People living in civilised societies abide by the laws that govern them. These are usually sets of rules and regulations built and agreed upon by all of the people living therein. This is referred to as a constitution.
In a Republic like The Gambia, the Constitution is supreme and must be followed by all and sundry. No one is above the law no matter the individual’s position. Everyone, without exception, is expected to abide by the laws of the land.
Of course, there are other laws made by the National Assembly and assented to by the President, but these are also made under the purview of the Constitution. So, if it is said that one should abide by the law, it includes all laws in the land. Whoever willfully violates these laws should be prosecuted. That is what is referred to as rule of law and its implementation is the role of the law enforcement agencies and the courts.
Recently, a Bill to lift the ban on Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) was brought to the National Assembly for debate. The Bill passed the first and second reading but could not pass the third reading. It was rejected and thrown out, so to speak.
However, in the aftermath of that debate, some people were heard saying that it doesn’t matter what the National Assembly does, they will continue to practice FGM/C as it is their right. They say that because this is their ‘religious and cultural’ rite, they will do it.
It appears that those people are intent on breaking the law, if they have not already done so by their mere proclamation of it. As said earlier, abiding by the law is the one thing that separates civilised societies and those that are not. It is therefore important that the government is seen to make sure that all residents of the country abide by the law.
When a precedent is set in not obeying the law, then the result maybe chaos and no one wants that to happen in this country. Everyone is watching therefore to see what the outcome of this struggle between the government and those who wish to break the law will be.
The world is watching!
