bedell speaks & works!
CELL: +231.692.0151
(October 21, 2010)
The Cavalla River swells to
overflow. Transportation across the River is becoming more and more impossible.
Rice, which is the staple food of Liberia and can only be transported to
Maryland from the Ivory Coast, is becoming scarce in the County. As such, the
population is getting nervous and nervous each day!
The Road from Monrovia, the
capital of Liberia, to Maryland is extremely bad. Almost all sea vessels
travelling to Maryland are sitting in the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean due to
the many shipwrecks. No one is brave enough anymore to take a sea vessel to
Maryland. The many shipwrecks that brought many deaths and destruction of poor
people’s investment and personal belonging still haunts the people.
The United Nations Mission in
Liberia (UNMIL) controls the Air Space. UNMIL does not allow any Liberian citizen
to travel to and from Maryland on any of its aircrafts without its permission. And
if it does, one has to sign a Waiver on his or her life. Currently there’s no
commercial airline in the area. In the event there’s one, the fare is extremely
expensive for the poor to bear. Thus, nothing in terms of goods and services leaves
and come to Maryland currently. The county is practically cutoff from the
Republic of Liberia. Others think this means independence Maryland as it was
until 1857!
There’s the Road problem. The
Road to and from Monrovia to Maryland is completely cutoff. The current problem
we face with the Road is now in Tapita (Nimba County) where it is completely
cutoff. Between RiverGee and Maryland, the Road has become more difficult, if
not impossible, to ply. As a result, goods cannot come to Maryland from
Monrovia and parts adjacent. Shops as a result in the County, are empty. No
milk, sugar, salt and basic goods and services. The Road from Pleebo (the
commercial capital of Maryland) to Harper is a twenty-five minute driving time
for motor car. That is ONLY when the Road is in good shape. In good time when
the Road is good, it takes the motor bike ten minutes. Currently the condition
of the Road from Harper to Pleebo can fairly be described as disastrous. Motor
car now takes up to three hours and motor bikes up to two hours travel time. As
a result, only NGO vehicles ply the Road. Why? Because they are 4wheel power
trucks. And they are made for such conditions.
Sand mining is adding more
insult to the injury. It has opened up the sand bridge between Lake Shepherd
and the Atlantic Ocean. Notice, Lake Shepherd is the second largest lake in
Liberia. Currently, the Ocean is flowing into the Lake overwhelmingly to
overflow. Houses along the banks of the Lake are seriously in trouble. If the
Local government does nothing about the sandmining in the area, Harper City may
experience a Tsunami soon. If you know what I mean!
We have the Asbestos problem
too. Churches and houses with Asbestos are becoming a fatal problem. Each time
a storm hits, it breaks Asbestos from those structures. And each time that
happens, Asbestos is disturbed. When the Asbestos is disturbed, it airbornes.
According to research, when one inhales airborne Asbestos, chances are he or
she will develop lung cancer and/or Asbestosis. Within 30 years that person
will surely die. If this is true, the fact remains that within 30 years, many
of us, including staff of International NGOs and The United Nations Mission in
Liberia (UNMIL) and little innocent children, men and women will surely die
within 30 years. It might be alright for those who are already 50 years old.
Because if you add 30 to 50, you have 80 years person. And that person will
have enjoyed his or her life already. As for the kids who fall in the ranges of
1 to 18 years old, that’s bad news. By the time they reach the point to enjoy
life, they’ll be on the way to the grave yard. So, it is very necessary we
launch a campaign to save our young.
As for politics of leadership,
it is very bad. And that’s my opinion! Local and legislative leadership is
extremely weak and backwards. Maryland County is 30 years backward in terms of
infrastructure and human resource development. Harper City is closed to being a
village. If the streets were not built with concrete by our forerunners, every
street in the City would become a footpath. The example is visible on Marsh,
Thompson and McGill streets. In fact, the concrete streets are splitting as if
an earthquake has gone through the area. Printing Street is worse off. Maryland
Avenue, right in the heart of the City, around Roxy Cinema, is a total mess. If
repairs are not done, ten years from now, there will be no concrete streets in
Harper City. The City shall return back into the Stone Age. This is no joke!
Pleebo, the Commercial Capital
of Maryland, is worse off. Pleebo is the industrial heart of Maryland. All the
giant corporations that come to Maryland are stationed in Pleebo.
Unfortunately, none of them contribute to the development of the City and its
inhabitants. In Rainy season, Pleebo is a total mess. Mud overcomes everything
else. One cannot travel to Pleebo and expects to remain clean of mud. In the
Dry Season, the situation remains the same. Dust fills every part of Pleebo.
One cannot expect to go to Pleebo in clean clothing and expect to return
looking the same. Dust covers every aspect of life in Pleebo. All the nostrils
you see are clogged with dust. This is a health hazard! It is a
no-win-situation!
