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.
