By: Kebba AF Touray
Saikou Marong, the National Assembly Member for Latrikunda, has called on his fellow Lawmakers to be proactive in the execution of their sacred duties, in order to solve the issue of National Identity Card for the citizenry. Marong said this on Wednesday September 5th 2018, at the Legislative House in Banjul.
“Things of this nature should be timely dealt with, if we are to make a difference. This issue was brought to the National Assembly in 2017. If the Minister fails to issue Gambians with ID Cards, we should make sure that they are issued to the Gambians,’’ he said. He asserted the need for his fellow Lawmakers to know their responsibilities as Members of Parliament, and do what is expected of them.
“How can you delay a National Identity document for so many years, because of one committee’s engagement in one issue or another. If this is how we want to operate, we will not be able to achieve anything in five years, because come 2019, that is when we start talking about the ID card issue, when it is already delayed for two or three years, when there is another issue, to talk about. That will be about two or three years,” he emphasized; that this is why the country has pending and pressing issues; that all that was raised at the sitting of Wednesday, were outdated. He challenged his fellow parliamentarians to effect change; that they have the Constitutional power to do so and should not wait for Executive action to effect the change.
“They have given us good recommendations. It is fine. It is ok. But how are these going to be implemented. The Member for Wuli West has given us a lot of ideas. They are our veterans here, and they have given us all the ideas. But the question is, are we ready for it?’’ Marong asked.
He averred that every Legislator, should have change as his top priority; that if they are to effect change, they should not look into faces, but the interest of the Gambian people.
“Let’s represent the Gambian people and make sure the issue of ID Cards is solved once and for all. If it is going to be a temporal ID card, let it be issued to the Gambian people. I think this is what we should push forward for, as Members of Parliament,’’ he posited.
He hailed the National Assembly delegation to the recently concluded ECOWAS Parliamentary Session in Togo, but challenged the delegates to make a timely provision of their report for Deputies to have time to deal with it.
