UDP standard bearer Ousainou Darboe threatened that the judicial independence of Gambia is scary.

On a Radio program with home digital FM’s mengbehkering,  he said “They said Yahya Jammeh brought mercenary judges. Well, we don’t have mercenary judges now but we have people in this country who are attempting to undermine court cases, especially high-profile cases. A day will come I will clear all these things,”

He claimed that there was “a court ruling where an injunction was made for a certain airline not to fly out of the country but Civil Aviation later wrote a letter to the court to say that they have not seen any law that will stop the airline from leaving the country. That is interference with the judiciary because the judge who gave the order knows whether the law exists or not. This is why this government should not stay here at all”, he said.

 

December election

Darboe said he believes the  IEC in December presidential election will conduct a free and fair election. “I don’t think the IEC will want to take the risk of being the cause of unrest in this country,” he said.

Darboe also observed that IEC was a bit remiss in the manner they disposed of the old voter cards.

He added that his first agenda if elected as the president in December is going to be the rejected draft Constitution.

“We will reintroduce the draft to the National Assembly and convince lawmakers to support it, after which we will take it for a referendum. That will be one of our major transformative agenda,” Darboe said.

Darboe broach his disappointment of the government in handling Janneh Commission recommendation. “The government has shown lack of seriousness towards the recommendation. They have shown clear indications that they have no interest in implementing the recommendations but a UDP government will remedy all these things,”

Under the UDP Government, ministers will be given three months to prove themselves through a scoreboard, because the government hasn’t done any reforms in the civil service.

“A special attention will be given to the ministries of education, health and communications,” he said.

Darboe said it will be very difficult to wipe out corruption in the Gambia and went on saying “human beings are by nature corrupt but a UDP government will significantly minimise corruption in this country”.

His government will not allow the corrupt practices acquire  during Jammeh’s time to continue.

“We removed Jammeh not just because of his attempt to entrench himself in power but because of his administration’s corrupt practices. We don’t hate Jammeh and we will never hate him as a person – we only hated his administration’s corrupt practices,” he said.

Darboe said he doesn’t expect that “those who are supporting the UDP are doing so because they want to be given positions when the party is in government”.

“I think the support is based on principles but we will not also deny those who are qualified and can do the job from acquiring positions,” he concluded.

 

By Fatimah Sonko