Provisions in our 2019 draft constitution, which affect the Gambian Presidency
Section 92 of The Draft, is titled:- “Disqualifications for election as President.”. Section 92(1)(D) reads :- “A person is disqualified for election as President if he or she :- (C) has, during any period of service in a public or elected office or in the private sector being found liable for misconduct, misbehaviour, negligence or corruption by a Commission Of Inquiry.”
Legal comments
(1).In my legal opinion, I honestly do not think, that this disqualification, should be applicable to a person, who has been a beneficiary of a Presidential Pardon, granted by a sitting Gambian President, after evoking his/her “Prerogative of Mercy”, as provided for by our National Constitution.
(2).Secondly, I do not think the laconic phrase:- “… or corruption by a Commission Of Inquiry”, is legally correct. Instead, the legally correct thing to say is:- “…or corruption by a Commission Of Inquiry or by a Court of competent jurisdiction.” If a commission can do so, why not a court?
Terms and conditions of Office of President (Part IV)
Section 100 is titled: – “Term oF Office of President.” Section 100(1) reads: – “Subject to subsection (3), The President shall hold Office for a term of five years.” Section 100(2) reads: – “No person shall hold Office as President for more than two terms of five years each, whether or not the terms are consecutive.” The word “consecutive” in The Queen’s English or Oxford Advanced Learner’s English means: – “one after the other.” Now if Section 100(2) of The Draft is now saying:- “… whether or not the terms are consecutive …”, this therefore clearly means, that the present or incumbent Gambian President, His Excellency President Adama Barrow, can only be eligible to stand for the 2021 Presidential Election, and after that, he will be disqualified from contesting any other or future Presidential Election, because this present five-year term of his, is unlawfully and unconstitutionally being counted. In effect, what this preposterous Section is saying, is that Section 100(2) of The Draft is an ex post facto (Latin :- i.e. retroactive) Law, which is indeed unconstitutional, because Section 100 (2)(C ) of our present 1997 Constitution clearly says :- “The National Assembly shall not pass any Bill, which affects rights already subsisting in Law. But where a Bill, will not affect rights already subsisting in Law, it may do so.” I am humbly and Constitutionally submitting, that this provision of The Draft, is indeed affecting rights already subsisting in Law. There is also a locus classicus (Latin i.e. best known) The Gambia Supreme Court Case on this matter titled :- OUSMAN SABALLY Vs THE ATTORNEY GENERAL , which was ably decided by our present Honourable and Learned Lord Chief Justice Mr. Hassan B. Jallow (C.R.G.), and I think this was done, either in 2016 or 2017?. The aforesaid Section 100(2) (C) of our present 1997 Constitution, has been repeated ippisima verba (Latin:- verbatim), in what is now Section 151(2)(C) of The Draft 2019 Constitution, which reads :- “The National Assembly shall not pass a Bill :- (c) to alter the decision or judgment of a Court in any proceedings to the prejudice of any party to the proceedings, or deprive any person retroactively of vested or acquired rights”. Section 151(3) of The Draft, goes on to say:- “Subject to subsection (2) (c), The National Assembly may pass Bills designed to have retroactive effect.”
Section 100(3) of The Draft reads: – “Where the life of the National Assembly is extended for any period in accordance with Section 138(2), the term of Office of The President shall be extended for the same period.” This happened before the downfall of our immediate ex-Gambian President, Yahya Jammeh.
Restrictions regarding Office of President
Section 102 of The Draft is titled: – “Restrictions regarding Office of President”. Section 102(c) of The Draft reads :- “The President shall not, during his or her tenure of Office (c) establish, or advocate for, participate in or promote the establishment, or in any other way engage in the establishment, directly or indirectly, of any organization or institution of a civic, charitable or other nature.” This Constitutional Provision of The Draft is unacceptable, because it is unconstitutional, since it contradicts Section 41 of The Draft, which is titled: – “Protection of rights to property.” This Constitutional Provision of The Draft is also unacceptable because, it is unconstitutional, since it is retroactive, and it also affects rights already subsisting in Law. Now to honestly put this into Legal or Constitutional context, the present or incumbent Gambian President, His Excellency President Adama Barrow, is indeed already closely associated with a very famous and patriotic charitable Organization, affectionately called :- “The Barrow Youth Movement For National Development”, that is already effectively helping him , with the successful implementation of his valuable National Development Projects , throughout the length and breadth of The Gambia ,our beloved Motherland. Since this provision, may well have a devastating effect on the aforesaid charitable Organization, (or any other Charitable Organization, associated with any other Gambian Politician), and indeed on His Excellency President Adama Barrow’s Legal, Constitutional and legitimate Presidential aspiration, this provision should therefore be only prospective, and not retroactive, as far as the aforesaid charitable Organization is concerned. This unacceptable provision in The Draft is also diametrically opposed to Section 102 of The Draft, which guarantees “The Right Of Association”, for all persons in The Gambia, (of course including either a Presidential Candidate or a Sitting Gambian President), otherwise this will automatically be tantamount to ”discrimination.”
