Opposition NRP leader, Hamat Bah, at the weekend said it was the responsibility of a sitting president to serve his people equally and fairly at all times.
The NRP leader said this while pleading with President Jammeh not to punish the people of Lower Saloum and Niamina Dankunku over their choice of having opposition as their representatives.
He told journalists: “We want to remind the President that he collects taxes from every part of The Gambia and part of those taxes is what keeps him in office and the taxes collected in Lower Saloum and Niamina Dankunku are part of that. President Jammeh said he will not work with people who do not believe in his government's development agenda. We felt that it is important that after the by-elections in Lower Saloum, having heard the speech of President Jammeh, we set the record straight.
“President Jammeh, being the president of the republic, is the supreme custodian of the Constitution by virtue of his status as the first citizen of the land. It is only important to remind the President when he makes certain pronouncements that run contrary to the provisions of this Constitution. The highest office of the land is the Office of the President and he should therefore be the first person to safeguard and obey the provisions of this Constitution.
“The President said on national television that he acknowledged the fact that people have a right to vote for the party of their choice but he would not corporate with elected National Assembly members of both Niamina Dankunku and Lower Saloum. And he said that if you don't vote for him, he would not take development to your constituency.
“The President has responsibilities sanctioned by the Constitution. If you go by the Constitution, you will understand that the President has gone against so many provisions by making that statement. He violated Section 25(e) of the Constitution which talks about the freedom of the people to belong to any party of their choice. He also violated Section 26(a) which talks about the free will of the people to choose their representative in any elected office in the country.
“Therefore these two constituencies who have chosen their representatives from the NRP should not be punished for their decision. He also violated Section 26 (c) which talks about affording equality to all people with regard to public services in the country. He also violated Section 33 (4) which speaks against discrimination in all regards to citizens of the country. He also violated Section 215 (c) which talks about balanced developments in all parts of The Gambia. And there are many other provisions that have talked about the balanced and fair treatment of citizens.”
The NRP leader also defended their victory in Lower Saloumn saying it was not as a result of the “claim that the APRC chose a wrong candidate” but the popularity of their party.
Source of standard news gambia
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