The Edward Francis Small Centre for Rights and Justice, on March 2nd, formally submitted a letter to the Honourable Speaker of the National Assembly, urging the urgent enactment of legislation to operationalize Section 105 of the 1997 Constitution on the use of national languages in parliamentary proceedings.
The relevant group referred to Section 105, which stipulates, “The business of the National Assembly shall be conducted in the English language or any other language prescribed by an Act of the National Assembly.”
It noted that nearly thirty years after the adoption of the 1997 Constitution, this provision remains unimplemented.
The center considers this prolonged inaction a constitutional omission that undermines inclusion, accessibility, and citizen sovereignty.
“The National Assembly is the People’s House. Yet, parliamentary proceedings continue to be conducted exclusively in the English language, even though the overwhelming majority of Gambians are not native English speakers. This linguistic limitation restricts public understanding, weakens citizen engagement, and distances representatives from the electorate they serve,” it stated in a public statement.
EFSCRJ believes that enabling the use of Gambian national languages, including Gambian Sign Language, would strengthen transparency, enhance participation, empower National Assembly Members to articulate issues more effectively, and affirm the cultural identity of the Republic.
Sixty-one years after independence, it is both unacceptable and indefensible that no Gambian language is formally recognized in the legislative chamber where the nation’s destiny is debated and decided.
“We have therefore urged the Speaker, the Majority and the Minority Leaders and Members as well as the Clerk of the National Assembly to initiate consultations and prepare a Bill before the end of 2026 to give full effect to Section 105.
This is a democratic and a republican imperative to uphold the sovereignty of citizens of this nation. Our call is rooted in the recognition and fulfillment of the civil, political, social, and cultural rights of our people,” the center added.
The resilient rights advocate calls on citizens, civil society organizations, political parties, the media, and all stakeholders across the country to support this constitutional reform and to demand a National Assembly that truly reflects and speaks the languages of the Gambian people.
