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Momodou
Denmark
11675 Posts |
 Posted - 14 Apr 2025 : 14:10:19
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PUBLIC STATEMENT
EFSCRJ Pays Homage to Solo Sandeng and Renew His Call for Electoral Reforms
Equipped with only a megaphone and a banner, Solo Sandeng and compatriots stood up nine years ago peacefully under the burning sun of the Gambia at the historic Westfield intersection to call for electoral reforms. Their only intention was for a better Republic were everyone has a right and duty to have an equal say in how this country is to be governed.
As typical, the brutal APRC regime of Yaya Jammeh which did not wish all Gambians to have a say in how our country is to be governed unleashed armed security officers to crush the protest leading to the assassination of Solo Sandeng. During their detention at the NIA headquarters, several more protesters suffered the heinous crimes of sexual violence, torture and poisoning. Many died while many more survivors still suffer psychological and physical pain and socioeconomic deprivation.
We commend the swift action of the Barrow Government in 2017 in arraigning and subsequently securing the conviction of the security officers of the notorious National Intelligence Agency responsible for these crimes. EFSCRJ further commends the Government for providing a fitting burial to Solo Sandeng on January 10, 2023, with a national memorial service at the Never Again Memorial Arch in Banjul.
On this day, EFSCRJ pays homage to Solo Sandeng and his fallen compatriots for standing for country on April 14 which was a significant milestone in the struggle of Gambians to end tyranny. In this recognition, we wish to further recognize the cascading effects of April 14 beginning with April 16 when leaders of the UDP led by Ousainou Darboe rose up to demand the body of Solo, dead or alive. These events leading to the Kalama Revolution and the subsequent formation of the 2016 Grand Coalition are historic milestones and actions in the long and arduous struggles of Gambians since 1994 to end the AFPRC/APRC Dictatorship in our homeland.
We pay tribute to Solo Sandeng and all Gambians who sacrificed their life, limb, resources and freedom for the liberation of the country which we are determined to uphold and continue to protect for we believe a better Gambia is possible and will be attained in our lifetime.
In paying tribute to Solo Sandeng, we must also register our deep concerns at the fledgling state of democracy in our country. Nine years today, the country remains stuck with the same Elections Decree crafted in 1996 under the shadows of military rule. Even more concerning, is the attempts to continue to deny some Gambians the franchise simply because they live abroad, while allowing malpractices such as attestation to remain in our electoral system.
We are hugely disturbed by the fact that the political parties and politicians who became the beneficiaries of the April 14 protest led by Solo Sandeng for electoral reforms have failed to live up to that objective. These parties and politicians dominate the executive and legislative branches since 2017 yet continue to fail to bring about robust electoral reforms which was one of the key objectives in their 2016 memorandum of understanding and presidential manifesto.
The parties that came to form the Grand Coalition in 2016 had earlier created the Gambia Opposition for Electoral Reforms (GOFER), i.e., GMC, GPDP, NRP, PDOIS, PPP, and UDP for that objective. On June 17, 2015, they submitted a 14-point proposal for electoral reforms to the following: Dictator Yaya Jammeh, IEC Chair, Speaker of the National Assembly, Chief Justice, Attorney General and Minister of Justice, UN Secretary General, AU Chairman, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, ECOWAS Chairman, US Secretary of State, and Reverend Jesse Jackson. Attached is GOFER’s 2015 electoral reforms proposal.
On this nineth anniversary therefore, EFSCRJ demands that these parties and the National Assembly together with Pres. Barrow ensure that the Elections Bill is passed immediately with the reintroduction of Clause 14 to operationalize diaspora voting. At the same time, we urge the President and NAMs to ensure that the right to vote is also extended to prisoners as sovereign citizens of this country. Prisons and the diaspora do not deny a person his or her citizenship.
In a democratic republic, elections are the lifeblood of self-governance, ensuring that power flows from the people rather than being seized by force or inherited by privilege. They transform abstract ideals like "freedom" and "equality" into tangible actions, allowing ordinary citizens to shape their nation’s future. Elections mandate that leaders must regularly earn the people’s trust. When citizens cast their ballots, they are not just selecting representatives; they are holding them accountable. If a government fails its people, elections provide a peaceful way to replace it, avoiding upheaval or violence.
When EF Small shouted no taxation without representation in the 1920s, he meant that citizens should have the right to vote to determine the governance of this country, which is the basis for independence and self-determination. This is the legacy Solo Sandeng represents which we as EF Small Centre vow to pursue and continue.
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PUBLIC STATEMENT: EFSCRJ Pays Homage to Solo Sande