The Cavalla Rubber Corporation
(CRC) has been in operation without signing a Concession Agreement. It has
promised to do so once the Government allows it to operate. When it was allowed
to operate on its promise to sign a Concession Agreement later on, today
there’s no sign for the Agreement. And this has been four years since it
promised the people of Pleebo. As a result, Pleebo in particular and Maryland
in general, receives no benefit at all. To add insult to the injury, SIFCA,
which is the mother Company for CRC is bringing in another arm of its interest
in the name of Maryland Oil Palm Plantation (MOPP) to replace Decoris. This
company too, promises to sign a Concession Agreement in due course if the
Government allows it to begin operation. Out of the experience of CRC, the
people of Pleebo are jittery about this promise. Therefore they are refusing to
allow MOPP to operate without signing a Concession Agreement.
Malcolm X once observed, “A man who stands for nothing
will fall for anything.”
This situation in Pleebo
regarding another company promising to operate before signing a Concession
Agreement has caused many students, youths and senior citizens of the area to
go to jail. Currently, the Maryland Legislative Caucus is split on the issue.
Sens. John Akel Ballout and Gloria Musu Scott are rooting for MOPP to begin
operation before it can sign any Concession Agreement. Dr. Bhofal Chambers
disagrees. He is the sole elected representative of the Pleebo/Sodokeh district
where this Company is expected to operate. Hands in gloves with the people of
Pleebo/Sodokeh district, Dr. Chambers is giving his skin to defend his
Constituents. The rivalry continues!
Politics in Maryland is
becoming a get-rich-and-polarize-the-county game. Sens. Ballout and Scott have
their hands locked in the problems in the County. Recently, the Circuit Court
confirms that these two individuals lie on Cll Fulton Yancy. Sen. Ballout
falsely informed the entire world that Cllr. Yancy had human blood stored in
his home. After series of forensic examination outside Liberia, it has been
established that the blood is chicken blood. Not human blood!
Previously, the Magisterial Court
threw out charge of murder against Amb. H. Dan Morais. Ten others were released
for lack of evidence. Look all through the bogus cases, Ballout and Scott’s
finger prints are written all over them.
The armed hostilities between
Rocktown and Wetchukeh, according to report, was provoked by Ballout and Scott
for political benefit. In fact, Sen. Scott did everything in her power as a
Senator to convict all the young kids who were arrested on cardboard box
evidence. As a result, three innocent citizens’ lives were taken. The
Representative of the Harper District, where this hostility took place, Hon.
James Biney, did not foot in the area to sympathize with the bereave and
console others. Instead, it was business as usual – they were in Monrovia having
a great time on the Beer table.
Politics in Maryland is
becoming a dangerous game. Come 2011, we are hoping better leaders will emerge.
None of the Congressional
leaders have a home in Maryland. Hon. James Biney lives in his late step dad’s
house. Gloria Scott snatched away her closest friend’s home. Her friend has had
all her investment snatched away by the many shipwrecks. When the bank sought
its loan from the friend of Gloria, the friend ran to Gloria for help. Instead
of helping her friend, she took her friend’s only home and paid the bank back
the loan. As a friend, one would think Gloria would pay her friend's debt. And
then rent the home out and get back her money. And in the end turn her friend’s
house over to her. But no! Gloria took advantage of the situation and snatched
away her friend’s house. Today, she’s making profit out of the house by renting
it out for her own good. Her friend is practically living in the streets. Predatory!
Isn’t it?
Ballout is now building a
motel in Harper. Shamelessly, he is building in the Cemetery on Maryland Avenue
in Harper City. The Cemetery land is Public land. And no one can buy nor sell the
land. But for some unknown reasons, Sen. Ballout owns a piece of land in the
Cemetery. He’s building on top the graves of our Dear Departed. What sort of
leadership do we have in Maryland that has no feeling for our Dear Departed?
Another problem is shipwreck. From
2004 to 2010 more than six ships wrecked. 99% of the passengers were
Marylanders. Most, if not all, the dead are Marylanders. Majority of the
victims are mainly women. Efforts to achieve Reparation is becoming impossible.
Sen. Gloria Scott and John Ballout are serving as stumbling blocks to the
effort. As has always been the case, these two Senators continue to mislead
President Sirleaf into believing that Maryland is a violent County. And so the
President continues to backslide on her promise to travel to Maryland to look
into the shipwreck issue.
The President cannot get to
Maryland by air, sea and land. All her Government officials that traveled to
Maryland during the recent ship wreck, traveled through the Ivory Coast. Unless
Sens. Ballout and Scott realize that Maryland economy will not grow until all
the women who are victims of the many shipwrecks are compensated, Maryland
County will continue to dwindle. That’s my opinion!
I am Thomas G. Bedell, I speak
and work from on the ground in Liberia.
