President Barrow has urged the Constitutional Review Commission to consider the cabinet as part of their public consultation. He noted that members of cabinet are also Gambians and have important contributions to make. This he said is not part of interfering with the Commission’s work, but rather making comments as citizens.
He made these statements during a meeting with the CRC consultation team headed by the Chairperson, Justice Cherno Sulayman Jallow, at state house, including members of the cabinet.
“Today is important in that we are given the chance to have an interface with the CRC,” President Barrow underscored.
“As Cabinet, we are also citizens of this country, given a big responsibility to run the affairs of the country. I think we have a lot to contribute. We will not interfere with your work, but we have our opinions; we have our proposals so that we can also be heard just like other Gambians.
The president expressed delight at the consultative work of the Commission across the country, revealing that he has been keenly following its activities. He reiterated that it is vital that the final document is as inclusive, representational, and could stand the test of time.
“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,” he stressed.
He described the openness and wider consultative approach of the CRC as something good for the new Gambian democracy; one that provides the right context for government’s policy of building a strong foundation for democracy.
While commending the Commissioners for their extensive consultative process at home and abroad, the president expressed thanks to the team for reaching out to the executive.
The Commissioners, sworn since June 2018, have been embarking on various consultative processes across the country and abroad.
The Chairperson of the Constitutional Review Commission, Justice Cherno Jallow described the task of reviewing and drafting of a new constitution as a herculean, heavy responsibility. He emphasized that the Commission enjoys a high level of cooperation as well as absolute autonomy.
I can guarantee that there has never been any form of interference from the executive or any part of the government and section of the Gambian, the Chairperson stressed.
