The United Democratic Party in an unprecedented move expelled Almamy Touray the National Assembly member for Niani from the party.
News of Mr. Touray's expulsion from the party was contained in a May 3 press release from the UDP headquarters, explaining that the decision was taken at a meeting of the national executive of the UDP held at the party secretariat Thursday.
Lack of commitment to the policies and principles of the UDP which its members said was proven beyond doubt was cited as the reason behind his expulsion.
The UDP release stated that for the last twelve months Mr. Touray adopted an attitude of indifference to major national issues in the National Assembly. It is said that his most recent show of indifference was during the last sitting of the National Assembly.
It is said that every Gambian particularly those of Niani constituency according to the release expected the honorable member to join his colleagues of the opposition in the National Assembly to block the passage of the Indemnity Bill, which was recently ratified by the National Assembly. The bill attracted widespread criticism from all walks of Gambian life where it is seen as obnoxious to democracy, the rule of law and good governance.
Thus, the UDP leadership believes that by what it called his total silence during the debate and his absence during the vote, the UDP at all levels felt totally betrayed by Mr. Touray who loses his seat in the wake of the expulsion. The UDP said Touray has not been a regular attendant of either National Assembly sessions or functions and meetings of the party.
The UDP said its claims concerning the expelled MPs conduct have been "firmly" confirmed by the party who accused him of actively working with forces that are not only strongly opposed to the UDP and doing everything possible to undermine it but also engage in a campaign to subvert the rule of law and the constitution of the Gambia under the disguise of exercising legislative powers.
The UDP release concluded that consultations with the party membership would continue to ensure that the people of Niani are provided with better and committed representation.
It could be recalled that Almamy Touray, the National Assembly member for Niani, was in the headlines last year in the wake of an alleged scandal linking him with human trafficking in Europe. He was reportedly apprehended in Belgium in connection with the trafficking of humans, a practice that was allegedly noticed since December, 1999.
Mr. Touray, was according to a press release from the Department of Foreign Affairs, arrested in Brussels with two Gambian women, who he claimed were his children.
However, the suspicious of the Belgian immigration authorities was heightened when a careful inspection of the women's passports revealed that they were different from the names included in the assembly member's passport, according to the release. Mr. Touray was subsequently detained while the two women were taken to the deportation wing at the airport. According to the release, Mr. Touray confirmed his arrest and acknowledged that his niece did not acquire an entry visa to Belgium the government press release stated.
Mr. Touray said he had intended to negotiate an entry for them while in France. The press release added that the girls had denied knowing Mr. Touray and they were deported to The Gambia. Mr. Touray was subsequently detained and tried by the Belgian court.