By Makutu Manneh
The Minister of Agriculture, Demba Sabally, sharply criticized National Assembly Members (NAMs) aligned with the APRC’s “No-To-Alliance,” branding them ineffective and saying their courage exists only in their home region of Foni.
“In Banjul, where we all meet, they come into our offices like chicks,” Mr. Sabally said during a campaign event for the Bantanjang by-election. “These NAMs cannot deliver development, let alone their councillors.”
Mr. Sabally emphasized that NAMs, whose primary role is lawmaking, lack the authority to implement development projects, which fall under the purview of ministers and the presidency. “We decide what can be done—whether it’s constructing roads, planting gardens, or expanding electricity. It is the ministers and the president who control the budget and the coffers of the government,” he said.
At the campaign rally, Mr. Sabally told villagers that the very officials they expected to bring development often end up visiting government offices themselves to seek support. He questioned why voters would oppose a government that, he said, has delivered roads, electricity, gardens, hospitals, and appointed local leaders to key positions.
“What has your former councillor done for you?” he asked. “He could do nothing—not because he lacked will, but because he lacked power. He is neither in government nor in a recognized party. He was in the No-To-Alliance, which is not a party.”
Warning of continued stagnation under opposition representatives, Mr. Sabally urged voters to back the government-aligned candidate, promising that only this candidate could secure feeder roads, markets, and gardens. “A No-To-Alliance councillor will only sit in the council to receive a salary—they will not bring you development,” he said.
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