The National Assembly Members on Thursday rejected the controversial 1.2 billion Supplementary Appropriate bill tabled this Tuesday by the Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs.
The MPs says any Supplementary Appropriate bill has to be passed to the parliament four months prior to the end of the fiscal year and that it should not exceed 1% of the budget.
Hon. Halifa Sallah-National Assembly Member for Serrekunda told the Finance Minister that the law says the SA should come to the parliament next year.
“We cannot continue to encourage financial indiscipline…we serve the National interest…,” he said.
Alhagie Darboe, National Assembly member for Brikama North said: “If you look at the reasons advanced by the minister that is contained in the submission of FPAC (Finance and Public Accounts Committee), if one has to relate that to the parent submission by the minister, the aspect that has been added has no point to be justified even whereas it has been observed by the FPAC. But the minister’s reasons are not holding water on the basis of submitting these supplementary estimates.”
Hon. Sanna Jawara, National Assembly member for Upper Fulladu West Sanna Jawara urged his colleagues to join him in rejecting the bill said the law was not followed.
He explained that estimates are made and approved and once approved that is the ceiling as to how far you can go
“We are a broke nation, we cannot go on spending the way we are spending. So if we are in line with those reform programs we should keep in that reform programs because this is a transitional government, not to a government that is here to pursue infrastructural developments that we cannot afford. That’s political.”
The Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, Mamburay Njie said: “either we solve the problem today or we solve it tomorrow,” urging the lawmakers to launch an investigation into the SA.
He added “If anybody is to be blamed it’s me because I have taken the decision to come to the national assembly for transparency, to reveal to you exactly this is the reality on the ground. Whether we solve it today or whether we solve it tomorrow or whether we solve it day after tomorrow it will always come back to hunt us.”
Author: Adama Makasuba