By Kebba Ansu Manneh
As the constitutional review exercise gains momentum across the country, scores of women in rural Gambia have called for more powers to be granted to women under the new law. Women leaders in Baddibu Kinteh Kunda Jannehya and Njaba Kunda have recommended for the new constitution to guarantee 30 percent quota representation for women in all representative institutions to enhance socioeconomic development in the country.
Their calls come at a time when members of Constitutional Review Commission (CRC) are crisscrossing the country to gauge and document the views of The Gambian peoples in reviewing and drafting a new constitution that will replace the 1997 Constitution.
The 1997 Constitution was adopted in a referendum to end the military dictatorship of the Armed Forces Provisional Ruling Council (AFPRC) led by Lieutenant Yahya Jammeh in July 1994. The AFPRC military junta overthrew the elected government of former president Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara. Lieutenant Jammeh would contest the subsequent election as a civilian and won the presidency where he ruled the country with an iron fist for twenty years. He was voted out of office in December 2016. Under Mr. Jammeh’s constitutional rule, he undertook nearly fifty amendments to the constitution which gave him near dictatorial power as an executive president.
Many Gambians, in addition to human rights organizations such as International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, Human Right Watch, Amnesty International, Article 19 among others, criticized the regime of Mr. Jammeh for adulterating the constitution to cling onto power.
After the new government of President Barrow took office in January 2017, majority of Gambians have called on the new government to overhaul the current law to be replaced with a constitution for the Third Republic. The government responded to calls for reforms by creating the CRC. The commission has since started its task and is currently embarking on a nationwide consultation with The Gambian people to shape the law.
Marang Kinteh, the Deputy Headmistress of Kinteh Kunda Jannehya in the Lower Baddibu District of the North Bank Region of the country, argues that the women of the country should be empowered to increase their participations in representative institutions. She said the new constitution should provide 30 percent representation for women in Cabinet, the National Assembly and Area Councils around the country.
Ms. Kinteh submitted that even though women constitute about 60 percent of the population they have been underrepresented in all key institutions of the country. In voicing her opinion, Ms. Kinteh said “I would like to see 30 percent women representation in the Cabinet, National Assembly and the Area Councils.”
She argued that when women occupy positions in representative and political institutions, many of their challenges will be addressed. She added that in order to attain this benchmark, political parties should all endeavor to ensuring minimum number of women candidates they would sponsor in all elections.”I believe if this is to be attained, the political parties have a stake to play if they can make sure that 30 percent of all their sponsored candidates are women,” Kinteh said.
Ms. Kinteh, who also doubles as the women Counselor of the Lower Baddibu Ward, said she also recommends free education for Gambian children from elementary to tertiary-level education. She argued that free education should be provided because many rural parents depend on incomes from seasonal farming to paying for the education of their children. She said given the low income from farming in contrast to the exorbitant cost of education, parents in rural communities are not be able to pay for the education of their children through tertiary education.
Awa Hydara, a twenty-eight-year-old lady from the same village, supports Ms. Kinteh’s argument that the government should offer free education to Gambians in tertiary institutions. “What I want to see in the new constitution is free education for all Gambian tertiary students. I know what free education at that level means because I am a victim as I could not continue to pursue my AAT course beyond Level 1 due to financial constraints, ” Ms. Hydara disclosed.
According to her, she was forced to cease her AAT studies because of her parents lacked the financial means, stating that both her parents are subsistence farmers who live from hands to mouth, and could not afford to pay for her higher education out of pocket.
Ms. Hydara, who is also a women mobilizer in her community, said women have been marginalized for far too long. She said that the previous regime gave empty promises to advance the rights of women but in reality it achieved very little for Gambian women.
Commenting on the prospective constitution, she said “I would like to see a constitution that will give more powers and authority to Gambian women so that their views can be reflective in both policies and administrative levels.” Ms. Hydara argued that if women are given the opportunity to participate in the governance of the country, rural women will play more substantive roles in national development thus redirecting them away from the familiar dancing and clapping their roles have been reduced to in Gambian politics.
While concurring with the sentiments expressed by earlier speakers, Alkali Hoja Saho of Kerr Nyatta Wolof in Lower Baddibu District recognized the advances registered by Gambian women in representative governments. Ms. Hoja is one of only few Gambian women to hold an Alkali position in the country. She calls for more Gambian women to be appointed as Chiefs in the country. “I want to know why women are not being appointed as Chiefs in this country. We all believe that women constitute the highest quarter of the population, but they have never been appointed Chiefs in this country, this I think should end now,” Alkali Saho advocated.
Njoi Secka said the new constitution should give more powers to Gambia women. Ms. Secka is a senior educationist at North Bank town of Farafenni. According to her, Gambian women should be adequately represented at the cabinet, National Assembly and area councils. She said women’s full participation in representative institutions will promote both efficiency and effectiveness in public administration.
Ms. Secka also argued that the new constitution should also grant free education to all students in tertiary education centers around the country. She noted the comparative financial difficulties that many parents in rural areas, as opposed to their counterparts in the urban cities, are confronting to pay for the education of their children.
Ms. Secka who contested for the Chairpersonship of Kerewan Area Council under the ticket of the National Reconciliation Party (NRP) praised the new government for creating the Constitutional Review Commission. She said for anyone to participate in constitutional drafting exercise is a generational opportunity or is once-in-a-lifetime experience for most people.
Ms. Secka argued that there is a big difference between the current constitutional drafting exercise compared to similar exercise undertaken twenty-three years ago. She said that military regime of Lt. Jammeh didn’t adequately involve The Gambian people in the drafting of the 1997 constitution which produced a document that acquiescent the country to a one-man rule.
Ms. Secka called on Gambian women to participate in the constitutional review exercise for their voices to be heard, and opinions to be counted in setting the agenda for the country.
The Constitutional Review Commission, which plans to complete its mandates of drafting a new law and a report on the draft law within eighteen months, was established by an Act of the National Assembly in December 2016.