The
Constitutional Review Commission (CRC) today announced that it is on track to
deliver a draft Constitution. “Consistent with its terms of reference, the CRC
is well poised to deliver to Gambians at home and abroad a draft Constitution
that will engender public debate and comments before finalisation”, said the
Chairperson of the CRC, Justice Cherno Sulayman Jallow, QC.
He
intimated that significant strides have been made in collating and analyzing
the public opinions received during the CRC’s consultation processes. The
public opinions were gathered through different processes to ensure that a
broad spectrum of Gambians were reached in order to ensure a fair balance to
guide the CRC in making informed decisions during the drafting process. These
processes were the face-to-face dialogue with Gambians at home, face-to-face
dialogue with Gambians living abroad, focused group discussions, dialogue with
select Senior Secondary Schools, conduct of household surveys using specified
enumeration areas, administration of online survey questionnaires, dialogue
with stakeholders (both public and private), the CRC Issues Document and
responses thereto, independent submissions to the CRC, and contributions made
through social and the print media. Justice Jallow indicated that the public
consultation process has been a very challenging but fruitful one and he and
his colleague Commissioners have learnt a lot in terms of the views and
aspirations of Gambians and other stakeholders.
The
CRC also wishes to assure the public that a lot of work has been going on
behind the scene to ensure that The Gambia is counted among countries that
have progressive Constitutions.
Therefore, the CRC wishes to assure the public that it is doing its best to
keep to its mandate and to deliver a draft Constitution for public consultation
within the next few weeks.
It
is the CRC’s expectation to publish the draft Constitution online and to make
available a limited number of hard copies, and to thereafter embark on another
round of face-to-face consultations with Gambians across the country to ensure
that there is a good review process through active participation. The date and
venues for the next round of consultations will be duly communicated to the
public. The period for public consultations will be one month from the date of
publication of the draft Constitution; the face-to-face dialogue within the
country is envisaged to be for a two-week period. This will enable the CRC to complete
its assignment as mandated under the Constitutional Review Commission Act,
2017.
The
CRC is cognizant of the high expectations of Gambians concerning the drafting
of this new national document of monumental importance. While the draft Constitution is not expected
to touch upon or address every public opinion that has been canvassed, the CRC
hopes that by publishing the draft Constitution the general public will have a
good opportunity to review the draft and make constructive contributions in its
finalisation. Therefore, the CRC remains
committed to its mandate and will continue to ensure that the constitutional
review process continues to be guided by the principles of Transparency,
Participation Inclusiveness,
Representation, and National Ownership.
The
five technical committees established to assist the CRC with expert inputs have
all submitted their reports to the Commission. International consultants with
good track records in the review and drafting of Constitutions in Africa, were
also received recently by the CRC as part of its strategy to consult widely and
harness best practices within and outside of The Gambia, in order to deliver a
document that reflects international best practices consistent with the values
and aspirations of Gambians. The Consultants will continue their assignments
until such time as is necessary leading to the preparation of the final draft
Constitution.
Work
continues in earnest at the CRC Secretariat to assist the Commission in
achieving its ultimate objective of drafting a sound Constitution which
reflects the collective values, beliefs and aspirations of all Gambians, and a
report in relation to the process of drafting the Constitution.
The
CRC wishes to use this opportunity to thank and congratulate fellow Gambians
and other stakeholders for their enthusiasm, support and positive
contributions, and also to encourage them to continue to support the Commission
as it journeys to the conclusion of its assignment. The Commission remains
committed to its mandate and is therefore determined to deliver a draft
Constitution that will reflect, as far as possible, the wishes and aspirations
of the Gambian people, which take into account and embody, to the extent
considered feasible, international best practices.
