QUESTION OF THE DAY

THE ECONOMY

– Financial discipline both in terms of fiscal policy and public spending

– Strive to increase the income of low earners such as pensioners and those at the lower grades.

– Place programmes aimed at enhancing the growth of the agricultural, industrial and service sectors as well, as the informal sector of the economy

– Stabilize the fundamentals of the economy and then push towards sustainable growth

SOCIAL SERVICES

– Delivering quality and relevant basic education that is free, accessible and compulsory

– Primary health care focusing on the basic health needs of the population will be the basis of the heath delivery system

– Treat all Gambians equally regardless of gender, political, religious and tribal affiliation;

– Respect and protect the fundamental principles of humans and people’s rights;

– No form of revenge or witch hunt against its citizens;

 DEMOCRACY AND THE RULE OF LAW

– Promote and entrench the sovereignty of the people;

– Eradicate vestiges of self-perpetuating rule;

– Empower citizens to defend their sovereignty and to have control over public authority as equal stakeholders;

– Undertake institutional reforms of the executive, legislature, judiciary, civil service and other oversight institutions such as the office of the Ombudsman and the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC);

– Establish a body Jurists and competent personalities to review the constitution with a view to cleansing it of all provisions which are inimical to democracy and the rule of law; review the Elections Act to remove provisions such as prohibitive deposits for Presidential, National Assembly, council and Mayoral elections which hinder citizens from exercising their right to be elected to elective positions;

– Enfranchise Gambians abroad to vote;

– Establish a Constituency Boundaries Commission;

– Restore the provision of section 48 of the Constitution that makes it a requirement for a Presidential candidate to have more than 50 percent of the valid votes cast before assuming the office of president in the first ballot;

– Introduce the two term limit;

– Determine the procedure of the referendum to be held after a vote of confidence against a president is cast;

– Amend the constitution so that any member of parliament who is dismissed by a party would automatically be an Independent   candidate;

– Any removal of a judge, magistrate or member of a district tribunal to be determined by judicial enquiry by a tribunal headed by competent judges;

– Make it impossible for any member of the Independent Electoral Commission to be removed without judicial enquiry by competent judges;

– A freedom of Information Act shall be enacted promote Civil Society oversight;

– The law Reform Commission shall be restructured and revitalized;

– Protect civil servants and disciplined forces from being use for partisan political objectives;

– Ensure equal access to public facilities;

– Open the state owned media to divergent views and opinion;

– Repeal the legal requirement of political parties having to apply for permits and instead introduce a consultative mechanism;

– Put in place a term limit of two mandates of five years each;

– Repeal the maximum age limit for the presidency;

– Empower the National Council for Civic Education in terms of both human and financial resources;

– Put in place a mechanism of preventing fraudulent;

ON HUMAN RIGHTS AND JUSTICE

– Respect for regional and internal instruments

– All prisoners of conscience must be freed

– The following categories of prisoners will be granted amnesty  all those jailed in relation to charges of treason, false news, false publication, sedition, libel, Public Order Act offences, giving false information to a public servant.

– All cases without merit especially that of remanded prisoners that are stagnant will be reviewed without delay by a committee appointed by the Attorney General and all charges without merit will be dropped.

– A list of  detainees who have never been charged and put on trial  and are in custody for more than 72 hours in contravention to  Section 19  of the Constitution  will  be provided  to the Attorney General.

– A committee will be set up by the Attorney General to review the case files, if any, of such detainees and make appropriate recommendations for immediate release and provide other remedies including the payment of compensation.

– Set up a truth and reconciliation commission to enhance the healing of wounds that have caused pain and trauma through a cycle of confession, repentance, forgiveness and reconciliation. The commission will be empowered to recommend remedies for injustice including payment of compensation by the state, as it deems fit.

– revoke all provisions of law criminalising speech including libel, sedition, false news and false publication within six months of assuming political office .

– on official secrets will be amended to promote public accountability and transparency in public office

– Repeal any provision in the Public Order Act which is not reasonable and justifiable in a democratic society such as those which hinder peaceful procession to highlight public grievances

– Repeal the law relating to giving false information to a public servant under which often persons who petition the president are prosecuted in violation of section 25 paragraph (f) which protects the right of every person to freedom to petition the Executive for redress of grievances.

– Invoke section 18 of the Constitution to facilitate a referendum on the abolition of the death penalty within a year to make life imprisonment the maximum penalty.

– Within a month set up a Commission of Inquiry into the places and conditions of detention before and after conviction with the objective of putting an end to torture, rape, inhuman and degrading punishment or treatment and poor conditions of imprisonment.

– Set up a Commission of Inquiry to look into any claim of seizure or damage of any legally acquired property without just compensation to protect the right not to be deprived of one’s property.

– promote the right to fair hearing and speedy trial. It will respect and protect the Independence and Impartiality of courts and judges.

– Establish an independent National Human Rights Institution as an oversight institution empowered to order the release of persons detained unlawfully and having unlimited access to all places of detention. The institution will also have power to stop unlawful practices at detention centres such as torture.

– protect freedom of religion, belief and worship.

– International conventions that have been ratified will be reviewed for the purpose of domesticating them. Efforts will be made to ratify those that are yet to be ratified.

– Educate the people on the election rules and promote exemplary display of mature citizenship

RECONCILIATION

– Promote national reconciliation so that the sovereign Gambian people, irrespective of ethno-linguistic (tribe), religion, gender or other sectionalist considerations, would be united to prove our common bond of citizenship.

– Conduct civic education on print, electronic i.e. radio and television, social media and any other outlets, singly or in collaboration with other stakeholders, to promote tolerance of diversity and national reconciliation.

– Educate and sensitise the electorate about the need for national reconciliation in safeguarding our peaceful co-existence as a people.