The road to democracy was ushered in 2016 when the Gambia went to the polls to change the president for the first time through the ballot box, a move that uprooted dictatorship after 22 years. A new vision for The Gambia included a new constitution and accountability for past human rights violations. A Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission was also established to probe human rights violations committed between July 1994 to January 2017. As part of fulfilling the desires of the Gambians people, a commission was set up and tasked with drafting a constitution that reflects the wishes and aspiration of citizens thus ushering in the birth of a third republic. The new constitution would replace the 1997 constitution which supported the self-perpetuating design of the ex-leader. The draft constitution was a fundamental agenda to the reform processes in the Gambia under the new regime as the country needed so many institutional reforms thus over D116 million was invested in the 2020 draft Constitution. More than two years after the process began, and after a highly acrimonious and polarised parliamentary debate, the proposed Constitution Promulgation Bill, 2020 was voted out by the National Assembly. This bill would have brought in a new constitution to replace the 1997 constitution, however, with 23 lawmakers voting against the backing of 31 MPs, it fell short of the three-quarters required to put it to a referendum. A new constitution was one of the campaign promises of the Coalition 2016, intended to usher in a new dawn and promote secularism, good governance and multiparty democracy. Five years down the line, these promises are not met thus dashing away the hopes of Gambians. The draft constitution introduced several measures aimed at enhancing and strengthening democracy. They included a presidential term limit, limits on executive power and greater political inclusion of marginalised groups (including women, youth and people with disabilities). It provided for a Bill of Rights chapter that complied with international and regional human rights standards, and provided for freedom of the media and access to information. Madi Jobarteh, a human right activist, said the Barrow administration did not encourage the lawmakers that are affiliated with his government to support a yes vote for the draft constitution to pass. Mr. Jobarteh stated that a lot of money spent on this draft constitution, an initiative by the Barrow’s government as such expects it in the forefront to advocate for its transient to ensure those NAMS affiliated to the President to vote for it. Madi Jobarteh points out that the rejection of the draft constitution hugely influenced his vote in this year’s election. Kaddijatou Jawo, a journalist, was “disappointed for the fact that the new constitution would have been the best thing ever Gambians were anticipating to happen when the new administration took over.” “The new constitution would have paved the way for presidential term limits, which would have helped in the democratic process,’’ she said. Ms Jawo is still optimistic that the new draft constitution would someday be approved, and that hopes are not entirely lost. Mustapha Sonko, a Migration Officer at the National Youth Council, said there could have been a compromise among various parties to ensure the draft constitution was passed. “’I am disappointed not only with the current administration, but the fact that the entire process was debated based on interest, on political dimension,’’ he said. During the campaign for votes in the December 4 presidential elections, some of the candidates (Essa Mbye Faal, Ousainou Darboe, Halifa Sallah) promised to bring the draft constitution back to life should they win. They did not. Barrow, who won the polls with a margin of 25% between him and his main challenger, did not provide for the revival of the draft constitution in his party’s manifesto. But on Tuesday December 7, he made a fresh promise to deliver a new constitution. "I assure you we will have a new constitution before the end of my term. I am committed to it and I will make sure it happens," the president-elect told local and international journalists in Banjul, the capital. He also promised to ensure there are limited terms for the president and an absolute majority voting system where a candidate needs to meet a minimum threshold if they are to be elected in a first round ballot or face a second round where they fail to meet the threshold of more than 50% of the total votes cast. Tuesday’s announcement has renewed hopes for a new constitution.
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.
