By Arret Jatta
The Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) last Friday held a meeting with National Assembly Members (NAMs) and the Office of the Clerk on the role of the Assembly’s Petition Committee.
The meeting, which was described as part of WFD’s objectives
in strengthening the relationship and effective engagement between
NAMs and citizens, was held at a local hotel in Kotu.
The Country Director for Westminster Foundation, TabuNjie-Sarr, noted that she believed the meeting would help strengthen democracy in The Gambia, highlighting that the meeting was the second edition that WFD hosted.
“This particular workshop is drawn from the activities of the GIA program and it aims to support identified stakeholders in consolidative democracy in The Gambia. Therefore, this meeting will not only raise awareness and bring Parliament closer to people but also bind us with our representatives so that we know what is discussed at parliament,” she highlighted.
The Chairperson of the Petitions Committee and NAM for Wuli East, Suwaibou Touray, noted that WFD has been supportive of their activities.
“This is the most appropriate time because it will help us prepare ourselves to do more sensitization because many people are not bringing petitions because they may not be aware of the public petition,” he said.
He explained that the petition committee provides another avenue for people who may want to go to court but don’t have the means.
“They just need to understand how it works so that they will be able to write to the petition committee,” he added.
The discussions were centered on the functions and powers of the Petition Committee, the status of petition cases in The Gambia and building a more accessible and people-friendly National
Assembly.
