What is the future for The Gambia as we brace up the upcoming presidential election? This is the million dollar question one may tempt to ask. As Gambian will go to the polls to elect a president on November 24, 2011, it is important to know that the person elected as president should promote and protect the constitutional and fundamental human dignity as well as promote the cultural, economic and social rights of the people.
As fundamental human rights remain a challenge in the Gambia, people should elect someone who can create a conducive environment, where all will be free from fear or intimidation to exercise their rights without fear or favour.
Time has come for Gambians irrespective of political affiliation to chart a way forward for the future, sacrifice for the advancement of their nation so as to bequeath a good future to their children and children’s children.  
The general registration of voters is ongoing across and the length and breadth of the country and all those with the required documents of citizenship and of 18 years and above have the right to acquire a voter card to cast their votes for any candidate of their choice.
 The registration officers should make sure that the right people get the voter cards and all citizens should be vigilant enough to prevent aliens who have not legally acquired Gambian citizenship to have voter cards of the country.
The whole exercise should be free from tribal sentiment, religion, relationship, inducement and intimidation. Citizens should be vigilant enough to report any person who fraudulently attempts to acquire or have acquired a voter card of The Gambia to the IEC or take the particulars of the person and the person can be sued to a revise court for the action.
Citizens who refused to vote in elections to participate in electing public servants, like presidential, parliamentary, and local Government are among citizens who preserve leaders to remain in power for an unnecessarily long period. There is no need for us to wait for a Tunisian or Egyptian situation to prevail in The Gambia. Our vote is our power.
No citizen or government will gain any benefit from civil unrest.  There are many young people who are frustrated by unemployment, exploitation and deportation from overseas in search of greener pastures. Recently, we have a lot of young Gambians who returned from Libya addressed by the Head of State, the vice president, ministers and the Secretary General of The Gambia Supreme Islamic Council.
Their words to these people seemed that they were trying to calm them for any potential uprising. It is also important for the government to know that it can be loved only if cares for the future of its citizens without discrimination. Any country that has citizens braving the high dangerous seas and the deserts to seek for greener pastures is far from economic advancement.
So it is important for leaders to also know that they are servants of the people.
Your vote is your voice and your power and should not be use for selfish reasons; it is the voter’s card that makes a citizen to be a sovereign citizen and should not be sold for one selfish purpose. A person who sells his or her voter’s card is a slave and has no voice when it come to national issues and has committed a crime against him or her self.
The Independent Electoral Commission which is responsible for the election should learn lessons from other countries where there are unrests because of electoral fraud conflicts. The Commission should speak with one voice when it comes to declare the results and avoid fraud. We had witnessed what had happened in Ivory Coast - vendetta between the forces loyal to Laurent Gbagbo and Alasana Ouattara, which have caused a great lost to the Ivorian economy and scores of innocent lives were lost. We should not want to experience that situation in our country.
The role of the media is also indispensable in creating opportunity for the candidates to sells their agenda to the public so as to help people know the capability of their candidates who can run the affairs of the country. In my view as citizen I would like the candidates to engage in televised debates, which will also help the electorates to make informed choices.
The Gambia Radio and Television Service {GRTS} has a great role ahead of this upcoming election, they should broadcast the activities of the opposition who are denied access to the state media to enable them sell their agenda to the public. They only broadcast the activities of the ruling party which is not fair, because the state media belongs to the citizens whose tax money are used to run and sustain the state media.
This upcoming election means a lot to The Gambians. It should to set another milestone in determining the manner of government by the governed. People have the right to decide and choose who should run their affairs for another five years. Therefore, one needs to sit and reason well before casting his or her ballot.
The vote is mightier than the gun. Now is the time for the Gambian to decide their future as sovereign citizens and become the architects of their own destiny.