VP says Barrow has no plan of downsizing ministries, advisers
The vice president of The Gambia, H.E. Muhammed B.S. Jallow, on Wednesday informed deputies that President Adama Barrow has no plan to downsize the number of ministries and advisers.
“Hon. Speaker I want to inform this August Assembly that at the moment the president has not considered downsizing ministries or reduction presidential advisers,” he said while responding a question by Hon. Yahya Sanyang of Latrikunda Sabiji.
During the process the lawmaker for Nianija Constituency, Hon. Adama Camara, raised a point of order, criticizing the Office of the Speaker for letting such questions.
“A question shall not be asked for the purpose of obtaining an expression of opinion; the solution of an abstract case or the answer to a hypothetical proposition,” he further said, quoting the Standing Order Section 38(G).
Speaker Jatta responded by saying that Hon. Camara’s point of order did not hold water.
“This is a specific question, no assumption. The vice president is standing in for the president. The question is asked and the vice president has answered the first question. Now there is a supplementary question let us wait for his supplementary question and to hear whether it is in order or not,” the Speaker said.
However, Hon. Yahya Sanyang emphasised that the purpose of presidential advisers is to add value to the Office of the President in its daily operations. He also asked how frequently the president meets with the presidential advisers and what specific value he has brought to the Office of the President since their appointments.
The Speaker, however, overruled both his questions saying they were not substantive questions, something that did not go down well with Hon. Sanyang.
The Speaker thus cautioned the behaviour of Hon. Sayang, saying it contravenes the Standing Orders, as he asked Hon. Sanyang to acquaint himself by reading the Standing Orders of the National Assembly.
The Member for Janjanbureh, Hon. Omar Jammeh, Central Badibou’s Hon. Sulayman Saho, and Minority Leader Hon. Alhagie S. Darboe were equally not satisfied with the answer given by the vice president with regard to the question.
Source: The Point
