By Adama Makasuba
The Gambian President Adama Barrow has commended the Constitutional Review Commission for its commitment to drafting a new Constitution for the country.
Just recently the commission held series of meetings with key stakeholders in the country which included, Political Parties, the Legislature, the Judiciary, and the Office of the Ombudsman, the National Human Rights Commission, Security Services, the Independent Electoral Commission and the Land Commission.
And the meetings were aimed at eliciting the views and aspirations of key stakeholders in specific constitutional provisions as part of the review process.
Speaking during the meeting at State House in Banjul, President Barrow commended the Commission for its commitment in achieving the objectives of its mandate.
“I think it is very important that we consult as a country. We (the Executive) are independent and will not interfere with your work, but we are citizens also and we have opinions, too,” he said.
He emphasized the need to build a constitution that will reflect the wishes of the people in order to for it to be generally accepted and embraced.
He said that “our main objective is to build a strong foundation for democracy for this country. And this document is very important as far as that is concerned.”
Meanwhile, the Chief Justice Hon. Hassan B. Jallow said they look forward to seeing a constitution that would serve the test of time.
He added that the rule of law is a prerequisite for a peaceful society and hailed the CRC for the approach it is employing in seeking the views and aspirations of Gambians.
While the speaker of the National Assembly, Hon. Mariam Jack Denton, speaking at a consultation in the National Assembly, commended the Commission for engaging key stakeholders in its quest to develop a constitution that will be for all Gambians.
For his part, the chairman of the Commission, Justice Cherno Sulayman said: “The CRC recognized from the inception of its work that it needed to consult with Gambians and other key stakeholders in designing and developing a new Constitution for The Gambia. We have received full support on our approach and all persons and institutions we’ve consulted with thus far have taken the consultation process seriously and, as a consequence, have added value to the CRC’s work. We are truly grateful for the level and quality of public participation, no less that received from key Government institutions.”
