Gambia: New Access to Information lobby launched as
Presidential polls near-
Electoral Commission first to be targeted for evidence
Banjul- 20 October 2016-
Individuals with professional backgrounds ranging from geology, demographics,
economics, international relations, law, communications and academics, have
mobilized to form an Access to Information lobby to pressure key institutions
like the Independent Elections Commission and other state entities like the
Gambia Bureau of Statistics to voluntarily disclose data, statistics, finances
and funding models being utilized to conduct the 2016 presidential and 2017
National Assembly elections.
The Right to
Know (R2K) Gambia Coalition stated that the upcoming December Presidential
election is being organized against the backdrop of the total personalisation
of the state and its institutions by President Jammeh. This, it says, has
resulted in increasing abuse of rights and disregard of the rule of law, while
state institutions and public enterprises have weakened.
“State and democratic institutions that are supposed
to ensure transparency and be accountable to the people, remain under the firm
grip of the President who has subverted all democratic processes to serve only
his political and commercial interests. Thus the space for popular
participation, access to information and freedom of association have been
severely curtailed by legislative repression and enforced by military and
police brutality,” said a spokesperson for the
group.
The group
believes that the retrieval of information, which in other countries is normal
routine, is actually near impossible in The Gambia, given the heightened levels
of illegality by the state, whose actions are often shrouded in secrecy. It is
this culture of secrecy, and abuse of regulatory frameworks by a paranoid
regime, say the R2K-Gambia, that they will confront.
The R2K fired
its first salvo yesterday, 19 October 2016, when it sent a three page letter
requesting for information from the Chairperson of the Gambia Independent
Electoral Commission (IEC), Mr. Njie, on key issues pertaining to the running
of the upcoming elections exercise. The
detailed questions, which totalled 17, ranged from population data, supplementary
voter registration results, and utilization of elections Acts to funding,
budgets, procurement of the BVR system and gifts received by the IEC and its
Commissioners from President Yahya Jammeh.
“R2K has stated from the onset that it is spearheading
this campaign in the spirit of partnership and civic duty, it is a non-partisan
entity that focuses on rule of law and democracy, good governance, human rights
and the principles of access to information,”
said an R2K Gambia spokesperson.
However, there
are doubts whether state institutions in The Gambia will heed to the requests
likely to come from the R2K in the coming weeks. This has not deterred the
group, which states that it is important to get answers to the questions being
asked, which it believes is relevant, legal and an obligation from entities approached
to respond.
“If they refuse to respond to the requests being made
by the R2K Gambia Coalition, who are Gambians, then it means that they have
absolutely no respect for our Constitution, the ECOWAS Protocol, AU treaty
mechanisms and the citizenry. That alone is evidence that something is not
right in this election process and therefore they have something to hide.”
The R2K Gambia
Coalition has committed to elevate the principles of Access to Information on
elections and stated that they will make public all information sent to, and
received from, state and non-state entities in the country. It has already shared the request for
information with all Gambian political parties, ECOWAS, AU and UN.
For more
information please contact:
*********************
Who:
R2K Gambia is a
made up of a grouping of individuals with professional backgrounds ranging from
geology, demographics, economics, international relations and law, communications,
and academia. All members are human
rights activists. We are located in US,
UK, West and Southern Africa. We are a non-partisan entity that focuses on rule
of law and democracy, good governance, human rights and the principles of access
to information.
Disclosure : I am a member of the R2K Gambia
