NCCE Bojang Calls On Alkalolu to Guard Stamps Amid Voter Registration

Yusupha Bojang, Program manager for National Centre for Civic Education (NCCE), during the closing engagement between the civic educators and the traditional authorities on voter registration has called on the Alkalos to safeguard their stamps amid rising attestation concerns.

“People who don’t have the required documents, just need to get the attestation and go to the Alkalo for his/her signature. We are telling the Alkalos to guard their stamps and let them not give them to anybody to do it on their behind. The Alkalo may be old and need somebody to assist him, but the person should be very responsible and the Alkalo should be there to monitor. That is important because there are concerns that some people are giving stamps to their children to administer on their behalf.”

The engagement that concluded at Brikama brought authorities together and Mr. Bojang continued that engagement is a dialogue that the NCCE initiated in collaboration with the UNDP, and the purpose is to enlighten the traditional authorities, specifically the Alkaloes and the chiefs with regards to the ongoing voter registration exercise.

He said part of the requirement for one to acquire a voter’s card is to have an attestation and the authorities that are mandated to issue the attestation are either the Chiefs or the Alkaloes. Bojang added that most of the authorities are not literate in the English language, in which most of the regulations and laws are written in English.

“That’s why we bring them together in order to remind them about the criteria that are required for one to get an attestation. During the conversation, we were able to understand that a lot of them got confused about whom to give the attestation.”

In his quest for peace, he said when the registration is done in a free and fair manner, they are hopeful that the campaign will also be done in an orderly manner.

He continued that there are some sent by their parties as agents to the registration ground, saying that is good because it promotes transparency and the credibility of the electoral process. He added that the concern is, some of them are taken the law into their hands and some doing things that they have no authority to do.

“The engagement will help to clarify all those issues specified in the electoral act. The law says anybody that has any concern, can raise it through your party or anybody that assigned you. That body will make sure that they take the matter to court for redress. There are procedures and we don’t need to take the law into our hands and start harassing people.”

The Chief for Kombo Central District Alhajie Jammeh KK Bojang and Isatou F Cham, Lady Councilor for Sanementareng Ward emphasized the need for peaceful voter registration and to the upcoming December presidential elections.