By: Emmanuel Tarpeh Quiah
Residents of Pomuken City in Karluway District, Maryland County, are elevating their voices over what they describe as years of neglect and damaged guarantees by their elected leaders, warning that their persistence is operating out.
They cite the absence of fundamental social companies, together with motorable roads, certified classroom lecturers, protected ingesting water, a well being facility, and dependable communication community.
Talking with this paper, resident Mary Blayon didn’t maintain again her frustration.
“Have a look at our roads,” she stated, gesturing towards a muddy, waterlogged path. “When it rains, no bike can move right here. We’re reduce off from the remainder of the county. Pregnant ladies, sick individuals, everybody has to undergo as a result of there isn’t any means out. We really feel deserted.”
The schooling state of affairs within the city, residents say, is equally alarming. The group’s solely college operates with a single trainer who instructs pupils from ABC to the third grade.
“It is a critical academic disaster,” Ms. Blayon lamented. “How can one trainer do the work of 5 or 6 individuals? That trainer is the Principal, the Vice Principal for Instruction, the Registrar, and the Vice Principal for Administration suddenly. It’s embarrassing. Our youngsters are vivid, however with out a correct college, they are going to by no means compete with different youngsters in Liberia.”
Different residents echoed her considerations, stressing that schooling is a pathway out of poverty, however provided that authorities invests in it.
“Schooling is our proper,” stated youth chief Samuel Gaye. “We hear our leaders discuss free schooling, however free schooling with out good lecturers is nothing. They need to ship extra certified lecturers right here.”
The shortage of protected ingesting water has additionally grow to be a life-threatening downside. Many residents depend upon streams and creeks which might be typically contaminated. “When the water is soiled, we nonetheless drink it as a result of now we have no selection,” stated elder Ma Kebeh Wisseh. “Generally our youngsters get sick with operating abdomen and fever. Now we have been crying for a hand pump for years, however no one listens.”
On the well being entrance, Pomuken has no clinic or well being put up. The sick are sometimes transported on hammocks to the closest clinic, which may take a number of hours to achieve on foot.
“If somebody is critically sick, we supply them on our shoulders,” defined City Chief Francis Toe. “Generally by the point we attain the clinic, it’s too late. That is why we are saying we want a well being facility in Pomuken—not tomorrow, however now.”
Residents additionally complained in regards to the poor communication community, which leaves them remoted from the remainder of the nation.
“Generally you need to journey to a close-by city simply to get a sign to make a name,” stated Martha Dweh with a bitter snicker. “It’s like we live in one other century.”
The frustration in Pomuken has reached a boiling level, and residents are actually threatening to boycott all electoral actions sooner or later except their considerations are addressed.
“If our challenges will not be met, we won’t vote or participate in any electoral course of on this county,” City Chief Toe warned throughout a gathering with the NAYMOTE County Accountability and Advocacy Group in Maryland County.
“We’re uninterested in faux guarantees. We wish to see motion. We voted for them in 2023 as a result of they stated they’d repair our issues, however since then, nothing has modified.”
Neighborhood elder Peter Weah added, “Politicians come right here throughout marketing campaign time with massive speak. They eat our meals, shake our fingers, and promise us roads, colleges, and water. After the election, they overlook we exist. This time, we’re those who will overlook them once they want our votes.”
The individuals of Pomuken are calling on their lawmakers and county authorities to prioritize their plight.
They stress that motorable roads, extra certified lecturers, protected ingesting water, and a purposeful well being facility are their most pressing wants.
“These will not be luxuries,” Ms. Blayon concluded. “They’re basic items each human being deserves. If our leaders can not present them, then they’ve failed us.”
For Pomuken, the dearth of those important companies is greater than an inconvenience it’s a matter of survival. And because the 2029 elections stay years away, their demand stands as a reminder that governance and political accountability are judged not by marketing campaign speeches, however by the tangible modifications delivered to the individuals.
