During a legislative session, Hon. Hamat NK Bah, Minister of Lands, Regional Government, and Religious Affairs, has faced criticism for calling opposition members “big mouths.” He responded to a query about the government’s road-clearing initiatives posed by Hon. Musa Cham, National Assembly Member (NAM) for Serekunda.
Hon. Cham questioned whether the central government’s plan to remove roads—which are frequently utilised as marketplaces—for public safety was being supported by the local councils. Minister Bah said that the opposition’s criticism of the government’s conduct was frustrating. “Mr. Speaker, allow me to remind the Honourable Member that the opposition, with their loud mouths, was the one who insulted and accused the Gambia’s government of ruining people’s livelihoods when the government started to clear the roads,” Bah stated.
A number of parliamentarians interrupted the Minister before he could finish, pleading with him to avoid using such words. The Minister was asked to clarify whether he was referring to the NAM for Serekunda by the presiding Deputy Speaker, Hon. Seedy SK Njie. Minister Bah responded by making it clear that he was speaking of the opposition as a whole, not just one particular member. “I’m talking about the opposition groups that are mistreating our government for paving roads,” the minister stated.
Nonetheless, the Minister’s word choice was strongly criticised by Hon. Omar Jammeh, Independent NAM for Janjanbureh, and other opposition members, who said the language was unsuitable for parliamentary debate.
Visibly agitated, Hon. Jammeh got up from his chair and went to the minority caucus room to voice his displeasure. He maintained that the Minister’s comments were demeaning to the country as a whole.
The Speaker defended the Minister by stating that it was untrue to claim that the Minister had denigrated the country. He did, however, recognise the difficulties in upholding decorum in the gathering, especially when participants interrupt with loud interruptions. He underlined that such conduct makes it challenging to render definitive decisions.
Comparing the situation to the cacophony of a marketplace, the Speaker added that he is forced to permit some humour in his decisions when parliamentary debates turn chaotic. He added that it is difficult for him to efficiently run the session since members frequently disregard parliamentary conduct. “The speaker will have no choice but to laugh due to the behaviour that is typical of a marketplace or Bantaba to allow decorum to regain so that I can make my decision if everyone is shouting like a marketplace and making noise from their corner,” he stated.
Concerns with the Minister’s wording were also voiced by Hon. Sulayman Saho, NAM for Central Badibou. He stood on a point of order and reminded the crowd that, in accordance with Order 29 of the Rules of Procedure, it is forbidden to use derogatory or disrespectful words. “It is disrespectful for the Minister to speak to the opposition like this,” said Saho.
The Speaker responded by restating the expectation that ministers and members uphold parliamentary decorum by abstaining from inappropriate conduct and insults. He emphasised that in order to guarantee peaceful parliamentary procedures, all parties must uphold proper conduct. The Speaker also spoke about the actions of a few members, such as Janjanbureh’s NAM, who had resigned from his seat to join the minority caucus.
The NAM for Janjanbureh resigned and moved, he added. “That member themselves did not allow proceedings to progress when there are issues, if you rule in accordance with the law they will come otherwise,” he said. “Today, members are misbehaving towards me even as I am making my ruling.”
Insisting that he had every right to roam freely within the house with his constituency tag, the Member for Janjanbureh took the microphone and requested the Speaker to stop using him as a reference.
The Speaker then urged the Honourable Minister to refrain from using language that can be interpreted as unparliamentary, reminding the members and the Minister to uphold parliamentary decorum.
The Speaker also revealed that he had questioned his assistant about whether the expression “big mouth” was disrespectful or unparliamentary, but the room erupted in a commotion before he could get a response.
Then, referring to Rule 17, which stipulates that all members shall enter and exit the chamber with decorum and that no member should cross the floor needlessly, Hon. Amadou Camara, the Member for the Nainija constituency, raised a point of order. “It is definitely very wrong that you gave the Honourable member for Janjanbureh the floor to address you after he left his seat and went there,” he remarked.
Following the incident, the Member for Latrikunda Sabiji recommended that the Minister apologise to the opposition collectively if he didn’t want to insult any specific opposition members. “My parents are in the opposition,” he noted. Do they have a lot of mouths? You are the big mouth, Hon. Minister. He shot back.
The Speaker reiterated the significance of upholding decorum and order in the legislative chamber as tensions continued to escalate and advised the Minister and the members to refrain from using language that might be interpreted as unparliamentary.
