Africa-Press – Gambia. Hon. Suwaibou Touray, the National Assembly Member (NAM) for Wuli East, has called on his fellow lawmakers to prioritize national interest over political affiliations in the ongoing constitutional reform process. In an interview, Touray emphasized the importance of placing the will of the Gambian people above party loyalties.
He expressed concern that some members of the National Assembly are more focused on defending party positions than serving the electorate.“I see a country that is not looking at their country; they are not looking at the interests of the people. If you are an MP and you are brought there to serve the interests of the people, you will not be concerned about political party positions because it is not political party positions that you are elected to. You are elected to serve the people, the interests of the people. So if that is the reason why we are there, my belief is that it should pass,” he said.
Touray highlighted two key provisions in the draft constitution—presidential term limits and an absolute majority voting system—as longstanding demands of the Gambian people.
“As far as I know, we have always been fighting for a good constitution that is the absolute majority principle that is one and the term limits. All African countries are yearning for these two, and all the African organizations, whether it is ECOWAS or EU, are calling on all countries to adopt these two provisions,” He Said.
He attributed the failure to pass the 2020 draft constitution to partisan resistance, particularly regarding a clause that would have recognized President Adama Barrow’s first term under the new constitution.
“Those who are supporting the president in parliament are saying no; that should not be counted; they call that an acquired right. Me, who is an insider, I know that is the major thing, the reason why they have rejected it,” he said.
He lamented the lost opportunity to transition the country toward a more democratic framework, recalling that President Barrow was initially elected under a coalition agreement that supported a three-year transitional mandate.
“In that coalition we have agreed to a three-year mandate so that we will have a new constitution, and now the president has plotted that agreement and went in for a five-year term. We trusted each other that we have been fighting what they called dictatorship; we should be able to go through a transition that will help us to usher in a democracy and a new constitutional order,” he said.
He added that, “If you count this one as one, if I have the second chance, that would be enough for me, it would have been a very good example for Africa,” he said.
Touray also criticized the Minister of Justice for what he described as a failure to adequately defend the draft constitution during parliamentary proceedings.
“When I saw his members in parliament and how they stood for him and how I saw the justice minister who actually presented the bill not ready to defend the provisions of that constitution, then I began to feel that they are conniving with the government,” he said.
Concluding his remarks, Touray asserted that the future of constitutional reform lies in the hands of the parliamentarians, urging them to demonstrate political maturity and act in the national interest.
“It is entirely in our hands now. It is political goodwill; are we ready as Gambian parliamentarians trying to represent our people to ensure that our people’s desire is put there?” he asked.
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