Opposition APRC has said it ‘strongly’ supports the voting down of the draft constitution by members of the national assembly – as the party joins UDP in taking a position.
UDP had on Wednesday expressed its frustration over the collapse of the constitution promulgation bill, the first party to publicly take a position.
Former ruling party APRC has now also made its position known, although it welcomes the development. Its MPs had insisted the draft is a conspiracy against the 1997 constitution before going ahead and voting against it.
“The APRC as a party like many other Gambians are worried about the hidden clauses in the Draft Constitution and the more reason that some of the MPs voted against it, they are law makers and their rights and stance must be recognised and respected. The Draft Constitution has shifted some of the sacred and important powers of the people’s representative (Legislature) and the Executive to the Independent Institution responsible for implementation of the Draft Constitution to our dismay,” the party said in a statement signed by Dodou Jah, its deputy spokesperson.
The party also frowned at foreign diplomatic community over a joint statement that asked the NAMs to vote in favour of the draft constitution.
APRC said: “It has come to the notice of the National Executive Committee of the Alliance for Patriotic Re-orientation and Construction (APRC) that a Joint Communiqué of The EU Delegation, The United States Embassy, The British High Commission and The German Embassy on Monday 21st September 2020 had urged members of the National Assembly to vote the Draft Bill on the revised Constitution to progress to the final stages of parliament scrutiny.
“We want to remind them that The Gambia is a sovereign and independent state, and they should respect the sovereignty and independence of the Gambian people and we strongly condemn their interference in the internal politics of the Gambia and legislature. It is our belief that the Parliamentarians are representatives of the people and has the country’s interest at heart at all times. The Parliamentarians who voted for the bill to pass has reasons of doing so and likewise Parliamentarians who voted against the bill equally has reasons of doing so, and thus, we respect equally their criterion stance.
“In conclusion, we strongly support the non-passing of the Draft Constitution by parliament, and finally for The EU Delegation, The United States Embassy, The British High Commission and The German Embassy, we demand that they desist from interfering in our internal politics.”
