By Madi Jobarteh
Did I hear some NAMs lament on the floor of the National Assembly that Gambians in the diaspora will not vote in the December polls? Why are they lamenting? Are they serious? If not them, who is to blame? The truth is, no one is failing this country other than NAMs and political parties, especially those parties that have representatives in the National Assembly.
Let’s check the history. When the Minister of Finance brought the 2021 budget estimates to the National Assembly in November 2020, NAMs saw the budget for the IEC. If they were interested in diaspora registration and voting, they would have made sure that the money was there and given to IEC. Instead, NAMs decided to slice the budget of the IEC, claiming it was too much.
But at that time, the Minister of Finance did say that the budget included money for the registration of Gambian diaspora. But several months later, the same Finance minister told NAMs that such money was not allocated after all. Right there and then, NAMs should have scolded the Finance minister to produce the money or sack him by using Section 75 of the Constitution. But NAMs failed to do that. Why?
Since 2017, this Government has brought several supplementary appropriation bills before NAMs which they approved. The Government brought those requests for projects that they were interested in. But no NAM ever asked the Government to also bring a supplementary appropriation bill for the diaspora registration and voting. Why?
Every NAM has a right to present a private member’s bill to either amend the Constitution, or the Elections Act or create a whole new law. Hence any NAM or a group of NAMs could have proposed a bill that sought to make sure the right kind of law is created just to ensure that diaspora is registered and vote. But no one did it. Why?
Furthermore, any NAM could propose a motion on the floor of the National Assembly to ask that the Gambia Government provide the money to the IEC to make sure the diaspora is registered and vote in December and all public elections. But no NAM ever did that. Why? Yet we know that NAMs have placed many motions on the floor of the parliament that got supported by everyone. Therefore, why was there no motion for diaspora voting?
Yet all of these NAMs are from political parties, but we have seen no party that had ever asked its members to pursue the above actions. Not UDP, GDC, PDOIS, NRP, APRC, PPP, NPP, and the Independents. No one ever suggested to their NAMs to take action. Why?
Any NAM or any relevant parliamentary committee such as the human rights and constitutional matters committee could have summoned the President under section 77(2), or summon the Vice President or any minister under Section 77(4) to question and demand them to make sure the diaspora register and vote. But this was not done even though NAMs have that power. Why?
Also, any political party could have gone to the High Court or the Supreme Court to seek an order for the Government and the IEC to make sure the diaspora register and vote. But no party did that, ever. Why?
Also, any political party could have asked its supporters to protest in the middle of Banjul to demand that the diaspora register and vote. But no political party ever did that. Why?
Also, any party could have written to the President to demand him to ensure that the diaspora register and vote. But no party ever did that. Why?
Above all, NAMs have the power and the opportunity and the resources to have amended the Constitution or the Elections Act since 2017 to ensure that the diaspora register and vote. But no such amendment ever took place even though NAMs did amend Section 91(1)(d) to secure their own tenure, made through a private member’s bill proposed by the Minority Leader Samba Jallow, the NAM from NRP. We also saw the Executive propose the amendment of Section 62(1)(b) to remove the upper age limit for president as well as Section 141(2)(b) to remove the same upper age limit for judges. Why not for diaspora vote?
But here we are in July 2021, at the very eve of the December election, NAMs could not even still pass the elections bill so that we have a new elections law in time for the presidential election! For several months now they have this elections bill with them, and even went around the country with it for so-called public hearings, yet the session ended yesterday without passing the elections bill. Why?
But they have the time and the temerity to stand up in the adjournment debate to lament the lack of diaspora voting! Seriously?
Indeed, no NAM or political party and the Executive have any moral authority to complain about the lack of diaspora voting. This is because they killed it. They have the power, the opportunity and the resources to make it happen. But they flatly refused to make it happen yet they want to lament here as if they ever cared. How?
Stop the lip service. Hold your NAMs and Political Parties Accountable.
For The Gambia Our Homeland
