Honourable Fatoumatta Jahumpa-Ceesay, the speaker of the National Assembly, last Thursday, returned from the Republic of China (Taiwan), after attending the 97th national day celebration of the Asia Pacific nation, on the invitation of the Taiwanese government.

The Speaker was accompanied by Fabakary Tombong Jatta, majority leader, Momodou L.K. Sanneh, minority leader, Tina Faal, nominated member and Momodou A. Sise, acting Clerk of the National Assembly.

According to a press release from the office of the Speaker, during the visit, Speaker Jahumpa-Ceesay and delegation attended a parade and State reception, and visited many places of interest. She also called on the President of the Republic of China (Taiwan), H.E. Ma Ying-Jeou and her Taiwanese counterpart,  honourable Jin-Pyng Wang, speaker of the Yuan, the Taiwanese  national Assembly.

The National Assembly speaker's tour took her to Geneva, Switzerland, where she attended the 119th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, from the 13th-15th October 2008.

The Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly is an annual Parliamentary event which brings together parliamentarians across the globe to discuss pertinent issues.

Among the issues discussed in this year's gathering were advancing Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament, Security and the entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty; the role of Parliaments; Climate Change, Sustainable Development Models and Renewable Energies; and "Freedom of Expression and Right to Information.

Addressing the Assembly on the theme: "Freedom of expression and right to information," the Gambian speaker informed the gathering that the government of the Gambia under the able leadership of President Alhaji Dr. Yahya A.J.J. Jammeh, believes that for the citizens of a country to fully and actively participate in the socio-economic development of their country, they had to be free politically and psychologically. She added that it was against this background that the government of The Gambia developed media friendly policies that witnessed the establishment of many private newspapers and radio stations.

She then cautioned: "right goes with responsibilities ,therefore, in as much as those rights are guaranteed they must not be abused."

In the communication sector, Speaker Jahumpa-Ceesay said strategies for information development cannot be affective and successful without the target users not having access to utilize the service. "It is for this reason that the government of The Gambia has decided to embark on the creation of multi-purpose ICT centers in our local communities to access and provide ICT literacy to the citizenry." she said.

Fight against terrorism
On terrorism, she said that it was not for any one individual state to fight alone, arguing that it was a phenomenon that called for strong interstate collaboration and assistance. Since no one state can fight it alone, she called on countries and agencies to provide resources to vulnerable countries to frustrate terrorism networks. The Gambia, under President Jammeh, Speaker Jahumpa-Ceesay added, stand ready to support any initiative to counter international terrorism and the elimination of weapons of mass destruction.

Middle East crises
On the Middle East, Speaker Jahumpa-Ceesay mentioned that The Gambia, like any other country, is equally concerned. She said that The Gambia supports efforts to bring about a peaceful and lasting solution to the Palestinian crisis, and that Israelis and Palestinians should be encouraged to work in good faith with the Quartet to implement the Road Map endorsed by the Security Council in its Resolution 1515 (2003), so that the vision of the two states living side-by-side in peace and harmony may soon be realized.

During her stay at the Geneva Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly, Speaker Jahumpa-Ceesay also held bilateral talks with counterparts from the Islamic Republic of Iran, Indonesia, Kuwait and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Their discussions were centered on the responsibility to strengthen, consolidate and expand  the already existing bilateral relationship among the respective governments, people and national parliaments.

Other members of her delegation included Honorable Lamin Jadama, Hon, Ousainou Sainey Jaiteh and Momodou A. Cise, acting clerk of the National Assembly.

The delegation returned home last Thursday,16th October ,2008.