The media is an amplifier of the voice of the people. During an election media houses should try to provide equal access to contestants to put their views across to the electorate without infringing the law or the ethics of the electoral process as provided by the IEC.
On the other hand, civil society can carry out oversight on the media and the contending groups and their candidates. From nomination up to the declaration of results. They should be able to issue statements covering their assessment of the performance of each media house regarding fairness in coverage and should also be to give a fair assessment of the candidates and their supporters based on their adherence or otherwise to the existing laws and code of conduct governing electoral contest.
The Kerr Jarga Ward and Niamina West by elections could serve as a litmus test as to whether Gambia has graduated from the politics of patronage to the politics of issues. This would then determine the type of work to be done before 2021 to have a mature electorate capable of making informed choice.
