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The motion was introduced by Information Minister Dr. Ismaila Ceesay on July 8. Parliament then referred the report to the Standing Committee on Public Appointments for a thorough review.
After the review, committee member Mr. Allagie Mbow presented his report. Following Mr. Mbow’s presentation, members debated the proposed remuneration and whether to restrict committee members from working for other agencies.
Honourable MP Mbo stressed that the committee recommended that the Ministry of Finance and the Personnel Management Office (PMO) develop guidelines or a policy document to determine the remuneration of commissioners in ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).
“The committee observed and recommended that the Minister of Information look into Section 46 of the Access to Information Act 2021 – Restrictions on outside employment – which states that the Commissioner shall not hold other employment concurrently and shall not engage in or carry on any trade or profession for financial gain.”
The Committee believes that this section limits potential Commissioners from serving on the Committee and may restrict capable individuals from pursuing outside employment.
Councillor Mbow stressed that commissioners are full-time employees but are not allowed to take on outside employment. Therefore, the base salary needs to be revised to reflect the commissioners’ expertise and responsibilities.
“In addition, performance-based incentives should be implemented to promote transparency and regulatory compliance, and benefits and allowances should be provided to support commissioners in discharging their duties,” he added.
However, Deputy Speaker Seedy Njie expressed concern over the restrictions placed on the commissioners under Section 46 of the ATI. According to him, if Section 46 is amended as suggested by other MPs, the commissioners will face a conflict of interest.
“Commissioners must not engage in paid work and should focus on their duties and work hard to recruit high-quality personnel. It is vital to support the commission to work diligently and abide by the law as this will benefit all stakeholders,” Councillor Njie argued.
He asked the committee chairperson to review Article 46, noting that some members were involved with media outlets.
Councillor Lamin Cessay argued that it was unfair to restrict councillors from working elsewhere.
Members include:
- Nene Macdouall-Gaye – Chairman
- John Charles Nje – Vice Chairman
- Baboucarr Cham – Member
- Bai Emile Touray – Member
- Yami Toure – Member
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