Almameh Gibba, National Assembly member for Foni Kansala has said deputy speaker Seedy Njie failed in his attempt to score political point over comment that the proposed bill that seeks to repeal anti-FGM law will fail in parliament.

Deputy Speaker Seedy Njie has said there is a strong commitment from the majority caucus to ensure that the bill is defeated.

However, speaking exclusively with Gambiana at the National Assembly chambers, he said the MR Njie “shot himself in the toes” for betraying them after coming up with the idea to introduce such a bill in the interest of Gambians.

“He wanted to score a political point when he knew that the International Community are not happy with the law he backed down. He (Seedy Njie) is not ready to inform the public what went wrong. The delay of this bill is caused by him. I want to tell you and I want you to go to the archives of the National Assembly,” Mr Gibba said.

He said that Seedy Njie had earlier announced to table the bill after one of the lawmakers brought the matter before colleagues. 

“He travelled and he called people and said he wanted to table this bill. We have not reached the starting end but we will spill the beans. I am a Muslim and I believe I am representing the people, and I don’t need to lie to gain popularity and I don’t need to taint anybody. But nobody will use the media to caricature innocent people as if you are a nuisance about this.

“When this happened, he said he wanted to lay the bill. He wrote to the clerk of the office and Sulyman Saho and we discussed and he said ‘I cannot bring the bill but you can discuss among yourselves who want to bring the bill to bring it’. It was Sainey Jawara who wanted to but he went out and discouraged all of us from bringing the bill. It was a push-and-pull and tussle in his own office and here in the clerk’s office. But with all the barricades he built, we survived it,” he added.

According to him, 90% of parliamentarians are in support of this bill while hoping that the bill will be passed by members.

Reporting by Adama Makasuba