The Verdict
By Adama Hawa
The other day, I took the unprecedented step of attending the first day of the Second Sitting of the National Assembly in the 2006/07 Legislative Session with a friend of mine visiting from a neighboring country, and I almost died of shame with the behaviour and comportment of the “Honourable Speaker” Fatoumata Jahumpa Ceesay. We had to leave the place shortly after her address with my head held in shame. No doubt, my friend went back with the lowest of impressions about the Gambian Legislature, and the caliber of the people who form it.
While FJC’s extremely poor command of the English language was just one aspect, the shameful way and manner she presented her so-called “address from the Speaker’s chair” was the most unprofessional. Rather than speak like a dignified head of one of the most important arm of government, she was talking like a street girl speaking in a nightclub, using the most uncouth language to address her colleagues. She was also behaving like a subordinate of the Executive.
While it is the most basic in civic education that the Legislature is one of the three arms of any government, operating parallel to the Executive and the Judiciary, the way our “Honourable Speaker” was talking, left no one in doubt that she considered the Gambian Legislature as not only playing second fiddle to the Executive, but she saw herself and all her colleagues in the National Assembly as representing Yahya Jammeh instead of the Gambian people. It was a shame to hear her constantly repeating that the Department of State for Foreign Affairs was the “line ministry” of the National Assembly. In a nutshell, she simply meant that the National Assembly was subordinate to the Foreign Affairs Department and as such, it has to seek the approval of that Ministry before doing anything with the outside world.
What a shame and a complete misinterpretation of the powers and mandate of the Legislature. If the National Assembly were really worth its salt, it would have seen the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs as someone who could be summoned before it whenever the need arises rather than see him as the boss who should be consulted about anything.
Indeed, Gambians just cannot forgive Yahya Jammeh for putting such an important National Institution in the hands of such an uncouth person, who unashamedly behaves like a slave to him rather than owe any allegiance to the Gambian people. This is just another manifestation of his love of sycophancy and praise singing rather than productivity. Otherwise, it is hard to understand why he would ever appoint such a person like FJC as Speaker. Another unfortunate aspect is her low educational standard, which becomes evident every time she opens her mouth to talk. I really wonder what impression she would give to her colleagues and counterparts in other parts of the world whenever she attends meetings abroad.
There is absolutely no doubt that with FJC in charge of the National Assembly, its standards and reputation will continue to plummet to the lowest level and eventually, no one, either at home or abroad would have any respect for the Gambian Legislature. I can certainly imagine how frustrated some dignified members of the National Assembly, such as Sidia Jatta would be in such a situation. While it should have been a pride to be a member of the National Assembly, with such a slavish buffoon like FJC in charge, it is a frustrating curse rather than a pride to be a member of that august institution. It is just hard for anyone to compare her with the late Belinda Bidwell, who had possessed both dignity and the requisite educational standard to manage that important institution. This is no doubt why during her short tenure, its reputation rose to the highest level since independence, and what we are witnessing today is its unprecedented downward slide. Therefore, as long as FJC continues to be at the helm, the Assembly will eventually end up becoming a mere laughing stock, with its reputation hitting the rocks.
Therefore, the very fact that Yahya Jammeh has assumed the power to appoint Speakers of the National Assembly rather than allow the members to exercise their inalienable rights to do that, then the people expect him to appoint reputable persons to run the place with dignity rather than sycophants who treat the place just like another APRC Bureau. There is no way that FJC can ever change and become dignified. She sees herself as Yahya’s slave and she will continue to behave in such a shameful manner both in and out of the National Assembly. It is just sad that the other members have not mustered the courage to use their legislative power to challenge such a degrading situation rather than continue to see themselves as Yahya’s boy-boys who owe their election to him rather than to their constituents.
With this sort of situation, it is just a matter of time before the people see the National Assembly as just another appendix of the APRC hegemony, which does not deserve any respect. And eventually, no respectable person with any shred of dignity would even ever contemplate running for member of the National Assembly, and as such, the field will be left to only those with the lowest educational standards and who are prepared to accept anything just to get the fat allowance and other so-called privileges of a National Assembly member. It was no doubt a blessing in disguise that a dignified person like Halifa Sallah was not returned to that House because it is hard to see how he could have functioned under such a horrible environment with FJC in charge, particularly knowing how she had always despised him.