By The Voice Reporter
The International IDEA this week brought media and CSO representatives under one roof as efforts are being stepped up to usher in a new constitution for The Gambia.
The idea behind the engagement was to create a platform for consultations over the comatose draft constitution.
The consultations were held at Sir KairabaJawara Conference Centre in Bijilo.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the event, the Chairman of Tango, John Charles Njie, disclosed that TANGO and Gambia Participate have for the past four weeks engaged political leaders and the Chairperson of the Christian Council on how to revive the draft constitution.
“We also met close groups of civil society actors to begin this discussion on the constitution and I think what we need as a way forward is synergy and working together in this process going forward,” he stated.
He pointed out that despite the agitation by people for a Gambian-led constitution-building process, his take was that The Gambia needs a new constitution.
The President of the Gambia Press Union, Muhammed S. Bah, said since last month “we were discussing this constitution building process and am seeing people who are committed.”
He described the discussions on the Constitution as timely.
Anna Njie of Female Lawyers’ Association(FLAG) said: “As far as the constitution is concerned, I guess we are all in the same lane wanting to revive the new constitution. The issue is not about starting a new constitution but rather looking at what the issues are and how we solve them. Coming together will really help. This time around, we need to be practical and save costs. I believe the will of the Gambian people is already in the constitution. It is left to the leaders to make sure that the will of the people is accomplished.”