Mama Kandeh, the leader of the Gambia Democratic Congress (GDC), has downplayed the potential impact of his alliance on victims’ pursuit of justice had he get elected president. Gambians head to polls on December 4 in what is country’s most crowded race for presidency since independence.

On Tuesday, the GDC leader led an impressive crowd of supporters to file his nominations with Independent Electoral Commission. In the midst of the crowd, eyes couldn’t miss the purple (GDC party colour) and green (APRC colour).

The GDC has announced for[edgtf_dropcaps type=”square” color=”” background_color=””][/edgtf_dropcaps]ming a coalition with a faction of the Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction party that is with Yahya Jammeh, ex-Gambian leader. The APRC initially announced an alliance with President Adama Barrow’s National People’s Party but Jammeh rejected that proposal causing a split within the party.

The legally registered APRC party led by Fabakary Tombong Jatta stays with Barrow while Jammeh, a self-declared supreme leader of the party, goes with Kandeh and Gambia Alliance for National Unity led by Sheikh Tijan Hydara. But GANU later quit the alliance, leaving GDC and a faction of the APRC.

Critics said the alliance between the ARPC and GDC will affect Kandeh administration pursuit for justice if he gets elected on December 4. A Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) that investigated the rights violations of the Jammeh regime has found the former ruler to have ordered dozens illegal executions and torture, among others. The report of the investigations on those violations is expected to be on the President’s desk this month, an issue any coming administration will inherit.

“I believe these [breakaway APRC faction] are Gambians who you cannot send away from this country…,” said Kandeh.

“… I am in support of the TRRC because the meaning of the TRRC is to reunite Gambians, to bring Gambians together after the truth has been revealed. So, we have to reconcile…”

After their alliance with the APRC faction, both parties signed an agreement that was never made public. However, the GDC leader said they did not sign any agreement regarding an amnesty for Jammeh who has been living in exile in Equatorial Guinea since 2016.

Curbing corruption  

Meanwhile, the GDC leader has promised to tackle corruption when he gets into office. “… Since this current administration came to power, I have not heard anybody being fired or dismissed from his or her position because of corruption, and we know that corruption is rampant in this country.”

Many Gambian observers, relying on anecdotal evidence, have said corruption is rising in the country. The Gambian leader Barrow haven’t shown tough stance against corruption. However, few people were indeed prosecuted on corruption charges including a former permanent secretary of the Ministry of Fisheries, Dr Bamba Banja.

Following Kandeh at the election house to file for his nominations was the leader of Citizens’ Alliance, Dr. Ismaila Ceesay. The former political science lecturer at the University of the Gambia has expressed intent to manage national wealth by curbing corruption.

“We are serous in fighting corruption because we believe that the perennial problem, one of the key reasons why we still cannot provide the most basics for our people is corruption. It is because of the lack of transparency; it is because of non-accountability of our public institutions.”

To curb corruption, Dr Ceesay said the CA will embark on governance and finance management reforms. He said CA will make it a compulsory on political appointees and public officials to declare their assets before holding public office. He also promised that his administration will put in place mechanisms to conduct periodic lifestyle audit of public officials.

Victims of human rights violations

As nominations and political campaigns begin in Gambia, one of the leading issues in public debates is how to address the past human rights violation under ex-leader Yahya Jammeh. Dr Ceesay promised justice will be served under a CA administration.

No one should be immune from paying the ultimate price for unleashing terror on innocent people, said Dr Ceesay.

Apart from Kandeh and Ceesay, the IEC officials have received nomination papers from two other presidential hopefuls. They are independent candidates Mamadi S.K Camara and Mamadou Bah. All candidates would know whether their nominations are accepted to allow them to contest in the election or not on Saturday, November 6^th.