This is drastic. I am glad though that President Jammeh considers the MDGs
seriously and recognises there are weak links. However, to assign management of
councils to his office seems to place a heavy burden on him. He may become
overwhelmed with responsibility to the point that a weak council yields value
than a council under the President's purview. I think he should consider the
honour carefully. Don't set yourself up for wholesale failure. It is not
healthy.
Haruna.
In a message dated 11/1/2007 8:23:20 A.M. Mountain Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:
As they say in Mandinka- now that the President has in his custody of
both the knife and the meat, he can indulge in whichever part he choses!
Lets wish him bon apetit!
Courtesy of the Daily Observer.
President given executive power over Councils
Africa <http://www.observer.gm/africa/news> » Gambia
<http://www.observer.gm/africa/gambia/news>
Thursday, November 01, 2007
It has finally been considered and approved for the President of the
Republic of The Gambia to take over the affairs of all Area Councils and
Municipalities, with effect from November 1, 2007.
This was considered and approved by NAMs yesterday, at an Extra-ordinary
session of the National Assembly in the 2007 Legislative Year.
Presenting the motion for approval, Ismaila Sambou, Secretary of State
for Local Government, Lands and Religious Affairs, said Section 152 of
the Local Government Act 2002, provides that the President may with the
approval of a simple majority of the votes of all members of the
National Assembly, assume the executive powers of any Local Government
Area, in circumstance where the Council so request and it is in the
public interest to do so and where it has become extremely difficult or
impossible for a Council to function.
According to SoS Sambou, there has been constant power conflict between
the Office of the Regional Governors and the office of the Chairman of
Area Councils, the latter claiming being elected by universal adult
suffrage of all eligible voters in the Local Government Area, thus
creating functional difficulties.
"This power struggle in many instances do not yield positive impact. As
a result, this constitutional provision has recently been amended to
pave the way for the amendment of Section 13(1) of the Local Government
Act 2002, among other things. For a good transition and to achieve the
desired results, therefore, it will be desirable for the President to
take over the administration of Local Government Councils for them to be
well-prepared for the forthcoming Council Elections," he said.
He added that there has been a series of complaints from the general
public and other stakeholders in Local Government Administration about
the poor performance of the Local Area Councils, which in some cases led
to public outcry and great confusion. It is for such reasons, according
to him, that, the Department of State for Local Government and Lands
had to come up with a press release in 2006 to reduce rates across the
country. "Also, because of the unsatisfactory method of car park fees
collection by Councils, the Department of State in collaboration with
the Department of State for Finance and Economic Affairs and the
Interior had to shift the collection of car park fees from Councils to
The Gambia Police Force," he noted.
SoS Sambou then noted that, these and many other cases are result of
both financial and administrative malfunctions, leading to
unsatisfactory performances by all Councils. He added that to arrest
this undesirable situation and considering that Local Government
Elections are scheduled for January 2008, the need to better prepare new
Councils to take up their financial and administrative responsibilities
as expected by the citizens they are supposed to serve, cannot be
over-emphasised.
He then observed that in the light of the above and under the present
circumstances, it is only proper for the President to invoke Section
152(1)(b) of the Local Government Act 2002 to remedy the current
situation and prepare good grounds for a more vibrant and
result-oriented Local Government Councils in The Gambia to achieve the
aspirations of the MDGs and our Decentralisation and Good Governance
Strategies.
Supporting the motion, Hon.Netty Baldeh, NAM for Tumana, said the motion
is timely for the fact that the Local Government elections are just in
the pipeline. He said this will help to create a level playing ground
field for all participants and also indicates government's commitment to
ensure a fair play in the election process.
He urged the NAMs to ratify the motion so that the President of the
Republic of The Gambia can take actions to remedy the current poor
situations of Councils and Municipalities.
Hon. Sellu Bah, NAM for Basse, also supported the motion for the
President to take over the affairs of the Councils and Municipalities.
He urged for the proper scrutiny of the administrative actions of the
Councils and Municipalities.
Hon. Sedia Jatta, NAM for Wuli West urged the authorities to create an
interim management structures to run Councils until the election are over.
by Alhagie Jobe
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