By: Alieu Jallow

The Judiciary Remuneration Bill which was introduced by Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Dawda Jallow, on Monday, September 4th and put before National Assembly Members (NAMs) on Tuesday, September 12th for consideration and approval, has been rejected by parliament with 18 votes for and 21 against.

During the plenary session, the majority of the NAMs opposed the bill, with Hon. Almameh Gibba, the National Assembly Member for Foni Kansala, describing it as a threat to The Gambia.

“This bill is a volcano bill to Gambian people. Let’s trash this out and bury it 40 feet down. We don’t have to waste our time on this. We have to be honest,”

Most NAMs submitted their objections to passing this bill, while a few urged for it to be revised and introduced again before the August Assembly. The major points of contention include:

1. A Judicial Officer shall receive a salary, allowances, pension, or gratuity as outlined in the Act’s Regulations, and such payments will be charged to the Consolidated Fund.

2. The salary, allowances, and benefits of a Judicial Officer cannot be reduced during their tenure.

3. The pension or gratuity of a Judicial Officer cannot be reduced after they have left their position.

The following provisions are included in the bill:

1) While in office, the Chief Justice and judges will be given a fully furnished accommodation with utilities, without any charge or allowance.

2) The Chief Justice and judges will also receive additional payments for incidental expenses, including telephone and robing allowance.

During the plenary, 21 parliamentarians voted against the bill, while 18 voted for it to be scrutinized and passed. The bill has faced widespread opposition from the public and NAMs, who view it as discriminatory and a threat to democracy.

By: Alieu Jallow

Many National Assembly Members (NAMs) have questioned the Judiciary Remuneration Bill, which is being debated over by NAMs in parliament, with some criticizing its urgency as a tactic to take advantage of Gambians and manipulate them.

On Monday, September 4, the Attorney General and Justice Minister, Dawda Jallow, tabled the bill which seeks to make wide-ranging changes to the conditions of service for judicial officers. This includes providing lucrative allowances, pensions, vehicles, accommodations and even payments to spouses of judges who died in office.

The Hon. Minister and Attorney General Dawda Jallow urged the parliament to pass the bill, stating that the judiciary is the only organ of government without an act of parliament.

Hon. Sainey Jawara, NAM for lower Nuimi, argued that the bill is not budget-friendly for farmers and poor people and that he will not support it.

He stressed that many other priorities deserve attention.
The NAM for Sami questioned the urgency of the bill, arguing that many people are suffering and wish to address issues that affect the general public.

The debated bill is raising many questions from parliamentarians, who prefer to see an amendment of the draft that was flushed out in 2022 by the 5th legislature. They believe that passing this bill will set a precedent for other institutions to come up with their own bills, making it a piecemeal provision of the draft constitution.

By: Hadram Hydara

The Chairperson of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Human Rights and Constitutional Matters, Honourable Madi Ceesay, who is also an elected National Assembly Member (NAM) of the main opposition United Democratic Party (UDP), has stated that the Gambia government needs to reduce its spending in order to make progress, as the country’s resources are limited, pointing out that funds meant for development are being redirected towards travel and rent expenses, instead of being invested in development sectors.

Madi expressed concerns about the Gambian government’s excessive spending on travel and rent, both within and outside the country.

In 2020, as per the figures obtained by The Fatu Network from a source close to the Finance Ministry, the government spent D54.9 million on rent within the country, and this amount increased to D63.5 million in 2021 and D66 million in 2022.

For offices located outside the country, such as embassies, the government spent a total of D212.8 million on rent in 2020, D182 million in 2021, and D194.3 million in 2022. Over the course of three years, the government spent a total of D184.5 million on rent for offices located within the country and D589.1 million on rent for embassies. Overall, the government spent a combined total of D773.5 million on rent, both inside and outside the Gambia.

“My reaction to government’s spending has always been this, from day one when I went to parliament, I said the government needs to its expenditure because our resource envelope is tiny.

“If we want to be progressive, we must watch our expenditures,” he said.

Instead of prioritizing investing in development projects, he criticized the government for prodigal spending on overseas travel and rent, suggesting that overseas travel be curbed to address the issue.

“Monies that are supposed to go to development sectors are not going to development sectors. Rather, it is going into expenses like travel and rent.

“And how we can curb that is for government to limit the travels, and also downsize the delegations that travel, whether it is to UN meetings or AU meetings; government needs to downsize the number to cut the expenditure of travels,” Mr Ceesay told The Fatu Network, adding that “Travel expenditures are pegged on air tickets, per diems, hotel accommodations, so if the number is limited, then the spending would also be limited”.

By: Muhammed Lamin Drammeh

Following the sentencing and fine of three female circumcisers in the Gambia last week, several National Assembly Members (NAM) of the Gambia, including some women lawmakers, today frowned at the banning of female genital mutilation/circumcision in the Gambia, calling for a repeal of the law, suggesting that it should be a matter of choice instead of a criminal act.

The National Assembly Member for Baddibu Central, Sulayman Saho, moved the motion of the day and read a statement against the banning of FGM, noting that it has brought discomfort to society.

Honourable Saho noted that it should be a matter of choice instead of arresting people and bringing them before the courts.

“Hon. Speaker, we need dialogue on this matter instead of arresting our mothers and sisters to be arranged before the courts. This is creating discord among us.

In my opinion, it should be a matter of choice instead of banning it because of funding received from the West. If you are of the opinion that to help the women, why not support them with materials for sanitation? Banning the act is like a recipe for discord in our society,” he said.

On her part, the National Assembly Member of Foni Brefet, Honourable Amie Colley, who said she was speaking for the people of Foni Brefet, explained that the women in her constituency said they do not support the law prohibiting the practice of female circumcision.

“As a Muslim woman, I am ashamed to stand in the August gathering to talk about circumcision, to talk about the secret of women.

I am speaking with the voice of the people from Foni Brefet and Gambia at large. My people said they don’t like the idea of banning female genital mutilation. What they want is to let this practice be neutralized. If any tribe wants to practice circumcision, you do it. If you don’t want to, leave it,” she submitted to the parliament.

Several other National Assembly Members, including the member of Latri Kunda Sabiji, Kiang West, Brikama South, and nominated member Fatoumatta Jawara, all submitted against the banning of the FGM.

Female Genital Circumcision has been banned in the country by the former President, Yahya Jammeh. However, it has recently generated controversy when some women were arrested for practising it.

No member of the parliament disagreed with the motion moved by Sulayman Saho, against the banning of the practice. The members are not working on repealing the act.