By:Kebba AF Touray
The Constitutional Review Commission (CRC), is due to start a nationwide household sample survey on the new Constitution.
Against this backdrop, the Commission has begun a two-day training of its selected enumerators at a local hotel in Fajara.
In his opening remarks, CRC Secretary Omar Ousman Jobe, said the purpose of the survey is to encourage people in randomly selected households, to participate in the process of making the new Constitution, as the survey will complement and supplement the qualitative information obtained from public consultations, as well as follow strict statistic procedures to obtain the opinion of the people on the new Constitution.
“The survey is expected to last for thirty days and will cover selected areas in all the regions of the country. A total of 463 enumeration areas have been identified and 9,263 individuals will be interviewed across the country, which represents about one percent of the current total voter population,” he said; that a total of 52 participants including 12 supervisors, will be taking part in the countrywide exercise, commencing March 18th 2019. He said the survey is an important national development exercise, which is in line with the Gambia’s National Development Plan’s (2018-2022) strategic priority towards national unity, good governance and democracy.
“The mandate of the CRC as stipulated in Section 6 of the 2017 CRC Act, is to draft a new Constitution for the Republic of The Gambia, and prepare a report in relation to the drafting of the new Constitution. To draft a new Constitution, the CRC is required to review the 1997 Constitution, and in the process, consult with Gambians at home and abroad in order to seek their opinions on what they aspire to see included in a new, and progressive Constitution for the Gambia,” Jobe concludes.
