The commendation came whilst delivering a speech at the National Assembly on the occasion of the State Opening of the new legislative year 2016.
The State Opening of the legislative year is a constitutional requirement for the President to address the parliamentarians, at least once in the year.
“I wish to reiterate my congratulations to you and through you to all National Assembly members for carrying out your responsibilities to enact the laws that govern this country effectively and to the satisfaction of the citizenry,” Jammeh said.
President Jammeh also commended PAC/PEC for effectively carrying out their prerogative of appropriating the scarce financial resources to operate the executive, judicial and the legislative branches of Government through their sessions that scrutinize expenditure to ensure that it is done in accordance with laid down financial and procurement procedures.
“This institutionalisation of transparency and accountability by the PAC/PEC mechanism has strengthened and improved financial and economic governance in the country,” the President said.
“This has clearly indicated that the relationship between the executive and the legislative branches of Government in the Second Republic does not mirror a fusion of powers as was the practice in the First Republic.”
He said that while governmental powers and responsibilities are too complex and interrelated to be neatly compartmentalised, it was very clear that they have been able to define their responsibilities distinctly without any attempt to usurp each other’s core functions.
“We have also been successful in forging harmony between the executive and the legislative branches of government,” he said.
“We thanked Allah (SWT) for the continued blessings and guidance that have enabled us to respond to the challenges of national socio-economic development within the context of a multi-party system and representative branches of government with complementary responsibilities and with effective use of the principles of discretion and prerogative in the interest of all Gambians.
“This is a contribution of the Second Republic to the history of constitutionalism and governance in The Gambia, and we should all guard and further develop this legacy to ensure that it is not compromised or tarnished.”
