The National Assembly was forced to adjourn its sitting on Tuesday after lawmakers failed to meet the minimum quorum required to begin business for the day.
Speaker Fabakary Tombong Jatta took his seat at 10:00 a.m. as scheduled, but the Chamber did not have enough Members present to proceed. A short exchange followed among those in attendance about what steps should be taken next under the Assembly’s rules.
In issuing his ruling, Speaker Jatta voiced frustration with what he described as recurring delays caused by late attendance. He urged Members to take their responsibilities more seriously and respect the Assembly’s schedule.
Citing Standing Order 12(1), he reminded Members that the rules allow the Speaker to adjourn to a later time not exceeding one hour, or to another date if there is no quorum. But he said the situation now called for a stronger response to encourage discipline.
“I want us to learn the lessons,” the Speaker said. “If I am adjourning, I will adjourn till the next day so that we all know things have fallen apart.”
The session was then suspended until Wednesday 3 December at 10:00 a.m.
Tuesday’s adjournment follows a difficult start to the week. On Monday, the Assembly also struggled to begin on time even with the Vice President and Cabinet Ministers present and ready for engagement. Some Members argued that Standing Order 11(1) requires business to start at exactly 10:00 a.m., stressing the importance of punctuality.
Speaker Jatta noted that repeated reminders had not been enough to change behavior.
“How many times have I come up here and we never had quorum? We tried that so many times, but it could not continue,” he said.
He called on all Members to show a renewed commitment to attending sittings on time, warning that delays undermine the Assembly’s role in legislation and oversight.
“If you are here at 10:00, we start at 10:00. Very simple. We cannot continue to be embarrassing ourselves,” the Speaker added.
The Assembly is expected to resume its agenda on Wednesday, provided that the required quorum is met.
