This is also a period when party leaders have face-to-face interaction with electorates across the country.
As the race for December 4th presidential polls intensifies, it is a similar scenario in communities. At the moment, the political landscape is inundated with promises from one camp to another. Will these campaign promises indeed materialise? This is a question that needs answers.
It is in the news that President Barrow who embarked on his nationwide tour on Tuesday, to garner more votes ahead of December 4th election, has been speaking about his ambition to put all Alkalolu in the country on salary if he is re-elected.
Barrow, who made this disclosure at a mass political rally in Fass Omar Saho, further affirmed that the parliament and his government have already signed it and it has been budgeted to start by January 2022.
Certainly, this announcement is unprecedented and would significantly resonate well among many. It will also give Barrow another advantage to boost and cement his road to re-election.
However, what is fundamental in any elections is that campaign promises and their fulfillment are central to any functional models of electoral accountability.
Communities these coming weeks will be inundated with different parties and their supporters, who would lure voters why their camp matters most in this election.
From town halls to ‘bantabas’, the atmosphere would be filled with a number of promises amid fan-fare.
Notwithstanding, the role of Alkalolu is indispensable in the development of any country. To this end, allocating monthly salaries is a move in the right direction.
Again, these local leaders play a pivotal role in influencing the minds and hearts of their communities.
But is this claim statement or promise that is politically motivated and designed to boost his rating in the elections? Well, time will tell!
For far too long, our local dwellers in some areas are made to believe that their lives matter most to politicians and those vying for top jobs, when in the actual sense this is not the case. When elections are over, these people are neglected, abandoned and are left to face the hard realities of life.
And it is only those who take part in the electoral process who can have a say as to how our country is governed.
Therefore, every vote is crucial in an election. And let’s all vote wisely, as our vote is our power.
“Democracy is not something that happens, you know, just at election time, and it’s not something that happens just with one event. It’s an ongoing building process. But it also ought to be a part of our culture, a part of our lives.”
Jim Hightower