All
the nine registered political parties in The Gambia have signed a memorandum of
understanding, which states how the parties would relate with one another, and
to avoid the ruling party practice of abuse of state resources for party
benefit.
The
signing ceremony held at a hotel in Kololi was organised by the Inter Party
Committee, comprising representatives of all the political parties, that is,
the ruling party and opposition parties, and was chaired by Halifa Sallah.
The
agreement should have been signed before the 1st December 2016 presidential
election, but the then president Yahya Jammeh withdrew his party from the
committee shortly before the election, thereby stalling the process.
Speaking
on the occasion, President Adama Barrow, who presided, said the MoU is a
by-product of a common desire to create a peaceful and stable political
environment, as it would encourage political parties to operate within the
confines of the constitution and other laws of The Gambia.
He
said the agreement would encourage dialogue and cooperation between political
parties, and would also give dignity and respect to the Office of the
President.
“I
wish to assure you that I will do everything within my powers to support the
committee [interparty committee] whose objective is to ensure that we live in
society where dialogue and cooperation between political parties will serve in
the promotion and consolidation of democracy, rule of law, human rights and
good governance in The Gambia,” President Barrow said.
The
chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission, Alieu Momarr Njai, said the
MoU is of interest to all the political parties and stakeholders for a smooth
electoral process in The Gambia.
“As
far as the IEC is concerned, the MoU contains all the elements that will
nurture a healthy inter-party relationship that could promote an environment of
free and fair electoral process,” he said.
Halifa
Sallah, chairperson of the interparty committee, said with the signing of the
MoU, the inter party committee would now be transformed into an apex
institution that would refine and entrench the democratic process.
