The Gambia’s National Assembly rejected a proposed change to the Public Order Act, a private member bill filed by Hon. Sulayman Saho, the parliament’s Deputy Minority Leader and Member for Central Baddibu, in a heated debate on Tuesday.

The change was intended to protect the constitutional right to peaceful assembly while also introducing proper checks and balances to ensure that public meetings may take place without undue limitations.

The modification attempted to protect the constitutional right to peaceful assembly while still allowing public meetings to go unhindered.

The main change it advocated was to eliminate the need for a permit for public gatherings in favor of a notification requirement. The goal of this change was to speed up the process and make Section 5 of the Act conform to worldwide human rights standards, notably those outlined by the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights.

After debating the bill’s merits, 18 lawmakers voted in favor of it, while 25 voted against it.

Yaya Sanyang introduced another bill earlier in the day to modify the Local Government Act to allow nominated councilors to vote. The legislation was likewise defeated.

Sanyang proposes legislation to rectify the 2002 Local Government Act’s limitations by ensuring diverse Gambian interests are represented at the local government level. The bill grants voting rights to nominated councillors and selected members, appointed by mayors and chairpersons in collaboration with the Minister, to represent groups underrepresented in the electoral process.

Sanyang went on to say that the measure would improve the standard of local government decision-making. Selected members and nominated councillors with specialized knowledge in fields such as social welfare, health, and education could provide insightful information to the decision-making process. The Gambian population would then benefit from better results as a result.