By Yusupha Jobe
The leader of the United Democratic Party (UDP) has raised concern over a clause in the Draft Constitution which exempt National Assembly members from approving the appointment of the Vice President.
Lawyer Ousainou Darboe made the observations during a contribution on the national discussion on the newly drafted Constitution of The Gambia during a program aired on Paradise TV.
He said the legislative powers given to the National Assembly Members in the newly Draft Constitution for approving the appointment of cabinet ministers and independent offices such as the Independent Electoral Commission, Ombudsman, Anti-Corruption office, Human Rights Commission, Central Bank and office of Auditor General of the country is quite commendable. Such powers, he said, has given a new constitutional opportunity to parliamentarians as representative of the electorates.
He went on that “the exclusion of approving the appointment of the country’s Vice President by members of the National Assembly as mentioned in the newly Draft Constitution has created suspicion after the same powers are given to the NAMs to make approval in the appointment of Cabinet Ministers including offices of government independent institutions.”
“But what I found a little bit lacking again is the same clause is where the appointment of the Vice President not made for approval by National Assembly Members,” he lamented.
“The educational qualification of Ministers as for the first time inserted in the new Draft Constitution to be pegged at the tertiary level is another innovation of a constitutional change. But again, why would the educational qualifications of the chief executives’ officers also not be pegged at the tertiary level,” he said.
