By: Mama A. Touray
Following the interview of the United Democratic Party leader on Kerr Fatou, where he stated that if the government tampered with the original 2020 draft constitution, his party’s parliamentarians would not vote for it, Momodou Sabally, special adviser to President Adama Barrow, has pleaded with opposition members to reverse their stance on the draft constitution.
“I am pleading with the opposition members who are saying that if there is any change to the 2020 draft constitution, they will not agree. I urge them to revise their position because it is not the correct position and will not benefit the country. Democracy is about consensus, debate, consensus-building, and compromise,” he said.
Sabally challenged, “Who can tell me that the 2020 draft constitution was perfect? Let one person stand and tell me it’s perfect. Those who are saying to bring back the 2020 draft constitution cannot say that it’s perfect. A draft that is plagiarized from the Kenyan constitution — you bring that and say it should be the holy book, and no one should question it.”
He continued: “You are not democratic; you are not behaving democratically. Perhaps you are not even interested in the country’s best interests. If your opinion is that we should have a new constitution, and the draft is presented, yet you say if they change anything, you won’t agree — then what you want cannot happen. You don’t own the country. There are political parties, interest groups, religious groups, and other stakeholders in the country.”
Sabally added that he was one of the first to criticize the Constitutional Review Commission, saying, “I didn’t agree with the way they were operating, and I believe that where it was heading was not what Gambians wanted.”
He urged stakeholders, including political parties and CSOs, to allow the process to go through the National Assembly. “It’s not like only National People’s Party parliamentarians are there. We have UDP NAMs and other NAMs to see how we can have a process of discussion and consensus to have a constitution that will move this country forward.”
On the issue of consultation, Sabally said the process taken by the Constitutional Review Commission was sufficient. “They traveled around the entire country, using our money, and even went abroad all in the name of consultation, only to plagiarize a foreign constitution. That’s enough consultation.”
“The draft constitution involved consultation, it included everyone’s views, and the government made adjustments that I believe were necessary. Government is not theoretical, it’s practical. Giving the National Assembly the powers of the President undermines the work of the National Assembly. If you are in the executive and understand how the country should be governed, you will understand why President Barrow and the cabinet made these adjustments,” he said.
