Gutsy fellows, The Point. Read on...
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The National Assembly At Your Service Mr. President,


The recent as well as the current legislative sessions are by all accounts
entirely devoted to your service. The business of the National Assembly was
totally devoted to the bills aimed at empowering your government and not to
issues related to the upliftment of the Gambian people. It was recorded that
save the motion for rural electrification, all the business of the Assembly
centred on bills designed to empower you and your party.

This empowerment took the form of modifications on the fundamental law of
this land, which you described, in a recent past as one of the best in the
world. These valuable weeks could have been used by members of the Assembly
to scrutinise your government’s policies and programmes instead of
“operating on the vital organs” of the Constitution.

How many days were spent on the debate on the Indemnity Bill that has
polarised the nation? How many weeks were also spent for the amendment bill
that the Assembly has just passed? So, Nothing for the People but All for
You and your Government! Is this what you promised Gambians when you took
over power and later on your election? No Mr. President! Instead you
declared that the former government failed us and that you were given the
Gambian people a democratic Constitution that the world would envy us.

And today, all the gains contained in that constitution are being butchered
one after the other. Now there is the talk of dismissing the Independent
Electoral Commission, which you also claimed, was a novelty in the
empowerment of the people. You want to put in place an ad hoc body to deal
with elections. We wonder whether you and your advisers gave a serious
thought to this matter. The IEC has presently a database that needs daily
manning and regular updating.

How can the data be left unattended for so long? What about the registration
of voters for the elections that come and go? We hope you are not thinking
about the Ministry for Local Government and Lands for which you criticised
the former regime. To give the upkeep of the DataBase, the registration of
voters and parties to this ministry would tantamount to you wanting to
practice something you vehemently criticised for being undemocratic.

You accused the Jawara regime of using the ministry to get the upper hand in
elections and today you are attempting to dismiss the IEC. We laugh when we
heard the reason given for the move. Let us even for the benefit of doubt,
accept that the reason is lack of Money. But what about the Money used for
other things that do not necessarily benefit the country? Look at your
travels, they are so many in hired jets. In terms of austerity measures, we
expect you Mr. President to give the example and lead the way.

Cut your numerous travels by even combining some as well as reducing the
size of the entourage. Better still, why don’t you get First Class tickets
since we do not have gold and diamond. You should also consider using
Kanilai as Senghor and Diouf used to do with Popenguine and the Americans
with Camp David where they go on loose weekends only for rest and not
official duties unless it is urgent; this would cut on the cost of fuel,
spares parts, feeding entertainment etc. etc.

What about the flashy cars? We think that like Thomas Sankare, you should
order the parking of all these flashy cars as well as a freeze on car
purchase for the next five years. We do not envy anybody’s car for when we
drove our first car here, leading government officials then, had no cars. If
you do these cuts, we would save money for the education, health, the
payment of farmers, and for the existence of the IEC. The Assembly has
worked for you and your government. Now, its time for you to seek the
interest of the Gambian people. Good Day Mr. President


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