By Yusef Taylor, FlexDan_YT During President Adama Barrow’s 2023 State of the Nation Address delivered to Gambia Parliamentarians on 8th June 2023, he boasted about reforms implemented since 2017 and unveiled some of his Legislative Plans for the 2023 Legislative year. The event was punctuated with two Points of Order from the Minority Leader, Hon Alhagie S. Darboe of Brikama North who highlighted that clapping was not permitted in Parliament and Hon Muhammed Kanteh for Busumbala who attempted to raise a motion without notice. Speaker Jatta upheld the first Point of Order and brushed aside the motion without notice after…
Author: Yusef Taylor
Yusef Taylor
Yusef Taylor, commonly known as Flex Dan is an editor and practising journalist based in the Gambia with a keen interest in human rights, the economy and good governance among many others. He continues to break news on the economy, human rights violations and is highly engaged in security sector reforms, constitutional reform and the transition of the Gambia from dictatorship to a democracy, the NewGambia. Yusef has been working with Gainako as a media practitioner from 2015 to date. He has a degree in Civil Engineering with 5 years of Design Consultancy experience.
By Yusef Taylor, @FlexDan_YT Overview The 2023 Mayoral and Chairperson Elections were expected to feature a lower voter turnout compared to the recently concluded Councillors Elections as predicted by observers who mainly pointed to voter fatigue. However, that was not the case as almost half of all registered voters turned out to vote compared to just over a third who voted in the Council Elections. This time the spoils were shared down the Urban and Rural regions with the United Democratic Party (UDP) claiming all three of the regions in the Urban Areas while the incumbent’s National People’s Party (NPP)…
By Yusef Taylor and Edward Francis Dalliah Former President of the Gambia Press Union (GPU) and now Parliamentarian for Serrekunda West Constituency spoke to members of the GPU about former doyen Deyda Hydara and encouraged the current Executive to keep striving forward. Hon Madi MK Ceesay of the United Democratic Party (UDP) was the GPU President from 2005 to 2008 and a colleague of former GPU President and veteran media Chief Deyda Hydara. Speaking at the Annual General Meeting which took place in late April 2023, he reflected on the demise of his colleague Deyda Hydara who co-founded The Point…
By Yusef Taylor, @FlexDan_YT The 2023 Banjul Mayoral Elections was very different from the 2018 Mayoral Elections which featured some nine different candidates compared to only two this year. The only two candidates that canvassed for the votes of Banjulians were incumbent Rohey Malick Lowe of the United Democratic Party (UDP) and Ebou Faye of the National People’s Party (NPP). Mr Faye is currently the Managing Director of the National Stadium and Friendship Hostel who ran as independent in 2018 while Rohey Lowe is the Gambia’s first female elected Mayor and also the REFELA President which is an organisation for…
By Yusef Taylor and Omar Camara Dispute: According to the Ministry of Justice and the current Chairperson of The Gambia’s Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), the tenure of the current IEC Chairperson, Mr Alieu Momarr Njai, has been extended from 2023 to 2025. Civil society advocates have asserted that the IEC Chairperson’s term expired before the 2023 Councillor Elections. If true, this will have far-reaching consequences for Gambian Elections presided over by the current IEC Chairperson after his term allegedly expired. This Explainer co-authored by Gainako Online News and FactCheck Centre The Gambia contains claims and counterclaims from relevant stakeholders including…
By Yusef Taylor, @FlexDan_YT According to a study by Cable.co.uk, The Gambia was ranked the sixth most expensive West African country to purchase electricity. Before the latest electricity price hike, it was cheaper to purchase electricity in The Gambia than in Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Liberia, Guinea Bissau and Mali. It must be noted that Guinea Bissau, Mali and Burkina Faso are all going through political upheaval after facing coups and struggling to transition to democratic rule. Only Cape Verde and Liberia are countries with relatively stable civilian leadership. This was The Gambia’s situation before the price hike. After the…
By Yusef Taylor, @FlexDan_YT The member for Banjul North, Hon Momodou Lamin Biram Bah donated 10 umbrellas to women petty traders outside the New Parliament Building yesterday 26th April 2023 to launch his ‘Umbrella Initiative’. Hon Bah explained that “we call it the Umbrella initiative to empower the youth and women of Banjul North. Very soon we’re coming up with other initiatives connected to this because we’re not only providing them with umbrellas but we will provide them with cash to buy materials to sell and make more profit”. The New Parliament Building is located in Banjul North which makes…
By Yusef Taylor, @FlexDan_YT During President Adama Barrow’s 2023 annual meeting with Banjul Muslim Elders on Eid Al Fitr, he revealed that his decision to appoint Muhammed B S Jallow as Vice President was through divine intervention after praying in the Mosque. President Barrow’s Vice President appointments started with Fatoumatta Jallow Tambajang who galvanised the 2016 Coalition, followed by Ousainou Darboe the Party Leader of the United Democratic Party (UDP) whom the President fell out with in late 2018. This led to the President creating his own National Peoples Party (NPP) which won him a second term in late 2021.…
By Yusef Taylor, @FlexDan_YT The cheers and clapping which erupted when Justice Minister, Hon Dawda Jallow declared that the 22nd July Arch will be renamed the Never Again Memorial Arch has definitely died down now. Reading out his speech only a year ago to a packed crowd of the most influential people in The Gambia at the time, the whole crowd hung on his every word uttered during the launch of the Government’s White Paper on the Report and Recommendations of the Truth Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC). The TRRC is a defunct Commission enacted by the Government of President…
By Yusef Taylor, @FlexDan_YT Last year, during President Adama Barrow’s Eid speech to Banjul Muslim Elders he promised a raft of reforms for the Civil Service including shorter turnaround times for government files. During the President’s annual speech his unexpected condemnation of Civil Society Advocate Madi Jobarteh and his plans to “be as bitter as a bitter tomato” grabbed the headlines. It was a surprise to hear the President declare such a message on Eid Day which left many people scratching their heads over President Barrow’s perceived calm nature. One of the President’s Eid promises was to hire Inspectors that…