The National Assembly Member for Serrekunda, Honourable Halifa Sallah has said during his deliberation at the House in Banjul that financial discipline is essentially necessary.
Sallah was speaking during the debate on the Draft Revised 2017 Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure of the Government of The Gambia.
The veteran politician said he agreed with the Finance Minister who presented the revised budget estimates of revenue and expenditure that the debt budget is unsustainable while he called on the government to set a monetary policy to look into the depreciation of the dalasi, saying the monetary policy is to strengthen the country’s currency.
“We have to address the issue of inflation threatening the Dalasi,” he interjected.
Sallah addressed the heightening rate of unemployment in the country. He highlighted the unnecessary spending of the former government without creating employment. He called on the new government to look into agriculture as a productive base.
“Unless we address the agricultural base we are not going anywhere,” he said.
The former Minority Leader called on the Barrow Administration to come up with a better agricultural policy. He said the country’s economy is in an emergency situation, saying the budgetary cuts of government ministries is really necessary. He said all hands should be on deck to manage budgetary cuts in a rational way.
The member for Kantora, Honourable Billay Tunkara said the government need to look into frequent travelings of state ministers. He asserted that the ministers travel in business class which he said is costly. He called on the government to consider the current situation of the economy.
“We should cut our coat according to our size,” Billay Tunkara asserted.
The Kantora NAM reminded the ministers to realize that the money they spending is coming from the tax payers.
The member for Central Badibou, Sulayman Saho called on the deputies to look into the amount of money allocated to the Ministries. He talked about the number of vehicles used by state ministers.
Honourable Saho called on the mechanisation of farming, saying that people should graduate from simple farming tools.
The member for Niamina East, Honourable Omar Ceesay said the success of any country depends on the politicians.
“If the politicians can put aside our political and individual differences the Gambia will progress,” Omar Ceesay said.
Honourable Ceesay urged the country’s politicians particularly the members of Parliament to put national interest above all other interests.
Honourable Lamin J Sanneh, Member for Brikama South, emphasized on setting up of monitoring bodies to check on state institutions to produce quality.
Other members also made interventions particularly on the increment of salaries.
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