By: Nyima Sillah
Concerned Gambian Halifa Jawara has argued that NAMs will not be able to service half of the cost of the PRADO vehicle allocated to them, considering the limit of their tenure.
The Office of the Clerk of the National Assembly earlier last month issued a press release, wherein it explained that NAMs will pay half of the D2.5m cost of the vehicle allocated to each of them.
But Ebo Town resident Halifa Jawara has contended that NAMs will not be able to honor their debt obligation to the taxpayer.
“The members of Parliament cannot pay back this amount of money with their salaries within four years in office because of the nature of the salaries,” Jawara told The Voice in an interview on Friday.
He suggested that affordable vehicles should have been procured for the legislators, adding that they(NAMs) should hand back the keys of the vehicles to their successors.
The members of Parliament, he admitted, are entitled to vehicles but the amount invested in the PRADOs caused a “huge loss to the country’s economy”.
“When these National Assembly Members were newly elected, they increased their salaries and gave themselvesclothing allowance. Procuring vehicles worth D2.5m for each is a waste of money. If they are to buy them vehicles, the amount should not have surpassed one million Dalasi because they will only use them to commute to work,” Jawara stated.
He pointed out that the country is currently battling a financial crisis, saying the money spent on NAMs’ vehiclesshould have been used to pay subvention to local governments.
“How many parliamentarians do we have? Buying each of them a vehicle worth D2.5m is how many millions of Dalasi when we have other important priorities like hospitals? This is why we should consider someone who is financially stable when electing our representatives to the House,” he said.