OP

 |A Case For An Opposition Pact & Tactical Voting Against a Government Parliamentary Majority|    By Pa Louis Sambou   T o suggest that the result of the just concluded presidential elections was a landslide for President Barrow’s NPP led coalition would be the understatement of the year; it was a brutal political earthquake, whose tremor is yet to even abate. After everything said and done over the preceding eventful five years, the Gambian people decided and the weight and strength of their democratic verdict leaves very little room for any credible polemical exercise on the subject matter. Well, this is at least the view of most fair-minded people and it must not come as a surprise that such is a view with which I fully agree. I must however concede that exploring the slew of theories as to the mechanics behind why people voted the way they did, although an interesting exercise, on balance, it is a distraction which I am yet to be convinced meets sufficient th...

By Sheriff Saidykhan Passengers crossing from Banjul to Barra are currently stranded at the Banjul ferry terminal since in the morning. Lamin K. Jammeh, a frequent traveller at the Banjul terminal said passengers are stranded outside, due to technical failures from the ferry service. “Hundreds of people sitting and others standing outside the waiting room at the Banjul ferry crossing terminal, for more than five hours without crossing to Barra due to technical failure” he said. The predicaments faced by passengers he said, compelled many passengers to take boats to cross. He said the unfavorable climate at the ferry terminal, forced many passengers to postpone their trip. He added: “Several attempts were made to pull the Kunta Kinteh ferry but the attempts didn't pay any dividends, due to an old rope they were using. Passengers are now using boats to cross to Barra which is very risky because of the heavy wind in the sea. Some decided to postpone their journey till  tomorrow hence ...

MOH to embark on nationwide COVID-19 Vaccination By Alimatou S Bajinka The Ministry of Health(MOH) will embark on a nationwide vaccination campaign against the new COVID-19 variant slated for 18-24th December 2021. The vaccination campaign is geared towards raising awareness on the new variant.  Mr. Gebriel Gando, speaking on behave of the Executive Direction Ministry of Health, Mr Modou Njie, highlighted the significance of the vaccination campaign, saying “we are about to roll out a COVID-19 campaign vaccination from Banjul to Kanlaji. The reason for the mass vaccination is due to the invent of the new variant, which is the Omicron variant which currently hits many countries across the globe, however the country has not yet recorded the new variant, but our lab scientists are everyday sequencing, every positive they have and verifying to see if  it’s omicron or not, but as at now, we are free from it” he remarked. He made these remarks at a press briefing held at the office ...

Writer and Political Scientist diagnosis the Issues with The Gambia’s Political system By Saul Saidykhan Few 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗮𝗴𝗼, 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗶𝗮’𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗨𝗗𝗣 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗔𝗱𝗮𝗺𝗮 𝗕𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄’𝘀 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝘃𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟰𝘁𝗵 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.  𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗻𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗼 𝗜 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼. 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆, 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗻𝘆 “𝗧𝗼𝘂𝗯𝗮𝗯” 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗱𝗼 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗻𝘁. 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀, 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗗𝗣 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗱.𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿, 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝗼𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘆 𝗚...

     Key Takeaways Why UDP Lost  By Alieu Susso The outcome of the Presidential election was greeted with shocked for many people in The Gambia and abroad. Below are the resultant factors why UDP lost the election. UNTAME BEHAVIOUS:  The administration of United Democratic Party did not take responsibility to address some of the indecent behavior's from their party supporters. The frequent used of hate and bigotry sentiments towards certain individuals and groups were not address by the party.  DISRESPECT OF VENERABLE RELIGIOUS LEADERS:  Their ill advised disrespect of religious leaders, most especially the Supreme Islamic Council. Many of their supporters threatened to dissolved the Council if they come to power. Though these rhetorics may not come from the administrative level of the party. The lack of intervention from the Executive of the party towards condemning such actions also contributed to their defeat.  THE SPREAD OF SOCIAL MEDIA FALSE ...

