The social conflict in URR is very delicate. The Barrow administration cannot defy international law, otherwise it will become more isolated as special rapporteurs visit The Gambia to document any atrocity or inhumane treatment perpetrated by one person against another.
Hence any Gambian citizen who wishes this country well should know and respect the provisions of international conventions that are also part of our constitution. Gambians from the URR who are exposed to such conventions should establish civic education groups to educate our citizens so that they would abide by the best dictates of their laws, their religion and their culture. Section 32 of the constitution is very clear. It states:
“Every person shall be entitled to enjoy, practise, profess, maintain and promote any culture, language, tradition or religion subject to the terms of this Constitution and to the condition that the rights protected by this section do not impinge on the rights and freedoms of others or the national interest, especially unity.”
Hence law enforcement officers should not teach anything that is at variance with section 32 of the constitution.
Section 20 adds in subsection (1): “No person shall be held in slavery or servitude.”
Section 212 and section 216 subsections (1), (2) and (3) all add up to indicate the type of state that Gambia is which all citizens are obliged to uphold and protect.
Section 17 of the Constitution makes it mandatory for all institutions of the state and citizens of the republic to uphold these values which are also protected by international law. There are reports of a video footage circulating and attributing certain comments from the police force regarding developments in URR. The Inspector General of Police should investigate and disassociate the police from any such comments.
