The Gambia conducted a peaceful campaign and presidential election, but tolerance for political and ethnic diversity are the must-needed behaviours that can sustain tranquillity in the country. The country went to polls on December 4, 2021 and the incumbent Adama Barrow has been declared the winner after amassing 53 percent of the total votes cast, beating his main challenger Ousainu Darboe, leader of the United Democratic Party (UDP), by more than 200, 000 votes. However, a bit of controversy ensued the following day after the election as three opposition candidates from the UDP, Gambia Democratic Congress (GDC) and independent candidate Essa Fall called a joint press briefing in Fajara to reject the results without providing any evidence of malpractice. This created panic in the country as supporters of the UDP gathered in numbers at Darboe’s residence. Faal though has since withdrawn stating that there were no sufficient grounds to claim against electoral fraud. The Police Intervention Unit was deployed to disperse the crowd using tear gas. Youth and peace advocates have since been calling for political tolerance and respect for diversity. “For us to maintain the peace that we are known for in this country, we should be able to respect and accept diversity, and most importantly, promote unity at all times," Bakary Sonko, National Programmes Coordinator of Peace Hub – The Gambia, said. He said everyone has the responsibility to maintain the peace of this country and everyone has the right to belong to any political party. However, citizens must respect laws, tolerate each other’s differences and exercise their franchise during the election and maintain peace afterwards. Sonko believes that politicians are the right people to convince the masses to maintain peace, the primary role of politicians during and after the electoral periods is to advocate for peace alongside their manifestos. “Political parties have a bigger role to play. They have the responsibility to counsel their party militants to support without any form of insult or negative stereotypes towards other groups,” he emphasised. Jeopardised by politics The Global Youth Parliament’s Regional Coordinator for West Coast Region, Kemo Fatty, said The Gambia's peaceful atmosphere must not be jeopardised by politics. He advised youth and women to be agents of peace and desist from all forms of violence. “They must be engaged both day and night to ensure tranquillity in the electoral process,” he said. Meanwhile, Fatou B.S. Badjie, Co-Founder of Girls in The Frontline for Development (GFD), said political leaders should always prioritise peace dialogues at all their fora. She said women groups should be involved in the implementation of peace initiatives at community levels. GFD is built on advocacy pillars such as peacebuilding, prevention of violence, and tackling gender-based violence. “We all have our fundamental human rights in which you have the right to assemble, the right to belong to any political party... So, we should understand that politics is not here to divide us, instead, it gives the platform to express divergent views that would help the country to grow,” Badjie explained. In as much as everybody has the right to support a candidate or a party, Badjie said everyone must also be committed to promoting peace and that must start at individual level. “Peace has to start with oneself. If you are not peaceful, you cannot help others to maintain peace. One has to understand how important peace is to ourselves, and then we will know how important it is to the entire nation," she said. The Gambia is still a fledgling democracy, which is struggling to break from its brutal past, and does not seek a repeat of the 2016/2017 crisis, which saw thousands of citizens fled to neighbouring Senegal to seek refuge following a disputed election. Although two opposition parties contest the results, all the international observers including five former African presidents and local observers have described the outcome as free and fair. The Gambia’s three-year election cycle continues in April 2022 with a parliamentary election in which 53 seats are up for grab and in March 2023 with a local government election in which 2 mayoral and 5 chairperson seats are up for grab. Therefore, the advocacy for diversity, tolerance and peace remains highly needed in the country’s political discourse ahead of these crucial votes.