By Amadou Manjang Opposition leaders urged to seek redress rightfully John Charles Njie, Chairman of the Association of Non Governmental Organization (TANGO) has urged the opposition presidential candidates to seek redress at the court, following IEC announcement of President Barrow, as the winner of the Presidential election. He said: “December 4th is free, fair and transparent throughout as observed and reported by observers,” he said. He added that the election was done in an atmosphere of transparency, adding that the election was free and fair. He called on the presidential candidates to reflect on the Janjanbureh Peace Accord to seek legal and peaceful redress or any disagreement. He made these remarks over the weekend, in a joint statement of Civil Society Organization held at Coco Ocean in Bijilo.  He said that they noted the rejection of election results by UDP, GDC and Essa Faal, however they have also recognized their constitutional right to seek redress legally.

|How The Gambian Opposition Walked Itself Into A Crushing DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Defeat|       By Pa Louis Sambou    T he minute Jammeh whisked himself into exile, the repression was no more. With time, what was a stiffened democratic space gradually opened up, accelerated by a Gambian mastery of the use of online media in ways which few could have reasonably foreseen. Once ordinary people found their voice, it was very quickly put into effective use by a people firmly determined never to be shut up ever again. Although slow to find his voice within his cabinet, but the President also eventually caught up, and having discovered his executive powers, his ‘political Godfather’ soon found out about it when the nest became too small for both ‘son’ and ‘political Godfather’ — from which rupture, emerged the not so youthful Barrow ‘Youth’ Movement and eventually the National People’s Party (NPP) and which development it is not possible to discount from any credible...

     Below reads their statement   O n December 4 th 2021, Gambians came out in large numbers to vote in the presidential elections. Twenty-four hours later no clear winner has been declared by the Independent Electoral Commission. The United Democratic Party and its partners, GFA and Hon. Marie Sock, GDC, and Hon. Essa Mbaye Faal have the following preliminary observations on the just concluded electoral process: 1)   1   Considering that The Gambia has an electorate of approximately 900,000 with on-the-spot counting system, we are concerned that there has been an inordinate delay in the announcement of the results. 1)    2  A number of issues have been raised by our agents and representatives of the above mentioned candidates at the polling stations/centres and at the IEC Headquarters. As a result, the representatives of the aforementioned candidates at the IEC Headquarters refused to endorse some of the results that were announc...

Gambians voted in “democratic transition” test for stability By Sheriff SaidyKhan Gambians’ across the country have turnout in masses to vote in the country's first post dictatorship Presidential election. Many voters described the election as the democratic transition test for stability in the country.  The six presidential candidates were: Adama Barrow, National People’s Party, the incumbent president; Essa Mbye Faal, an independent candidate; Abdoulie Ebrima Jammeh, National Unity Party; Ousainou Darboe, United Democratic Party; Mama Kandeh, Gambia Democratic Congress and Halifa Sallah People’s Democratic Organisation for Independence and Socialism. Sona Manjang, a voter, has said that she wants the continuity of peace in the country,  She said that everyone has a choice to vote for any candidate, but that should not cause alienation among people. Isatou Jallow, a registered voter said she was to vote without fear, adding that this is an unprecedented election for her. The ...

  |Unique Circumstances of a Maiden Post Dictatorship Presidential Election, the Runners and Its Likely Outcome|   By Pa Louis Sambou    A fter the fall of a ‘strong man’ in former President Jammeh who hamstrung far much more than a fair share of daily life of Gambians including those of public institutions, most Gambians were relieved and thought: ‘never again’. Well, we were wrong. After twenty-two years, public institutions became so accustomed to being kept ‘in line’ through diktat ‘from the top’ rather than through due process, post Jammeh, contrary to public expectation, some of these institutions and figureheads within them increasingly display a worrying lack of regard to the courts. Not even according the judiciary the courtesy of deference. In the build-up to, and over the course of the coming Presidential elections, this lamentable phenomenon has manifested itself in more ways than most would have liked vis-à-vis the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) ...

      By AMADOU MANJANG  President  Adama Barrow, the presidential candidate for National People’s Party (NPP) has vowed to win the presidential election slated for December 4 th 2021. He advised his supporters to vote peacefully, adding that there is no need to incite violence in the country. He said politics should not divide Gambians ahead of the election. He made these remarks on Wednesday 1 st December 2021, at a rally held at Tallinding, Buffer Zone. “We will win peacefully,” he bragged. President Barrow stated that, he did not want “personal politics” he further described the NPP APRC alliance as a step towards national reconciliation.  T he Gambian leader praised his supporters for their show of solidarity, whilst urging them to come out and vote on election day.  He said the NPP led coalition, is stronger than any opposition party. But critics argued that the alliance has undermines the welfare of the victims of the APRC regime.   ...