Lawmaker Rejects Salary Increment

“I feel ashamed to call myself an honourable member. I gave myself for service. 

I did not give myself for poor people to feed me and my family. When I saw this (budget for salary increment), I felt embarrassed. I did not want to come to this budget session because I said to myself there is no need – because we are just sharing the cake in our pocket, going home feeding ourselves.

“Even if I go to the Constitution, it says that; we shouldn’t deliberately enrich ourselves. And increasing our salaries is deliberately enriching ourselves and that is an embarrassment. I think as a National Assembly, we should not accept any salary increment. 

“Not only that, but to see the responsibility allowance, residential allowance, the robbing allowance and all those for the representatives of the people. It is embarrassing, for me to go back to my poor constituency and tell them that the meagre resources of this country – I’m paid that much at your expense. I took an oath to serve and to give back to my society – not to enrich myself.” -Fatoumatta Touma Njie, Member Of Gambian Parliament At Plenary Session

Peoplesmind