The rise in the price of basic commodities in The Gambia for the past few months is unprecedented and rather challenging for low-income earners. The rise in prices isn’t showing no sign of decline weeks after Gambians re-elected Adama Barrow. The Gambia is a country with 48.5% of the population living below USD 1 a day. The current level of inflation in the country is becoming a nightmare for consumers whose expenditures are higher than their earnings. The situation, which remains hostile for low-income earners, necessitated their call for concern of price hike of goods. In Gambia, the inflation rate measures a broad rise or fall in prices that consumers pay for a standard basket of goods. Inflation rate in The Gambia increased to 7.34 percent in October from 7.01 percent in September of 2021. While food inflation increased to 8:80 percent and interest rate increased to 10:00 in October 2021, according to the Gambia Bureau of Statistics (GBoS). The Central Bank Governor, Buah Saidy said at a press conference on 8th September 2021 that the main drivers of food inflation were rice, vegetables, oils and fats, sugar, jam, honey and sweets, and other food products. He added that consumer price inflation on food and non-alcoholic beverages accelerated to 11.5% during the review period compared to 5.2% a year ago. Meanwhile, the World Bank also revealed that the headline inflation started increasing in January 2021, driven by food price increases, which is undermining household food security, but said it decelerated slightly to 6.9% y/y in August 2021. Consumers’ complaints Ebrima Mboob, 38, of Manjai and breadwinner of his family said feeding is the most expensive thing in the Gambia, right now. He complained that even D500 is not enough for the daily sustenance of the family (fish money) as a kilo of meat now costs D300. He lamented that all his monthly earnings go into family feeding, while other bills such as school fees, health care, water and electricity are being taken care of by his wife and siblings in Europe. “Even one does multiple jobs; it would be difficult to take care of his family needs alone. You must seek support from other relatives to help solve family needs,” he said. Fatou Jarju, 40, fishmonger at the Wellingara market said addressing the recent rise in the inflation, especially on basic commodities should be the priority of the re-elected president, Adama Barrow. She said the little profit she makes from her business does not benefit her as it all goes into the needs of her family. “It’s been five months now, I have not saved even D100 because from the little daily sales I make, I use that to sustain my family. My husband cannot do it alone. I have to assist him. The bills are also there and they should be settled and none of my children have graduated yet, they are all going to school,” the 40-year-old fishmonger said. A single mother at Sinchu Baliya, Saffiayatou Sanyang, 52, is scared that she might be a street beggar, if the situation remains unchanged. Sanyang, has been a mother of four, and a widow for the past 4 years who lives from hand-to-mouth through laundry service to put food on the table for her 4 children. She said if fish could cost D100 while she goes to market with D150; there is a high tendency that her family would not consume a balanced diet. “The recent increase in inflation should be a concern for everyone, not only the government. D200 of daily fish-money is no longer enough for families because fish alone cost D100 and above; while a cup of vegetable oil costs D25 that was sold for D10. Prices keep increasing and the government is not doing anything,” she decried. Since the change of government in 2017, the country has been experiencing different waves of price hikes as inflation continues to rise. Expert observation Former Accountant General and one-time Finance and Economic Affairs Minister in the Barrow led administration; Amadou Sanneh said the government should encourage many investments by Gambians and improve inflows of the foreign exchange as well as to improve the exchange rate and strengthening of the Dalasi. He said the Dalasi is falling and one has to factor in the valuation of the currency. “Sound macroeconomic management, financial management of the economy will ensure inflation comes down and there will be price stability and the exchange rate needs to be checked,” Sanneh suggested. The Gambia Government in a dispatch dated 23rd March 2020 introduced measures to control prices of essential commodities using the Commodities Emergency Powers Regulations, 2020. The development followed complaints from vendors and consumers about the exorbitant prices of essential commodities, especially basic food items, which sparked panic among buyers in the country. Another former finance minister, Abdou Colley said the inflation rise affects the consumers’ purchasing power and their ability to buy and consume goods; adding that it is also an effect on the rise in price of commodities which affect consumers ability to consume and maintain their pattern, likewise their welfare. “Its number one consequence is a reduction in growth. It slows down growth, meaning if the price of goods is increasing, then the consumption pattern is affected which leads them to reduce the quantities they purchase and this would lead to a slowdown in growth in the economy,” Colley explained. The former finance minister further explained that the rise in inflation also affects international competitiveness. “Gambian goods become relatively more expensive compared to other goods. Whereby Gambia’s ability as a country to export goods to other countries is affected and this reduces the country’s competitiveness. So, inflation affects growth in the economy and the competitiveness of the economy and also consumers’ welfare,” he said. NPP Gov’t Mitigation plan The National People’s Party manifesto states that the NPP Government would encourage and support improved agricultural productivity and livestock production. It explains that agricultural policies would seek to propel production and productivity through mechanisation to boost supplies at local markets for affordability by consumers. The NPP government aims to invest in the private sector to increase the surface of consolidated irrigated land with technological enhancement to the ideals of mechanisation; as well as to work with the private sector and all other interest groups to build storage facilities across the country for both local and industrial farmers to add value to agricultural crops and products such as fruits, vegetables and flours.
