By Adama Makasuba& By Landing Colley
With no physical indication of the word secular in draft constitution continued to raise plethora concern in constitutional review commission’s meetings.
Since release of the draft last month, a group of Gambians took on social media to express their concerns on it.
Pierre Waka who spoke in constitutional review Commission’s second round public consultation meeting in Kerewan, raised his concern over omission of the provision, saying: “in the 1997 constitution states that the Gambia is a sovereign secular state.”
He added: “if we are working to treat everyone equal then we have to include the word secular in this new constitution. Senegal is has larger Muslim and Christian population than Gambia and still they put secularism in their constitution.”
“To my view, we should include the word in the constitution and still the government will have the rights to build mosques and churches.
Secular has never been in the constitution, but there was a time when they were amendmending the constitution,” Mr Waka said.
Clarifying, vice chair of CRC Awa Sise Sabally said the commission has not omitted the word secular in the draft, adding “there has never been a indication of the word secular in Gambian constitution.”
She urged fellow Gambians to thoroughly read and understand the constitution before making any comment on it, adding throughout their last year’s public consultation “no one has told them to include the word secular in the constitution.”
She called for calm on the provision and ‘we are taking all comments on consideration, because this country is own by Muslims and Christians’
Vice chair Awa Sise Sabally dismissed claims that CRC deliberately omitted the word secular in draft constitution.
She the commission has never received message for inclusion of the word secular in draft constitution.
The commissioner’s clarification followed comments of concerns by
Pierre Waka and Pastor Seal Jammeh who both called for inclusion of the secular word in draft constitution.
Mr Waka urged CRC to include secular word in draft constitution adding that Gambia belong to all.
Commissioners of constitutional review commission also clarified misunderstanding over none indication of the word secular in draft constitution.
Chairman Justice Sulayman Jallow clarified that the word secular has never been in both 1970 and 1997 constitution, adding “all religion are treated equal and no religion will be treated above other religions.”