‘Secularism and what it means to the Gambian people’
This was the title of a recent bogus public lecture, delivered by Gambian-born DR. Omar Jah (a former Deputy Vice Chancellor of The U.T.G., now a Deputy V.C., at a Bangladesh University). He bogusly said, if ”Secular ” is inserted in our 2019 Draft Constitution, “this will be like a time bomb, which can explode at any time”, and two likely consequences of this will be:- (1) Gambian Muslims , will no longer have Friday , as their day of congregational worship, and (2) we will start having same sex marriages (i.e. two homosexuals or two lesbians getting married).
(1).Concerning the aforesaid first likely bogus outcome, DR. Omar Jah was
giving the wrong and highly fallacious impression, that to be ” Secular ”, is also to be ”Irreligious ”, which Google authoritatively defines as ” indifferent or hostile to religion, or having no religious beliefs .” Therefore to prevent great and unpardonable quacks or charlatans like DR. Omar Jah , from misinforming and misleading simple – minded people, both in and out of The Gambia, our Draft Constitution must therefore clearly define ”Secular ” , after it has been rightly inserted in it, in a very prominent place, either in The Preamble or in Section 1. The Holy Bible says in the book of Matthew Chapter 5, Verse 15; – “No one will light a lamp, and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, where it will give light, to all in the house.” ”In the Kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is King.”, as the famous adage goes. ” Ignorantia Juris Non Excusat”, (Latin:- ignorance of the law, is no excuse). Section 52 of The Draft Constitution reads:- “(1) Men and Women of full age and capacity, have the right to marriage and found a family, (2) Marriage shall be based on the free and full consent of the intended parties.” As a Senior Legal Draftsman, let me Constitutionally advise, that two provisos must be incorporated in this very important Section namely:- Proviso 1:- Notwithstanding the generality of Section 52, “Marriage” here does not prevent under-aged people from getting married, under Customary Gambian Laws, which are parts of Gambian Laws, under Section 7(d) of our present 1997 Constitution, and under Section 91(1)(d) of The Draft. Proviso 2: Notwithstanding the generality of Section 52, “Marriage” here, clearly excludes a gay marriage or a lesbian marriage. ”Expressio unius est exclusio alterius ” ( Latin ie ; – what has been expressly stated by the law , excludes what has not been stated.)
(2).Concerning the aforesaid second likely bogus outcome, I am
vociferously putting it to DR. Omar Jah, that both homosexuality and lesbianism, are not only prohibited by Spiritual/Divine Books like:- The Bible for Christians , The Quran for Muslims ,The Torah for Jews, The Vidas for Hindus (Indians) etc .In the Case of The Gambia , both homosexuality and lesbianism, are firmly Criminalized, and they are called, ”acts against the order of nature.” Section 144 of The Criminal Code is titled:- “Unnatural Offences.” Section 144 (1) reads;- ”A person who (a) has carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature, or (b) has carnal knowledge of an animal. or (c) permits any person to have carnal knowledge of him or her against the order of nature – commits a felony, and is liable on conviction, to imprisonment for 14 years .” Therefore, what DR. Omar Jah was doing for cheap popularity in Bangladesh, he was intentionally and maliciously, misinforming or misleading the general public (Internationally), and this is an unacceptable conduct that is tantamount to monumental intellectual dishonesty. If DR. Omar Jah is bold enough to repeat that bogus Bangladesh lecture on Gambian territory, then he may be rightly arrested by the police, and correctly Charged for ”False publication and broadcasting”, contrary to Section 181A (1) of The Criminal Code , which reads ” A person who willfully negligently or recklessly, or having no reason to believe that it is true , publishes or broadcasts any information or news which is false in any material particular , commits an Offence, and is liable on conviction to a fine of not less than fifty thousand Dalasis, and not more than two hundred and fifty thousand Dalasis, or imprisonment for a term of not less than one year ,or to both the fine and imprisonment .”
