RE: MAMA KANDEH “FAKE HIGH SCHOOL” AND JAMMEH’S HOPES!
Fascinating story on “Mama Kandeh Fake Qualifications” Pa!
Of course, the burden is on Mama Kandeh to prove that he did complete Form Four at Crab Island and That he did proceed to a “High School” (like St. Augustine’s, Gambia High, Nusrat, Muslim, etc, etc). I don’t think Crab Island has ever had a High School – and certainly not when Mama Kandeh attended.
If Mama Kandeh cannot provide the certificates/documents to prove that he did complete High School, the “on-line university courses” would be irrelevant for the purposes of the constitutional requirement that he must complete High School education. Even a Harvard or Oxford Degree would be irrelevant – because one cannot go to Harvard or Oxford with completing High Schooleducation! So, Mama must prove that he did complete High School education.
The “burden of prove” is not on those who say “Mama did not complete High School”: If the constitutional requirement is that “a presidential candidate must complete High School”, the burden of prove is on Mama Kandeh to prove that he did.
JAMMEH’S HOPE IN MAMA’S CANDIDACY:
As in 2016, when Jammeh hoped that Mama would split the opposition and allow Jammeh’s APRC to win (remember Mama refused to join the 2016 Coalition that removed Jammeh – a Coalition that came about only because Jammeh stupidly jailed UDP’s Lawyer Darboe!). Jammeh now has hopes that Mama Kandeh’s GDC, now allied with Jammeh’s APRC for which Mama Kandeh was previously a NAM, will take votes from both UDP and NPP and win the election with the help of the APRC’s Foni electorate … and hopefully allow Jammeh to come home with an amnesty from President Mama Kandeh.
But if Mama Kandeh fails to prove that he has completed High School and gets disqualified from running for office, Jammeh’s calculations in 2021 will be as wrong as his 2016 calculations that misfired – and sent him into exile.
If Mama Kandeh is disqualified, the election will be a straight-fight between President Barrow and Lawyer Darboe – and either of them will demand that Yahya Jammeh be sent for trial at the ICC – as per what the TRRC Report (I think!) will say.
Prediction: With Mama Kandeh out of the race, 90% of the votes will be shared by UDP and NPP. The other one hundred parties will be lucky if they get to share 10% of the votes. If I am wrong on this come December 5th2021, I will retire from analysing Gambian politics!
Dida Jallow-Halake
Notting Hill, UK.