Kombo South MP bays for head of Finance Minister, as drama over budget peaks

The Majority Leader of National Assembly who also represents Kombo South, Kebba K Barrow, yesterday made a stinging rebuke of the Finance Minister calling on him to resign over acts he characterised as “unconstitutional” and “unprofessional”.

The comments were made during the course of a fresh attempt by the embattled Finance Minister to get supplementary budget approved for the year which has exposed colossal cleavage among UDP MPs in the House. The influential Kombo South law maker and House Majority Leader charged: “The supplementary budget bill is very unconstitutional, very unprofessional and it is against the principles of democracy in this country. This is the Gambia we fought for; for 22 years and nobody will come and micromanage us here. It is not going to be passed in the National Assembly. I am opposed to the bill. I will not approve the bill. “There is a lot of inconsistency in this bill. From D1.2 billion to D580 million. Why are you asking us to pay for another D580 million? For what? There is no consistency in this bill. We are not going to support it. It is not in the interest of The Gambian people. The salaries have been budgeted for 2018. What happened to the salaries for 2018? Who gave them the authorisation to reinstate those personnel at the Ministry of Defence, paying them millions of Dalasi?”.

The Kombo South heavy political weight added: “I am calling on the Minister to resign because he is bringing things that will bring loggerhead in the country. I am not going to support this bill. It is very wrong and unconstitutional”.