NAMs Stage Walkout The Daily Observer (Banjul) NEWS December 26, 2002 Posted to the web December 26, 2002 By Alieu Badara Ceesay & Bakary Muritala Banjul Two National Assembly Members, Hamat Bah of the opposition NRP and deputy speaker, Mrs Belinda Bidwell both staged a momentary walkout of the Assembly following what most Members regard as a discussion on trivial matters. Mr Bah told journalists that he was bored with trivial issues being discussed in the Assembly. Though Mrs Belinda did not comment on her walkout, it came after she raised the issue of nine vacancies existing in the Assembly and asking the speaker why the vacancies were not filled. She was however told to rather take up the issue with the speaker at his office and not in the chamber. Earlier, Mama Kandeh of Jimara Constituency had criticised fellow NAMs for lack of commitment to duty, citing occasions when Members leave before the end of business. "Are we here only to ratify loans or represent our people?" He asked. He continued to challenge fellow parliamentarians to create constituency farms like President Jammeh's Kanilai farm. Deputy speaker, Belinda Bidwell, raised issues on the whereabouts of a D50,000 sum budgeted for entertainment of guests in the Assembly. "I have even requested for tea, toilet papers and biscuits without success. Where has that money gone to?" she asked. At this juncture the speaker, Sheriff Mustapha Dibba, intervened to say that the Members should stop washing the Assembly's dirty linen in public. "You should raise these issues in a special meeting," he told Members. But the deputy speaker suggested that the matter should be discussed in public as it concerned Members. At this point Hamat Bah decided he had had enough and marched out saying the house is wasting valuable time on trivial matters. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~