Voters in the Kiang West constituency will be going to the polls today to elect their representative at the National Assembly.
The election, being contested by the APRC and opposition NRP, comes after the expulsion of Yahya Dibba by the ruling APRC after the party said that he was found to have conducted himself in a manner that runs contrary to the rules of the APRC, and the party cannot accept such behavior from its membership.
Of course, Gambians in particular the people of Kiang West are no strangers to elections. It may even seem superfluous to tell them what to do today, but a piece of advice now and again is never a waste.
While we pray for a peaceful, free and fair bye-election election in Kiang West constituency, we would like to urge all the players in the political arena and all Gambians, in general, to work towards ensuring this.
We should avoid anything that would hinder the holding of free and fair elections, as this will go against the image of our peaceful country.
The two candidates and their supporters should display a high sense of maturity, and treat each other with respect.
We implore all electors to go and cast their votes on time, ideally before mid-day.
We also appeal to the electors to conduct themselves with discipline and a civic sense of responsibility.
They must never allow themselves to be manipulated by anyone.
At the same time, the security personnel who will be on duty today must also conduct themselves with decorum and professionalism.
Any hint of intimidation on their part could ruin the entire voting process.
“A
politician thinks of the next election. A statesman, of the next generation”
James
Freeman Clarke
