SG Sabally reaffirms gov’t’s support to legislative scrutiny -As 2013 Pre-session retreat opens in Albreda

The three-day convergence, which is an annual meeting, brought together National Assembly members, subject matter specialists, representatives from the Ministry of Finance, director of Treasury, the Gambia Public Procurement Authority (GPPA) and Office of the Auditor General.

Minister Sabally, who extended President Jammeh’s greetings to the lawmakers, underscored the role of the legislature in any nation in that it is critical in defining the type of society “we live in as people”.

He told legislators that their work lays the first important block in the observance of the rule of law, something he said is imperative for peace, stability, social justice and development. “This dovetails well with the common dictum that the life of a man would be short, brutish and dangerous in the absence of the rule of law; thus underscores the importance of legislative arm of government to which you all belong to,” he stated.

The SG and Civil Service boss reminded the lawmakers that the three arms of the government operate on the doctrine of separation of powers, which essentially checks excessive power in the interest of good governance. However, he stressed that it is imperative to note that these structures by themselves can achieve very little if they do not work together sincerely in the common interest of the people.

Aware of this reality, the SG asserted that the government under the leadership of President Jammeh has created the conducive environment for all of the three arms of government to function, each according to its constitutional mandate.

While encouraging synergy and complementarities necessary for holistic nation building, Sabally commended the National Assembly Authority for the initiative.

“It is an open secret that PAC/PEC is a household name in this country thanks to the commitment, hard work and professionalism you bring to bear in your work. This is why the government of His Excellency, the president, as well as development partners and peers in the sub-region and beyond, value and recognise your work,” he remarked.

Minister Sabally said that thanks to this sustained effort, it is no accident that public confidence in governance, particularly public financial governance, is ever increasing with the electorate and other stakeholders becoming more and more interested in their deliberation.

The speaker of the National Assembly, Hon. Abdoulie Bojang, for his part, who doubles at the chairman of PAC/PEC, explained that the pre-session retreat is an annual event in their calendar that provides the stakeholders the platform to meet and review and take stock of their previous work and chart a way forward.

He welcomed suggestions during the retreat to enable them better conduct their business as they prepare for the 2013 PAC/PEC joint session commencing on the 7th October, 2013. “As we are all aware the function of PAC/PEC is to perform oversight on the central government and all public enterprises funded by taxpayers money,” he reminded the gathering, noting that the session is a statutory exercise critical in the public financial management system.

Hon Bojang urged participants to fully partake in the discussions during the course of the three-day retreat. He commended the government of The Gambia for fully funding this session and for the institutional support to PAC/PEC over the years. 

The clerk of the National Assembly, Doudou Kebbeh, thanked the participants for their attendance, while acknowledging the unflinching support from the government over the past years. He also thanked Minister Sabally for gracing the opening ceremony, whom he said, have had a cordial working relation with the parliament since his time as the director of Budget at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs.