Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL, The Gambia) – Lamin Dibba, the Executive Director of the Center for Budget and Macroeconomic Transparency (CBMT), has criticised the National Assembly for what he described as a failure to effectively exercise its budget oversight role and to check financial abuses by the executive.
In an interview with The Standard, Dibba argued that lawmakers have allowed themselves to be overly influenced by the Ministry of Finance, rather than acting independently in the interest of citizens. He said the National Assembly should serve as an advocate for the people, not a defender of government ministries.
“They should be advocates for the citizens, not the ministries,” Dibba said. “They keep defending and justifying that ministries are not having their salary budget, furniture budget, or that budget lines are low. This is not why we put them there. They are there to speak on behalf of the citizens, but they are not doing that.”
Dibba stressed that lawmakers owe Gambians rigorous scrutiny of the national budget, effective oversight, and accountability to ensure national development. He urged members of the National Assembly to take their responsibilities more seriously, noting that oversight is a core function of parliament.
According to him, the oversight role of the legislature remains “very weak,” as many lawmakers limit their involvement to approving the budget without following up on its implementation. He said lawmakers must ensure that approved budgets are executed as intended and that allocated funds are fully realised.
“They should not just approve the budget and fold their hands,” Dibba said. “They must ensure that it is executed as approved and that all the funds approved are actualised. They also need to pay attention to the budget planning phase.”
Dibba further argued that the failure to properly scrutinise development budget components has led to decisions that are detrimental to the country. While acknowledging that a few lawmakers are committed to doing their jobs, he said the majority are falling short.
“Oversight function is key, but the NAMs are lagging in this,” he observed. “They need to prioritise the people of The Gambia, not ministries. They must represent the people, and the best way to do that is through development.”
He also called on the executive branch to demonstrate integrity and honesty in the management of public finances, warning against treating state resources as personal property.
“Let them not just consider themselves as owners of public money,” Dibba said. “They are paid to do a job for the Gambian people.”
