By Omar Bah
The Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Seedy Njie, has said sustaining democracy and good governance requires building strong institutions.
Addressing a presentation of laptops and other items to the National Assembly Committee on Human Rights from GIZ, DS Njie said: “For effective, sustained, and assured democracy, you need strong institutions, and the National Assembly is crucial in building those strong institutions.”
He said the parliament, which has the constitutional mandate of oversight and scrutiny of those institutions, needs to be capacitated to deliver up to expectations.
“If they don’t have the capacity to be able to differentiate what is right and wrong, what needs to be adjusted, and what members can do to strengthen democracy, they will find it difficult to perform their oversight functions effectively. I believe that once institutions are strong and responsive to the citizens, no government will be able to suppress its people,” he said.
He commended the GIZ, EU, German government, and the Ecowas Commission for their contribution towards the committee in terms of building their capacity.
“They have contributed significantly towards the security sector reform,” he added.
He said that as an oversight institution over the defence and security of the country, the defence committee’s role cannot be overemphasised in ensuring that officials and members of the security sectors conform to the rule of law as enshrined in the 1997 Constitution.
DS Njie also commended the Gambia government’s strive to nurture the country’s democracy.
“The fact that the NIA does not now arrest or detain people is commendable, and it demonstrates how much effort the government has put into respecting people’s fundamental rights,” he said.
He said the NA Defence Committee has a very good relationship with the different security forces.
“We are committed to ensuring we continue supervising the different security forces to ensure they do what is required of them by law. We also look forward to furthering our relationship with different institutions around the world to add value and enhance our work,” he added.
The German Ambassador Klaus Botzet said the items were donated under the Ecowas regional peace and security architecture and operation project commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Corporation and Development and implemented by GIZ and the European Union.
He said he hopes the items will be able to boost the committee’s work in promoting peace and security.
Dr Abdourahmane Dieng, head of division regional security at the Ecowas Commission, said the National Assembly represents the key oversight body that holds the executive to account with regards to its directions, but to be effective in this, the parliamentarians need the requisite knowledge and tools.
“In our quest to empower the parliamentarians, the Ecowas Commission and DCAF handed out parliamentary oversight toolkits. The objective of the toolkits is to support the implementation of the regional democratic framework of Ecowas on reforms and governance of the security sector by providing practical advice and guidance based on regional experience,” he said.
