NYC Launches ‘Walk to Register’ Campaign

The Daily Observer (Banjul)

Omar Wally

23 May 2011

The National Youth Council (NYC) last Friday launched the ‘Walk to register’ campaign at a ceremony held at its head office at the Independence Stadium in Bakau.

The campaign is meant for NYC members and other youth groups affiliated to the NYC to go out and senitise people, especially the youth, about the importance of voter registration and voting during elections. The meeting brought together youths from different youth groups in the country.

In his opening remarks, Suute Jawo, deputy director of Youth and Sports at the Ministry of Youth and Sports, said the NYC belongs to every young person in the country, adding that it is a council that everyone should cherish, and support, for them to achieve their desired aims and objectives, as well as participate in all development endeavours in the country.

According to him, they are not doing the launching for an individual political party; rather, it is based their conviction that all young people who are at the age of 18 and above in The Gambia have civil rights and responsibility to register and vote during elections. “Over the years we have observed with great concern that the young people of this country are not interested in voting in national elections,” he explained.

Jawo added that the council also sees it necessary as people working for young people to call the youth to come together and share ideas about the voter registration, so that they will be able to understand the importance of registering and voting in national elections; be it presidential, parliamentary or local government elections.

Marchel Mendy, the executive secretary of the NYC, reiterated that the rationale behind the launching of the ‘Walk to register’ campaign is that they have realised over the years and from the previous elections that not too many young people voted in the presidential and parliamentary elections. He revealed that the young people constitute 63.7 per cent of the population, and note that they should also contribute in all aspects of national development. “If young people do not vote in their numbers, this means that a good number of Gambians do not vote, which literally does not tell well about the youth of this country,” he added.

He spoke at length about the importance of voting and called on young people to register and vote in the up-coming elections. He also pointed out that the campaign is not meant for any politicts that they are doing on behalf of any politician or any political party; rather, he expressed, their mandate as a council is to sensitise young people for them to register and vote as it is their constitutional right. “We expect all youth organisations, associations and networks in different localities to embark upon a similar campaign. If we fail to vote we are not doing justice to this country and to the people of this country,” he remarked.

Fabakary Kalley, the executive secretary of the Youth Ambassadors for Peace, who doubles as the chairperson of NYC, expressed similar sentiments.

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