The office of the Governor of the Municipal Borough of New Kru Town last weekend witnessed two separate protests involving two rival motorcycle unions operating within the borough in Electoral District #16, Montserrado County.
The protests came in the wake of information received by one of the leadership of the rival unions known as the Borough Motorcycles and Tricycle Union that Governor Moses Weah had allegedly received the sum of US$1, 000.00 from the Federation of Motorcycles Union so as to give the latter legitimacy.
The contention is a quest by each of these rival groups to have control over several other parking lots in addition to the ones already under their controls.
Breaking news about the alleged double – standard game being played by Governor Weah’s office, the president of the Borough Motorcycles and Tricycle Union Joseph Richards told a press conference that prior to their protest, their colleagues from the Federation of Motorcycles Union protested over news that the governor’s office had given right over the remaining five parking lots within the district to his (Richard’s) group.
Richards narrates that three years ago, his union entered into an agreement with Governor Weah’s office to control New Kru Town, Point Four, Caldwell, Kanga Building and Kuwait parking lots, but he has learned that the governor has allegedly received money, contrary to the agreement between both parties.
According to Richards, they also learned that Governor Weah was promised the sum of LRD20,000.00 by the Federation of Motorcycles Union every month if they were given full legitimacy over all parking lots within the district.
The BMTU president was flanked by some of his officials namely Secretary General, Dixon Wleh, Chairman of BMTU Board, Alpha Sow, among others, disclosed that this prompted his group’s protest.
He says in keeping with the MOU entered with Governor Weah’s office, the BMTU is to remit to the borough the amount of USD240.00 as rental and LRDLRD20, 000.00 as social contribution to the borough, totaling 240.000.00 Liberian dollars per year.
He adds that he decided to stage the protest to remind the local authority about the agreement reached with the BMTU. Dozens of motorcyclists blocked the free flow of traffic earlier last week in front of Governor Weah’s office, demanding redress to the information.
Richards maintains that as a result of the protest, a quick meeting was arranged by the chairman of the six nominating communities within the borough Mr. Johnson Teah, the leadership of the opposing motorcycle groups, the Chief of Traffic of the Liberia National Police (LNP) as well as representatives of Governor Weah to resolve the dispute.
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He claims that at the end of that meeting, the Borough Motorcycles and Tricycle Union was granted legitimacy to control all parking lots to include New Kru Town, Point Four, Caldwell Junction, Kanga Building, Duala, and Kuwait, respectively as the mother union.
When the office of Governor Weah was contacted via mobile phone concerning the allegation made against him by the Borough Motorcycles and Tricycles Union, he told reporters that he was in Monrovia on official business and did not give any details.
Meanwhile a closed associate to his office who was part of the resolution meeting denied that Governor Weah had received money from the Federation of Motorcycles Union as being insinuated by the BMTU.
The associate who did not want to be named, also discloses that the office of Governor Weah and the leadership of the Borough Motorcycles and Tricycles Union are working together cooperatively in the development of the motorcycles business in the district.
By Emmanuel Mondaye–Edited by Winston W. Parley
