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Momodou
Denmark
11634 Posts |
 Posted - 30 Jan 2008 : 20:29:40
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ARE THE ELECTION RESULTS A SIGN OF POLITICAL SUPPORT FOR OR REJECTION OF THE APRC?
The 2008 Local Government Elections is now history. What is left is for us to analyse the facts and figures. Those who want to cover up the hidden facts behind the results simply concentrate on indicating that the APRC won 101 seats; Independent candidates, 8 seats; UDP, 3 seats; NADD, 1 seat; and NRP, 1 seat. One of the newspapers put it this way: “APRC trounces the opposition.”
The objective reality indicates that neither the APRC nor the opposition deserves to jubilate. The facts reveal a total rejection of both APRC and the opposition. The only legitimate conclusion to draw is that the Gambia’s democratic system has failed beyond repairs and needs to be overhauled and replaced by a more credible system.
What is our proof?
The statistics connected to the mayoral elections in Banjul reveal that out of a total of 19,441 voters for Banjul only 4,640 persons voted for the APRC and only 1067 persons voted for the UDP. Those who turned out to vote represented 29.4 percent of the total number of registered voters.
In the same vein, the Kanifing Municipality has 128, 451 registered voters. However, the APRC managed to get only 19,073 votes while the UDP managed to attract only 8,479 votes. 21 percent of the electorate turned out to vote. Over 100,000 of the 124000 registered voters did not turn up to vote.
In short, Serrekunda Central constituency alone has over 30,000 voters. Hence the votes of The APRC and UDP combined do not exceed the total number of votes for one constituency.
Suffice it to say that the IEC and the National Council for Civic Education took concerted efforts to carry out voter education through theatre, songs, mobile announcements and community sensitization programmes. The electronic media was utilised by them to spread the message regarding the elections. The president even informed the Gambian people of the discovery of Uranium and other minerals and made a passionate appeal for the electorate to participate in the elections. A public holiday was declared to enable people to vote. The UDP and the APRC mayoral candidates and their supporters had visible coverage on TV. In short, everyone was aware of the elections and had enough time to make up his/her mind as to who to vote for.
The fact that they refused to vote is a clear indication that the country is in a state of political transformation and each party needs to assess its standing among the people in order to determine whether it has a future or not.
For example, the NADD supporters in WULI insisted on putting up candidates. Sidia Jatta holds the National Assembly seat for Wuli West. We therefore, made an assessment whether the seat is still safe for him or not. The election results for the two wards in Wuli West reveal that NADD still has the upper hand in Wuli West. Out of the 5230 persons who voted in the two Wards in Wuli West NADD had 2822 votes while APRC had 2408 votes. The UDP hold seats in Kiang West, Kiang Central , Jarra Central and Sami. In Kiang West, the combined votes of the APRC in the two wards are 1917 votes, while the combined votes of the UDP are 1486 votes. The UDP would have to redouble its efforts to retain the seat.
In Kiang Central, elections took place only in one ward and the other went unopposed. Out of the 1121 voters who participated in the Kwinella ward elections 655 voted for the APRC while 466 voters voted for the UDP. This constituency also requires further effort to be retained by the UDP. Both seats in Jarra Central were uncontested. The UDP needs to explain why this was the case in a constituency where it has a National Assembly seat.
In Sami, out of the voters who cast their votes voted for the APRC and voted for the UDP. The UDP needs to work harder to retain the seat.
The NRP has no National Assembly seat. Hence the gaining of one council seat gives it electoral legitimacy.
Over all, it is the APRC which has the other seats in the National assembly except one which was won by an independent candidate which became the biggest loser. In short, not only has the APRC’s votes declined drastically, as one moves from the presidential to the national assembly and then to local government elections, but Independent Candidates are further encroaching on the seats it held in the past. 8 independent candidates have won seats while the APRC won elections where it had 293 votes and the UDP had less than a hundred votes, such as in a ward in Banjul which has 1264 voters. This trend was repeated in many wards.
This confirms that in a country with a failed democratic system the opposition must develop strategies on how to concentrate protest votes on one side to defeat the ruling party.
The opposition parties had the opportunity to establish a strategic alliance to effect system change and establish a genuine democratic society which would do away with voter apathy but they failed to do so. They had a second opportunity during the National Assembly elections to forge a tactical alliance in order to secure the majority of seats in the National Assembly and prevent bad laws from being enacted but they failed to do so, as manifested by the putting up of some candidates by the opposition in the strongholds of other opposition parties, instead of asking their supporters to vote for the opposition candidates. However, once the damage has been done, the opposition parties should have now realised that in the face of laws which negate the autonomy of councils and ensure their subjection under the might of the executive, the best option to mobilize protest votes was to support genuine independent candidates, throughout the country, to take over most seats and teach the executive a lesson and then call for electoral and Local government reform.
As we head towards the future, Gambia is in need of a party and a presidential Candidate who can heel the wounds of the nation and mobilize the people as one force for genuine democratic transformation of the country. It is the duty of political parties and those yet to emerge to transform into what the people want. It is the duty of any genuine patriot to stand and be counted. It is the duty of the Gambian people to identify the genuine parties and patriots and give them their support so that a society where the people will know no fear, intimidation, humiliation, dictation, impunity, indignities and poverty will emerge.
Foroyaa Newspaper Burning Issues
Issue No. 13/2008, 30 – 31 January 2008
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A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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