Hate speech is often rife during elections. In the run up to first presidential elections in the post-dictatorial elections, Lenisa Gomez zoomed into the need to avoid such menace. https://soundcloud.com/user-140623569-423216487/lenisa-gomez-hate-speech
Over the past five years, numerous criminal activities, including stabbing, armed robbery and theft have been recorded across The Gambia. One community endangered by the criminals is Manjai Kunda, with residents asking for the swift intervention of Adama Barrow’s government to fix the trouble. Victims’ account Saffiatou Colley, a night shift worker, recalled a last month encounter that nearly took her life, while closing from work around 2 a.m. She said three boys had approached her with a knife threatening her to leave her bag or be stabbed to death. She claimed to have been pushed to the ground and as they attempted to collect her bag, a man appeared to her rescue. “I did not report the case to the police because I don’t know those boys. Due to my attack, I lost my job. I told my boss that I could not work at night. So, he needed to change my shift to day time. But he refused. Then I resigned from the job because I couldn’t trade my life for anything,” she said. According to Saffiatou, she voted for Adama Barrow and she is now expecting his government to take a concrete step to address security problems in Manjai; especially armed robbery. She tasked Barrow to keep his campaign promise to ensure every Gambian life is safe and secure. Business people such as shopkeepers are usually key targets of the criminals. A shop owner, Abdoulie Sowe, also in Mankai Kunda was a victim. He lost D70, 000 to criminals, who broke into his shop and stole items including gas bottles, crates of soft drinks, packs of soap, among others. He has no idea who broke into his shop. Although he reported the case to the police, nothing came out of it. “I am even afraid of continuing my business because those who stole from me are still free; and they might come back again,” Abdoulie lamented. Sowe challenged the government to put mechanisms to solve security issues in Manjai because no one can do business in an unsafe place. Ramatoulie Sallah, whose house was broken into by a thief, said while asleep around 5 a.m.; she heard footsteps in the room. As she peeped through the window, she realised it was a thief. She shouted, but the thief had already escaped with a decoder and a laptop before the neighbourhood was alerted. “I reported the case to the police but there was no success in recovering my stolen items. I want this new government to make a stop to such things in my community. It is now very difficult for me to sleep at night now because of the previous experience,” she expressed. The thieves have also robbed public worship places such as mosques in Manjai. Ebrima Jallow, a member of Manjai a Mosque Committee, said equipment such as loudspeakers, microphones, battery, and some Quranic books were stolen from their Mosque. As other cases mentioned, the police did not find the thieves. He grieved that it will cost them a lot for them to buy the stolen equipment again, as they rely on donations. He further said that the security issue in Manjai is alarming and a step needs to be taken. Barrow’s promise Referencing his manifesto during the December 4 presidential election campaign, Barrow has promised to equip the armed and security forces to the fullest to be able to address the issue of insecurity in the country. In addition, in May this year, President Adama Barrow in a televised address to the nation on national security, assured to keep the country safe “Fellow Gambians, it is my primary duty as President and Commander-in-Chief of the Gambia Armed Forces to keep this country safe. Therefore, let me assure you all that I will discharge my responsibilities both day and night without fear or fear, affection or ill will,” he said. He added that his government would continue to do everything possible to boost the capacity of the Gambia Police Force and other internal security services in relation to personnel equipment and training in order to enhance their capability to all threats and crimes. “I call upon the organs of the state, the judiciary, the legislator and the media to play their roles and complement one another to nip the surge in crime rates,” Barrow said in the televised address. Perspective of expert Sheriff Gomez, a security expert said the causes of security problems like crimes related to theft and armed robbery can be attributed to frustration, hopelessness, unemployment, desperation and inadequate distribution of resources. To solve the problem, he suggested the government study, know and understand the causes and reasons of the crimes for solutions. Gomez went on to say that the internal security agents such as the police need resources required, to maximise their delivery in ensuring safety and security of the people.
