Inhabitants
of the Central River Region North have urged members of the Constitutional
Review Commission (CRC) to ensure that the final draft constitution empowers
area councils to enable them effectively partake in the development of their
communities.
In
a consultation meeting held in Kaur last week, on 4 December, 2019, communities
of the area have urged the CRC members to ensure that the final constitution
empowers the local councils by allocating a subvention for them from the
central government.
Mamat
Mbaye, former chairman of the Kuntaur Area Council who was speaking to The
Point on the sidelines of the consultation said: “The Local Government should
be empowered to enact laws at regional levels. The entire regional laws
shouldn’t be entirely left in the hands of the lawmakers.”
The
Public Enterprise Committee (PEC) of the National Assembly, he explained,
shouldn’t be responsible for holding the councils accountable, arguing that it
should be entirely left in the hands of the Public Accounts Committee of area
councils.
“The
1997 Constitution clearly indicates that 25% of the total budget of the area
councils should be sub-vented by the central government. However, I have been a
chairman of the Kuntaur Area Council for the past ten years but I have never
seen that money coming from central government. Therefore, the new constitution
should empower the councils to get this subvention.”
The
government, he continued, is supposed to provide general grants to councils.
However, the councils have never been receiving such grants, hence there’s need
for the new constitution to regularise the issues.
Musa
Jerreh Touray, resident of Balangarr Kerr Macjar said: “The final draft
constitution should empower the Local Government so that the central government
can support the councils financially in order to enable them participate in the
development of their communities.”
The
revenue that councils are generating, he said, is too small considering the
work that is expected of them. It’s paramount for the central government to
support them financially”, he added.
According
to him, for the government to empower the councils, CRC has to provide laws
that empower the Local Government.
“The
central government is paying chiefs through the area councils but the staffs of
chiefs are not paid salaries because the councils lack the financial strength
to pay the people working under the chiefs.”
“The
new constitution should empower the councils to work independently without the
interference of the executive. The councils’ political leadership should
entirely control their LGA, so that revenue generated by councils should be ploughed
back to the communities as development projects,” Yahya Sama added.
Maimuna
Barry, a lady councilor of Niani District, said there should be provisions in
the final draft that empower lady councilors, saying that councils are unfair
to the women leaders as they are being neglected. She added that lady
councilors should also be paid monthly salaries.
