The Constitutional Review Commission has been praised for doing good work in drafting a new Constitution for the country.

Recently, the Commission has engaged series of key stakeholders in consultation ranging from political parties, the legislature, and judiciary, Office of the Ombudsman, the National Human Rights Commission, Security Services, the Independent Electoral Commission, the Land Commission, and the presidency.

 The meetings were aimed at eliciting the views and aspirations of key stakeholders in specific constitutional provisions as part of the review process.

Speaking at State House in Banjul during the Commission’s visit, President Adama Barrow commended the Commission for its commitment towards achieving the objectives of its mandate.

“I think it is very important that we consult as a country. We (the Executive) are independent and will not interfere with your work, but we are citizens also and we have opinions too,” Mr. Barrow said.

He emphasized the need to build a constitution that will reflect the wishes of the people in order to for it to be generally accepted and embraced.

“Our main objective is to build a strong foundation for democracy for this country. And this document is very important as far as that is concerned,” the president said.

Meanwhile, Chief Justice Hassan B. Jallow said they look forward to seeing a constitution that would serve the test of time, adding that the rule of law is a prerequisite for a peaceful society and hailed the CRC for the approach it is employing in seeking the views and aspirations of all Gambians

Mariam Jack Denton, speaker of the National Assembly, praised the Commission for engaging key stakeholders in its quest to develop a constitution that will be for all Gambians.

Reacting to the comments, chairman of the Constitutional Review Commission, Justice Cherno Sulayman said: “The CRC recognized from the inception of its work that it needed to consult with Gambians and other key stakeholders in designing and developing a new Constitution for The Gambia.”

He added: “we have received full support on our approach and all persons and institutions we’ve consulted with thus far have taken the consultation process seriously and, as a consequence, have added value to the CRC’s work. We are truly grateful for the level and quality of public participation, no less that received from key Government institutions.”

Reporting by Adama Makasuba