Speaking at a three-day retreat at the Paradise Suites Hotel in Kololi, Speaker Bojang said they are subjecting themselves to ‘closed door internal scrutiny’ ahead of September PEC/PAC session.
‘The government of The Gambia continues to license, sanction and provide much-needed resources for us to convene and deliberate with abundant political goodwill and without political or executive interference. It is therefore no accident that the Gambian people’s high expectations of us are well-founded and not misplaced,” he said.
The retreat is held under the theme: ‘Enhancing Public Management through Effective Parliament Oversight.’ It is aimed at reviewing and taking stock of policies, systems, and processes of PEC/PAC and identify strengths and challenges with a view to build on them.
He told members of PEC/PAC: “It is against this backdrop that we are now subjecting ourselves to behind closed-door internal scrutiny of our collective conduct and attitude, actions, omissions, challenges and constraints of us the very honorable members of PAC/PEC. That is also to say we shall shut the door away from the public and the media and take stock of ourselves, our systems, practices, processes, procedures, enabling environment, impact and the way forward.”
He thanked the government of The Gambia and its development partners noting that it is only prudent that as a responsible and responsive parliament – and by extension having a responsible and responsive government under President Yahya Jammeh – not to be complacent with our achievements so far to strive and resolve to do even better.
“It therefore suffices to say as I officially open this important pre-session retreat that you get ready for a very proactive, vibrant, and objective stocktaking; it is my candid belief that “ to whom much is given, so much is expected”; the government of The Gambia has created the enabling legal environment with a clearly defined mandate for us as elective representatives of the people to perform lawful and routine oversight over the executive, public enterprises/agencies, public services and anything of public interest,” Bojang said.
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