By Binta Jaiteh
Landing B Sanneh, President of the Association of Local Government Authorities and chairperson of Mansakonko Area Council revealed that as a cohort they have worked diligently together to change the face of Local Governance and Decentralization in this country.
Speaking at the swearing-in ceremony of Mayor Ahmed Talib Bensouda last week, he said the changing of the face of local governance and decentralization in the country is not a secret to anyone.
So, “as we are set for another four years, it is my belief with the energy we have and the cooperation of our people we are going to bring more developments for our people,” he assured the people.
According to him, he said people have seen history unfolding hence five years ago they realized that they have gone into elections with the pretext that they are going to build a new Gambia. “This followed a very historic election that brought in the Third Republic which ushered in and replaced a hostile dictatorship. As a matter of that, we had a cohort of young determined elected mayors, chairpersons, and councilors across the country. After five years we are here again to renew the leadership that we had in our municipalities and our area councils. It is my responsibility as the President of GALGA to give testimony of what had transpired in the past because it will help us to see or forecast what will happen as we go in the years ahead,” the GALGA chairman address the gathering.
He said, just before the elections, they had a case at the Supreme Court in which the final decision turned in favor of Local Government Authorities to abolish and dismiss the issue of interim management for LGAs.
Describing it to be a very significant achievement for LG in 2018 the Gambia had what we called a National Development Plan and in that plan key among the issues that were supposed to be priorities were effective local governance and decentralization.
The local governance reforms, he attested, never took effect the issues responsible for that, he said will be another story “but I am sure our efforts were recognized by everybody.”
He lamented that they owe a lot to their people while urging his fellow councilors and the Mayor not to be distracted, but to look up to their people and deliver to them.