Dad, Thanx for sharing this value-journalism by Foroyaa. We intend to keep up with Foryaa's subsequent editions on this matter of national significance. Venezuela should be counselled on the propriety of this loan if she intends to loan the Gambian nation as opposed to Yahya. Haruna. -----Original Message----- From: Modou Nyang <[log in to unmask]> To: GAMBIA-L <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Tue, May 18, 2010 4:27 am Subject: Foroyaa News: The Speaker and The Media The Speaker and The Media On Monday 10 May 2010, there was rumour that a certificate of urgency has been forwarded by the office of the President for the National Assembly to meet and treat an urgent matter. It was claimed that National Assembly members were being searched all over the country so that they could appear in less than a day’s notice. Hence when the National Assembly was ready to hold its sitting on Monday, the media houses were fully represented but were reported to have been asked by the speaker to leave. This increased curiosity as to why the National Assembly was holding its session in secret for the first time in the history of the Second Republic. First and foremost, the news caught the editors by surprise. Under section 101 of the constitution a bill has to be published in the Gazette for at least 14 days before it is introduced in the National Assembly. However this could be waived if the President certifies that the enactment of the bill is required in the public interest, as a matter of urgency. Even there, the introduction of the bill is not automatic. The National Assembly members have to discuss the merit of the request and vote whether to grant or reject it. We later discovered that no bill was introduced under a certificate of urgency. What the National Assembly members were being requested to do is to ratify an agreement between the Gambia Government and that of Venezuela. The Speaker is authorised to summon a meeting of the National Assembly when requested to do so by the President. Our concern is not the short duration given to the members of parliament to read and participate in the debate. Our concern is the decision of the speaker to exclude the media. Section 99 of the Constitution states that “Unless the National Assembly otherwise directs for good cause, the sittings of the National Assembly shall be open to the public” The Speaker is not given any constitutional powers to order the holding of National Assembly sittings under close doors. This could only be done by the National Assembly members by moving a motion in that regard and have it approved by the majority of National Assembly members. Foroyaa will analyse the content of the 22 Million Dollars loan from Venezuela in the next issue. We will also approach the office of Speaker for clarification. ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://listserv.icors.org/archives/gambia-l.html To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?S1=gambia-l To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://listserv.icors.org/archives/gambia-l.html To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?S1=gambia-l To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