QUESTION OF THE DAY
The National Assembly has at least 14 days to scrutinise the budget. The deputies have introduced provisions in their Standing Orders which enable them to even have a longer period to do their scrutiny. However, they did not apply those provisions this time.
Hence they have to go strictly by the Constitutional requirement which reads:
“(1) The President shall cause the Minister responsible for finance to prepare and lay before the National Assembly at least thirty days before the end of the financial year, estimates of the revenue and expenditure of The Gambia for the following financial year. The estimates shall include any estimates which, under this Constitution, are to be submitted directly to the President by the Chief Justice or any other authority for presentation by the President to the National Assembly.
(1A) The National Assembly shall, within fourteen days of the estimates being laid before it, give consideration to and approve the estimates.”
The Minister laid the estimates on 18th November, 2020.
If Sundays are excluded the National Assembly has to rush to complete its work. One expects them to burn the candle if they are to do a good job.
