Suffice to say, the premier UDP petition to Supreme Court and CSOs’ petition is an act of constitutional contempt and distraction of local government commission of inquiry.
The twin local government Acts were points of entry into peoples’ empowerment and promotion of democratic principles of internal self local governance. Among the authors, sooner or later, I shall endeavour to pass private members bill to the National Assembly for concerned oversight ammendments.
1. International title for area council leader is Mayor and not chairperson.
2. Area administrators / commissioners to be amended to Governors who shall be appointed by the President.
3. BCC and KMC are of no exception. The current appointment of executive coordinators is a temporary conferred title to balance equal peoples power vacuum by the Act 2002. Except when amended shall be entitled governors and not executive coordinators. Z
It is questionable whether the CSOs is a registered political party as a combined law firm or a mouth piece robot for UDP. If so, your international sponsors shall be cautioned with warning henceforth, opposed to the purposes of being established in the Gambia. It is ideal to know the laws of the Gambia before committing challenges against the law, otherwise ignorance of the law is no excuse.
It is long over due since the passage of Local government Act 2002, for the implimentation of appointments of Area Administrators, chiefs and alkalolu in Banjul City and Kanifing Municipality respectively. Thus, the existing segregation of Banjul and KM from proportionate regional power sharing in both traditional and cultural democratic values, became resolved upon the recent appointments of executive coordinators. Therefore, the president is empowered by the LG Bills 2002/2004 to create such public offices as deemed necessary for local governance reform and effective decentralisation process.
Area Administrator
S123.1 There shall be an Area Administrator for each local Government Area, who shall be a senior civil servant appointed by the President.
Except in the city of Banjul and Kanifing Municipality the area administrator of those divisions shall be referred to as the Commissioner.
S124. The Area Administrator or Commissioner shall:
A. Sensitise the populace on Central Government policies and programmes, and in so doing shall liaise with the Chairperson;
B. Draw the attention of the author of the Auditor General to the need for special investigation audits of Local Government Area;
C. Draw the attention of the ombudsman to a need to investigate any cases of mismanagement, maladministration or abuse of office;
D. Draw the attention of the responsible Department of state to the divergence from or non-compliance with Central Government policy by any Council within his area of jurisdiction; and
E. In collaboration with the Chairman of a Council address the Council, from time to time on any matter of national importance.
S132. Establishment and composition of District Authority
There shall be a District Authority for each District which shall be constituted by Seyfo of the District as a Chairperson and all the Alkalolu within the District.
S133. Appointment of Seyfo
The President shall appoint a District Seyfo in consultation with the Secretary of state responsible for local Government.
S141. The Alkalolu
There shall be for each village an Alkalo who shall be the headperson for the village.
S142. Appointment of a Alkalo
The Secretary of State responsible for Local Government shall appoint an Alkalo in consultation with the Divisional Commissioner and District Seyfo.
The Secretary of State shall, in making an appointment under subsection 1 take into account traditional lines of inheritance.
