EFSCRJ Involved Over the Unconstitutionality of 2025 Finances Estimates – LamToro News
PUBLIC STATEMENT
The Edward Francis Small Centre hereby registers its unreserved condemnation of the Speaker of the National Assembly and the President of the Republic for failing to uphold the Constitution in regard to the tabling of the 2025 funds estimates. Following an modification of Section 152(1) of the Constitution in 2023, the President is remitted to trigger the Minister of Finance to put the funds estimates earlier than the National Assembly a minimum of 60 days earlier than the tip of the 12 months.
The proposal for the modification was positioned by the National Assembly Member for Upper Saloum Alagie Mbow. In his causes for the modification, Mr. Mbow stated it was meant to present NAMs extra time to scrutinize the estimates and conduct extra consultations on the estimates with stakeholders. This means for the 2025 funds estimates, the newest time for the Minister of Finance Seedy Keita to put earlier than the National Assembly was 1st November 2024. It is subsequently a blatant violation of the Constitution for the Finance Minister to as an alternative lay the estimates at this time, November 15, i.e., two weeks after the constitutionally mandated timeframe.
Instead of holding the Minister accountable for violating the Constitution, the Speaker Fabakary Tombong Jatta determined to ask the Minister to moderately apologize to Members. The determination of the Speaker adopted a movement by the Minority Leader Alhagie S Darboe of Brikama South to reject the draft estimates on account of its unconstitutionality. The EF Small Centre is subsequently deeply outraged that the Speaker and Members of the National Assembly would settle for to have Minister Keita apologize as an alternative of holding him accountable as per Section 75 of the Constitution.
Both the Executive and the Legislature have the first obligation to abide by and defend the Constitution which they swore to uphold of their oaths of workplace. There isn’t any provision within the Constitution that permits for apologies by NAMs and members of the Executive for his or her violation of the Constitution. Hence the Speaker and NAMs have set a harmful precedent which is able to solely normalize underperformance by the President and Ministers in addition to condone their violation of the Constitution therefore encourage dangerous governance and a tradition of impunity within the nation.
The Speaker, the President, NAMs and Ministers should acknowledge that they don’t have the freedom to underperform, abuse their workplace or violate the Constitution for any cause. Rather they’re required to carry out their capabilities diligently in keeping with the Constitution always. We want to subsequently register our strongest protest at this blatant disregard of the Constitution by members of the Executive and the Legislature. For this cause, we’ll think about taking applicable measures to carry them accountable.
In the Spirit of Edward Francis Small, For The Gambia Our Homeland
Madi Jobarteh
