Gambians reacts to 2024 budget, others

By Sheriff Saidykhan

Gambians have reacted to the 2024 draft budget submitted by the Finance Minister and Economic Affairs, Seedy Keita few weeks ago at the National Assembly. 

Speaking to West Coast Radio popular Coffee Time show with Peters Gomez on Tuesday, Alagie Saidy Barrow, former TRRC investigator said the country's dependence on foreign support has hindered the economy of the country. 

The continued dependence on aid he said, will always put a setback for the development of the country. 

“How can this country get to its potential when it is relying on corrosive institutions like the IMF and World Bank to survive. 

As long as Gambians continue to rely on the World Bank and the IMF. And as long as Gambians insists on borrowing or begging from others we will always remain behind those that run these institutions and countries we begged and borrow from. 

You do not need an economic degree to know that begging and borrowing is not a development model,” he said

Karamba Touray, an Economic Analyst also added his voice to the 2024 draft budget.

He explained: “This budget is more of the same. it is not a departure from the previous budget. This budget is a feast and a bonanza for those who crafted this budget. The people who crafted this budget are the technicians at the upper echelons of the Gambia government. 

Under the direction and supervision of the President and his cabinet and the National Assembly of the Gambia are the only body that can authorise the expenditure of this budget,” he argued. 

For his part Pa Samba Jow, political analyst also on Coffee Time has slammed the new hiked of allowances, saying they did not help the country out of its recurrent economic crisis. 

“I will focus on the Speakers salary and allowances as proposed by the National Assembly. If you look at the document itself. All 598 pages of it, you will come across that National Assembly is asking for a fix salary for the Speaker of 1.2 million dalasis a year .

In addition to that, the Speaker will also be getting a responsibility allowances of Three hundred and sixty thousand dalasis. He will get a residential allowance  of Four hundred and eighty thousand dalasis. 

A professional allowance, this is new for the Speaker, because last year it was not added because the Speaker does not have a profession like the previous Speaker as a Lawyer that would warrant such a payment.

But this year they conveniently added it , and the Speaker should be getting Two hundred and fourty thousand dalasis for a professional allowance.

The continued underdevelopment of our country is not as a result of people being poor or unwilling to work it's as a a result of this National Assembly greed,” he concluded.