Assembly seeks reconciliation between rival NAMs, discusses petition against deputy speaker, LK NAM

Members of the National Assembly Standing Committee of Privileges and Ethics are seeking to mediate between Independent Banjul South lawmaker Fatoumatta Njai and nominated member Maimuna Ceesay-Darboe to resolve their infighting.

The committee led by Jokadu NAM Salifu Jawo and minority leader Alhagie S Darboe deals with matters relating to privileges, ethics and conduct of members of the National Assembly. 

The meeting will take place in committee room 1, on Tuesday 14 July, as per the committee sittings agenda released yesterday. 

Hon Njai and Hon Ceesay are both serving two terms in the parliament. According to parliamentary sources, they have reportedly not been speaking to each other for months following a dispute between them. It added that Hon Njai has always been against the nomination of members into parliament by the president and she repeatedly calls out nominated members which does not always go well with Maimuna Ceesay-Darboe. “At one point they were even throwing foul words against each other in the NAMs’ Whatsapp page,” the source said.

Petition against Latrikunda NAM
The same committee will also hold a meeting on Monday 20th July, to discuss the petition by Hon Fatoumatta Njai against Hon Yahya Sanyang.

According to our source, Njai filed the petition against Sanyang who he accused of “using foul words” against her. “The problem between these two, started when Sanyang raised a Matter of the Day in the National Assembly regarding the ongoing electricity crisis but Hon Njai criticised the motion, which did not go down well with Sanyang and he hurled foul words against her,”  our source said.

Petitions against deputy speaker
Meanwhile, the Public Petitions Committee will also look into a petition filed by rights activists Omar Camara, Madi Jobarteh and Baboucarr Nyang calling on the Assembly to initiate independent inquiry into tribal and politically discriminatory statements allegedly made by the deputy speaker in a widely circulated audio.

The petition has now been admitted by the National Assembly and referred to the petitions committee chaired by Wuli East lawmaker Suwaibou Touray to commence a probe into it.

According to the approved agenda for the July committee sessions released yesterday, the petitions committee will formally review the petition on Tuesday July 14.