According to Halifa Sallah who graced the occasion, the Constitution Promulgation process has two main components. It has a component being procedure and another focusing on content.
According to him, section 226 of the Constitution requires two publications of the Constitution to amend it. Once the two publications are done within a period of three months and ten days, a bill should be laid before the National Assembly for legislation. According to him once that happens the constitution submitted for promulgation could only be reviewed for amendment at the committee and consideration stages. This could only happen if the National Assembly members agree with a three quarters majority on the policies and principles of the Bill, the effects it intends to remedy and the necessity for its introduction for it to pass the second reading.
He is therefore of the view that if the commission (NHRC) is to succeed in moving the process forward they should focus on brokering an agreement for all National Assembly members to allow the bill to pass through the second reading so that the whole nation could engage in the debate on the content. This according to him is the way forward if there is to be any chance of having a constitution for the third republic during the Barrow administration.
He counselled people to read his book titled “Constitution Building Socioeconomic Challenges in The Gambia” on this subject matter.
