By Fatou Sillah
The Governor of the Central River Region (CRR), Ousman Bah, has defended the decision to confiscate the official stamp of the Alkalo of Nyangen Village, citing administrative concerns and the need to maintain political neutrality in local governance.
According to the governor, the action followed reports that the Alkalo had entrusted the village stamp to his son, who is actively involved in partisan politics and serves as an executive member of a political party.
“The Alkalo gave his stamp and entrusted it with his son, and I also got information that his son is an executive member in a political party. I don’t care what kind of political party it is because I don’t even go into that to find out,” Governor Bah stated.
He emphasized that individuals engaged in active politics should not be in possession of instruments of traditional authority, such as a village stamp.
“What I have in my mind is that you cannot be a member of a political party and also have the stamp of the village,” he said.
Governor Bah further argued that if the Alkalo is unable to effectively discharge his duties due to age, health, or any other reason, he should step aside rather than delegate his authority to another individual.
“If he (the Alkalo) is incompetent to run the affairs of the village, let him just resign, and then the villagers will decide and give the village to somebody else. But you cannot entrust the village stamp to somebody who is every day going around politicking; that is something I found to be wrong administratively,” he explained.
He stressed that the decision was taken to uphold fairness and inclusivity within the village, noting that communities are made up of individuals with diverse political affiliations.
“The community has different political parties, so you cannot be a bona fide member of a political party and have the stamp entrusted to you,” he said.
The governor also underscored his responsibility as a regional administrator to ensure neutrality among traditional leaders under his jurisdiction.
“As a regional administrator, all the chiefs and the Alkalos are all under my administration, so I want to ensure that a free and fair administration takes place. If you are an Alkalo, and you are unable by age or health or whatever, you should excuse yourself, but you cannot give your responsibility to someone who is affiliated. You can go and support, but you can’t have the stamp,” he concluded.
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