Press release
The Gambia Law Society, formerly The Gambia National Bar Association wishes to formally dissociate itself from the rash and reckless statement made by the President of The Gambia Bar Association at the Legal year celebration on the 3rd day of February 2019.
The primary objective of the Gambia Law Society under section 4(1) of The Constitution is “the maintenance and defence of the integrity and independence of the Bar and the Judiciary in the Gambia.
An independent Judiciary cannot fully function without an independent Bar and for the Bar to plunge into the political arena will surly drag its members and shake the integrity and independence of the Judiciary as the Bar is part and parcel of the Judiciary.
The 1997 Constitution in Section 25(1) (e) states that “every person shall have the right to freedom of association, which shall include freedom to form and join associations and unions, including political parties and trade unions.
The President’s Youth Movement is a Constitutional right and any other person has the same right to register a youth movement or a political party once you satisfy the legal requirements. Such an action cannot and should not be seen as perpetration of disunity among the youths.
The position of the Law Society on this issue is that the President has all the rights to register any association just like any other Gambian has the right to register any political party.
We need not go into the rational for such a statement at the Legal year celebration but this press release is to let all Gambians know that the Law Society and indeed a host of our colleagues are not associated with such remark.
