Abraham Kollie, kollieabraham23@gmail.com
MARGIBI, Liberia– “We have agreed to participate in the electoral process come October 10, 2023,” say some locals in Margibi County.
They have now taken on this posture because the citizens say some of their concerns raised earlier about lack of access to roads are beginning to be met.
Following a March 28, 2023 on KMTV Liberia, Radio Kakata, www.newspublictrust.com and other media outlets covering the recently ended Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) exercise reported that “Residents of Gbeketa in Rural Margibi District#4 threatened to teach their leaders a political lesson by boycotting the BVR process and not voting if their Roads and Town Halls are not constructed.”,
But now, hope appears to be restoring, with political parties and representative aspirants purchasing fairly used caterpillar machine for the District#4 residents to fast track road connectivity including Town Halls which is currently ongoing, ahead of the October 10 presidential and legislative elections.
Gbeketa, which is located in Rural Margibi with a population of nearly 2,500, will now have access to road with several towns and villages connected. The economic conditions of the District #4 residents will likely be improved, as the area becomes accessible based on the current road works ongoing.
Residents were seen in a jubilant mood when two fairly used caterpillar machines entered the District to fast track road connectivity including Town Halls through a report sponsored by Internews Reporting Fellowship under 2023 Media Activity.
On April 29, 2023, a representative aspirant of district #4 Mr. Edwin M. Slocum purchased two fairly used caterpillars to connect roads in all parts of the district.
During the dedication and Groundbreaking ceremony, Mr. Slocum added that the road building equipment was bought based on the request from the district #4 residents through the help of the media, stressing that the machine belong to the people of District #4 and its environs.
Speaking during the presentation of the two caterpillar machines, Mr. Edwin Slocum promised to construct Town Halls in Gbeketa, Compound, Lakayta and other parts of the district before the October 10 polls.
“On March, 28, 2023, my team heard a report from the media that you people were not going to vote because your leaders had failed you. Upon hearing that, I thought to purchase two caterpillars to connect all roads in District#4 and constrict a Town Hall as requested before the election. And thanks to the Media and partners for giving the opportunity to our people to speak on issues comforting them, we are grateful on your critical role played,” Mr. Slocum told residents and the media.
On April, 4, 2023, Margibi County administration embarked on the rehabilitation of KollieKaine Town road and the constriction of the Gbekata Badge with founding from the County Social Development Fund.
Margibi County Assistant superintendent for development, J. Francis Karpu told reporters that the decision of the County Administration to embark upon several projects in District#4 is based on the threat from residents of District#4 not to participate in the electoral process of the Country.
Mr. Karpu added that it’s the right of every Liberian to participate in national decision marking adding that residents of district four are of no exception. Mr. Karpu further promised Gberketa residents for the full completion and implementation of the ongoing projects before the October 10, 2023 general election.
“I want to say thank you for expressing your concern and views through the media, we heard your cry through several Media outlets and we have come as County administration to key start your bridge and rehabilitate your roads, it’s your right to participate in every elections in this country, so we can assure you that your projects will be completed and dedicated to you before the October 10, general elections so that we all can vote,” Mr. Francis Karpu added.
Citizen’s response
The chairperson of Gala_Town youths, Samuel Bondo expressed delight for the ongoing developments in their communities, calling on youth and residents to turnout in their numbers to vote for leaders of their choices.
Mr. Bondo added that their past decisions not to participate in the pending October 10 elections was meant to draw the attention of past and current officials to fast track development and identify challenges they have gone through over the years.
“Thank God they are coming small, small we been crying and suffering for development in the rural region of our County. We can promise our County’s leadership and people who want to contest that we are ready to vote, if they complete what they have started before October 10,” Bondo warned.
Also speaking, Mr. John Kollie, senior elder of the Gbeketa promised to include officials and traditional leaders in the districts to help the National Election Commission in providing awareness in their dialects on the importance of elections and electoral activities in District #4 in Margibi County.
“With the type of development I am seeing going on in my District, I can promise to conduct meeting with all my traditional leaders in various Clans and Township to provide information to our people about the importance of elections even in the Kpelle, Bassa, and all languages so they can go and vote comes October 10, your thank you for bringing development to us as rural people,” elder Kollie pointed out.
For Mamie Brown, head of Dueh Town market is optimistic going forward. “The way this road project is going on now, I thing I will be satisfy to vote who ever I want to vote for because transportation will be less for us. We use to walk for almost six hours before getting Motor Bike to go Kakata, but with what I am seeing, things will be fine for us here in Dueh Town,” Madam Brown explained.
Also making remarks at the occasion was Mark Flomo, a first time voter.
“For me, I was one person who spoke to the media about the first time voter to take part because it’s our first time ever to vote. Thank God our fathers and mothers who are not changing their minds to join the process comes October 10, and thanks to the media and partners for letting our leaders know about some of the challenges’ our people are faced with in rural Margibi.”
Meanwhile, the District #4 coordinator of people living with disabilities, Nakpah Yarkpawulo Kermoun told the gathering in his Kpelle vernacular that Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) are now ready to participate in the voting process.
But Mr. Kermoun was quick to stress the need to ensure that PWDs have easy access to public buildings and voting centers.
He further explained that the reality dictates given the current developments in the district, PWDs have agreed to participate, but there is also a need for the National Elections Commission (NEC) to give preference to PWDs during election day and have easy access to the NEC felicities.
“Bringing development is good and we have agreed to participate in the process but we observed the people living with disabilities were not given first preference in the County by NEC workers doing the just ended BVR in Margibi. We want to registrar this to NEC that comes October 10, 2023, PWDs, Big belly, and Babies Mothers should be given the opportunity to vote before any other person,” the PWDs District #4 coordinator explained.
The NEC through its Margibi County Magistrate, Forton T. Yankae has since welcomed the decision by residents of Gbeketa and District #4, encouraging them to fully participate in the ongoing process.
Mr. Yankae has promised to give opportunity to PWDs in Margibi County.