-Weah describes land fights b/w Sinoe, Rivercess
Greenville, Sinoe County:-President George M. Weah has described as shameful and sad reports of protracted land disputes between the people of Sinoe and Rivercess Counties. Speaking in Juarzon Statutory District, Sinoe County on Saturday President Weah lamented how shameful it is that Liberians are fighting over parcels of land that they don’t even know the real owners.
He said the only people that can fight over land are those who register it at the archives.
“We don’t need to be fighting and killing each other over something that we can solve. The constant trouble in Sinoe is wrong. Look at the children. If we the elders cannot unit ourselves it is sad,” Weah said.
Mr. Weah recounted how during his last county tour in the Southeast, the people of Mayland could not turn him over to the people of Grand Kru because of similar land dispute for which they are still at loggerheads.
“The Last time I left Maryland, am going to Sass Town, the Marylanders could not hand me over to the Sass Town People because of this same land business. Lawmakers from the other side could not cross the boundary. I had to walk through a buffer Zone. How can a President that visiting 15 counties to see what to do to develop the country cannot be turned over to the other county because those lawmakers are making trouble against each other it’s sad and is wrong. It’s very wrong,” he added.
The land dispute between the two counties is reported to have started in 1962 and was reactivated on January 25, 2010 with a letter from Rivercess county former superintendent, Wellington Geevon Smith, now senator, complaining to the central government that Sinoe’s then-superintendent Milton Teahjay, also now Senator was causing commotion when he ordered a police checkpoint in the area to be removed because he concluded that it was a part of Sinoe.
As a result, former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf established an inter-ministerial committee with members from key government institutions. The purpose was to calm the tension that had ensued as a result of Teahjay’s action.
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The committee reported that the act creating Rivercess inferred that the disputed area was within the territorial confines of Rivercess.
Warning Sinoe against trouble
President Weah still speaking in Juarzon warned the people of Sinoe against propagating troubles.
Weah: “The people of Sinoe, you see when you are looking for trouble and you have not seen the trouble, you don’t know how bad the trouble can be. We need to be peaceful and we need to dialogue. We are trying to develop our country, to build our roads and you are still fighting over land. So when we building the road the land you are fighting over should we jump over it?
Sinoe people your wake up. This is an era of peace. The Government of Liberia will not work with anyone that try to bring trouble in this country.
We need to continue the peace. So you see those little issues about land, we need to resolve it so that it may not affect our country.
I listened to my Uncle Zarzar, (he says) the land they put some people behind the river, they put some people on the land, it’s the same place; nobody wants to put you outside of Liberia. So let us resole this land issue the right way.
You see politics, my people, my family, politicians have their own interest. It might not be the general interest of everyone. So those that come to you with the general interest of all of us, your need to listen to them. Some people believe that where they will have 10,000 votes they are taking it from them of course they will raise alarm, but why will they want to sacrifice you for their own benefit-think twice especially you young people. Do not allow anyone to drag you into land dispute problem. You have a future; you need to be at tentative. We should not be fighting about land business.” By Othello B. Garblah
