By: Ousman Saidykhan
The National Assembly Member (NAM) for Latrikunda Sabiji has called on the Alkalolu to demand their appointment letters from the government which he said they could use to lean on and sue the government if it fails to act according to the dictates of that document.
Honourable Yahya Sanyang was reacting to the claims of Alkalolu who told this medium they have not been paid – some of them for a month and others for two months. They said they have not been told what causes the delay.
“I urged the Alkalolu to demand appointment letters which include this salary commitment by the government, so that failure to pay, they can use that legal leg to drag government to court for failure to abide by the contract consideration.”
The payment of Alkalolu was one of the campaign promises of the president of the Gambia, H.E Barrow in his November campaign ahead of the 2021 presidential election. The payment has begun in January 2022.
The National Assembly Member, who described the salary promise as a “trap” to obtain the loyalty of the village heads, said he was not surprised that Alkalolu would not be paid at some point adding that they were not even catered for in the Appropriation Bill.
“I saw this coming because this government is never serious about reforms and helping to improve the livelihood of Gambians. The whole scheme was political propaganda orchestrated by the political mafias around Barrow on how to win the minds and hearts of the Alkalolu.”
“Under normal circumstances, during our appropriation approval, the Minster should bring it as part of legitimate government expenses. They just fooled the Alkalolu as they have fooled the residents that are benefiting from the locally funded road projects, the Latrikunda Sabiji NAM told this medium.
Honourable Sanyang said payment of Alkalolu is only sustainable if there is a right government in place with “prudent fiscal reforms and economic wisdom.”
