UNITE’s Campaign Manager Says NPP Cleanup Exercise Cannot Erase Government’s Record of Failure

By Fatou Sillah

MC Cham Jr., the national campaign manager of the UNITE Party, has criticized a recent cleaning exercise organized by supporters of the governing National People’s Party, saying the initiative cannot erase what he described as years of government failure.

His comments followed an NPP-led cleanup on Aug. 30 in Serekunda and Latrikunda, where youth groups cleared refuse, cleaned gutters, and tidied public spaces. Mr. Cham questioned the timing of the initiative, which comes just months before the presidential election.

“The NPP’s sudden enthusiasm for cleaning exercises would be admirable if it had not arrived at such a politically convenient moment,” Mr. Cham said.

While acknowledging the importance of keeping communities clean, Mr. Cham argued that sanitation requires sustained investment, effective waste-management systems, sound policies, and public education rather than occasional cleanup campaigns.

He also pointed to the cost of living, electricity, and other challenges facing Gambians, arguing that such problems require long-term policies and effective leadership.

Mr. Cham accused the NPP of using the cleanup to improve its political image ahead of the election, saying public service should be consistent throughout a government’s tenure rather than becoming more visible as voters prepare to go to the polls.

Drawing a contrast with the administration of Talib Ahmed Bensouda, the mayor of Kanifing, Mr. Cham said the municipality had sought to establish longer-term waste collection and management systems, including the Mbalit Project and the acquisition of waste collection vehicles.

He said effective leadership should be measured not simply by highly visible activities, but by the ability to identify persistent problems and establish practical and sustainable solutions.

Ultimately, Mr. Cham said, Gambians would judge the governing party on its broader record in office, not merely on initiatives undertaken in the final months before the presidential election.