By Binta Jaiteh
The National Assembly select committee on Regional Government, Lands, Ombudsman, and Independent Electoral Commission summoned the Janjanbureh and Jareng wards councilors over their disrespectful and unruly behavior towards the Parliamentarians.
This summons followed the committee’s recent tour of the council and the ward. However, two councilors that appeared at the National Assembly on Wednesday apologized to the committee.
Alhagie Foon, Councilor of the Janjanbureh Area Council apologized to members of the committee and said he is sorry for anything that may be unpleasant to the committee.
“I am not happy with one thing for the fact that what I said at Janjanbureh was not anything and I talk based on my community but a defamatory statement was made against me but that is not mentioned here and nobody condemned it during that meeting’’ he said
He added: “People say our institution has failed and is incompetent, but we take this issue and move even though some of the parliamentarians do say the same thing about the council.”
Musa Sawaneh, Councilor of Jareng ward also apologized to the committee but he recalled that a statement was made by one of the speakers that after visiting the various councils a report will be written and that giving the report Janjanbureh will not be excluded.
Hon. Omar Jobe member of the committee reminded the councilors about a statement made by them previously that some members visited their institution but no improvement was done, up to the extent of making mention that they failed the national institution.
“What is wrong can never be corrected as a country. Let us see how best we can guide ourselves and use the principles that are guiding our Institutions to have a clean record at the end of the day. All we are yearning for is how to put our political differences aside and yearn for the development of the country and the councils,” he said.
He added: “We don’t joke with councils, this is taxpayers’ money and it must be respected that 60% is going back to the community, we are here to oversee performance and our oversight function is to see how you are managing that 60% given to the people. It is their money. We don’t have any machines where money is cultivated. It was never a witch hunt but to support and do our functions as Parliamentarians.”
