Mai Fatty has accused President Adama Barrow of masterminding the rejection of  the Draft Constitution at the National Assembly. 

The Gambia Moral Congress leader said 

the Barrow government was complicit in the rejection of Draft Constitution, and his actions is the “Great Betrayal that history will talk about for eternity.”

Last week Wednesday the much-anticipated Draft Constitution suffered a major defeat at the National Assembly after 23 out of the 53 lawmakers voted against the Promulgation bill.

“We have proven the government’s direct complicity in the rejection of a bill purportedly relating to a draft constitution. 

“They intentionally applied the wrong section of the law, and drafted the so-called bill in such a manner as to facilities its rejection by their allies in the National Assembly,” Mr Fatty said at a press conference at his party bureau. 

“We will go further to assert that there are no provisions in the 1997 Constitution dealing with promulgation of a new constitution. The cumulative effect of section 226 (1) (4)(7)(8)(9) and section 3 of the Interpretative Act conclusively support, strengthen and corroborate this contention. I am not aware of (or) oblivious of act No 33 of 1996(5).

“We hold the government responsible for the rejection of the so-called bill.  We conclude that their was no sincerity on the part of the government with regards to the entire reform programme. 

“We assert that the reform mandate upon which the coalition emerged victorious at the polls in December 2016 has been torpedoed, and in its place the rejected agenda of the consolidation of the status quo ante has been granted new accelerated engines. This is the “Great Betrayal” that history will talk about for eternity.”

Mr Fatty added: “as a party, we have put a process in place that would entail the input of others. So, I will not make unilateral declaration to avert undermining that process. I can assure you, however, that we defend the national interests, ensuring that the Draft Constitution continues to live. It is NOT dead and will never die.”

Reporting by Adama Makasuba