{"id":84880,"date":"2025-08-27T18:22:20","date_gmt":"2025-08-27T18:22:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/uncategorized\/2026-elections-will-shape-gambias-destiny-says-gala-member"},"modified":"2025-08-27T19:10:20","modified_gmt":"2025-08-27T19:10:20","slug":"2026-elections-will-shape-gambias-destiny-says-gala-member","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/2026-elections-will-shape-gambias-destiny-says-gala-member","title":{"rendered":"2026 Elections will Shape Gambia\u2019S Destiny, Says GALA Member"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Gambia. <\/strong><\/span>Omar Sanyang, a member of Gambia Against Looted Assets (GALA), has described the 2026 elections as a pivotal moment for Gambians to \u201cdesign the future\u201d of their country.<\/b><\/p>\n

Speaking in the wake of recent protests and arrests, Sanyang sharply criticized the Public Order Act, calling it \u201can act of parliament, not part of the constitution,\u201d and arguing that it has long been used to suppress citizens\u2019 rights. He recalled the Edward Francis Small Centre for Rights and Justice, along with other independence-era activists, noting that the law was initially introduced to stifle resistance to colonial rule.<\/p>\n

\u201cProtests are a fundamental human right,\u201d he said. \u201cThey strengthen democracy. The recent protest outside PURA was peaceful and did not obstruct traffic, yet participants were arrested. This law needs to be revisited,\u201d he lamented.<\/p>\n

Sanyang also clarified the distinction between protests \u201cin possession\u201d and those involving permits, equipment, or traffic disruption, and peaceful assemblies meant simply to express public concern. He argued that PURA protest fell into the latter category and that participants were well within their constitutional rights.<\/p>\n

Addressing the arrest and continued detention of protesters, he called for their unconditional release, accusing authorities of attempting to silence dissent ahead of the crucial 2026 vote.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do not want our children to ask what we did to address these issues,\u201d he said. \u201cThe country has lacked a solid foundation since independence in 1965.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a direct appeal to Gambian youth, Sanyang urged them to see themselves not as the \u201cfuture\u201d but as the \u201cnow,\u201d emphasizing the need for active political participation. \u201cIf you wait until you are 60, they will decide when to give you power. Power must be claimed and exercised today,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He also pointed to everyday economic challenges facing ordinary Gambians\u2014highlighting the high cost of mobile data and the low salaries of police officers\u2014as structural issues feeding poverty and corruption.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy grandmother cannot afford D500 for 14 days of data, while police officers earn D2,500 to D4,000. People struggle to feed their families, and corruption becomes inevitable,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Sanyang concluded that tackling these economic and institutional challenges is essential to curb corruption and ensure meaningful democratic participation in the 2026 elections.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Gambia<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Gambia. Omar Sanyang, a member of Gambia Against Looted Assets (GALA), has described the 2026 elections as a pivotal moment for Gambians to \u201cdesign the future\u201d of their country. Speaking in the wake of recent protests and arrests, Sanyang sharply criticized the Public Order Act, calling it \u201can act of parliament, not part […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":84879,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,3],"tags":[260],"class_list":["post-84880","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-community","tag-gambia"],"yoast_head":"\n2026 Elections will Shape Gambia\u2019S Destiny, Says GALA Member - Gambia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Omar Sanyang, a member of Gambia Against Looted Assets (GALA), has described the 2026 elections as a pivotal moment f ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/2026-elections-will-shape-gambias-destiny-says-gala-member\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"2026 Elections will Shape Gambia\u2019S Destiny, Says GALA Member\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Omar Sanyang, a member of Gambia Against Looted Assets (GALA), has described the 2026 elections as a pivotal moment f ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/2026-elections-will-shape-gambias-destiny-says-gala-member\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Gambia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-08-27T18:22:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-08-27T19:10:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/gambia\/sites\/19\/2025\/08\/sm_1756309136.420533.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/2026-elections-will-shape-gambias-destiny-says-gala-member#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/2026-elections-will-shape-gambias-destiny-says-gala-member\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"2026 Elections will Shape Gambia\u2019S Destiny, Says GALA Member\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-27T18:22:20+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-27T19:10:20+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/2026-elections-will-shape-gambias-destiny-says-gala-member\"},\"wordCount\":381,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/2026-elections-will-shape-gambias-destiny-says-gala-member#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/gambia\/sites\/19\/2025\/08\/sm_1756309136.420533.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Gambia\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"community\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/2026-elections-will-shape-gambias-destiny-says-gala-member#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/2026-elections-will-shape-gambias-destiny-says-gala-member\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/2026-elections-will-shape-gambias-destiny-says-gala-member\",\"name\":\"2026 Elections will Shape Gambia\u2019S Destiny, Says GALA Member - 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