Featured on Saturday night’s edition of AG Radio’s “Voice of the People” programme, Baboucarr Mboge an AG Radio panelist referred to as Chairman, emphasized that the current state-backed Alkalo system needs to be scrapped if elections in The Gambia are to be truly fair and credible, and if the country is to move forward.
He argued that many of the ongoing land disputes, as well as concerns surrounding voter registration, can be traced back to the way the Alkalo system operates.
Mboge maintained that the use of Alkalo attestations in voter registration opens the door to abuse and risks undermining public trust in the electoral process. In his view, the system serves little purpose beyond creating opportunities for manipulation.
“I’ve said this before and I will keep saying it—there is no logic in appointing someone simply because his father was the first settler in a village. The village existed long before our fathers and forefathers.” he said.
He concluded by calling for reforms, insisting that Alkalos should be chosen through elections rather than appointments if the country is to address both land-related conflicts and concerns about voter registration integrity.
