‘Election Amendment Bill Is An Insult’

Gambian political activist has described the enactment of the Election Amendment Bill by the National Assembly on July7th as both “insulting and provocative.”

The beseiged ruling APRC deputies overwhelmingly voted in favour of a law that restricts participation of opposition in elections. The said law, among others, hiked fees for registration of political and increased presidential candidates’ deposit by 900 percent.

“The passing of the Election Amendment Bill on 7th July 2015 has clearly shown all – opposition, Gambians, our friends and the world – that Yahya Jammeh will never stop taking us for a joke,” Sheikh Sidia Bayo, who described himself as a would-be Independent Presidential Candidate, wrote.

Mr. Bayo said the “Amendment is a big mockery” to The Gambia, its people and politics. “Yahya Jammeh and his cronies who have been masquerading as National Assembly Members conducted the bias constitutional amendment changes just to strengthen themselves to continue their grip om power,” Mr. Bayo said, linking up the current development to what he called the bitter taste of acknowledging and supporting “a soldier without any political education.”

He said the regime’s unacceptable and uncalled for behaviour “should ring an alarm bell for the opposition to stand as one or elontinue to witness and experience barbaric and catastrophic situations in our political environment.”

Bayo, a French citizen of Gambian descent, wondered why the dictatorial regime would introduce this “the unacceptable Pick and Choose Strategy” at a time Gambians have had enough of provocation and insults.

“Therefore, I Sheikh Sidia Bayo, the Independent Presidential Candidate of The Gambia, in unequivocal terms condemn the inappropriate Election Amendments Bill,” Bayo said in a statement, calling for the repeal of the newly passed bill or put it to vote in a referendum.

Ends