With just days to go before Thursday’s local government elections, Mayor Samba Faal has responded to the three independent candidates’ criticism of his performance in meeting the service needs of city dwellers.
The three, Abdoulie Bah, Basirou Ndow and Alhagie Jah, are engaged in separate campaigns aimed at toppling the mayor, whose record they said leaves much to be desired.
In an interview with The Point on the margins of a rally held at the Dobson-Anglesea Junction, Half die ward in Banjul, Mayor Faal was asked why, on account of the sheer number of candidates against him, so many people seem to disagree with him.
His opponents did not necessarily disagree with him, but it was more of a case of ignorance of the role and duties of the mayor on their side, Faal said.
“They do not seem to know the role of a mayor; and they have their own personal agendas. All their rhetoric is based on assumptions, and also they are looking for jobs. All of them are not working, so they want a job. You could understand from their manifestoes that they do not know the role of the councils,” the mayor said.
On how he felt going for another term, Faal said he is proud, as a citizen of Banjul, to be trusted by his party and the majority of Banjulians, who know that he can deliver.
“I have delivered, and can deliver more,” he declared.
Mr Faal further announced that, once re-elected, he would continue in his work to tackle the various projects his council has embarked on, ranging from environment to sports.
“We are involved in all aspects of sports in Banjul, and my office would remain committed to the development and promotion of sports in Banjul,” Mr Faal said.
Samba Faal is up against three independent candidates in Thursday’s elections, most of whom have adopted a silent door-to-door campaign instead of open air rallies.
They all said they have a better programme to run the BCC than Mayor Faal, whom they accuse of not doing much to tackle the daily problems faced by the people of Banjul.
