By Haddy Touray
Diaspora members of the Sanyang Development Fund (SDF) have dismissed the recent Annual General Meeting (AGM) convened by the Sanyang Village Development Committee (SVDC) as a “futile exercise,” accusing the committee of lacking transparency and violating community trust.
The sharp criticism comes in response to comments made by SVDC Chairman Abdoulie Botto Gaye, who over the weekend alleged that the SDF was attempting to “remote control” the VDC and had been working to tarnish his leadership through a smear campaign.
But Ebrima Touray Kinteh, Vice President of the SDF, pushed back strongly. “To suggest that the SDF wants to remote control the VDC is completely false. Our only problem with them is their refusal to be transparent and accountable in managing the community’s resources,” he said.
Kinteh accused the VDC of disregarding provisions of the Local Government Act, violating the village’s constitution, and failing to serve the people of Sanyang. “They have mismanaged community resources, and their conduct clearly shows they are no longer fit to serve,” he added.
The SDF also criticised the VDC for failing to present a properly audited financial report during the AGM, claiming there were no supporting bank statements, receipts, or an independent auditor’s sign-off on the financial and activity reports.
“The AGM was a sham,” said Saikou Camara, SDF Diaspora Chairman and Legal Compliance Officer of the Sanyang UK Association (SUKA). “What they read was not an audited report. The absence of documentation confirms the issues we raised in our petition.”
Camara further accused the SVDC of conducting community affairs behind closed doors, including revenue from sand mining, the lease of community land to Negmar for 25 years at D3 million, and deals with GACH Mining and Nessem Fishmeal.
“The Local Government Act requires consultation with villagers on all major projects, yet these deals were done in secrecy,” Camara said.
He confirmed that both the SDF and SUKA had submitted a petition and follow-up letter to the Brikama Area Council regarding the VDC’s conduct. He warned that failure to act on these complaints would compel the groups to explore alternative avenues to address the “deepening governance crisis” in Sanyang.