The National Assembly must institute impeachment proceedings against President Adama Barrow, Madi Jobarteh said Monday.
President Barrow on Monday fired Ya Kumba Jaiteh as a member of the national assembly. Controversy has abounded of the move.
Political commentator Madi Jobarteh reacting to the development on Monday said “the letter written by the Secretary General Ebrima O. Camara on behalf of the President Adama Barrow is a direct affront on the authority, dignity and legitimacy of the National Assembly hence a direct affront to the very sovereignty of the Gambian People.”
He said: “In the first place the Secretary General is totally inconsequential to arrogate to himself the job of writing a dismissal letter to a National Assembly Member. This is an act of gross insubordination, misconduct and total irresponsibility. The Secretary General has overstepped his limits and he must be held to account, severely!
“Secondly how can the Secretary General write a letter from the Presidency to a sitting National Assembly without putting it on the official letterhead of the Presidency with the national Coat of Arms? Why didn’t the SG use the official letterhead of the Presidency? It means both the SG and the President know that their action is unconstitutional and criminal hence decided to use a mere piece of paper to insult the very dignity and sovereignty of the Republic of the Gambia. That is an impeachable act! By this act alone the Secretary General has demonstrated his total lack of respect for his office and more seriously for a sitting National Assembly Member.
“Thirdly Mr. Camara has grossly broken all protocols by directly writing to a sitting National Assembly Member on a matter like this without first writing officially to the Speaker of the National Assembly. By this letter the Secretary General has transformed himself into a tool of disrespect and shame while further disrespecting the National Assembly as an institution. I urge Hon. Ya Kumba Jaiteh to throw this piece of blank paper letter into the garbage bin where it rightful belongs!
“Fourthly and most seriously, for the President to have taken this decision and to allow his Secretary General to write on a blank piece of paper demonstrates the President’s total disregard and violation of the Constitution and his utter contempt of the National Assembly which tantamount to impeachment. The President should have known that he has no right, authority or power in anyway imaginable to sack a sitting National Assembly Member.
“The fact that the Constitution gives power to the President to nominate a National Assembly Member does not mean the Constitution guarantees him the power to control that National Assembly Member. The moment a nominated person takes an oath of office as a National Assembly Member he or she is no more under the control of any person or authority in the Gambia other than the National Assembly itself. The removal process of National Assembly Members is well spelt out in the Constitution which do not involve the President in anyway.
“I urge National Assembly Members to therefore not only reject this disrespectful and empty piece of paper totally and completely but also to go further to seek the impeachment of the President for this blatant violation the Constitution. If National Assembly fails to impeach the President and punish the Secretary General for their gross misconduct, then the National Assembly would have been the greatest accomplice in the killing of democracy in the Gambia thus constituting the highest level of betrayal of the people of the Gambia.
“The time has come for the National Assembly to stand their ground to defend the Constitution and the Republic as required by them by the Constitution. The instances of violations of the Constitution by Pres. Adama Barrow and his Government are too numerous to count and it is the National Assembly that must put a stop to this misconduct once and for all by impeaching this President.
“Finally, members of the Cabinet must bear in mind that they bear equal responsibility for the decisions and actions of the President hence they must not stand aside to watch such blatant violation of the Constitution to take place. Ministers with conscience must either tell the President the truth to immediately withdraw this blank paper letter or they resign. Ministers must be seen to defend the Republic of the Gambia against the whims and caprices of one person regardless of his position. I would expect the Minster of Justice Abubacarr Tambadou to be the first to resign!
“We must not allow one man to become a despot over our heads once again as we allowed and created Yaya Jammeh became a dictator!”
