GBARNGA, Bong – Bong’s Sen. Prince K. Moye has been accused of undermining efforts by local authorities to remove marketers from the demolished Gbarnga Central Market and relocate to the Sirleaf Marlet, a newly dedicated modern structure.
The Sirleaf Market, funded by the Government of Japan, was officially dedicated on June 19. However, the official opening and use by traders was delayed following an appeal from Vice President Jeremiah Koung that the takeover be postponed due to technical issues.
Local authorities announced that the official opening date would now be in August.
Meanwhile, the authorities, including the Liberia Marketing Association, County Superintendent Hawa Norris, and Gbarnga’s Mayor Gallah Varpilah, in an effort to get traders to move into the modern structure, authorized the demolition of the Gbarnga Central Market on July 28. The older market was mostly comprised of makeshift structures.
Following the demolition of the old market structure, traders took to the streets the following day to protest. They refused to relocate to the newly dedicated Sirleaf Market. Among their complaints was that the new market lacked sufficient space to accommodate all traders from the old market. Additionally, there were no available spots to build their own structures.
Addressing the protesters, Senator Moye ordered their return to the old market and provided 100 metal roofing sheets, ten cartons of zinc nails, and L$300,000 (US$1,541.6) in cash to help them rebuild their structures. This was in apparent defiance of the local authorities’ decision.
“Until the city mayor and marketing association can tell us what they want to build here and for all of us to agree as county officials that we want to build a structure on this spot, the marketers will continue to use this place until December of this year,” Moye said.
“I’m told that the mayor wants to remove people from the Sunday Market area in Bassa Community, Gbarnga. Why are they doing that?”
He said Gbarnga was too big to have a single market, indicating the need for more than one market ground. He promised not to sit idly and allow those in the opposition to score political goals on him in his own administration.
Moye’s move is not the only incident in which Bong lawmakers openly encouraged citizens to violate instructions given by local government leaders.
Recently, Bong’s third district representative, J. Marvin Cole of the opposition Congress for Democratic, also told a group of market women not to yield to the request of the local leadership to leave the Gbarnga Central Market, promising to provide them the necessary support to keep them there. Rep. Cole didn’t, however, give any detailed explanation of the exact support he would provide.
Amid the conflicting messages from leaders in the county, many traders are now confused about how to proceed – whether to stay at the old Gbarnga Central Market or move to the new location in the Sirleaf Market.
All this is happening when the superintendent of the Liberia Marketing Association in Bong, Tumu Allen, remains suspended over corruption allegations.
Featured photo by Sampson David