If he unwisely does so on Gambian territory, then a Gambian Court, where he will be tried for the aforesaid heinous Criminal Offence, will automatically have Jurisdiction to do so. “Quic Quid Plantatur Solo Solo Cedit” (Latin :- What is attached to the land, is part of the land). I understand, that he has recently repeated tat bogus lecture, at The Q Tv Hall, in The Gambia. Alternatively, if he repeats that illegal lecture, in The Gambian Embassy in Bangladesh (provided we have one there), or in The Gambian Consulate in Bangladesh, then Bangladesh police can arrest him, and if he is deported to The Gambia, if an Extradition Treaty exists between The Gambia and Bangladesh, then automatically Gambian Courts will have Jurisdiction to try him, because under Jus Gentium (Latin :- i.e. Public International Law or The Law Of Nations), the two aforesaid Diplomatic places in Bangladesh, are indeed part and parcel of Gambian territory. This clearly explains, why after the then Honourable Mr. Adama Barrow, the then able and beloved Presidential Candidate, of a Coalition of 7 political parties and 1 Independent Candidate (i.e. the present Vice President, Her Excellency DR. Mrs. Isatou Touray), after Honourable Adama Barrow had won the 1st December 2016 Presidential Election, in January 2017, which was free and fair, he was purportedly sworn into Office, as “The President Elect”, at The Gambia High Commission, in Dakar, Senegal, and he thereafter metamorphosed to His Excellency The President Of The Republic Of The Gambia & Commander-In-Chief Of The Armed Forces. I say purportedly because, only one Oath (not 3), was mistakenly administered for him, and this Constitutionally necessitated that the swearing in Ceremony, to be repeated on 18th February 2018 (The Gambia’s 53rd Independence Anniversary), at The Independence Stadium in Bakau. ” To err is human and to forgive is divine”, as the famous adage goes. I wrote and published a timely legal article, on this important Constitutional issue.
The Criminal Code was single –handedly drafted in 1931 by my late beloved paternal granduncle ,Honourable Mr. Wilfred Davidson Carrol, an Oxford University –Trained Lawyer, and an Honourable Member of The Legislative Council, the equivalent of today’s National Assembly / Parliament, when the then British Governor In Colonial Gambia was, His Excellency Mr. Arthur Richards. What used to be called “Picton Street” in Banjul, in The Capital Of The Gambia, was Officially renamed ;- “Davidson Carrol Street” in his honour, by The Banjul City Council, when my good friend and brother, Mr. Samba Faal, was the able Lord Mayor of the City of Banjul. For more juicy and inspirational details about my
late paternal granduncle, let me refer interested persons/readers, to a masterpiece book titled:- “Patriots: Profiles of Eminent Gambians”, published by our great Gambian Historian, Mr. Hassoum Ceesay, and Officially launched in January 2016, by my good friend and brother, Mr. Sheriff Bojang (the proprietor of The Standard Newspaper), who was then the Honourable Minister of Information & Communication Infrastructure. Today, all members of The Gambia’s legal fraternity, both Christians and Muslims, are still using and enjoying the aforesaid Code today, Mutatis Mutandis ( Latin ;- with the necessary changes or amendments)
Let me repeat here for emphasis sake, what I correctly said, in a recent “Talk On Christianity” G.R.T.S. TV programme, that was successfully aired on Sunday, 8th December, 2019, ably hosted by Gambian-born Rev. Canon James Cole of The Anglican Church, and My Learned Junior, Mr. Patrick Gomez, was also on the religious panel:- “….The Chairman and Members of The C.R.C., must always avert their minds to Section 6 of The C.R.C. Act, which clearly says, something like this:- “The members of C.R.C., when drafting the new Gambian Constitution, shall always bear in mind, the continued existence of The Gambia as a Secular State, and they shall promote the equality of all faiths.” In Law when “Shall” is used, the obligation that has been imposed by Parliament, is generally “Mandatory” or imperative, but when “May” is used, it is generally “Discretionary”…..”