Mai Ask Barrow to Invites Political Party Leaders Dialogue on Draft

By Dawda Baldeh
Mai Ahmed Fatty leader of the Gambia Moral Congress (GMC), one time minister of Interior under President Adama Barrow, called on Barrow to invite all political party leaders to dialogue on the draft constitution which was rejected by few parliamentarians last September and immediately re-table the draft Constitution to fulfill his legacy of writing a new constitution.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday 3rd March, 2021, Mai said the country faced political crisis and the only way to solve the crisis is through dialogue. “I am calling on President Adama Barrow to invites opposition political leaders and hold talks on the current situation of the draft constitution which hold the views and recommended the rights of all Gambian”.
September last year, Gambian lawmakers rejected a draft Constitution meant to replace the 1997 constitution. Thirty –one (31) parliamentarians voted in favor of the Bill to be passed while 23 others voted against the Bill.
The government of the Gambia then turned to mediation specialists among which involve the flying of former Nigerian President to the Gambia Good luck Jonathan to find consensus on the draft Constitution ahead of its planned to return to the National Assembly.
Jonathan’s attempts to discuss with Gambian stakeholders on the re-tabling of the draft Constitution involve the travelling of Gambian political leaders to Nigeria to find consensus, many Gambians have observed their travel as waste of resources.
According to GMC leader, Good luck is expected to return to The Gambia on March 8th to continue on the mediation process.
GMC leader added that the president should invite opposition leaders and inform them his stand on the draft Constitution. “Our democracy is on experiment. We are in a huge political laboratory and political science of different colors each is predicting and experimenting the political conduct of the country”, he said.
Fatty further said, the nation is facing crisis of confidence. This country is highly blessed and the founding fathers had a great vision for the country that is at risk today. The political atmosphere in this country needs to be look at to gets everyone back on the right track.
He therefore said, what we need to look is the crisis of confidence the country is going through. It is not about having 17 political parties in the country, is about how we can be united and focuses on issues of national interest.
The major threat the country is facing is political disharmony. People no longer care about each other in the society and the country is losing its values. He finally said people should discuss issues that are for the interest of the country but the political crisis has changed, the mindsets of many did also change leading to attacks and disrespect among political leaders.