By: Foday Manneh
The National Assembly member for Banjul South, Hon. Touma Njai walked out of Wednesday’s session following a heated brawl with the Speaker of the Parliament of The Gambia, Hon. Fabakary Tombong Jatta.
Walking out of the assembly chambers, the controversial Banjul South deputy said she’d go out in dignity rather than go against her principles.
“I will go out with dignity, but I will not lie to this country. I took an oath, and sanity is the truth.” Hon. Touma said.
Touma raised a point of order and described the statement of the Honorable Deputy Speaker, Seedy Njie, as a “lie” after he dismissed claims that the NAM for Kantora and Majority Leader Billy G. Tunkara refused to sign the motion of Wednesday’s sitting presented to him.
The speaker further asked the NAM to withdraw the statement she uttered or leave the chambers during the third extraordinary session on children’s death in the outbreak of Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) in The Gambia.
Meanwhile, the session, which was subsequently adjourned, continued as a motion was moved for Parliamentarians to debate the current National Public Health Emergency regarding the death of at least 70 innocent Gambian children.
The motion moved by the Minority member of the house noted that with grave concern, the news of the death of children by AKI linked to contaminated medicines and recognized the power of the Assembly to establish committees with the general mandate to inquire into the activities of ministries, among others.
The Assembly, therefore, tasked the Select Committee on Health, by their Terms of Reference, to conduct a full-scale parliamentary inquiry into the matter, unearth the truth and circumstances surrounding the unfortunate incident, and accordingly advise the Assembly.
The health Select Committee is scheduled to submit its report and findings on the AKI inquiry on or before 30th November 2022.
