Final day of registration

The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) will today conclude the general voter registration of eligible voters.

Gambians all over the country from 18 years and above have been registering to participate in the country’s democratization process.

We are, therefore, appealing to all those Gambians who are yet to resister to do so before registration closes.

Since there will be a series of elections in between 2011 and 2013, we encourage all eligible Gambians to take this opportunity to register.

In the same vein, we urge all those who are registered not to stop only at registering, but to make the best use of their voter cards by voting during elections.

We also urge people to avoid misusing the voter card by not using it as guarantors in their business transactions.

The voter’s card is not meant for that, but for voting at elections only and nothing else.

Over the years, it has been observed that some people misused their voter’s cards, since they get it free of charge.

The government pumps a lot of resources to register the people as voters, and such resources should not be wasted by anyone.

 Keep your cards safely, and only use them for voting. It is through voting that one can contribute effectively to the country’s democratization process by voting for the best candidate.

Once more, we commend the officials of IEC for the general registration of Gambians at home.

Please do not give or handover your voter’s card to any individual or group.

It is your life and should only be kept by you, and no other person.

We hope that the political parties and politicians will now have the opportunity to scrutinize the voters’ list, and would not hesitate to spot out any name or names that are indeed not qualified to be registered as voters.

When that happens, they must be prepared to come before the revising courts to say so, in order to enable the IEC to de-register them.

And remember that there are stiff penalties for illegal registration and improper attestation. So beware!