By Omar Bah
A recent Afrobarometer survey has indicated that Gambians gave the least favourable rating to the performance of National Assembly Members.
The findings indicate that 65 percent of Gambians disapprove of the way the lawmakers have been going about their work.
According to the findings, the high disapproval rate stems primarily from their rejection of a new constitution aimed at enhancing democracy. The 2020 Constitution Promulgation Bill, which included term limits and checks on executive power, was defeated by lawmakers, many of whom were aligned with the ruling party and opposed provisions that would stamp the long aspired limit on the number of terms a president could serve.
This disconnect between the parliament’s actions and public sentiment — where a significant majority supported the proposed changes — has fuelled dissatisfaction with elected representatives.
Additionally, historical issues of executive overreach and lack of accountability further exacerbates this discontent. The decision by members of the Sixth Legislature to allocate themselves a one-off payment of D100,000 clothing allowance in 2022 was also met with strong opposition from Gambians. The lawmakers were also heavily criticised for accepting luxury Toyota Prado vehicles costing over D3 million each at a time when the country was facing huge economic challenges.
According to the report shared with journalists recently, a majority of Gambians (60 percent) also disapprove of the performance of local government councillors over the past 12 months.
Afrobarometer is a pan-African non-partisan survey research network that claims to provide reliable data on African experiences and evaluations of democracy, governance, and quality of life. It says it gives African publics a voice in policy and decision-making and has completed nine survey rounds in up to 42 countries.
