Gambia's stability “built on coercion” than freedom and democracy

By Lamin Jahateh

President Jammeh

The Gambia has remained politically stable since the military coups of 1994 that brought the incumbent president, Yahya Jammeh, to power, the 2013 report of an Ecowas institution has noted in its analysis of the political situation of The Gambia. 

However the political stability in the country is “generally perceived” to have been built on coercion rather than on civil liberties, fundamental freedoms, democratic culture and popular participation, the Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA) stated in its latest annual report, released on Monday.

“Democratic politics and human rights are still limited under a system where the ruling Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction Party dominates the political space, and there is little tolerance for dissent,” the sub-regional institution mandated to fight money laundering and terrorism financing in the sub-regional said in its report. 

Notwithstanding, the institution pointed out that the few opposition parties in the country are very fragmented and do not appear to constitute any serious threat to the ruling party’s dominance. 

GIABA also noted that the overwhelming dominance of the ruling party at the National Assembly tempers democratic checks and balances in the country.  

The Gambia has come under increasing international pressure to allow liberal democracy and grant civil liberties. GIABA observed that it is such pressure that led The Gambia to withdraw from the Commonwealth of Nations in October 2013, as confirmed by a BBC report on the issue.

According to the latest Freedom House report, The Gambia’s civil liberties rating declined in 2013 owing to the absence of due process for defendants in court.  

The Gambia also continues to face governance challenges. It scored 52% and was placed on 27th position out of 52 countries on the Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG) in 2012.  

On the 2013 CPI (Corruption Perception Index) of Transparency International, the country scored 28% and ranked 127th out of 175 countries in the world, which represents a decline from the 105th position out of 174 countries and a score of 34% in 2012.

However, others have given The Gambia’s political system a clean bill of health.