PATRICK S. TOKPAH
Africa-Press – Liberia. The president of the Bong County chapter of the Federation of Road Transport Union (FRTUL) has defied the order of the Liberia National Police Bong County Detachment mandating members of the union not to park their vehicles on the main streets in Gbarnga.
The Commander of the LNP, LP, on Tuesday, August 29, mandated the FRTUL’s president to inform members of the Union to stop loading cars on the principal streets of Gbarnga City.
But addressing the media following the police order, Folday Johnson termed the mandate from the police as politically motivated but could not say how the LNP was playing politics.
Johnson, however, noted that Bong County Senator Prince Moye masterminded the construction of the office of the Congress Drivers Union (CDU), another driver union in Gbarnga — a move that has since undermined the operations of the FRTUL.
“So, since business is not going well at our end, we cannot listen to the police. We, too, are in need of passengers and where can we get them from if not the main streets?” he argued.
The land on which the CDU constructed its office, with the backing of Senator Moye and senatorial candidate Johnny Kpehe, Johnson said, has over the years been considered as a prime property for the Gbarnga city government. The local authority has for decades denied numerous companies and organizations from having access to the area.
Mr. Johnson further alleged that the area has been given to the Congress Drivers Union by the political influence of Bong County Senator Prince Moye.
“The construction of the CDU’s office was a deliberate attempt by politicians in the county to undermine the operations of our union,” Johnson said. “We have our terminal some distance away from the main road and Moye and others masterminded the construction of the office of the other union on the main road so that we will not get passengers. This is unfair. We no longer get passengers at our place. All the passengers can now stop right on the road.”
“Moye has decided to fight the FRTUL because he said that we did not support him during the 2020 senatorial election but we rather supported Henry Yallah and what he is doing through CDU is a pay back. He is using Johnny Kpehe to get at us,” a member of the FRTUL told this reporter.
Senator Moye has on many occasions denied any dealing of drivers union in the county regarding the construction of an office space.
The FRTUL president said that others cannot have access to the main road and the LNP is denying his members from also having access.
“I cannot tell my members to leave the streets because that is the only way they can get passengers. They, like all the other drivers, have families to feed,” Johnson said.
He called on the LNP Bong County Detachment to stay clear of the political manipulations that are taking place in the county, especially during the current political season.
“We want to call on the government of Liberia, through the Ministry of Transport, to intervene in the matter in order to serve every party involved justice,” he said.
The FRTUL is the oldest drivers’ union organization in the country. It was birthed in 1982, by veteran drivers with the primary goal of ensuring drivers are organized on a first come first serve basis, ensure passengers’ luggages were safely handled and placed in vehicles that manifested for reference in the event of misplacement.
The goal of the FRTUL’s establishment was to also ensure vehicle parking stations were built to house both drivers and passengers including their belongings as well as to ensure marketeers would leave the main streets and move to the parking stations for trading purposes.
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