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Momodou
Denmark
11525 Posts |
 Posted - 12 Apr 2010 : 21:17:13
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Interior Minister Under Fire
By Ebrima Bah
The Minister of Interior Ousman Sonko has come under fire from supplementary questions to the answers he has already given to the National Assembly in response to questions raised by some opposition members of the National Assembly on Thursday 8th April 2010 at the National Assembly.
The Speaker of the National Assembly, Elizabeth Renner was instrumental in quenching a debate between the opposition parliamentarians and the Minister of Interior on the controversial issue concerning the request of the leading opposition party to hold rallies and the denial by the Inspector General of Police to grant permission.
It all began when the Minority Leader, Momodou L.K. Sanneh, National Assembly Member for Kiang West made reference to the application made by the United Democratic Party (UDP) to the Inspector General of Police requesting for a permit to use public address system in their mass political rallies which were dated on the 24th February 2009, 28th April 2009, 5th May 2009, and 21st May 2009 but were all rejected by the Inspector General of Police without any explanation. Hon. Sanneh demanded to know the legal or constitutional authority which the Inspector General of Police is exercising in rejecting these requests to hold rallies.
Ousman Sonko, Minister of the Interior told the National Assembly that the Police engagement in other duties of threat to national security during these periods were very high. "Therefore the police could not provide sufficient personnel on the ground to ensure peaceful conduct of the meetings," he said. "The office of the Inspector General of Police deemed it fit and proper not to approve the applications as required by the applicant, in the public interest," he said.
But the Minority Leader insisted that UDP rallies were never covered by the Police; and while his party was denied permission to hold rallies, "the ruling party was holding its political rallies throughout the country," he posited.
Pa Jallow, National Assembly Member for Jarra Central, raised the same concern and the Minister referred him to the answer he has given in response to the Minority Leader’s question, got his chance terminated by the Speaker when he decided to argue with the Minister on the statement that "the Inspector General of Police has in some instances made the reason of rejecting their rallies known to the applicant".
Thanks to the intervention of the Speaker, the Minister escaped the tons of questions already raining on him on the said topic. Elizabeth Renner told deputies that their questions will require the Minister "to go and make some research on that", after dismissing a question with an exclamation: "that is not a question. It is a statement". She further overruled the question of "when did the IGP respond to the UDP on this matter?"
Source: Dailynews
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