The nation’s MPs are still debating the Supplementary Appropriation Bill presented on Wednesday by the Minister of Finance Mambury Njie.
“The main objective of the bill is to provide additional public service including national security, election related services, infrastructure, pandemic and disaster-related services as well as commitments to international financial institutions,” Mr Njie told MPs while providing justification for the approval of over 1.7 billion dalasis additional government expenditure.
MP Halifa Sallah who is one of the first MPs who reacted to the proposal on Wednesday said they have authority to interrogate the proposal.
“Our business here is to do what we are elected to do. We have authority to scrutinize what is laid before us and agree or disagree whether what is laid before us is in the right interest of the people or not based on the circumstances, based on the context,” he said. The MP said he had gone through the proposal and found it reasonable under the circumstances.
Upper Fulladu West MP Sanna Jawara while offering his view said he doesn’t support the finance minister’s proposal.
He argued: “I do not support the proposal on this SAB. I hope my colleagues will understand that… what the Honourable Minister is doing, he is doing his job. He has a job, he has an employer who is employed him to do a job for him.
“But we are the representatives of the employer of the employee and we should ensure that regardless of our differences in vision or in view, we all mean the same thing. That is to serve the best interest of the people who have elected us and his boss to represent them and therefore I would urge my colleagues to work together on this. I am not asking us to throw this out and call it a day.
“But let’s re-prioritise. If we cannot save this money as added revenue that would make the minister not to go and borrow money locally, if we have to spend it in 2021, then let’s prioritise the spending of it. But not these payments of arrears, that can be differed.”
