“The CRC team consulted the nation and Gambian citizens about what should be part of the new constitution. They toured the nation and had a conversation with Gambians and asked them about their recommendations for the new constitution and what should be omitted therefrom.”
According to the University professor and Gambia’s popular face and voice on seminal issues, “Gambians told the CRC what they wanted. But cabinet also expressed that they too are Gambian citizens and should also be given the opportunity to express their recommendations for the draft constitution,” he put it.
“When the first draft came out, since we saw that both Jawara and Jammeh had prolonged stays in power, we have to limit such longevity of tenure. Consequently, Adama Barrow’s first five years should be counted with the rest of his stay hours in office because we think that as far as the new constitution is concerned, no Gambian should stay in power beyond ten years (two five-year terms). Such should never happen.”
“It was recommended that Adama Barrow’s current five-year mandate should be counted towards his number of years in office. This was in the first draft which was submitted to cabinet for review. Cabinet expressed its dissatisfaction with the provision that says Barrow’s number of years should be counted from the beginning of his first five-years, saying it is a discrimination against President Barrow.”
Dr. Ceesay harped on the reason why African leaders usually want to stay in office to posterity, saying there are those leaders who come to office to serve their people with visionary ideas and basic service delivery ethos. But there are also those leaders in Africa that see office as a bread basket or cash register to put oneself on a path to a better life.
Some Western perspectives on the study of African leaders, Ceesay mentioned cogently argued that it is the affluence, money, opportunities, and extremely quick change of social and economic status that force many African leaders to find ways to cling unto power irrespective of poor and almost utter failure in delivering those basic needs of their people.
Ceesay illustrated this with the analogy that this is why we see someone without a Dalasi in pocket before assuming power flashing a million Dalasi or sending children to private schools or abroad or buying exotic dwellings. They also evacuate their families for foreign medical interventions in times of medical need while the rest of the people they are supposed to serve grapple with poor medical services.
Please follow the rest of the exclusive interview on our radio here by scrolling down to the bottom to click on our black play button under “Listen Here” and waiting for few seconds for the radio to start playing.
Ceesay most eloquently also addressed the question of Gambia’s sovereignty, lack of delivery of basic services, poor and inefficacious health care where even oxygen is rationed at hospitals, ill-equipped fire departments in the wake of continuous fire outbreaks, usually in markets and key business areas, endemic corruption which he coined as “Covid-419” in a whirl of corrupt practices more virulent than viruses. This is an interview you don’t want to miss if you really care about Gambia and Gambians. Stay tuned.
