Legislator Sulayman Saho has said President Adama Barrow is bent on weaponizing the National Assembly against the Gambian people in a bid to destroy them.
The NPP-dominated legislature came in for sweltering criticisms after it augmented last week the salaries of MPs and the House Speaker.
Despite his admission that the blame for the salaries enhancements should be collective, Hon. Saho was quick to point out that the opposition members and some independents were overwhelmed by the ruling party NAMs and their backers in the Assembly.
“We may be collectively blamed for the development but its worth pointing out that UDP NAMs and member for Janjanbureh and Kanteh were loud in their opposition to the increase of salaries of NAMs and Fabakary,” clarified the Central Baddibu NAM.
According to Hon. Saho, if anything the opposition and some independents were agitating for slashing of the D10m budget for President’s Meet The People Tour, an overhaul of government’s decision to create three new embassies, cuts to the budgetary allocation to the President’s Office, among other necessary cuts.
He continued: “But our voices were drowned by the majority NPP NAMs and their backers. During the voting for the proposed salary increments for NAMs and the Speaker, 19 UDP legislators and the independent for Janjanbureh and Kanteh voted against it while 29 of NPP NAMs and their supporters voted for the increase.
“So, you can see how outnumbered we were.”
He accused President Barrow of using the legislature as a weapon of destruction but did not elaborate.
