By Omar Jabang
Mr. President Barrow, in as much as we love and support you, that doesn’t mean we will go to sleep and watch you unchecked. The National Intelligence Agency (NIA) is a creation of the Constitution. See Section 191 of the Constitution. If you wish to change the name, send a bill to the National Assembly for an amendment to the section which creates it by coming up with a new name in accordance with section 226 of the Constitution.
Section 191 Is not an entrenched clause so a simple parliamentary deliberation will do. Let’s start doing things according to law. It would not be business as usual. Gone are the days when violations of the Constitution would be tolerated without consequences. We understand the trauma attached to the name NIA but that’s not an excuse for non observance of the book you swore to defend.
Put your house in order and consult before you take your steps. You are under the microscope of the new Gambia. For the purpose of clarity, it wouldn’t be business as Jammeh. We have passed that stage and there is no going back to it. This is why the need for naming your cabinet. Your Attorney General would have put you right.
The name change of the NIA to whatever name is unconstitutional. The NIA was not created by any President but by the Constitution. If you want it changed, follow the Constitutional dictate.
Wasalam!
