Gambian activist criticizes rejection of diaspora voting bill

A Gambian activist says the country’s Diaspora is feeling betrayed and disenfranchised by President Adama Barrow and the ruling National People’s Party. This, after the parliament defeated a bill that would have granted Gambians living abroad the right to vote in this year’s general elections. Justice Minister Dawda Jallow was quoted in local media as saying that the voting rights bill was rejected because of logistical and legal hurdles, such as the absence of Diaspora constituencies in the electoral framework. Pa Samba Jow, a Gambian activist and co-host of the podcast “For the People, By the People.”, tells VOA’s James Butty, there has been a lack of political will by successive governments to guarantee voting rights for the Gambian Diaspora.