Africa-Press – Gambia. The Secretary General of the Coalition of Progressive Gambians (CoPG) Celestine Kujabi has challenged the National Assembly to reintroduce the 2020 draft constitution.
He was quick to point out that the draft provided a strong foundation for building accountability.
In an interview with, The Voice Newspaper Kujabi discloses that the draft ensures robust human rights protections, promotes transparency, and holds officials accountable for misuse of public resources.
According to him, term limits and prevention of authoritarian rule are key aspects that the draft seeks to address and this is what prompted citizens to invest heavily to have a new constitution.
“The draft constitution includes a crucial provision limiting presidential terms to two, preventing the perpetuation of one person rule and ensuring a balanced distribution of power. This is essential for safeguarding democracy and preventing authoritarianism,” he stressed.
“The 2020 draft strengthens human rights protections for marginalized groups, including women, children, the elderly, and persons with disabilities. It also mandates gender balance and fair representation for all segments of society,” Kujabi added.
He emphasized that the draft constitution protected the judiciary’s ability to act impartially ensuring fair justice for all Gambians.
“The 2020 draft establishes a dedicated Anti-Corruption Commission with the authority to hold officials accountable for misuse of public resources, promoting transparency and addressing public demand for a corruption free government.”
Kujabi further emphasizes that the recent afro barometer survey shows that 67% of Gambians support reintroduction of the rejected 2020 draft constitution indicating a strong public desire for this constitution.
He argues that Gambia needs a new constitution because the 1997 Constitution is out-dated with lots of draconian laws which are not favourable for the citizens.
“Millions have been spent in the two drafts constitution and nothing works. The tax payers contributed hugely hoping to get a new constitution but all the efforts went in vain. That money could have been used to cover another sector. I once again task the MPs to reconsider this act and fulfil the wishes of the electorate,” Kujabi concluded.
