By: Binta Jaiteh
Some opposition lawmakers have described President Adama Barrow’s current countrywide tour as a platform for feathering his political nest and a waste of public resources but the deputy House speaker said the tour will give the President a bird’s eye view of the problems confronting Gambians.
The finance minister said his ministry would provide funds for the tour as a constitutionally-sanctioned engagement.
There was an intense debate this week at the legislature over the President’s current tour of the country as some opposition members raised concerns over its financial implications and spoke passionately about their perceptions of the tour as a political platform.
The debate was sparked at the consideration stage of the 2024 estimates of the country’s expenditures and revenues.
The NAM for Busumbala Constituency, Muhammed Kanteh, argued that the purpose of this year’s Meet-The-People tour was defeated as, according to him, President Barrow has been using it as a platform to make political gains.
He also maintained that despite the tour being constitutionally sanctioned, it’s worth noting that the country is operating within a tight budget.
“Inasmuch as it is a constitutional mandate, it is also important to note that we are constrained as a country in terms of budget,” the Busumbala NAM stressed.
Wading into the debate, the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Seedy Njie, pointed out that he was surprised to hear from the Wuli East NAM that the President should tour the country only once when, according to Njie, the tour should be conducted at least twice each year.
“The 1997 Constitution states it… which is clear. I am not sure which constitution you are referring to. I advise you to read the Constitution because, if you are raising constitutional issues as a Member of Parliament, you must not come to the chamber based on Bantaba discussions,” the deputy speaker argued.
He further argued that the tour would allow the President to interact with the masses and learn about the challenges in agriculture, health, education, and other sectors to enable him to find solutions.
“If you want to deprive him of meeting the people as a constitutional mandate, then we are going to create a problem and whether we accept it, we cannot stop him,” Njie contended.
“Inasmuch as it is a constitutional mandate for the President to meet the people twice, we also believe that it is the responsibility upon him to ensure that he downsizes the delegation,” the lawmaker for Janjanbureh Omar Jammeh argued.
However, according to finance minister Seedy Keita, the President was cognizant of the cost implications of the tour as he [President] has trimmed the size of his delegation for the tour this year.
“We cannot, as a ministry, tell the President that he can’t travel because the Constitution mandates him to do so. So, if he uses the constitutional mandate to travel, it is our responsibility to provide the funds,” the minister told the House.
