By Kebba AF Touray
The Majority Leader, and member for Kantora, Hon. Billay G Tunkara, on the draft constitution, urged the members to give their support to the documents for it to be passed at the level of the legislature.
He made the appeal on Monday 23rd June 2025, during the debate on the State of Nation Address 2025 (SoNA 2025) by the President Adama Barrow.
On the draft constitution 2024, he urged “When it is being tabled on the 7th July 2025, lets depoliticize our lenses and deemphasize our political devise, look inwards and accept the draft”.
He urged that although no constitution can be perfect, he advanced that this is because there are some progressive clauses, such as the presidential term limit, 50 plus one, which should be convincing factors for everyone to support the draft constitution.
On debt sustainability, he said that there is reduction in debt from 78 percent to 71 percent, which is within the debt sustainability threshold, while maintaining that there is no crime in taking loans and grants, “but they must be injected into the productive sector of the economy”.
He said that the achievements registered by the Barrow-led administration, in the fight against corruption, advancing rule of law, transforming of lives in the country, among others give him the strong believe that the country is on the right trajectory.
Several other National Assembly Members took turns on the address and expressed their views on the address by the President on Thursday the 23rd.
Member for Jarra West, Hon. Abdoulie Baldeh, said that looking at the transport sector, the roads are constructed throughout the country, and have seen major road developments in both the rural and urban areas.
Such roads he cited is the new Kabada road, which though not yet completed that but the people are excited about the development.
“I appeal to the Works Ministry to put in place a proper monitoring mechanism, to ensure that there is real value for money in those roads, as some of the contractors where they should put a culvert, they would put iris crossing,” he said.
On public transport, while commending the government for investing in the sector, he indicated the sector as crucial, but called attitudinal change to ensure that the system is regulated, adding that there are sectors that represent a particular society or section of the people, and one of them is the transport sector.
Member for Foni Jarrol, Hon. Kebba Toumanding Sanneh, argued that the President in the address said that the 60 years Anniversary symbolizes independence and collective progress, adding that the country is not progressing collectively.
He cited that looking at the way the budget is funded, which is through revenue collection, borrowings and grants, and “the Gambia today is owing over D120 Billion, whilst grants come with preconditions tied to the country”.
He compared that the total expenditure is projected D44.7 billion, and so far in the first quarter of 2025, the revenue stood at D6.67 billion which exceeded the projected amount, couple with huge revenue generated in passport fees due to the high demand by youths who applied for the migrant labour agreement with Spain.
He thanked the revenue collectors for their firm decision to reduce revenue leakages, and “what is crucial is how those revenues are utilized and managed”.
Member for Banjul North, Hon. Muhammed Lamin Bah, said that though the country has good policies, programs and legislations on the paper, but the problem is with the implementation, and urged the Ministry of lands to work towards the land policy, adding that the country dearly needs the policy.
He said “The issue of land is key and we have seen lot of land disputes in the country, wherein an investor would claim to invest, and would be allocated a land through the government, and when he or she is allocated he or she would decide to leave the country, and would sell the land, which is breeding a lot of land problems in the country”.
On Mile Two, he said that the President during the 2024 SoNA said that the government has plan to relocate the prison, he expressed hope that this would be realized, adding that looking at the prison at the moment, there is need to relocate the prison to another place, “so that the place can be utilized for a different purpose”.
Member for Central Baddibu, Hon. Sulayman Saho, defaulted the address saying that a lot of issues were missing in the speech, citing that he expected something to be said about the National Assembly, which much is not elaborated on.
The address should outline the challenges and achievements, but the President deliberated more on the achievements not the challenges facing the country.
He accepted that though the 15th OIC Summit was successfully hosted until the country achieved Chairmanship, but questioned as to what have the country achieved, and since the President assumes the position, he should be able to inform them, what are some of his engagements nationally and internationally that will boost the image of the country.
On Human Rights, he insisted that the Gambia is the capital of human rights, as mentioned in the SoNA, but lamented that “this is a country that we have seen that human rights are still violated, and that the lacuna in the human right laws are still not addressed as a nation”.
One of such he cited is the public order act, and challenged the Vice President to look into the issue with the President, saying “we must give people the chance to speak up their minds”.
He argued the saying that the Gambia is a capital of human right until the issue of public order act is revisited.
Nominated Member, Hon. Maimuna Ceesay, said that despite the efforts by the government to train the backway returnees, but some are denying themselves the opportunity to be trained, which makes it difficult to eradicate the issue of migration and frustration of young people, who see the backway route, as an alternative.
She thus called massive sensitization on the migration syndrome, to help the young people know the dangers associated with the menace, stressing even if some of the young people are given investments in the country, they would prefer to go to euro via the backway route.
