By Arret Jatta
The National Assembly’s session was adjourned yesterday due to a lack of quorum, with only 22 NAMs present out of a total of 53. The required quorum for the session to proceed is 29.
The lack of quorum was criticised by Members, who expressed frustration and disappointment over the matter.
Sainey Jawara, Member for Lower Saloum, urged the Speaker to take action, saying, “You have to take the bull by the horn. Members should not be in their homes, when they have vehicles, everything to come and attend the sessions.”
Hon Samba Jallow, Member for Niamina Dankunkung, echoed these sentiments, saying, “This issue of quorum is lingering in this assembly. We must apply a strict rule so that at 10 o’clock, we are here, we start business.”
Hon Alhagie Mbow, Member for Upper Saloum, suggested that the rules should not be too rigid, saying, “I think our own rules are not meant to be so rigid. The discretion is on you now the speaker. If you can defer for one hour, I think we can call one another and then we can continue the business.”
Speaker of the National Assembly, FabakaryTombong Jatta, acknowledged the concerns and adjourned the session to December 3, 2025, saying, “I have listened to some of you, and from what I can garner from what has been said, is that we should try to be punctual. I will adjourn to tomorrow, 3rd December 2025, at 10 am for us to start business”.
