THE GAMBIA: APPOINTMENT OF NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

C O N F I D E N T I A L BANJUL 000064

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/05/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM GA
SUBJECT: THE GAMBIA: APPOINTMENT OF NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
MEMBERS, SPEAKER

REF: BANJUL 44

Classified By: AMBASSADOR JOSEPH STAFFORD, REASON 1.4 (B and D)

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY APPOINTMENTS AND NOMINATION OF SPEAKER
-------------- --------------


1. (U) Following the ruling APRC party's overwhelming victory
in the January 25 National Assembly elections for 48 of 53
seats (reftel),President Yahya Jammeh has selected members
for the Assembly's five Presidentially-appointed seats. The
five include an incumbent appointed member, Fatoumatta
Jahumpa-Ceesay, along with Tina Faal, Oley Sey, Seedy Njie,
and Seyfo Bala Musa Sanyang. Jammeh also nominated
Jahumpa-Ceesay as Assembly Speaker; the full Assembly, after
being sworn in February 8, is expected to endorse the
nomination and select a Deputy Speaker.


2. (U) Of the five appointees, only Jahumpa-Ceesay is known
to us. A journalist by training, she formerly headed the
Press and Public Affairs Office at the Presidency. She is
known for her activism in the ruling APRC party and is a
hardline supporter of Jammeh. During her previous stint in
the Assembly, she was active on behalf of women's and
children's rights. As for the other appointees, according to
biographic information in the local media, Faal and Sey are
businesswomen, while Njie is a youth activist associated with
the National Patriotic Students Association. Sanyang
previously served as an appointed official at the provincial
level. Apart from Jahumpa-Ceesay, no party affiliation is
mentioned in the media's biographic information for the
appointees, but all can be expected to support ruling party
positions. The appointments of Jahumpa-Ceesay, Faal, and Sey
bring to five the total number of women in the Assembly.

COMMENT
--------------


3. (C) The outgoing Speaker, Belinda Bidwell, was
conspicuously absent among the five appointees. In our
dealings with her, she had projected the image of a reformer
committed to the long-term development of a more professional
and assertive Assembly able to serve more effectively as a
check on executive power. Not affiliated with the APRC, she
had previously expressed to us hope that Jammeh would
re-appoint her to the Assembly. However, the
independent-minded bent that she occasionally displayed may
well have ensured Jammeh's decision against keeping her on in
the Assembly. Jahumpa-Ceesay is not likely to demonstrate
such a bent, and her appointment as Speaker serves to
reinforce Jammeh's and his APRC party's overwhelming control
over the Assembly. END COMMENT
STAFFORD