr. Sam Sarr, a career diplomat at The Gambia High Commission in London, who in his new year’s message to President Jawara said he was also praying for the PPP to win next the general elections. They said High Commissioner Sarr overstepped his obligations and therefore forfeited any claim to be treated as an impartial representative of Gambian interest in Europe; that he was serving only a partisan interest, not national interest.
The Nation argued that the President’s Press Officer, a Senior Civil Servant, was the editor of “The Gambia Times” the PPP organ. They also cited the Assistant Director of the Department of Non-Formal Education, as a prominent member of the PPP hierarchy.
“Imagine such people supporting the opposition,” the Nation posited.
Support the opposition, what would happen to them?
Gambian democracy, at this stage, was sort of dominated by an elite group that maintains a view which casts doubt on the capacity of the people to participate in politics. So the vast majority of elites simply refused to give adequate information to the electors with the pretext that the masses would not understand. So all they sought from the masses is their votes by whatever methods. It also appeared that since Gambia was one of the few countries in Africa or in The West Africa region at the time, practicing multi-party democracy, the international community did not put any undue pressure on the regime to adhere to the basic principles for fear that the regime may be cowed to create a one party state which was dominant on the continent.
See next issue as we edge closer to the D-day of the 1987 general elections.
Source: Foroyaa Newspaper Burning Issue
Issue No. 111/2007, 21 – 23 September 2007
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A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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