By Patrick N. Tokpah (Bong-Contributor)
Bong County Senator Prince K. Moye seems to be in hot water with residents of the Duncan Village Community as his town hall project is now a criminal hideout which is hampering the free movement of peaceful residents in the community.
The residents believed that Sen. Moye allegedly abandoned this town hall project in the area during his years as Representative for District 2.
According to them, Moye who served Bong County as representative for two terms before ascending to the Senate initiated the abandoned Town Hall project in early 2016, with the motive of helping to train women in soap making, tie-dying among others.
But, in an interview with this paper on February 15, 2023, in the Duncan Village Community, the Chairlady, Esther V. Sumo, sadly narrated that the inability of the Bong County lawmaker to complete the town hall is a clear manifestation that they have been abandoned by their lawmaker whom they stood in the rain and sun to elect in 2011 and 2017 as well as in the 2020 special senatorial elections in the county.
The Duncan Village Community Chairlady who believes that their right to have access to equal opportunity has been violated said over several years she has been seeking a timely solution to these problems that continue to worry the residents on a daily basis.
Madam Sumo alleged that Senator Moye abandoned town hall project in the community has now become a criminal cartel on grounds that less fortunate youth referred to as zogoes are now using the abandoned project as their residence.
She said due to the inability or failure of Senator Moye to complete the project, she has also advised her people not to allow their children to play around the abandoned town hall project, on grounds that it has not only become a criminal dan but a death trap in the community.
According to Madam Sumo, due to the prolonged abandonment of the Senator’s project, the bricks of the building are now falling apart and explained how community members have on many occasions engaged the office of Senator Moye through communications and phone calls when it comes to the project but got no redress or attention.
The Duncan Village Community Chairlady further alleged that the worst case is that only hand pump that was serving the community is completely damaged by Senator Moye’s contractors who were hired to construct the town hall project.
She narrated that the Senator told them that he was going to make available three handpumps as a replacement for the damaged pump; something she said, the lawmaker is yet to fulfill in the area.
She said due to the lawmaker’s inability to make available the pumps, residents of the community are now fetching water in bushes which is unsafe; something he said is causing serious health hazards in the community among children and adults.
However, when contacted, the head of the contractor that was hired to do the Project by the Liberia Agency for Community Empowerment (LACE), Ansu Saysay, said his construction firm (Saysay Brother Construction Firm) was hired to do the project for US$ 115,000.
Mr. Saysay said he was able to take the project from the foundation level to the roof level; something he said he received US$19, 500 for and added that since then, LACE has not been able to pay his balance money so he too has refused to complete the project.
When Senator Prince K. Moye was contacted through text, he said the project is a LACE project that started during the tenure of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf based on the community request noting, “It was through me but since the Weah government came in, LACE has failed to finish it. I have engaged LACE since 2018 but everything is like the same with other projects that the Weah government has promised and hasn’t done. My personal town hall projects are all completed, namely Gbartala, Old Iron Gate Community, Gwunemah etc.”
