PHOTO: Mrs. Moye (Left) seated on the right of her husband, Deputy Speaker Moye
By G. Naway Gumeh, gumehnaway@gmail.com/ +231888953340
Mrs. Nancy Moye, the wife of Deputy Speaker Prince Moye is facing public backlash in Liberia’s central Bong County over inflammatory statement she allegedly made against citizens of the north central part of this county, home of one of Liberia’s largest ethnic group, the Kpelleh.
In a rather emotional expression, Mrs. Moye is heard in an audio clip, blasting citizens of Bong county who were rumored of wishing that her husband would have become a “floor member” in the lower House of Representative, following his re-election in 2017.
In her words: “If you people can predict, why you people can’t predict your children-children future or your very self’s future? Your know how we begin? You don’t know nothing about anybody in this place then your want talk plenty?”.
Mrs. Moye continued: “I don’t want gossip among our caucus members, as for Bong County people, they can gossip a lot. Representative Briggs-Mensah, many days they will come to your office, don’t listen to them.”
She was speaking at a ceremony organized by the “Life of Christ Church” in honor of Representative Prince Moye. It was a program intended to praise God, days after he was elected Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives in January 2018.
After the ceremony, the statement reportedly sent shocking wave of anger and disappointment to quite a lot of citizens and residents of central Liberia.
But Radio Gbarnga, a community Radio station in the county, two years after the statement was made, repeatedly played an excerpt of Mrs. Moye’s statement including others who made political statements in the past.
But Mrs. Moye’s 2018 comment continues to anger citizens as it is currently being widely discussed, despite the outbreak of the coronavirus.
It is however traditional practice in Bong County that before every national election (including the impending Senatorial elections) in the countryy, Radio Gbarnga has introduced “Political Traffic” on its Morning Flagship program (Info-Box). This is intended to repeat stimulating assertions made by citizens and political actors as a way of reminder.
The statement by Mrs. Moye continues to be greeted with shock by some citizens, with many calling on her to apologize.
Shedrick Kollie, 31, of Barworlor Quarter community in Gbarnga told www.newspublictrust.com, Mrs. Moye’s statement is “an insult” to citizens of the county and portrays the real image of a person who pretends about “having the county at heart.”
Musu Sulonteh, 28 of Totota said Mrs. Moye made a “hasty generalization, very inflammatory and instigatory statement” whilst calling on her to retract it.
Another citizen in Bong County, Emmanuel Gbamokollie, 37 of Suakoko said: “these statements have the potential to harm the harmony, unity and integrity of Bong County.”
Political pundits say if not retracted, the statement will politically haunt Mrs. Moye whilst other aggrieved citizens might use same to punish Deputy Speaker Prince Moye by voting against him in the ensuing 2020 senatorial elections and other future elections in the county.
Besides being Deputy Speaker Prince Moye’s wife, Nancy Moye is the owner and operator of the “Nancy Moye Foundation”, a financial institution that provides assistance to business women in the County.
She came into limelight as a result of her husband’s ascendency to the Legislature ever since 2011.