Hon. Demba Sabally, Minister of Agriculture
By Buba Gagigo
The Minister of Agriculture, Hon. Demba Sabally, has strongly criticized councils led by the United Democratic Party (UDP), describing their performance as indicative of what he believes a UDP government would look like—chaotic and unproductive.
“These councils are as bad as a UDP government would have been. So this is a Microcosm of what Gambia can expect if UDP were to be in government. The Gambian people, I make it very clear, what you see in Yankuba, Darboe at West Coast, is exactly what you will see in an Ousainou Darboe government: chaos, confrontation, indiscipline—this is exactly what you will see in the UDP government.
“So thank God. God has given us a film of what a UDP government would look like, and we have all seen it, and that is why the majority of the Gambian people have rejected UDP as a party and Ousainou Darboe as a party leader. And for sure, next election, Yankuba Darboe and Talib will be rejected because the population needs development in a peaceful environment, and they cannot offer either of that,” Sabally stated during an interview with West Coast Radio.
Sabally claimed that the current performance of the Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC) under Mayor Talib Bensouda and the Brikama Area Council (BAC) under Chairman Yankuba Darboe showcases their inability to meet the expectations of the electorate.
“Even the garbage trucks in KMC, in terms of percentage, how much have they improved in terms of trash collection? I am paying a donkey cart. You are paying a donkey cart. The majority of the people are doing so. And there is nothing in terms of digitalization, in terms of recycling, that is just grabbing it, dumping it and burning it, being environmentally criminal. I mean, go to the West Coast; they are dumping next to people’s houses. We all heard those complaints. They’re not even environmentally conscious of what actions they are doing. I think the populations of West Coast and KMC have seriously regretted voting for a UDP-led Council,” Demba Sabally said.
The Minister further described the UDP as a divisive political entity, alleging that it prioritizes politics over governance.
“I’m not mentioning UDP because it’s personal or something. It’s because they are the most vile group of politicians in this country, and even when they gave them the opportunity to prove themselves, to be gentle, to be peaceful, look at Brikama Area Council. Look at how disorganized it is. Yankuba Darboe has turned the West Coast to be. Look at how dysfunctional Yankuba and the Brikama Area Council are. They are so focused on petty politics and petty fights, focus on creating that dissatisfaction in the population, hoping for an uprising that never will be coming, and not focus on the work. Look at the issue of refuse in these municipalities; look at KMC. Just packing up a few flowers around your office,” he said.
Addressing KMC’s road project, Sabally criticized its proposed D300 million budget as unrealistic, citing the high costs of road construction.
“They talked about building roads. Which road have they built up to today? They are busy blaming the NRA. Their budget is unrealistic. They said D300 million; the cost of building a road is about D25 to D30 million per kilometer. So if Talib and his group announced to the KMC that they have a budget of D300 million to build roads in KMC is a fallacy. In reality, that is 10 kilometers, if any. 10 kilometers within KMC, so he knows it is false.
“He is not intending to build any road, but as a politician, it is good to make this announcement and look for a scapegoat, and his scapegoat now seems to be blaming NRA, but in reality, he knows that D300 million can only build, at best, 10 kilometers of road. President Barrow has built over 800 kilometers of road,” he stated.
Sabally concluded by emphasizing that development and environmental responsibility should be the priorities for councils, something he believes the current UDP-led administrations have failed to deliver.
“So I think even before he talks about building those roads, the basic issue of refuse in this municipality of KMC and West Coast is an issue, and it’s worse in Banjul. Go to the market; during The Meeting People Tour we went behind Albert Market; it is a mess,” he said.