By:: Kebba Ansu Manneh
Constitutional Review Commission (CRC) Commissioner Yankuba Dibba has told the people of Sukuta that the national consultation meetings are opportunity for the people of The Gambia to participate and forward their views, observations and suggestions as far as the review process and drafting of a new constitution is concern.
Commissioner Dibba made the revelations at Sukuta where the commission met the community and surrounding villages yesterday as part of the national consultation.
“This is the first time the people of The Gambia are given the opportunity to participate in this national exercise and we (commissioners) are only here to facilitate this exercise by asking you questions that you may like to be in the new constitution or you may want to remove from the constitution.
The answers to our questions will be coming from you the citizens to tell us what should be in the constitution and what should not be in the new constitution”, Dibba told the people of Kombo North.
According to him, the purpose of the national consultation is to prove opportunity to every Gambian to participate in the exercise, noting every opinion, suggestion and contribution will be captured in the commission’s report.
He added that these contributions will go a long way to helping the process of drafting a new constitution for the country that will be reflect the views of every Gambia.
Commissioner Dibba disclosed that contrary to the processes of drafting the previous constitution Gambian people were only asked to go for a referendum but this time, he said, Commissioners took the time to reach out to all the communities so as to give them the opportunity to say what they want and what they did not want in the new constitution.
“It will be important for Gambians to participate in this process of the national consultation so that at the end of the day every Gambian can see him/herself as an architect of the new constitution”, Dibba told participants at the Sukuta meeting.
Commissioner Dibba continues to revealed that seventeen (17) Chapters are out for review which includes over three hundred (300) issues, adding that these issues includes citizenship, death penalty, presidential term limit, appointment of heads of parastatals, appointment of chiefs, Alkalos, Governors among others.
He calls on the people to feel free to express their views without fear, adding that every contribution matters as far as the constitution review commission process is concern.