Committee for the Restoration of Democracy in The Gambia…henceforth known as CORDEG, wishes to inform ALL GAMBIANS (at home and abroad) that elections of its executive have now been concluded. Arriving at this juncture was a long and tedious process- beginning as early as May, 2013 in Raleigh. Following a series of consultations, meetings and liaisons with delegates from throughout the Diaspora and from Gambia itself the Steering Committee undertook a lengthy exercise and consulted various groups. These groups represented all shades of political opinion, ethnic and regional affiliations. Thereupon, a Steering Committee of 23 persons (again representing organizations, political parties at home, our regions of abode in The USA, Mainland Europe, Scandinavia, Britain and Africa) met regularly to thrash out a format for the way forward. This included: criteria for the selection, nomination and election of officers- all executed in a fair and transparent manner/ process.
Following is the outcome of the elections, which was formally agreed to and endorsed by the Steering Committee at its meeting on February 8, 2014.
Chair: Mr. Abdoulaye Saine
Vice-chair: Ms. Sigga Jagne
Secretary-General: Mr. Abdulai Jobe
Finance: Mr. Ebrima Dibba
Legal Affairs: Mr. James Bahoum
Women & Youth: Mrs. Fatoumatta Jallow-Tambajang
Political Affairs: Mr. Sarjo Bayang
Communication/Media/ Research: Mr. Banka Manneh
Security & Intelligence: Mr. Kejau Touray
Admin./Logistics/ Tech: (To Be Determined)
CORDEG lays no singular claim to the leadership of the Gambia Diaspora nor is it a government in waiting. We are committed to working with all existing groups in the collective quest to restore democracy, rule of law, human rights and good governance by all without exception. In this endeavor, we will reach out to Gambian civil society groups, Human Rights organizations, international institutions, governments and international organizations and citizens to this collective mission, purpose and struggle. Also, we welcome criticism, suggestions and generous financial assistance to carry out our work.
The newly elected Executive Committee will meet Wednesday, February 12, to lay down a Plan of Action, modus operandi and a timeframe for the various tasks needed to be carried out.
A Press conference with the media will also be held by the Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary General in the coming days. Stay tuned.
Dr. Abdoulie Saine
Chair, CORDEG