. This is the legal framework which encapsulates the legal mandate of all the C.R.C. Members. If one juxtaposes our Draft 2019 Constitution, with the aforesaid sacrosanct and inviolable legal framework, it becomes quite evident, that The C.R.C. Members, have indeed acted Ultra Vires (Latin :- i.e. acted outside their powers), or they have deliberately or intentionally navigated way outside the parameters of their Official Mandate. A clear evidence of this incontrovertible assertion is the excessive inclusion of “Sharia” in our 2019 Draft Constitution, which is unacceptable to both Gambian and non-Gambian Christians in The Gambia and in the Diaspora (Since we are now living “in a Global Village”). This is also unacceptable, to both liberal Gambian and non-Gambian Muslims, who are living either in The Gambia, or in the Diaspora, because it contradicts The Gambia’s Secular State Status. Neither The Sharia (ie;- Islamic Law ) nor Canon Law (ie Christian Law) , should be inserted in our 2019 Draft Constitution. ”What is sauce for the goose, also is sauce for the gander,” as the adage goes. But Gambian Christians and liberal Gambian Muslims , want the status quo to remain the same , as far as the limited application of The Sharia is concerned, ( ie only on matters pertaining to ; Marriage, Inheritance and Divorce, as dictated by Section 7 (f), of our present 1997 Constitution. Interestingly, Section 9(1)(e) of The Draft, has now also included:- “burial”, “endowment (waqf).” The very fact that Christians in The Gambia are a minority group that does not give the majority of Gambian Muslims the authority, to marginalize and discriminate against the former. This is indeed unacceptable and unconstitutional, because of the following cogent and plausible reasons:-
(a) In the Chapter/Sura called “Kafirun” (which means unbeliever), in The Holy Quran, we read these powerful inspirational words:- “La Kum Denu Kum Walia Din” (Arabic i.e. follow your religion, and let me follow mine). In other words, The Sharia is saying, that when it comes to religion, there should be no compulsion. (b) The Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, by A. S. Hornby, inter alia authoritatively defines “Democracy” thus:- “Democracy, is majority rule, accompanied with respect for minority rights….”. Since The Republic Of The Gambia is a Democratic State (apart from being a Secular and Sovereign State), that is why in our National Assembly/Parliament, we have both “The Majority Leader” and “The Minority Leader.” (c) Thirdly, and finally, even in Company Law, there exists what is called:- “The Rule In Foss Vs Harbottle” (1842), which expressly prohibits Majority Shareholders, from bullying Minority Shareholders, in a registered Company. “Might is not right.”
If The C.R.C. Members blatantly or stubbornly refuse to incorporate valuable comments on the said Draft Constitution, from members of the general public, who have locus standi (Latin:- i.e. Legal Standing), all that now needs to be done, is to urgently hire a Senior and very experienced Lawyer, who will urgently go to The High Court, and obtain an Order Of Mandamus, which will command both The C.R.C. Chairman (Justice Cherno Jallow) and all C.R.C. Members, to execute their Official functions, in accordance or conformity, with the aforesaid Statutory Official Mandate. Additionally, My Learned Friend, the Honourable Mrs. Mariam Jack-Denton, The Speaker Of The National Assembly/Parliament, can rightly Charge The C.R.C. Chairman (Justice Cherno Jallow) and all C.R.C. Members, for the heinous Parliamentary Offence of:- “Contempt Of The National Assembly”, contrary to Section 110 of our present 1997 Constitution. They will be certainly found guilty as Charged, and this will not be a violation of the aforesaid double jeopardy rules, in The Law Of Evidence.
Disclaimer
Ex Abundante Cautella (Latin:-i.e. out of the abundance of caution), let me hereby state this important disclaimer, that all what I have written in this document, is indeed my personal legal opinion, and not that of The Attorney General’s Chambers & Ministry Of Justice, where I have worked for many years, first or commencing as a Senior Legal Clerk, and by God’s Grace, I rose through the ranks, to be The Solicitor General & Legal Secretary (i.e. The Deputy Chief Legal Adviser of The Gambia Government, from 2007 to 2009).
Why should Gambian criminal law be quickly amended?
