Africa-Press – Gambia. Gibbi Mballow, the National Assembly member representing Lower Fulladu West, on Friday sharply criticized lawmakers from the opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) for boycotting the presentation of the 2026 national budget, calling their absence a dereliction of duty and a disservice to the Gambian public.
“It is very sad; this is a very important event, the budget speech. We are not seeing our colleagues, who are the UDP National Assembly members; they are boycotting this event because somebody, a legal luminary, has made statements that are very touching and scary for this nation,” he said.
Mr. Mballow argued that lawmakers have a constitutional and moral responsibility to attend parliamentary sittings, particularly those involving national financial planning.
“And going back to our constitution, also in section 112, it talked about members; we must be ready to serve the interests of our people, and this budget speech is one of the most important elements in our democratic process, and today, it is all of us; nobody is above the law,” he said.
He suggested that the boycott placed personal and political interests above national priorities. “For somebody to be called for questions warranting you to deviate from the job that you are entitled to do, this is a national event that is above personal interest, is above an individual matter,” he added.
UDP members staged the boycott in protest over the detention of Borry S. Touray, a senior party figure, who was being held at the Police Headquarters in Banjul. The lawmakers argued that his arrest was politically motivated and demanded his immediate release.
Despite the boycott, the budget speech proceeded as scheduled, though the absence of the main opposition bloc was conspicuous in the chamber.
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