Appointment of 5 ATI commissioners Confirmed

Lawmakers yesterday confirmed and approved the appointment of five commissioners for the Access To Information (ATI) along with a proposed package remuneration. The motion was presented by Dr. Ismaila Ceesay, the minister of Information, on July 8th. The Assembly then referred the report to the Standing Committee on Public Appointments for thorough scrutiny. The report, after the scrutiny, was presented by Hon. Allagie Mbow – a committee member. Following Hon. Mbow’s presentation, the members debated on the proposed remuneration whether to restrict the commissioners from working for other institutions or not. Hon. Mbow highlighted that the committee recommends that the Ministry of Finance and the Personnel Management Office (PMO) come up with a guide or policy document for determining the remuneration of Commissioners across all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDA). “The Committee observes and recommends that the Minister for Information looks into Section 46 of the Access to Information Act 2021 - limitation on outside work – which states that a commissioner shall not hold any other job, occupy or engage in any trade or profession for financial gain.” The committee believes this section limits potential commissioners from serving on the Commission and could restrict competent people from outside work. Hon. Mbow emphasised that the commissioners are full-time employees with restrictions on engaging in outside work. Therefore, there is a need for a revised base salary adjustment to reflect the commissioners' expertise and responsibilities. “Additionally, performance-based incentives should be implemented to promote transparency and regulatory compliance, and benefits and allowances should be provided to support the commissioners in carrying out their duties,” he added. However, Deputy Speaker Seedy Njie raised concern over the issue of Section 46 of the ATI, limiting the commissioners. According to him, these commissioners, if Section 46 is amended as implied by other members, it would encourage a conflict of interest. “The commissioners are prohibited from paid work and should focus on their duties, striving to recruit highly qualified individuals. It is crucial to support the Commission in performing diligently and following the law, as this will benefit all stakeholders,” Hon. Njie argued. He requested the committee chair to review Section 46, pointing out that some commissioners are involved with media houses. Hon. Lamin Cessay argued that it would not be fair to limit the commissioners from working elsewhere. The commissioners are: Nene Macdouall-Gaye - Chairperson John Charles Nje - Vice Chairperson Baboucarr Cham - Member Bai Emile Touray - Member Ya Amie Touray – Member