MINISTRY OF TRADE AND INDUSTRY , PETTY TRADERS AND SIERRA LEONE TRADERS UNION FAMILIARIZATION TOUR IN KENEMA. HON. MINISTER OF TRADE AND INDUSTRY, ALHAJI USMAN BOIE KAMARA KEY NOTE ADDRESS. This is our last stop from series of tours we made this week, and am happy to be here listening to your desperate concerns. Let me sincerely register the humble message of His Excellency The President to you all, Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma: He greets you all and particularly encourage you to do more to build a better nation for us all! Weve postponed lot of meetings but am happy to be here today gathering lot of your top concerns. Surely, we would redouble our effort to tackle these problems across the country. Its odd for the Central Government to engage in meaningful strategies to change the deplorable plights of our traders whilst the Local governments heads here in Kenema are working to sabotage The Central Government . We considered our traders as significant contributors to the development of our economy. And they need not to be messed with; as long as they live and observe the stipulated rules and regulations of the land. We will never tolerate any act of sabotage that will make our Government unpopular. All over the world if you want to solve a problem well you need to do it on a consultative basis. I can assure you, most of your mentioned problems will be solved. Government recognize the important contribution traders are making in this country thats why we are pushing tangibly in a positive manner to get your issues addressed efficiently. But all of you must realize that your concerns will never be automatically addressed, it has to be a gradual but deliberate process. We are impressed with the positive example set by your Union and we shall continue to work with you. People need to be honest to enhance prosperity. Please realize that The Government soft loan is none political and it belongs to us all, we must act responsibly and honour our obligation well by paying back. This is an easy way to make others prosper. We shall engage the regional representative here to identify space for a potential market construction. Government want to change the lives of traders in this country. Thats the aim of our President who recognize that traders form the bulk of the country s population. We shall continue to engage your representatives in Freetown on a genuine basis. As a Government, we will never sit idly by allowing people to take reckless actions that has political motives. We shall take prudent measures to make sure that we put an end to these odd acts. Chairperson Aron Aiah Boima: He described the Minister of Trade and Industry as a man that is highly respected by Traders all over the country. He ask people to be honest and follow standards. We need to be honest with committed effort to forge ahead tangibly. Petty Traders District Secretary General Mr. Alpha Lamin: We are harassed and our goods often destroyed by Council authorities. Chairman Petty Traders Kenema District: We are treated with disrespect by Council authorities. We pay 1500 per day. No market, no good facilities for traders. It would have being good to get Local Government Minister in this tour. We are making scores of positive contribution to the economy of this country, yet we have no markets and we are often treated like foreigners. This damage our faith to the central Government as they cannot protect us from any bullying on the part of the Local government. United Belgium Sellers Representative Mr. Abu Bakarr Turay: We are in this meeting with heavy hearts . We have a membership of 1,250 members that recently suffered some serious bully from the Kenema State Actors. They went and break our stalls in the middle of the night with no notice. We were legally asked to occupy this place by the late Mayor. Do these people believe we are not nationals of this land, and so they can treat us as they feel? We hope we get a tangible solution that will amicably tackle this ugly situation before we cut off the ugly head ourselves. Monks Sellers Chairperson Abdul Salam: It would have being prudent it we have sufficient time to discuss with you. Bulk of the people in this Distric are Traders, we create our own employment facilities by ourselves positively contribute to the State economy; but we are not protected by the Government. We need a perfect market to transact our business. Please let the Council make provision for traders. We sell under the hot burning sun during the dry season and in the rain in the rainy season. Why are we paying our taxes and dues for? We demand responsible answers as we are not fools. How For Do Organisation representative Salamatu Jalloh : We import bulgur from Liberia but we are harassed and treated with disrespect by police and Town Council members. They alleged that our goods are World Food Programme products. And as we talk, our goods are currently confiscated in the police. Thiss bad and can cause serious trouble for those in authority. I genuinely believe that an amount of sabotage is playing underneath. We hate to see people playing politics with our living, and we encourage the Central Government to act now before things deteriorate further. Bike Riders Boharie Kamanga Kanu Public Relations Officer: Our centers were destroyed by the State Authorities here. Countries depend in the informal sectors to enhance development in their countries why not ours? We jut set up a resistance force to fight against any act of marginalization directed to us by the city authorities. We will fight back if the level of harassment and intimidation against us failed to stop. ACOTIDA Chairperson Mr. Bocakarie Jenkins: Drivers Union:we often pay for scores of licenses to do our business. We also want an assistance that will pave the way for us to export our goods. Traders Union Chairperson Kenema District, Mr. Thomas Bayoh: Thanks to the Minister for his tangible strives to enhance the status of Traders in the country. We advice that the Government loans should go through the Union so that proper checks and balance system would be prevailed. We would have love to welcome you in grand style fashion had it not being for the late notice we got. The informal sector provide the bulk of the employment facilities in this country and we deserve respect like any other sector. We want to be capacitated so that we can move away from stressful loans. We own a land which we would like to develop since the rent we are currently paying is high. There is no cordial relationship between the Council and the Union. The Council price themselves too high and operate outside the laws of this land. We dont understand whether they have special laws for themselves other than the stated laws of the land. We are forced as traders to trade in the street; due to the heavy humiliation we continue to face by the Council. Council authorities has sold all the land were we used to do our trading activities.
Posted on: Mon, 24 Feb 2014 14:37:12 +0000
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