The Scores of participants at the National Consultation meetings of the Constitutional Review Commission (CRC) has responded to commissioners that the constitutional requirements that enable non Gambians to become citizens in The Gambia should be tougher and change from seven years to twenty years, adding that criminals charged with death penalty and treason should be killed.
They made these responses to Vice Chairperson of the Commission Awa Sisay Sabally and Commissioner Gaye Sowe at the National Consultation meetings on the draft of the new constitution of the Republic of The Gambia on Monday 17th December, 2018, at Foni Bondali.
Famara Tamba of Foni Bondali responded that the time frame for one to acquire citizenship in the country should be extended, noting that the new constitution should raise the bar to 20years. He said that this will prevent criminals from acquiring Gambian citizenship, arguing that with the currently status many have acquired the citizenship without much problem.
According to him, the children whose parents are non Gambians cannot be classify as citizens and should be given opportunity by the state to help them to regularised their citizenship status from their countries of origin.
“The Children’s whose parents are non Gambians cannot be considered citizens unless they apply to become one or government help them to regularise their status from their countries of origin,” Famara Tamba responded to issues from questions raised by Vice Chairperson of the CRC.
He argues that there are many Gambian nationals living in foreign countries whose children are denied citizenship, adding that if Gambians can come back to regularised their citizenship status then why not non Gambians to go back to their countries and regularised their status he asked.
Adama Bojang, Ward Councillor for Bantanjang said that the seven years requirement for legibility of becoming a citizen of The Republic of The Gambia should be adjusted to twenty years, arguing that citizenship all over the world is not taken for granted and putting up stringent conditions will go a long way to safe The Gambia in the future.
Responding to issues from questions raised by Commissioner Gaye Sowe, Ward Councillor Adama Bojang said that the death penalty and treason should be upheld in the New Constitution. Arguing that his points before Commissioners, Bojang then continues to state that if the death penalty is not upheld, the offenders would not be worried to commit such heinous crimes, adding that treason could easily turned into violence and carnage and lawlessness and the need to condemned them to death.
Alh. Modou Cham of Fass Chabai said that the New Constitution should not have any compromise on death penalty and treason, arguing that these provisions should be upheld in the constitution so as to avert criminality and illegal seizures of power from democratically elected government, at variance that anyone fond wanting should be killed.
Alh. Cham said that the death penalty should be maintained so that people who are bent on deliberately exterminating innocent lives be killed, disagreeing that this is the norm applied all over the world. He said that the Gambia must learn from good practices of other nations where death penalty and treason are not compromise. He then argued that the New Gambian Constitution should upheld in these provisions so as to avert future troubles in country.
Author: Kebba Ansu Manneh