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toubab1020
12309 Posts |
 Posted - 26 Sep 2011 : 15:11:42
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Any comments or is everyone still banging on as to who should be in charge of power ?
http://thepoint.gm/africa/gambia/article/zambians-have-spoken
Zambians have spoken
africa » gambia
Monday, September 26, 2011
The outcome of last Thursday’s presidential election in Zambia is by all indications a clear testimony that real democracy is at work in that country.
Zambians voted in opposition leader Michael Sata as the country’s new president after a tightly contested presidential race, sending signals that their country neither belong to outgoing President Rupiah Banda, who led Zambia for 20 years, nor to any Zambian.
Translated into plain terms, the victory shows that the majority of Zambians are fed up with the leadership of outgoing President Banda.
Once again, the people of Zambia have shown that, in a democracy, power resides with the people!
And on Election Day, the Zambian people willingly and openly entrusted opposition leader Michael Sata with the custody of that sovereignty for the next five years.
Yet, with this unalloyed trust come a lot of challenges.
By voting overwhelmingly for Sata, Zambians want to see a continuity of the plethora of development projects the outgoing leadership initiated, and fulfillment of his electoral promises, key among them addressing unemployment and providing better working conditions.
Another lesson to learn from Zambia, is the demonstration of political maturity, as seen and heard in the way outgoing President Rupiah Banda conceded defeat, and called for unity in Zambia.
“The people of Zambia have spoken, and we must all listen,” Mr Banda told journalists, wiping away tears after finishing his speech.
He said previous Zambian presidents had accepted electoral defeat, and “I did not want to be the first one to disturb our democratic process”.
Banda knows very well that power belongs to the people and, as such, he accepted in good faith the outcome of the elections - for the betterment of all Zambians.
As we always emphasize on these pages, African leaders must understand that they are only political appointees that are given a mandate to run the affairs of their various countries, just for a time, and they must, therefore, not see or ever, for even a second, believe or act like the country is their personal property.
We have seen in some instances that once elected into office, some African leaders tend to believe that only they can be trusted to run the affairs of their country.
This is wrong thinking!
Indeed, the scourge of leaders clinging to power, and overstaying their welcome, had blighted the continent for a very long time, and has never been anything but destructive.
Also worth noting in Zambia is the role of the electoral commission, headed by a woman, which declared the election results, and the chief justice of Zambia who was the returning officer and whose role it was to declare the election of Sata as the winner.
The process seen in Zambia clearly shows that the electoral commission and judiciary are truly independent institutions.
This is another example of best practice, and one example other states in Africa with a record of poor governance should learn from, and emulate.
“So two cheers for Democracy: one because it admits variety, and two because it permits criticism. Two cheers are quite enough: there is no occasion to give three.”
E.M. Forster
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"Simple is good" & I strongly dislike politics. You cannot defend the indefensible.
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toubab1020
12309 Posts |
Posted - 26 Sep 2011 : 15:14:27
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Again the Points take on things:
http://thepoint.gm/africa/gambia/article/elections-are-cornerstone-of-democracy-declares-points-chief-editor
Elections are cornerstone of democracy, declares Point’s chief editor
africa » gambia
Friday, September 23, 2011
The editor-in-chief of The Point newspaper, Baboucarr Senghore, has underscored the significance of the forthcoming presidential, parliamentary and local government elections, stressing that elections are the cornerstone of any democracy.
He stated that the media has a vital role in informing the public about what the politicians are promising; in telling the politicians what ordinary people want, or do not want; and in ensuring that the polls are free and fair.
Senghore, who was speaking during a presentation on the “Role of editors in election coverage and reporting” at a four-day training workshop on election reporting for Gambian journalists, said yesterday that this was particularly important in countries lacking a solid background of democratic rule.
In his presentation, The Point’s chief editor opined that good journalists should also report elections in a non-partisan way, suppressing their own political views in order to allow the public to make up their minds solely on the basis of what the various candidates are offering.
According to him, one of the main problems in election reporting is corruption.
“Corruption is at the heart of poor election reporting in Africa, and a good number of journalists have fallen prey to this vice.
“As editors, we have a role to play in avoiding such problems.
Still on the role of editors in election coverage and planning, Mr Senghore went on to state that planning is essential to effective election coverage.
He said, as an editor, one should always check with the electoral commission all the details of the coming poll: registration date, start and closing day of the campaign period, election-day specifics (how the polling will be organized, among others.
In his view, elections bring politicians closer to media practitioners and, as a result, the image of the profession is profoundly tarnished with some insurmountable problems recorded.
Commenting on ethics, he said, observing the ethics of the profession is the golden rule, the success story and the kick-starter of the practice, when the canons of responsible journalism are put in motion.
“It is for this reason that professional ethics should be viewed and reviewed properly, more particularly as it stands as the formidable passage-way from common practice of journalists to their being regarded as the watchdogs of the society,” he added.
He told the gathering that the challenge of objectivity, impartiality and balance in journalism is faced daily by journalists, but there is no better test of professionalism than that faced in the heat and pressures of a bitterly fought political election, hence the need for such training of Gambian journalists in election reporting procedures.
“Journalists are, therefore, expected to be scrupulous enough to provide citizens with access to all the facts, opinions and ideas being canvassed in the election campaign,” he said, further noting that media houses should not be biased, political or opposition-minded as this can greatly affect their professionalism and the professional code of conduct.
Journalists, he went on, must resist with a will the temptation to be biased in their reporting. “The people to whom we are accountable need to be well-informed about all the issues at stake, so that they can decide for themselves,” he said, adding it is unethical for a journalist to canvass a particular political position.
For him, journalists who wish to do so would be wise to quit the profession, and run for an elective office.
He also stated in his presentation that the success or failure of a reporter in election reporting is largely dependent on some key indicators which, among others, include the state of mind of the journalist; lack of access to source of information; lack of effective communication; poor wages of journalists; editorial line of the media house; and cosmetic training in the media profession.
Author: Sainey M.K. Marenah
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"Simple is good" & I strongly dislike politics. You cannot defend the indefensible.
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toubab1020
12309 Posts |
Posted - 26 Sep 2011 : 15:17:58
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And this from The Daily Observer:
http://observer.gm/africa/gambia/article/koukoie-still-plotting-to-destabilise-the-gambia
Snippet,long article:
Koukoie still plotting to destabilise The Gambia
Africa » Gambia
Monday, September 26, 2011
Gambian dissident and masterminder of the 1981 abortive coup and now leader of the so-called ‘The African Democratic Congress’ is not relenting in his sinister efforts to once again inflict mayhem and chaos on peaceful and progrssive Gambia and its people.
With the scar of the 1981 abortive coup still fresh in the minds of Gambians, Koukoie Samba Sanyang is again through secret letters calling on Gambians to revolt against the country’s democratically elected goverment. In a letter obtained by the Daily Observer, the Foni-born dissident clearly exposed the fact that he is not interested in the peace and stability of The Gambia, but rather doing everything possible to repeat the horrors committed by his group of mercenaries 29 years ago, which left in its wake an unprecedented destruction of life and property in the the country .
Below we reproduce the full text of Kukoie’s letter.
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"Simple is good" & I strongly dislike politics. You cannot defend the indefensible.
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