MP Omar Ceesay who doubles as national chairman of Gambia Democratic Congress has called on opposition parties to ‘compromise’ the retroactive clause.
A retroactive clause in the draft constitution that will bar President Barrow from serving two fresh five-year terms caused a collapse of the charter at the national assembly last year.
UDP has been standing its ground saying it is the Gambian people who want the president’s current term to be counted as his first of two terms under the new constitution. The party has since rejected any idea to tinker with that, the only party that appears to have done so.
GDC has been participating in talks spearheaded by former Nigerian president Dr Goodluck Jonathan alongside fellow political parties. Talks last week in Nigeria however failed to deliver a breakthrough after UDP rejected the scrapping of the retroactive clause.
GDC’s national chairman Omar Ceesay said on Sunday: “If you know something is going to get better when you leave it, then leave it because it may get better , but if you know it is going to get worst when you leave it, then it is totally irresponsible to leave it.
“The razzmatazz surrounding the draft constitution especially the retroactive clause should be a thing of the past if we are really committed to get Gambians a new constitution by simply reaching a common ground.
“In any negotiation where parties involved would never reach a common ground, is a negotiation that should not have started in the first place.
“The success of the draft constitution rest entirely in the hands of the opposition parties as they have the option of compromising the retroactive clause in order to get Gambians a new constitution but again they have the option of uniting to vote out the president come next election as power belongs to the people.
“I am urging all opposition Political parties to compromise the retroactive clause of the draft constitution if it is the only clause that can lead to another setback.
“I can compromise because together we can remove the president to whom the compromise is meant for.”