Gambian Criminal Law, should now be quickly amended, so that from henceforth, external alleged Offenders (for e.g. DR. Omar Jah and other culprits), will immediately desist from sitting in their comfort zones overseas, and start misinforming and misleading Gambian Imams, by remote control, most of whom are now very angry when they hear that the word:- “Secular”, should be positively inserted in our 2019 Draft Constitution. Even The Gambia Supreme Islamic Council (G.S.I.C.), established in 1992, Is now wrongly having this view. The laconic phrase:- “….Supreme Islamic Council…” is linguistically wrong, because when “….Supreme Islamic Council…” is used, it projects the fallacious impression, that another Islamic Council exists within Gambian territory, when in fact, this is not the case. DR. Jah has really poisoned their minds from overseas, by wrongly and illegally telling them that, if “Secular”, is inserted in our Draft Constitution, we will now start having same sex marriages in The Gambia (i.e. marriages between homosexuals and lesbians). That was why, when I accompanied a high-powered delegation of The Gambia Christian Council (G.C.C.), jointly led by The Most Rev. James Allen Yaw Odico, The Chairman Of The G.C.C., and The Bishop Of The Gambia and The Most Rev. DR. Gabriel Mendy, The Roman Catholic Bishop and The Bishop Of Banjul, when we recently paid a Courtesy Call on C.R.C. Members, to briefly discuss our Second Position Paper, I clearly and rightly told them (as one of the Senior Lawyers Of The G.C.C.), that for the avoidance of doubt, “Secular”, should be inserted in our 2019 Draft National Constitution, and it should also be clearly defined in the said Constitution, in order to rebut what DR. Omar Jah et cetera, have been bogusly telling them. On Christmas Eve, on 24th December 2019, in his Christmas Message to The Nation, His Excellency President Adama Barrow, rightly and wisely called for an urgent Inter-Faith Dialogue, on this matter of paramount National importance.
Our proposed or new Gambian law
I was highly elated, when I read a front page eye-catching coloured article, published in the Wednesday 18th December 2019 publication of The Standard Newspaper titled “Minister tables mutual assistance Bill to prosecute external Offenders.” A passport sized coloured photograph, of our Honourable and Learned Attorney General & Minister Of Justice, Mr. Abubacar M. Tambadou, was also rightly affixed thereto. It is axiomatic or it goes without saying, that when this long overdue Bill, is finally passed by our Honourable Members of our National Assembly/Parliament, and assented to by His Excellency President Adama Barrow, this will automatically give our National Courts Jurisdiction, to legally try external alleged Offenders (for example DR. Omar Jah and others), whose unfounded and habitual utterances overseas, are now threatening Religious Tolerance in The Gambia, and this is indeed, a monumental threat to National Security. Nieghbouring Senegal already has this prototype (i.e. first of its kind) Law. In 2018, an American-based Senegalese Citizen, Mr. Assan Joof, was habitually and unacceptably insulting His Excellency Mr. Macky Sall. He was rightly deported from The U.S.A., and a Senegalese Court tried, convicted and sent him to prison, under the aforesaid new Law. All Gambians, both at home and in the Diaspora, must respect the white colour in our Gambian Flag, which means “Peace”, which The Republic Of The Gambia, is known and respected for Internationally. The said flag was skillfully designed, by the late Mr. Pa Louis Thomasi, who was a Gambian Christian (a Roman Catholic precisely), and today both Gambian Christians and Muslims, are still enjoying this flag. One of the tripartite principles of the doctrine of The Rule Of Law, as eruditely propounded by the distinguished British legal luminary, A.V. Dicey, is :- “No person is above the Law.”
Land ownership
Section 257(1) of our 2019 Draft Constitution reads:- “All land in The Gambia belong to the people of The Gambia collectively as a Nation, as Communities, and as individuals.” According to The Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, by A.S. Hornby, “Collective” is authoritatively inter alia defined as “1. A group or Society of persons, Nations etc) as a whole.” The word “Collective” therefore in the said Section, should be deleted immediately. It gives the fallacious, illegal, unconstitutional impression, that all Lands in The Gambia, are collectively owned by the entire Gambian People, which is very very wrong indeed. To use the mathematical parlance, we have a universal set, and within this universal set, we have subsets. To put this into context, owners of freehold lands, are indeed belonging to a subset within the universal set. Therefore, to say, what the aforesaid unacceptable Section is saying, is indeed tantamount to “State Theft”, and this is also, indeed a flagrant violation of Section 41 of The Draft Constitution, which guarantees “Protection of right to property…”. The said Section also violates Section 100(2)(c) of our present 1997 Constitution, which has now been rightly replicated Ipsissima Verba (Latin:- verbatim), in Section 151(2)(c) of The Draft Constitution. In a nutshell, what the two aforesaid consecutive Constitutional provisions are saying is :- “The National Assembly, cannot pass any retroactive Law, that affects rights already subsisting in Law. But where this is not the case, the National Assembly, may do so”. As I have already stated earlier on, the locus classicus Case of The Gambia Supreme Court is :- OUSMAN SABALLY Vs THE ATTORNEY GENERAL. Land is indeed of paramount importance. As a Senior Canadian – Trained Theologian, let me say The Holy Bible says in the book of Exodus, Chapter 20 :- “Honour your father and your mother, so that your days will be long in the land, which the Lord thy God has given you.”
