Gambians have lost trust in public institutions, said Cherno Sulayman Jallow, the chairman of the Constitutional Review Commission (CRC), said at a press conference on Wednesday.
The CRC has held a public consultation on the making of the new constitution from November 5 to January 26, visiting 104 communities across the country.
“… The sum of the most pertinent issues raised by the Gambian community at large relates to concerns about the governance of the country. It is an understatement to say Gambians generally have lost faith in government—and that is any government. The CRC public consultations process afforded many with a rare opportunity to vent their frustrations at how government is administered,” said Justice Jallow.
“They do not trust the educated class and they seem to view as untrustworthy, greedy, unreliable and without conscience; one even indicated that he does not trust his educated sons because of how he has seen them amass their wealth. Some amongst them have even called for farmers to lead this country. And what was striking in all engagements was the absence of political partisanship. People spoke with knowledge and respect and expressed the hope that the educated class will used their positions to truly develop this country and rural Gambia.”
The CRC has already received several submissions of position papers from Gambians, said Jallow.
In addition to information gathered on the public consultation, the position papers will guide the Commission on the issues the new constitution should address.
As of 31 December, CRC received several written submissions including from 7 religious bodies, 5 educational institutions, 9 governmental organizations, 3 inter-governmental organizations, 53 submissions from individuals and 1 political party.
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