He told The Standard yesterday: “I am deeply shocked that in the 21st century people can be entertaining such retrogressive ideas. Instead of enhancing our constitution, putting clauses in the constitution that will guarantee the sovereignty of Gambian people that will make them masters of their own destiny they want to bring a monarchy. We all know that in a monarchical system the sovereignty of the nation resides in the monarch. I think it is a thinking that should not be discussed in The Gambia at all. We should be thinking of how to further concretise republicanism to ensure that our republican status takes unshakable roots. It seems those members of National Assembly introducing this idea on the floor do not understand the difference between a monarchical and republican system. If they did they wouldn’t be making such comments. I can understand why the youth leader Babou Gaye Sonko would make such comments because he was nominated by the president, but Honourable Abdoulie Saine is the elected representative of Banjul Central and they have more pressing problems that he can put on the floor of the National Assembly than making Yahya Jammeh king. It’s an ill-considered sycophantic idea that is not within reason. It is a non-starter.
“I think Mr Saine does not know the chemistry and character of the current leadership of the UDP otherwise he would not have said that it would be beneficial for the UDP and NRP parties because we could become prime ministers. We are not in politics because we want office. If that is want we wanted, I would have gone over to APRC a long time ago. We are not in politics because we want to enjoy the booties of office. There were politicians who claimed to be arch-critics of APRC but they joined the APRC when the opportunities to enjoy the booties of office were offered to them. We are men of character and integrity. I think also that Mr Saine does not know you can have a prime minister under a presidential system of government like in Senegal and France without resorting to monarchy. The man does not just understand that constitutional intricacy.”
By Sainey Darboe
]]>
