The Gambia Press Union presents position paper to CRC

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The Gambia Press Union (GPU) on Monday presented a position paper to the Constitutional Review Commission accompanied by a delegation comprised of executive members, staff and senior journalists led by the Union president Sheriff Bojang Jnr.

The paper presented to the chairman of the CRC by Mr. Bojang argues a case for a progressive and purposive construction of the constitutional guarantees of media freedoms, freedom of expression and freedom of information in the country

It follows a series of consultation with local and international stakeholders and experts from government media and civil society.

Saikou Jammeh, secretary general of GPU gave an overview of the position paper before CRC commissions and staff at a convergence at the CRC headquarters at Bertil Harding Highway in Kololi.

He seized the opportunity to revisit the past challenges of the Gambia media and the respite that the new Gambia brought.

“Dictatorship has since been defeated. Now there is a nation to build and rebuild. The GPU considers the constitutional building process as the most significant golden opportunity to establishing a kind of democratic example that the world yearn to seeing in Africa,” said Mr. Jammeh.

In achieving that, he said we must bear in mind to be guided by the words of the Lord Diplock, as quoted by Justice Cherno.S Jallow (now chair of CRC) in the ruling of Gambia Press Union and Others vs State: “A Constitution, and in particular that of which protects and entrenches fundamental rights and freedoms to which all persons in the State are to be entitled, is to be given a generous and purposive construction.”

On his part, the chairman of the Constitutional Review Commission, Justice Cherno S. Jallow said that they don’t want a constitution that would be treated like any other statute to be amended anyhow.

He commended Gambians for taking active part in the process.

He described the constitution as the principal legal framework, observing that in their participation in constitutional building process, people mainly raised issues based on their experience, environment among other factors.

“We either take responsibility or leave it at our own detriment,” he advised.

Speaking earlier Sainey, M.K. Marenah the head of communication at the CRC who introduced the media delegation, acknowledged the resilience of some of the journalists in pursuit of freedom of expression and press freedom in very challenging times.