By Yusef Taylor, @FlexDan_YT The Gambia Parliamentary Newsletter (GPN) has just launched its third edition covering Parliamentary proceedings and activities that occurred during the month of June and July 2022. The latest edition features the Sixth Legislature’s first Extraordinary Session of the 2022 Legislative Year which highlights two of the loans and the Approved Revised 2022 Budget. Download the 3rd Edition Here. Download the 2nd Edition Here. Download the 1st Edition Here. Also featured in this publication is an exclusive interview with Hon Maimuna Ceesay, one of two Nominated female Parliamentarians, urging the Government via the Ministry of Health and…
Author: Yusef Taylor
Yusef Taylor
Yusef Taylor, commonly known as Flex Dan is an editor and practising journalist based in the Gambia with a keen interest in human rights, the economy and good governance among many others. He continues to break news on the economy, human rights violations and is highly engaged in security sector reforms, constitutional reform and the transition of the Gambia from dictatorship to a democracy, the NewGambia. Yusef has been working with Gainako as a media practitioner from 2015 to date. He has a degree in Civil Engineering with 5 years of Design Consultancy experience.
By Yusef Taylor, @FlexDan_YT The Gambia government promised to pay victims of the Truth Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) D150 million in the 2022 Budget cycle on the same day of the Never Again March in October 2022, however, it seems victims may not receive any compensation this year. The TRRC is a Commission enacted by the Gambia’s Fifth Legislature under the Government of President Adama in 2017 to document the human rights violations that occurred under the leadership of former President Yahya Jammeh. The Vice Chairperson of the now defunct TRRC, Madam Adelaide Sosseh, who chaired the Reparations Committee,…
By Yusef Taylor, FlexDan_YT Soon after President Adama Barrow delivered his 2022 State of the Nation Address on Thursday 15th September 2022, the Speaker of the National Assembly, Hon Fabakary Tombong Jatta, continued to chair the Assembly proceedings and ask all delegates in attendance to remain seated as the President vacated the Assembly. As the Speaker was about to wind down proceedings and adjourn the next Parliamentary sitting to Monday 19th September 2022 which would feature Parliamentarians debate on the President’s 2022 State of the Nation Address, Hon Sulayman Saho of Central Badibu rose to table a Point of Order…
By Yusef Taylor, FlexDan_YT Today, Friday 2nd September 2022 Gainako Online Newspaper held an in-house awards ceremony recognising the most viewed/read stories every month from January to July 2022. Each winner was awarded a certificate by the President of the Gambia Press Union for their achievement and received a complimentary cash prize for their story. Editor Yusef Taylor Flex Dan who initiated the in-house awards and won four months was exempted from any certificate or award. On behalf of Gainako, we would like to thank all our readers and followers, the President of the GPU and all our contributors. We…
By Yusef Taylor, @FlexDan_YT Hon Suwaibou Touray has just made another incredible gesture towards the people of Wuli East. In June 2022 Hon Touray confirmed that he used his D100K clothing allowance and an additional D10K Committee sittings allowance to implement various projects in his Constituency. Fast forward some months later, in September 2022 Hon Touray has more than quadrupled his June efforts. This time spending his National Assembly Gratuity of D605K from his first term as a Parliamentarian. He managed to get additional funding from two supporters in Karamba Touray and Amara Trawally to invest a total of D635K…
By Yusef Taylor, @FlexDan_YT Yesterday, 12th September 2022 was the opening sitting of the Third Session of the Legislative year 2022 for the Sixth Legislature. During the sitting, some heated exchanges took place between the Speaker of the House Hon Fabakary Tombong Jatta and two United Democratic Party Parliamentarians, Hon Yahya Menteng Sanyang and Hon Sulayman Saho, after the latter rose to challenge the Speaker’s ruling to allow all unfinished Bills to be reinstated by all persons in charge. This resulted in two terse exchanges between the Speaker of the Sixth Legislature and the members. It all started when Hon…
By Yusef Taylor, @FlexDan_YT The Speaker of the Gambia’s Sixth Legislature has ruled that unfinished Bills of the Fifth Legislature may be reintroduced by the persons in charge and continue from their previous stage in Parliament. Speaker of the House Hon Fabakary Tombong Jatta made this ruling on 12th September 2022 after a Point of Order was raised by the Deputy Majority Leader and member for Old Yundum, Hon Abdoulie Ceesay. Hon Ceesay is also the Chairperson of the Standing Orders Committee of the National Assembly who should advise Parliament on procedural matters. Making reference to Standing Orders 18 and…
By Yusef Taylor and Sainey Sanyang This is the second publication by Gainako on one of the settlements in Sanneh Mentereng Constituency following the first publication on Bijilo. Brufut is right after Brusubi heading from Turntable towards Tanji. For this publication, our reporter engaged the Public Relations Officer / Spokesperson of Brufut Village Development Committee (VDC) Mr Momodou Bah. The Alkalo for Brufut is Ma Lamin Manneh who echoed the words of Spokesperson Bah that they are available to engage the public. However, Spokesperson Bah noted that they prefer to fix appointments. Explaining how the VDC is set up Mr…
By Yusef Taylor, @FlexDan_YT and Sainey Sanyang As part of Gainako’s efforts to engage local communities, our reporter visited the Village Development Committee (VDC) Chairperson to engage them and discover some of the challenges they are trying to address in the local community. Our findings have revealed that the Bijilo Nursery School and the Mariama Jammeh Clinic both need significant support to provide consistent education and medical services to the required level. Bijilo is within Kombo North which falls under Brikama Area Council which is in turn under the West Coast Region. At the level of Parliamentary Constituencies, Bijilo is…
By Yusef Taylor, @FlexDan_YT All candidates who contested at the Gambia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) Board Elections on 2nd September 2022 were declared unopposed winners after the only position to be contested was also declared unopposed. Current President Mr Edrissa Mass Jobe won his second and last term as President of the GCCI after one candidate was declared illegible to contest in the 2022 GCCI Elections held after the GCCI Annual General Meeting at the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara International Conference Centre. Two other candidates were also declared ineligible to contest with one other rescinding their decision to…