BY SHERIFF SAIDYKHAN
Lare Sesay, retired senior manager at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and a leading voice of the main opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) has described the 2024 Draft a ‘rogue constitution’.
“2024 Draft is a rogue constitution, because Gambians have not participated in its formulation.
The 2024 constitution is Barrow and Jallow constitution. This is not the people’s Constitution.” he said.
He made these remarks on Tuesday at the popular Coffee Time Show with Peter Gomez.
He said the 2024 Draft does not represent Gambia’s values and democratic governance values, saying “where the president and his cabinet can declare their assets when they come into power, but will not declare their assets when they leave power. No serious country will have a constitution like that,”.
According to him twenty changes were made to the 2020 draft constitution, chief among which he says is the complete expunging of chapter five.
“Chapter five deals with the governance structure, the leadership, integrity, ethics issues, and public officials must be held accountable”.
The 2024 constitution he added, is intended to create an imperial Presidency and not an executive Presidency.
He added: “I am disappointed in my own UN institution for supporting and financing this 2024 Draft and paying for billboards that says ‘please adopt, and approve our constitution.
The UN agency is the costodian of democratization of governance within the UN system, free and fair elections, poverty eradication, climate change and other issues UNDP is known for.
UNDP is not known for supporting rogue constitution”.
