By Binta Jaiteh
The National Assembly Monday suspended its questions and answers session as State Ministers failed to appear for the session.
Honorable Omar Ceesay, National Assembly member for Niamina East said: “it will be preferable for the speaker to explain why the Honourable Ministers failed to appear before the Assembly, as debate adjourned by the Majority Leader
He requested the speaker to brief the members about the reason behind their absent.
The House Speaker Maryam Jack Denton said: “with all due respect she didn’t owe any obligation to give explanation why the Ministers failed to appear.
Honorable Allagie Jawara one of the lawmakers cited house’s point of order on (53 b) as he moved a motion for the adjournment debate for the Ministers to appear to discuss matters.
Members shall regard themselves as servant of the people of The Gambia. This is from any conduct by which they seek improperly to enrich themselves or alienate themselves from the people,” National Assembly member for Serrekunda, Honorable Halifa Sallah said.
He added: “members shall discharge their function in the interest of the nation adding that as a whole and in doing so they should be influenced by dictate of conscience in the national interest. The committee has resolved since February 2021 to alert all public enterprises of the need to put an end to the backlog in the submission of their financial statement by 31st March 2021, while working on a comprehensive report on the state of affairs of the public enterprise and title consolidated report of the committee for the financial year ended 31st December 2015 to 2019.”
The office of the auditor general has been encouraged to get into dialogue with public enterprises which claim their statement from 2017 to 2019, he said.
Sulayman Saho another lawmaker raised a point of order on standing order (50) clause (2 ) that an explanation made on this standing order shall be briefed and no argumentation.
But it seems the member is alone in the committee and the report is involving other people this can bring debate.
But Allagie Jawara interjected his point and said clause (50) subsection (6) no member shall be omitted to ask questions.
“The statement the chairperson is giving is a personal issue because he is the chairman and should explain to the plenary exactly what has been done and is briefed,” he argued.
He said in order to ensure robust paramilitary exercise members benefited from capacity building on accepted account and auditing accounts.