Secretary General of the United Democratic Party, Ousainou Darboe, said the rejection of the Draft Constitution by some Parliamentarians has taken from Gambians the opportunity to usher in to a new beginning the Gambia they all yearned for back in December 2016 when they took to the polls to end self-perpetuating rule.
The draft constitution which was tabled before Parliament by Justice Minister Dawda Jallow, was rejected on Tuesday after 23 Parliamentarians voted against it. He made the statements while addressing journalists on Wednesday
Darboe said the Barrow administration upon assumption of office in 2017, commenced the nation’s transitional justices process and established key reform Commissions one of which is the Constitution Review Commission.
“The CRC has since then put in relentless efforts to draft a constitution which is reflective of modern democratic constitutional standards and which additionally adopted comparative standards to the Gambia socio-political, legal, and religious context,” he said.
Lawyer Darboe said the final draft of the constitution sought to address the gaps and challenges that have immensely affected the progress of The Gambia’s governance system for more than two decades.
He said the Commission did its job within the prescribed time and submitted to the President as directed by the CRC Act but not once after receiving the draft had the president taken a moment to address The Gambians people about the significance of this national property.
