By Tabora Bojang
Vice President Muhammad BS Jallow has defended the Office of the President’s decision to take over the management of McCarthy Square, which has historically been under the Banjul City Council, saying the Square belongs to the government and has not been properly managed by the Council over the years.
The take over received widespread criticism with Mayor Rohey Lowe calling it a ‘siege’ against the capital.
Lawmakers from Banjul North and Central Modou Lamin Bah and Abdoulie Nja respectively also criticised the takeover during the National Assembly’s adjournment debate on Thursday and called on State House to rescind the decision.
In response Vice President Jallow said: “I know there have been lots of discussions but government has a responsibility to make sure that McCarty Square is properly managed. The reality is that it is not properly managed and it is a government property and does not belong to Banjul City Council (BCC).”
He added: “I have raised this issue with the mayor, when I was Secretary General, for us to work together to make sure the Square is managed properly because we have put a lot of resources in there. I know that there are a lot of claims and I don’t want to go too far but that is the reality.”
VP Jallow however stated that government is “open to arrangement” with regards to the management of the Square.
He added that despite “lots of claims” the only sport that used to be played at the Square and continues to be played there is cricket.
“Football is just informal and those of us who grew up in Banjul realised that towards the State House end is where we used to have the scoreboard for the cricket but again we are open to whatever best arrangement as far as management of the Square is concerned,” VP Jallow concluded.
