Section 26(a) of the 1997 Constitution states:
“Every citizen of The Gambia of full age and capacity shall have the right, without unreasonable restrictions to take part in the conduct of public affairs, directly or through freely chosen representatives.”
The executive is given power under section 26(a) of the Constitution to exercise power in order to manage the affairs of all the departments of the country that are under executive domain. The National Assembly of the Gambia has responsibility to monitor how those services are been rendered and make laws to ensure proper administration of the affairs of the country in order to promote greater accountability.
Section 77 of the Constitution states:
“The President shall at least once in each year attend a sitting of the National Assembly and address a session on the condition of The Gambia, the policies of the Government and the administration of the State.”
Hence today the president is addressing the National Assembly.
The nation is sitting in anticipation that the concerns of all sectors will be addressed. The major concerns of the population could be enumerated as follows:
The growing indebtedness of the country;
The endless power outages;
The lack of industries to provide employment;
The high rate of youth unemployment;
The low participation of women in representation;
The high cost of education;
The absence of the Constitution of the third Republic;
The absence of Diaspora voting.
We therefore hope that the address of the nation by the president will provide answers to the questions of the day. Foroyaa will continue to monitor the address.
