The debate surrounding female circumcision refused to cease despite the bill being committed to an Assembly Committee for consultations.
Moments after the bill survived a second reading, the Deputy Speaker, Seedy SK Njie, emphatically renewed his commitment to kill the bill despite the law being deemed discriminatory and against religious values.
“Folks, what happened today is that we suspended debate on the Women’s Amendment Bill 2024 and referred the bill to committee for further consultation, after which the National Assembly will make a final decision. For us, our position is clear: the FGM law is here to stay and will not be repealed. We are greatly committed to the protection of Gambian women and girls from all forms of violence,” she said in a social media post.
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However, the Foni Kansala NAM and his cohort believed the law would be repealed, and the Deputy Speaker lacked the moral decency to talk about the bill.
“He (Njie) was among the first people to initiate the repealing of this FGM/C but dramatically shift his position for self-aggrandisement. Seedy is inconsistent and hypocritical, and no one should listen to or entertain his conning behaviours,” Gibba said.
He argued that they are not listening to Njie but rather entertaining his concerns because of his inconsistency and unrealistic behaviour.
“Seedy Njie is just Seedy Njie; nothing is new about him. He is not a guest of the Gambians. I do not want to talk about him anymore because we refused to be distracted. All I can say is that he needs a national prayer to see the right path,” he stated.
The highly celebrated NAM, Gibba, lashed at activists, accusing them of bribery to gain support from the masses.
“The activists should be ashamed of themselves after bribing the masses to gain support at the second reading stage of the bill. They went as far as Basse to mobilise people by giving them money to attend the proceeding. That alone tells you the majority are not with them,” he alleged.