In 2016, President Adama fled the country to Senegal where he took the oath of office because the environment was not conducive for his continued stay in the Gambia. It was the first and only time that Gambians voted out a President through the ballot box. There is a gap in the laws as it fails to capture how the government would transition from one regime to another as well as the protection of the incoming president. There was no handing over from former President Jammeh to President Barrow because the former was using State security. Both the Gambian Constitution and the Elections Act provide no specific provisions that oblige the State security apparatus to provide protection for an incoming president elected under an opposition party or independent candidate ticket. This poses a significant threat to the elected leader and the immediate family members, as they are left unprotected until their inauguration. Security threat underestimated In 2016, President-elect Adama Barrow (as he was then), was forced to hire private security guards from Senegal to protect him in addition to the civilian volunteers who sacrificed their lives to protect him. This was because he had no access to state security for protection. Barrow ended up taking refuge in Dakar for his safety, especially when his predecessor Yahya A.J.J Jammeh refused to relinquish power. Citizens have since shown concern about this lacuna in the legal instruments and urge the authorities to enact laws that would oblige the state security forces to provide protection for the incoming president, especially when elected from the opposition parties or on an independent ticket. Aminata Correa, a media assistant at the then Coalition 2016 Media Unit headquartered at the Kairaba Beach Hotel recalled the insecurities that surrounded the then President-elect, Adama Barrow. This was largely due to the fact that the people who volunteered to protect the president-elect were inexperienced in providing presidential security. “The uncertainty at the time and the risk involved made it necessary for the President-elect to be given the security. I think we had underestimated how serious the threat was. Anything could have happened to the president-elect before he was flown out of the country,” she said. Correa maintained that there is a need for a security sector reform that would take care of the lacuna, stating the experience in 2016 was a textbook description of how the former administration treated opponents. Muhammed Joof was among the people who volunteered to guard Adama Barrow during the 2016 political impasse, following the presidential election. He endured attacks as he was allegedly stabbed by the supporters of ex-President Jammeh in Tallinding at night, while closing from his guard duty. Joof sustained injuries and he was threatened that he would be killed for serving as a close security protection personnel to the 2016 Coalition. The matter was reported at the Tallinding Police Station and the police command commissioned an investigation which found that Joof sustained injuries. Absolute protection The Deputy Party leader of the Gambia Democratic Congress (GDC) Amadou Kah, believes that the incoming president should be provided with “absolute protection” together with their immediate families. He said incoming presidents represent the will of the people – the verdict of the people, and that the position they are elected into represents democracy – “the survival of our democracy.” “They should feel safe not only that they can trust, but also, they should feel safe that they will be able to assume the Office of President at the required time as mandated by the Constitution in peace and stability,” Kah said. “Another important aspect here is not only about having a law providing a mechanism, but I think it is very fundamental that the institutions that are responsible for such protection to be educated, to be enlightened [and] to be strengthened. [We] need to build the institution in such a way that they would only serve the Constitution and the will of the people without affection or ill-will.” The civil society leader Marr Nyang, said the best practice in a democratic society is when one is elected as a President, he or she receives security protection from the State. “It is obligatory on the State to provide security protection for the president-elect.” “Not only to receive security protection, but the president-elect should also receive security briefings from the heads of the security apparatuses that will also help the president-elect to acquaint him or herself with the security status of the country so that once the person assumes office, he or she can smoothly go through the transition.”’ Marr said the cabinet of the incoming president should receive briefing from the cabinet of the outgoing president so that the handing over and the transition could be done smoothly, suggesting security sector reform to accommodate such issues. According to him, Barrow’s cabinet did not receive proper security briefing from their predecessor and they were not prepared to tackle the urgent security needs. “There was no clear briefing from the outgoing cabinet to the incoming cabinet. There has to be a law that will govern the process and procedure of protecting the incoming president and his cabinet, sharing of the briefing regarding the security of the country and then also briefings from the outgoing cabinet to the incoming cabinet.” “Those issues should be clearly laid out in our laws,” he said. A young politician, Kemeseng Sanneh, has also discussed the need for the reforms to create protection for the incoming presidents from the opposition. “I strongly recommend legislation to that effect.” He recalled that Adama Barrow took his oath of office in Senegal because the environment was not ripe for him to take it in The Gambia. “We cannot continue to have our incoming president take his or her oath of office in another country. He or she should be protected, to ensure that the verdict of the people prevail. The situation in 2016, which compelled the President to flee out of the country, should not repeat. Thus, the need for legislative reform,” he said. Extremely important Meanwhile, a lawmaker, Suwaibou Touray, has agreed with the call. “For the interest of peaceful and lawful transfer of power, I believe it is ‘extremely important’ and wise to safeguard the security of our leaders as well as ensuring that our electoral process is sustained and predictable,” Touray said. However, lawyer Abdoulie Fatty said he is not sure whether there is a need for a special legislation to deal with the matter. He said what happened during the reign of former President Jammeh was atrocious and abnormal. He cited the December 4, 2021 presidential elections where the police provided all the candidates protection during the campaign period. “That's the duty of the police and even the NIA,” he said, adding, “Jammeh just monopolised those institutions.” Lawyer Fatty said if President Barrow had lost last year’s election, “I am sure the police would have enhanced protection for them befitting a President-elect and being equally entitled to intelligence briefings.” He added: “I do not personally think we need special legislation to address this issue. What we need is strong justice sector institutions such as the police.” He said in both the UK and the Unites States of America, the leading opposition candidate is briefed by security chiefs just in case he or she wins they would have had a reasonable idea of the state of the country's intelligence. “Again, a president-elect is a president in waiting. Therefore, he or she is entitled to enhanced security to protect him or her and should also be entitled to a lot of the benefits that the incumbent is entitled to in terms of access to state facilities,” Fatty said. “I mean meetings with the Inspector General of Police, Chief of Defence Staff, National Intelligence Agency director, so that as soon as he or she is sworn in, they would have had some knowledge of the state of affairs.”