(Wednesday 16th October 2019 Issue)
Former
vice president has made a clear clarification over the much-talked about issue
of the Coalition 2016 controversial memorandum causing confusion among the
Coalition members and their sympathizers across the country.
Responding
to State House press corps recently after members of Coalition 2016 met with
President Adama Barrow, to extend his mandate to five years, Fatoumatta
Jallow-Tambajang said “a memorandum of understanding cannot make a Head of
State to be a Head of State.”
Considering
some ongoing talks and debates calling-on the President to respect the
Coalition standing Memorandum of Understanding and step down after three years
in office, Madam Jallow-Tambajang said that the document that member of
coalition 2016 unanimously approved and took to the IEC to recognize the
Coalition flag bearer as a presidential candidate, is the same agreement they
are now going to legally amend in line with the decision they took.
The
Coalition chairperson recognized the importance of the memorandum, explaining
that “the memorandum of understanding is important but the fundamental is the
agreement which was signed by all parties.”
As
Coalition is just a body, she said members take into consideration the views
and opinion of people and heard the voices of every Gambian.
“But
The Gambia is beyond just a coalition. Therefore, we have agreed that our flag
bearer who is now the president of this country, on the bases of the
incompletion of the reform agenda we decided as a Coalition to extend the
social legitimacy from three years to five years.”