As part of activities commemorating the Commonwealth Day, members of the National Assembly, last Friday, organised a symposium at the National Assembly lawn in Banjul.

The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 53 independent countries, almost all of which were formerly under British rule. Whatever form their constitution takes, member countries all recognise the queen as head of the organization. The forum gave students from a select group of schools across the country, an opportunity to ask parliamentarians questions pertaining to the day.

Speaking at the ceremony, Fatoumatta Jahumpa-Ceesay, the speaker of the National Assembly, said that the day has been observed here in The Gambia for many years but this was the first time that it was being celebrated at the National Assembly. The idea behind that, she said, was to have students interact with parliamentarians and in the process learn a few things about the Commonwealth and its sister organisations.

Speaker Jahumpa-Ceesay explained that the Commonwealth Day is observed on the second Monday in March and it is marked by a multi-faith service in Westminster Abbey, usually attended by Queen Elizabeth II, head of the Commonwealth, alongside the organization’s secretary general and its high commissioners in London. While it has a certain official status, the Commonwealth Day, according to the speaker, is not a public holiday in most member countries and there is little public awareness about it, thus the reason for organising this symposium.

Honourable Sulayman Joof, NAM for Serrekunda West, presented a paper on the Commonwealth Day, delving deep into the origin and historical background of the day. Honourable Fabakary Tombong Jatta, the majority leader and NAM for Serrekunda East, said on 18th July 1911, a group of parliamentarians from the United Kingdom and five self-governing dominions (Australia, Canada, Newfoundland, New Zealand, and South Africa) of the old British Empire, agreed to form an association, hence the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association was formed. Honourable Jatta spoke at length on the evolution of the organization up to present day.

The event was characterised by a question and answer session. Other speakers including Abdoulie Bojang, deputy speaker of the National Assembly, and Mamadou Jawo, a student from Naini Senior Secondary School, who delivered the vote of thanks.

Speaker receives FAO country rep
At a separate engagement, and a little bit earlier, Speaker Jahumpa-Ceesay, on the same day, received in her office, Dr Babagana Ahmadu, the Food and Agriculture Organization country representative.

Dr Ahmadu’s visit was to extend an invitation from the FAO director general, Dr Jacque Diouf, for the speaker to attend the forthcoming World Summit on food security, scheduled to take place in Rome, Italy, from 14 to16 November 2009. That summit is said to be an inter-parliamentary session on food security for the FAO and other stakeholders, and it is expected to provide room for the effective contribution of parliamentarians, which is so necessary for such an initiative. Speaking at the speaker’s office, Dr Ahmadu expressed his organization’s willingness to work in the area of agriculture.

On the upcoming meeting in Rome, the FAO country boss said that his organization attaches enormous importance to the empowerment of parliamentarians. Speaker Jahumpa-Ceesay, for her part, commended Dr Ahmadu for the visit. She said such activities allow for networking and collaboration with parliamentarians for the development of the nation. She informed the FAO country boss about the Gambian leader’s commitment to food self-sufficiency, describing President Yahya Jammeh as the country’s number ‘‘one farmer.’’ According to her, President Jammeh’s ‘back to the land’ call is a move in the right direction.

This year, she said, the president allocated 7% of the budget to agriculture, and by 2010 the budgetary allocation for agriculture will reach 9%. "The committee on agriculture will be more than willing to work with your organization in creating income generating activities," she said. Speaker Jahumpa-Ceesay further expressed determination to collaborate with FAO towards the achievement of their goals.