By Lamin Njie
House speaker Mariam Jack Denton told Fatoumatta Njai ‘you cannot use the word ‘come on”, taking appreciable offence at the Banjul South lawmaker’s statements during a summit with the finance minister.
The National Assembly’s committee on public finance met with finance minister Mambury Njie on Tuesday; a summit that centred around the 500 million dalasis coronavirus emergency fund.
The bitter argument began after the speaker of the House attempted to allow National Assembly Member for Wulli West Sidia Jatta speak.
“No Honourable Njie, I want to allow Honourable Jatta…,” Mrs Jack Denton was heard saying during the meeting broadcast live by Kexx Sanneh.
“Let us be fair, come on. They have spoken so many times. We need to be given equal opportunity. We are members of parliament for God’s sake. We are not here as puppets, come on,” Touma Njie fired back as she insisted her colleagues were being given more opportunity to speak than her.
“Please can you withdraw your word?” a clearly irked Jack Denton said.
“No I am not here as puppet,” Touma Njie responded.
“No no, I am not going to accept ‘come on’,” Mrs Jack Denton reposted.
Touma Njai replied: “I said I am not here as a puppet. I will not withdraw it Madam chair. I said I am not here as a puppet and I am not. I will not withdraw it.”
“But you cannot use the word come on, you cannot use the word come on. Maybe you did not realise it but you said, ‘come on’,” the speaker responded.
Fellow lawmakers then intervened with the meeting continuing moments later.