Theologically speaking, some people have died young, by refusing to honour or respect some elderly people, who deserved to be respected. The aforesaid, was one of The 10 Commandments, which God Almighty gave to Prophet Moses (called Musa in The Sharia), on Mount Sinai. The owners of freehold lands, therefore either inherited those valuable lands from their ancestors, or they were bought by their present owners, The State did not give those lands to them, therefore and logically speaking, The State cannot take those freehold lands from them. Adam Smith, an 18th Century Scottish Economist and Philosopher, whose first book was titled:- “The Theory Of Moral Sentiments”, and who is Internationally regarded as “The Father Of Economics”, rightly wrote:- “Land, Labour and Capital, are factors of production.” The aforesaid unacceptable provision, is also giving the fallacious impression, that when this our 2019 Draft Constitution (if it is not wisely and urgently amended now), comes into force after the long awaited referendum, conducted by The I.E.C., The Republic Of The Gambia, will instantly metamorphose from being a Democratic Secular State, to a Communist or a Socialist State, where the order of the day, will be :- “monkey work, and baboon chop.” God Almighty in The Holy Bible says:- “From the sweat of thy brow, shall thou eat bread”.
Hidden “right to health” clause
Section 60 of The Draft is titled ;- ”Economic and social rights.” Section 60 (1) (a) reads ;- ” (1) Every person has the right ;- (a) to the highest attainable standard of health , which includes the right to health care services including reproductive health care.” Firstly, ” the right to health”, is of such paramount importance , therefore it should be encapsulated , in a Section of its own , and not hidden under the aforesaid Section. Secondly, after “The right to Life”, the second most important right, is indeed “The right to health.” “Vel Primus, Vel Cum Primus” (Latin:- either the first, or among the first).
Clarifications concerning certain provisions of the CRC draft constitution”
This was the title of a recent Press Release issued by The C.R.C., published in the Tuesday 31st December 2019 publication of The Voice Newspaper .It inter alia said ;- ” … However , the C.R.C has discovered through its public engagement process during the public consultations , that there are persons that have been spreading misinformation regarding certain provisions of the draft Constitution…. … It is therefore considered important that the C.R.C. revisits The Gambian Communities to better explain the provisions concerned so that citizens are aware of the true picture and to disabuse their minds of the misinformation that is being spread ……. “ The said press release is inter alia wrongly saying, that the alleged culprits, have been doing so inadvertently. But I vociferously beg to differ. They have been doing so maliciously and unpatriotically. Obviously , a classic example of the alleged culprits which the C.R.C. Press Release was alluding to , is the notorious Dr Omar Jah in a Bangladesh University. But I totally disagree , with the C.R.C.’s avowed intention, to use this as a flimsy excuse , to go on another extensive consultation tour , all over The Gambia again (ie to the 2 Municipalities of Banjul and Kanifing, and the 5 regions ), because ;- (1) This will be a share waste of our Country’s financial resources , and (2) This will also delay , the long awaited referendum , to be conducted by The I.E.C., which is the first indispensable legal requirement , for the adoption of The Draft Constitution by The Gambia’s electorate , before it is finally taken to The National Assembly /Parliament , for Parliamentary approval , as clearly stated in The C.R.C. Act 2017 .
Alternatively , what the C.R.C. should now wisely do, is to urgently organize an Inter-Faith Dialogue, as His Excellency President Adama Barrow , has rightly and wisely suggested, in his 2019 Christmas Eve Presidential Speech to The Gambian Nation. “Take care of the pennies, and the pounds, will take care of themselves”, as the famous financial adage goes. The Chancellor Of The Exchequer (The Rt. Honourable Sajid Javid- M.P.), the equivalent of The Honourable Minister Of Finance in The British Government, who lives next door to The Rt. Honourable British Prime Minister (The Rt. Honourable Mr. Boris Johnson) who as “The First Lord”, lives at No.10 Downing Street, in London, The Capital of The U.K., indeed the aforesaid Chancellor, strongly respects, and always abides, by the aforesaid financial adage. Both The Chairman, and all C.R.C. Members, should always remember, that presently in The Gambia, the cost of living is indeed very high, and consequently some people/families, cannot even afford to have three square meals per day, and Jesus Christ said:- That we should always be our brothers’ and sisters’ keeper. I rest my case.
The End
