No Election Agenda: " I may be called an Autocrat and all that... should the push for that agenda continue"

The March pass organized by some supporters of the Jammeh government took place  27th June 2009.  The march according to its organizers was meant to show a strong crowd of more than 10,000 people who would walk from Kanifing to Banjul which they could show to convince the whole world that all that is being said about the Jammeh in the outside is a lie.

It is also the objective of the organizers to push the idea of a NO election agenda to have Jammeh as a life president since they said Jammeh has satisfied their aspirations and needs as citizens. This reporter followed the group who were frantically and desperately struggling to mobilize people to come to the march pass using every means at their disposal.

The UTGSU buses belonging to Jammeh were among the many trucks mobilized to transport people to the West field. By about 4pm, there were not more than 300 people gathered at Westfield. The crowd was moved to the PIU police station by 6pm while more efforts were made to bring more people by vehicles in no more than fives and tens.

By 6.30pm, this reporter has seen PIU officers changing uniforms for the new THANK YOU T/shirts and joining the crowd that was gathered there. Observation has shown that many people are coerced to participate in the march for fear of dismissal from their jobs. Talking to a young port worker who said he has to take part because of the strict warning given to them that they may loose their jobs for refusal to attend the march. He said "you know I will never support Jammeh". I expressed understanding with him.

The organizers also told different people different things and promised food, T/ Shirts which is given on the spot and jobs to others. One youth told me that he is promised a job at the new GSM operator, Qcell, if he should participate in the march.

The march was funded by many companies whose names do not appear on the T/shirts. The crowd could only show less than an estimated 5000 persons and by the time they arrived in Banjul, the crowd began to dilute as many people started to look for their way back home without listening to Jammeh’s speech.

To the surprise of many, the president’s speech centered on the lapses of the Jawara era. Jammeh criticized the underdevelopment of the period and mentioned the roads, airport, the arch, Kombo coastal road and the North Bank road etc. He did not talk about the economic malice hitting Gambians like a thunder rock from the sky.

On the ‘NO ELECTION’ agenda, Jammeh expressed fear that he would be called an Autocrat and all that... should they push for that agenda. He said they should go for an election and make sure the opposition does not even have a single vote anywhere in the country. He said then that would be the time the world would know that they are popular.

Speaking to a participant as to whether his expectations are met; he said the crowd did not inspire him because it has not reached his expectations. He also said he did not know that the NO ELECTION is part of the agenda otherwise he said he would not have come since he did not buy that idea. Another said what he was told is that the march has nothing to do with politics; that it was one diasporan Gambian, one Mr. Bakar Drammeh, a Banjulian for that matter who wants to show his appreciation to Jammeh for meeting his expectations in development. Some say Bakar is a frustrated
Diaspora youth who has made it before but who is now bankrupt and frustrated and desperately wants Jammeh to help him with funds so that he would settle in country and this is why they said, he is spending all his last bututs on the project.   

Apparently, what is clear however is that the regime is very much disturbed about what is said about it nationally and internationally even though it pretends to Gambians that it does not care about what is said against it. It is also plain that the recent spate of unjustified arrests of innocent journalists has created some deep seated division among the ranks of the ordinary supporters of the regime. It is the believe of others that there is an under current of pressure from world leaders, human rights group and Gambians abroad on the state of human rights and the lack of freedom of expression in the country that regime is obliged to do something to not only fend off such strong criticisms but to also show that despite all that, the regime still has mass support for its actions. They opined that a regime no matter how unpopular can at least put together 5000 people from its tied supporters to carryout a march such as this.

No matter what the short-comings of the march, one good thing that comes out of it is; Jammeh has accepted that the No election agenda is not possible even if he did not come out openly to say that the constitution is oppose to such a practice. It’s made clear to all those block headed supporters who have been misled by the slogan that it is an empty agenda devoid of any political substance and completely alien to the present constitution which cannot be put before the people in a referendum. 
 
By Solo