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By Pa Louis Sambou S ince the disintegration of what was the Coalition, our political discourse largely revolved around the binary black and white worlds of President Barrow versus Lawyer Ousainou Darboe. Therefore, without taking any view either way as to the shines and dulls of either entity, it isn’t controversial to state that an effective third option will breed a breath of fresh air into the political atmosphere for a change. This is certainly not to imply that there aren’t other options besides the aforementioned, of course there are. However, in light of known facts, one just cannot reasonably conceive an effective third alternative out of any of those other options individually. This is not a pejorative assumption but rather a plausible and prejudice-free original premise of thought borne out from the available preliminary facts. Although these facts may change in the coming weeks and months but, for now, they are what they are.    Partisan citizens among us may no do...

    By Pa Louis Sambou    O ne really need not have a vested interest in the subject matter nor even have a skin in the game one way or another for them to hold the view that ‘Three Years Jotna’ (TYJ), was from the word go  a cause in futility . This was my view back then and it remains my view today. The President has constitutional authority to remain in office for 5 years; citizens (TYJ in this instance) by the same measure are entitled to exercise their right to freedom of speech and expression including to challenge any President to step down regardless of whether the premise of such a position is valid. My sincere apologies for stating the obvious but, it’s crystal clear that the legality of any exercise of such a right is not dependent on the merit or the State’s approval of the object of such advocacy. However, it must be emphatically stated that the latter’s right does not go as far as empowering them to seek active measures in order to effect the remov...

By Pa Louis Sambou    T he  fourth anniversary of the Barrow Presidency, unlike the previous three, appeared to have been accorded a much greater degree of recognition and publicity with the cross-cutting theme much more conventional than that of the previous anniversaries. To a very large extent, this year’s theme centred on his achievements thus far rather than whether or not he will honour the non-legally binding Coalition ‘agreement’ and step down. Whether the absence of the latter from the general public commentary regarding the subject matter is an achievement (or perhaps the singular achievement thus far albeit not for commendable reasons) or not, is arguably a subject for debate. What is however not a subject for debate is that this anniversary’s theme sets a much more conventional and stringent assessment criteria: President Barrow’s achievements so far.    Whether or not the elevated test as per the above should be a cause for concern for President Bar...

  In a press conference held or  broadcast  on Friday 15 th  January 2021 which was widely  reported  by several media outlets, your party leader and flag bearer Dr Ismaila Ceesay expressed your party’s concerns and frustration in respect of matters surrounding the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) in the context of the forthcoming Presidential elections. It is fair to say that most of the concerns raised are mutual with the vast majority of the Gambian public and possibly non-Gambian observers. Your tenacity in holding the IEC accountable is commendable and it is the right thing to do.    You are absolutely right to emphasise and remind the IEC of its constitutional duty as the regulator and convening authority for all publicly mandated elections. Against the backdrop of what seems a very disorganised, ill-prepared IEC and an incumbent which increasingly gives the impression that it wishes to exploit such vulnerability, your party leader’s m...