By: Nyima Sillah
Following the countdown to the Local Government Elections, H.E President Adama Barrow in an interview with Malick Jones on Star TV said they want the Gambia to go gray.
“We will do a big politicking for us to win all the seats. I need all the councils because it will make my work easy but if you have a Mayor that is on left and you are on the right it will not help that is why we need all the seats so that all those working there will work with the central government and listen to them. We don’t want people to politicalize the system,” he added.
HE Barrow pointed out that the first priority of a Mayor should be cleaning which they are not doing, noting that if he is a member of NPP he (president) can invite the mayor to his office and address the matter with him or her but if he is from another party, he would not able to do so.
However, He stressed that 94% of all the offices built in the councils were funded by his government but during the inauguration his government was not given a priority instead they received invitation lately when they supposed to be the organizers and plan everything together.
“KMC is charging people for ballet they brought trucks and charge people D10 or D20 per bag. What is the benefit of the taxes they are paying? Since the inception of the Gambia, I have not seen where people are paying for their garbage to be collected. The entire Gambia is only KMC it has never happened anywhere.
“Do you think if it is an NPP mayor, he will do it? We will call his or her attention and say not to it even if you will work with the government to give you subvention, but we will not allow that. That is why we need all the seats so that all the chairmen and mayors collaborate and work together and maintain peace.”
Barrow reveled that when Covid-19 came they (KMC) contacted the government and they paid them 6 month salaries which is never disclose, adding he needs all the regions and he is sure that his part has the right candidates for the regions.
Meanwhile, he added that the government is aware of price hike ahead Ramadan and they are putting measures in place to regulate it that is why they brought cooking oil earlier and it is currently at a price that they (dealers) cannot increase it.
“We have a good contract on that side and we will continue. At the moment there are few businessmen that the government is working with to bring rice and sugar so that the price will not high. We are also discussing with an Indian government regarding some of the tax they impose on importation of rice in the Gambia to wave it.”
He explained that the demand is always high when feast are approaching and when that happens vendors increase the price to have more profit. “We are pleading to the vendors that Gambia is our country and let them have sympathy for the buyers.”