By Fatou Sillah
Lamin Ceesay, the National Assembly Member (NAM) for Kiang West, has called on the government to either withdraw or replace the 2024 draft constitution. Speaking during the parliamentary debate on the President’s State of the Nation Address, Ceesay emphasized that constitutional reforms should serve the interests of the Gambian people, not individual politicians or political parties.
“About the draft constitution, we will come back to this chamber on the very day that the bill will be laid here. Inshallah, we all live to witness that very day. That on the 7th of July we will all be here; if that bill is not withdrawn, think about another constitution,” Ceesay said.
He stressed that constitutional reform is a serious and inclusive process that must genuinely reflect the will and needs of the citizens.
“We are not in this country to favour any political party or to favour any single individual. Constitutional building is just more than the content of the constitution. In fact, constitutional building is a whole process which is very scientific and should reflect the needs of the people,” he noted.
Ceesay further warned that the bill should not even reach the debate stage if reintroduced. “We pray that when the motion is moved, it is moved for the second reading. It is rejected there so that we don’t debate, because if we debate on that bill, that would not be good for you; that is my warning for you as far as the constitution is concerned,” he said.
The Kiang West legislator also expressed deep frustration over the government’s failure to deliver on its promise to procure 180 tractors for farmers, despite allocations made since the 2023 budget session.
“There were allocations that we made in the 2023 budget session, coming to 2024 for 180 tractors to be bought for farmers in the country. The minister reported to us that the reason for the delay is because of the procurement process. They have awarded the contract; the contract awarded has been revoked, and another bidding has been conducted again, but it cannot be forever,” Ceesay argued.
He criticized the prolonged procurement process, saying: “For two years now, this has been in the budget, yet the tractors are still not delivered. Even if they purchase them now, it’s not enough to simply say procurement is complete—we need to see the tractors in the hands of farmers.”
Ceesay emphasized the need for government spending to have a tangible, visible impact.
“Our development budget should be impact-based; this is why when the minister of finance led the budget implementation report for quarter one, we want to see these allocations, how they have been implemented, because we want to see our people feel this,” he said.
He also proposed a new accountability measure: “Parliament should adopt a resolution that if a budgeted project is not implemented, we should not approve additional funds for the same purpose in future budgets. We must move past that practice.”
Ceesay raised questions about the President’s statement in paragraph 125 of the address, which mentioned efforts to settle a combined tax liability of GMD 789 million owed by GAMTEL and GAMCEL.
“What exactly makes up these combined tax liabilities? We need a breakdown of these figures. How long have these debts been accumulating under GAMTEL and GAMCEL?” he queried.
He also criticized the government’s handling of the ongoing privatization process for public enterprises, noting a lack of progress despite repeated announcements.
“Government should not only be talking to us, we will privatize this institution, how long has the announcement been since the time of the former minister, this has been said here in this parliament that we are on privatization process, public private partnership process still, we have not seen anything,” Ceesay said.
He expressed concern about the performance of state-owned enterprises: “These public entities are supposed to generate revenue and pay dividends to the government, but instead, they continue to record significant losses. It is unacceptable that while they fail to contribute to the national budget, the government still uses public funds to cover their mounting liabilities.”
Ceesay concluded by calling for greater accountability and a results-driven approach in both governance and public sector management.