By Yunus S Saliu
For sake of peace and tranquility to continue in Kartong village, Kombo south, the Chief Executive Officer of the Brikama Area Concil has advised the community of Kartong to restraint from what can debar peace in the community.
Speaking to this reporter in his office Tuesday over a petition submitted by a group of people from Kartong showing disinterest in the Kartong VDC members, Modou Jonga, CEO of BAC admitted the receipt of the petition signed by some numbers of the community.
He informed the two parties, the petitioners and Kartong VDC members that “the Council is looking at the contents of the petition and as part of addressing the subject matter in the petition the council’s VDC Select Committee will engage both parties and submit their report,” accordingly.
He added on that presently a conclusive response on the matter cannot be given “but we are taking the petition with urgency that it deserves. Therefore, we are encouraging both parties to exercise restraint and allow peace to prevail in the community.”
However, a petition written on 13th August, 2020 by the community signed by over two hundred people states that “Brikama Area Council dissolved the Village Development Committee (VDC) of Kartong on November 10th, 2015 following a petition from the community members about its conformity with Local Government Act, 2002.”
And “After years of consultation with members of Kartong community both at home and in the Diaspora, a new VDC were formed in 2018 preceded by Alkalo of the village and Heads of each clan (Kabilo) and validated by the Divisional Community Development Coordinator of the West Coast Region.”
Moreover, the petition further states that “Brikama Area Council wrote a letter, dates 30th of January 2019 to the Alkali endorsing the same dissolved institution.”
In the petition, the group also made a six points demand with believes that “it is necessary to bring clarity to all concerns, but most importantly, to ease mistrust, suspicion, and unnecessary conflict among family members of Kartong Village,” this contain in the petition.
In his reaction to the above petition (but not copy to Kartong VDC member), Musa K Manneh emphasized that the VDC he is leading was instituted on 30 January 2019 and since the establishment of the VDC “we have never received any dissolution letter from any area council.”
He however explained that Prior to 2019, “there was a section in the community who did not recognise the VDC until a letter titled “Council Resolution on Kartong Village Development Committee (VD)’ addressed to the Alkalo of Kartong village by the Brikama Area Council, West Coast Region.”
This letter according to him states clearly that “After numerous engagements by the Council’s Committee responsible of Village and Ward Development Committee (V and WDC) conflict resolution matters with the Alkalo and the two parties in conflict of Village Development Committee (VDC) authority in Kartong, it has proven beyond all reasonable doubts that the Village Development Committee (VDC) established by the village in accordance with section 92 A of the Local Government Act 2002 and led by Mr Musa K. Manneh is the committee duly recognised by Council as the legitimate Village Development Committee (VDC) authority.”
