Honourable Muhammed Magassy, the National Assembly Member for Base has said that he is the only parliamentarian who cannot be sacked by any party leader for expressing his mind in the National Assembly.
The honourable member for Basse made these statements in his intervention on the Amendment Bill of the presidential age limit presented by the Attorney General and Minister of Justice at the National Assembly in Banjul.
“I am the only one in this National Assembly who is free to speak my mind without worrying about anybody sacking me from the parliament because section 91 D (1) cannot be applied on me,” Hon. Muhammad Magassy said.
Honourable Magassy called for the amendment of section 91 D (1) of the constitution which empowered political party leaders to sack National Assembly Members to loose their membership from the party that brought them to the parliament, saying it is the electorates who voted members of parliament not political parties.
“This is not something that should be encourage in the new Gambia,” he asserted.
Magassy said this will make the honorable members perform by allowing them to speak their minds on the interest of their people even if it is against their party interest.
Honourable Alhagie S. Darboe, the National Assembly Member for Brikama North commended the amendment of the age limit, saying the move taken is long overdue. He said that was what the then opposition fought to change. He added that the lower age should be also consider like the upper age for equal treatment without discriminating the lower age people who want to contest.
“When the age limit is amended the term limit should also be introduced,” Hon. Alhagie S Darboe pointed out.
The Brikama North Parliamentarian called for a two 5 year term limit for the President.
Meanwhile, several interventions were made by honorable members from various constituencies.
