Lands and Local Government Minister Hamat Bah stirred controversy in the National Assembly after calling opposition members “big mouths” for criticizing the government’s Operation Clear The Roads initiative.
The remark came in response to a statement by Serekunda lawmaker Musa Cham, who accused area and municipal councils of undermining the operation by collecting fees that encourage vendors to stay on the streets.
Defending the government’s efforts, Bah stated: “When the government embarked on clearing the roads, there were opposition big mouths abusing and insulting, saying that we were destroying people’s livelihoods.”
His comments sparked an immediate backlash, with lawmakers including Yaya Sanyang of Latrikunda, Sulayman Saho of Central Baddibu, and Omar Jammeh of Janjangbureh demanding that he withdraw the statement and apologize.
Presiding Deputy Speaker Seedy Njie intervened, asking Bah to clarify his remarks. Bah insisted that he was referring to opposition figures outside the Assembly, which only fueled the outrage. Njie cautioned against the use of “unparliamentary language” but did not require Bah to retract his statement.
Several lawmakers continued to protest, arguing that Bah’s remarks were offensive to opposition members within the Assembly. Sanyang passionately challenged the ruling, arguing that the minister’s words were an insult to opposition members and their supporters.
Despite the ongoing dispute, Deputy Speaker Njie dismissed further debate with a closing remark: “Now there is a tie. The match is over. It is one-one.”
