A miracle is taking place in the National Assembly these days as parliamentarians critically discuss the estimates for the National Budget.
For the first time we are seeing a large number of Gambian parliamentarians raising pertinent issues about the budget in terms of the budget lines and the allocations as well as the results that the budget could produce for the development and the future of the Gambia. It is therefore necessary that Gambians storm the parliament to listen to these deliberations and provide the necessary moral support to those NAMs.
Gambians must bear in mind that national development cannot take place until the budget is rightly and strategically formulated in order to provide the necessary resources to the right places at the right time. In order words, we need a budget that enables the Government to raise the necessary resources without harming the people, yet also implement that budget such that every butut reaches in full to sectors and communities to which allocation is made.
When the budget is not well formulated and its implementation is not proper, not only will the country face deficits but the economy itself will not function well while goods and services that should reach the population will not arrive hence poverty, inequality and deprivation will continue to characterize the lives of Gambians.
For 52 years the Gambia has never balanced its budget rather the country has always experienced perennial deficits while at the same time taxes continue to always go higher as delivery of social services remain limited and not available to the majority of citizens. The fact remains that this country persistently witnesses waste of public resources and financial mismanagement simply because of the lack of effective oversight by the parliament.
The budget is the tool that the Government utilizes to implement our Constitution. It is in our Constitution that the rights and needs of the citizens are spelt out hence the Constitution is the basis of national development. When a budget is poorly formulated, mismanaged and not implemented in full, it means necessary equipment, facilities, tools and services will not be available at hospitals, schools, police and fire stations and communities while public infrastructure will be poor.
When hospitals lack the necessary medical equipment, electricity and water supply it means mothers can die while giving birth to another Gambian. When necessary drugs and examination tools are lacking in health facilities it means Gambian children can die from preventable diseases. When necessary teaching and learning materials are lacking in public schools, it means quality education is compromised thus undermining the future of those children and the country. When roads are not available or poorly constructed because the full budget allocation is not delivered it means transportation becomes more difficult and expensive which also translates into high cost of living. Hence the budget is a life and death issue.
The parliamentarians therefore must realize that what they are doing is in fact saving the lives of their electorates. By scrutinizing the estimates to ensure that the right allocations are made to the right sectors and places, it means this country will now have the means to generate its own development more effectively. Hence the parliamentarians must not ignore any budget line and allocation. They must ask the right questions and obtain satisfactory answers otherwise they must return the budget back to the Minister of Finance to review his estimates.
When the parliament finally approves the budget they must still continue the scrutiny because budget execution is as important as budget formulation. Execution of the budget means funds are now given to the Government to implement which means to spend public money that will go to provide the necessary goods, facilities and services that the country needs. It is usually in the execution of the budget that lot of corruption occurs thus causing poor service delivery.
This is when the funds allocated to sectors, facilities and services are either cut or diverted by the ministries, departments and agencies. They divert these funds to personal and office matters while health facilities, police stations or schools in our communities are lacking basic materials. Secondly in the procurement of goods and services, public officers would inflate prices or buy poor quality materials just to get kickbacks such that while they spend a lot of the money yet citizens only receive poor services, poor facilities or poor infrastructure such as roads or buildings.
All citizens must take the budget very seriously because after the Constitution, the budget is the most important law. It is the budget that will determine whether our hospitals will be a place to save or kill lives. It is the budget that will determine if Gambians will enjoy water and electricity supply 24 hours or not. It is our budget that will determine the prices of goods. It is our budget that will determine if our rights will be protected or violated. It is the budget that determines if jobs will be available or not. Hence the budget is our present and future. It is a life and death issue that no citizen must ignore.
It is sad that these estimates were not shared with the general public in the first place. The Ministry of Finance must make these estimates public the moment they share with NAMs. If they fail to do so our NAMs should have shared them with their constituents. But it is sad that none of them did so even though these estimates are about the resources and lives of the people. In the New Gambia, we must demand that budget estimates be shared with the general public so that the public influences the budget in our own interest. Secondly citizens have a right to see and know the estimates!
Let us go to the parliament to show our NAMs that we care about our budget because our budget is our life. Let us go to the parliament to support those NAMs that have taken a determined and principled stance to ensure that the wealth of the Gambia is invested and distributed among Gambians. Let us go to the parliament to embolden those progressive NAMs who are playing their oversight role effectively without fear or favour.
For the Gambia, Our Homeland!
That was well said. Are the parliamentary debates open for the public, if so, when and where?
Yes they are open to the public in the National Assembly building in Banjul. And you don’t have to pay a dime or get the permission of anyone to get in Mr Jorgensen.
When does the parliament meet?
One has a feeling that things are changing. A few of the NAMs have laid down the mark and are showing signs of upholding the INDEPENDENCE of the Parliament, never seen before in independent Gambia. I have seen concerns being raised about expenditure items, like the over D300,000 allocated to the office of First Lady, which would never have happened under either Jawara or Jammeh. This is positive and requires citizens’ support and encouragement.
The contribution of the Honourable Member for Wulli West, Honourable Sidia Jatta, was especially encouraging, as he once again, made the case for our potential to be self sufficient in all our national development efforts, thus rubbishing the notion that we cannot do without foreign aid, grants and loans.
Hon Jatta posited that these are actually amongst the biggest impediments to our development efforts; a position recently postulated by the Ghanaian President, Mr Nana Akufo Ado, during his press meeting with President Macro of France. It is a must watch speech. Africa is, once again, producing leaders who believe in Africa and our ability to address our challenges.
Mother Africa has probably began to feel the first “birth pangs” of the much talked about and anticipated “African renaissance” and has gone into “labour”. The “sleeping giant” is waking up and we must be ever vigilant that it is “knocked” backed into another deep slumber by the ever ready reactionary forces, both within and without.
oops….”….be ever vigilant that it is NOT “knocked” back into another deep slumber…..”
Let’s make something clear to our representatives and their advocates, if you want our support we also need the necessary tools to be vigilant. We need to know that for every Dalasi, when, where, whom, what and finally the end result and benefits of that Dalasi spent to the people. There is need for transparency and full disclosure. I need my government to make public online in real time every check written and to whom and for what. Gambia should take the lead being the first fully integrated e-government in Africa. I want to obtain all my application on line, I prefer to pay my taxes online to a single government account. I like to process my property deed online etc. Respect, trust and support is reciprocal, if you open your self to scrutiny, then you and I have nothing to hide and therefore nothing to fear. Now you have my 100% support.
God Bless The Gambia