The frequency at which the property owners (landlords) increase their rent for accommodations has been a cause for concern for poor tenants in The Gambia. Many believe that the involvement of intermediaries (middlemen or agents) who are known as the so-called house agents are responsible for the situation as they set the price for the house owners, from which they get a share. Most of the people renting in the urban areas are on a very low earning at their workplaces due to poor salary scales; thus are living from hand-to-mouth. The role of the agents in the rental business is not only making the price expensive, but the conditions they lay down make it beyond the reach of the poor who are consequently denied from having a dignified living. Fatou Sambo, a mother, testified to this. She disclosed that tenants are now often required to make an advanced payment of six months before accessing a house; while a typical two-room and parlour, nowadays costs tenants D4, 500 per month. “I will work for a whole day and end up paying it for rent. All my earnings stop at rent. Sometimes, I usually eat lunch from my neighbours because I can’t afford to cook due to the pressure of rent,” she said. She wants the government to take a bold step concerning rent because it is not reasonable, as the other necessities such as feeding, clothing, education, health and other social services must also be taken care of by tenants, especially the poor. “It will really help if this issue is tackled because now landlords are making a lot of money, more than they spent on building because of the high cost of rent they are charging. The rent keeps on increasing. If this continues, I will end up living in the streets with my family,” she stressed. She also noted that property owners sometimes serve tenants with notices to leave within a very short period because the tenant fails to pay just one- or two-months’ rent. This is against the Rent Act 2014, which specifies, “a landlord or tenant may terminate a tenancy by notice in writing, specifying the date at which the tenancy is to come to an end. In the case of a yearly tenancy, the notice is given not less than three months.” Another tenant, Ousman Sallah, explained the difficulties he faces from expensive house rent coupled with the harsh attitude of some property owners. According to him, to get a house in the Greater Banjul Area is difficult. He currently pays D3, 500 for 2 rooms and a parlour house, which has poor roofing, and the property owner refused to renovate it. “I am a single father of three. My wife passed away and I lost my job recently. Now I am a donkey cart operator but my landlord has no understanding at all. I owe him six months’ rent, but he is making things hard for me. Sometimes, I would find him locked my door, so I would beg him to give me some time, because I am a single parent, as I have to pay for my children’s school fees and also have to feed them, which is not easy. He recently increased the rent to D4, 500 without giving me prior notice,” he explained. The single father urged the government to take concrete action to address the rental issues in the country, at least by providing or implementing laws that restrict the powers of the property owners. Property owners react “It is not that I am heartless or so, but I am a businessperson, and I get my earnings from the money I collect from house rent,'' said Abdoulie Mbaye, a property owner who has been into renting houses for the past six years. He complained that some tenants would be owing house rents unbearably long, and when approached to pay, they would react ‘rudely’ to them (property owner) who are simply asking for their money. According to Mbaye, property owners are responsible for paying rent taxes, and argued that the government should lower the imposed taxes to enable them also to lower the rent tenants are asked to pay. Ousainou Faye, also a property owner, says building materials are expensive in addition to the construction of the building, which makes them to fix rent at prices through which they can recover their expenditures. He also complained that tenants would sometimes exit while owing property owners, as he justifies the issue of advanced payments, which they usually ask for six months payments. Faye maintains that the livelihood is stressful for everyone and it is the duty of the government to create balance for people by reducing cost and taxes on building materials. Government’s promise The ruling National People’s Party (NPP) led by President Adama Barrow has promised that his administration shall engage in and promote sustained schemes for holistic rural and urban development, while affordable and livable housing schemes shall be a priority to ensure and improve the wellbeing of all Gambian citizens. Expert opinion Ebrahima Touray, an economist, said the high cost of rent affects the tenants in many ways, including making them feel insecure and unstable, if they do not have the means to pay for rents. He added that that makes it so hard for them (tenants) to address other needs of their families such as providing basic needs of health, feeding, and education as they struggle with poor living standards. “The solution to all these problems is the municipality should set regulations for rent and implement it because rent control will help,” Touray suggested.
The people of Bakau say, they will only vote for a political party that has plans to fix the poor drainage facilities. click this link to listen: https://soundcloud.com/user-140623569-423216487/bakau-people-to-vote-for-proper-drainage-system