By Abdoulie John
President Adama Barrow’s Office has issued a statement dispelling some media report that the defeated United Democratic Party candidate for Foni Bintang Karenai Assan Jobarteh was among the five nominated Members of Parliament.
“President Adama Barrow has nominated the following people to serve as National Assembly Members: Ms. Mariam Jack Denton, Mr. Majanko Samusa, Ms. Ndey Yassin Secka–Sallah, Ms. Kumba Jaiteh, and Mr. Momodou Sanneh,” a presidential news dispatch, countering the false report, stated.
The five nominees on Tuesday took oath of office alongside 53 elected deputies in post-Jammeh Parliament. Two of the nominees — Mariam Jack Denton and Alh. Momodou Sanneh — occupied the positions of Speaker and deputy Speaker, respectively.
“Any other information contrary to the above, especially as published in the media on the 11th April 2017 is not from the Office of the President,” President Barrow’s Press and Public Relations Director Amie Bojang-Sissoho wrote.
Since the election of President Barrow in December, the Gambia has been on hitting international news headlines. The country that had just shattered 22 years of brutal dictatorship is moving fast to right the many wrongs of the former regime. The appointment of cabinet ministers and judges have all demonstrated the new government’s readiness to restore confidence and hope among Gambians. Many hauled the I just concluded successful national assembly election as a victory for democracy in a country on the brink of healing the wounds of Jammeh’s tyranny.
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