By Lamin Njie
Halifa Sallah said Tuesday he is perturbed after Mambury Njie failed to say whether a 60 million dollars loan obtained from Saudi Arabia are for projects that fall under the National Development Plan.
Finance Minister Mambury Njie on Tuesday appeared before Gambian lawmakers seeking for their blessing for The Gambia to go ahead with a plan to borrow 60 million dollars from Saudi Arabia. The loan is meant to execute a number of infrastructure projects in the country ahead of the Organisation of Islamic Conference summit to be held in The Gambia in 2022.
But the finance minister’s failure to say whether the projects form part of the National Development Plan has been flayed by top Gambian lawmaker Halifa Sallah.
Speaking on the issue at the House on Tuesday, Mr Sallah said: “If national assembly members are not worried, I am worried. I am worried because I am told by the minister that there is a national development plan and this national development plan requires 2.4 billion (dollars), and we have priority projects 21 costing 1.6 billion (dollars).
“I am being told to support loan agreement. I have not heard a single comment whether these projects are components of the national development plan. So is the national development plan really the blueprint that the guiding the development of this country? That is why I am worried.
“Yes we have been told about OIC, how does it link to the national development plan? We look at the minister’s speech stating very clearly to us at page 35 of his budget speech indicating the seriousness of our debts. He’s indicated that currently that our public debt to GDP is about 88 percent highlighting an unsustainable trajectory.
“Essentially, one would have anticipated that this national assembly would require an assessment every time a loan is brought before us, of the implication and the sustainability of the loan, and how it is impacting on the national development plan so that ultimately we are in charge of all the controls in managing our economy. That is what is called discipline, financial discipline and fiscal discipline.
“Because ultimately we are going to rely on the national budget to pay any loan we may take. And he is talking about five years grace period. It is coming. And the national assembly is guided that we should submit this to a committee so that we review and the minister goes back and see how this package fits into the national development plan and when he comes here he speaks the language of the national development plan.
“So in essence I would not be able to look into the merit because I believe that sufficient work is not done by this national assembly so that it can be properly informed to know that what it is supporting is actually part and parcel of the national development plan and will enhance its implementation.”
