By: Kemo Kanyi
Ousainou Darboe, leader of the opposition United Democratic Party (UDP), has described the 2024 draft constitution as a document drafted behind closed doors to serve the political interest of one man.
The UDP leader made these remarks at a press conference on Tuesday following the draft’s constitution failure to pass its second reading stage. All UDP National Assembly Members and some independent NAMs voted against the Bill on Monday.
“Now, four years later, the same administration that destroyed the people’s draft returned with a new document, drafted behind closed doors, without public consultation, and designed to serve one man’s political interests, not the national interests. And when this bill reached Parliament, it was the opposition parties who stood firm, who said no to exclusion, no to manipulation, and no to self-serving government. We did not reject reforms. We rejected a process that bypassed the people and undermined our democracy. Let us call this what it is. It’s a betrayal,” Darboe said.
He reminded Gambians that this is not the first time the call for constitutional reform has been frustrated under the current administration.
“Let us remember clearly, in 2020, the Gambian people were presented with the most inclusive, transparent, and consultative constitutional process in our history. The CRC went to every corner of the country to listen to the people. That draft was born from your voices, stories, and struggles. It was a people’s draft, written not in isolation, but in collaboration with citizens, experts, and civil society. Yet, it was President Adama Barrow and his government, who both openly and behind the scenes, led the campaign to sabotage that people-centered draft. They withdrew their support. They lobbied against it. And when the time came, their allies in Parliament killed it,” he added.
Darboe also stated that the UDP and other progressive voices stood firmly behind the 2020 CRC draft but were betrayed by those who chose loyalty to a man over duty to the nation. He argued that those who now champion “Barrow’s 2024 draft” did not show the same urgency when the UDP defended the 2020 draft, adding that had they done so, the CRC draft might have become the country’s constitution.
“But they didn’t. And we must ask ourselves, why now? Why this draft? The answer is clear. It is not about the people. It is about power,” he said.
According to him, the failure of the 2024 Constitutional Promulgation Bill is not merely a legislative defeat for President Barrow but an indictment of his broken promises and disregard for democratic values. He emphasized that the UDP remains steadfast in its belief that constitutional reform must be people-led, transparent, and inclusive.
