Several youths of Genwoli, Gogoima in Grand Cape Mount County are appealing to Bea Mountain Mining Company-BMMC to return to their area to start the project which was suspended last month.
Seated on several tables in an empty market place, the citizens said protest is not bad, but when it becomes violent and bloody like what took place recently, it affects investment.
Mr. Stanley V.C. Selma Vlah, advisor to the youth chairman of Genewoli said following the departure of Bea Mountain Company, their daily activities have been stalled. In addition to that, most of the projects they were working on, have become inactive, leaving them to be idle in the communities.
It can be recalled that in late early February this year, some citizens and other residents from outside of the county carried out violent protest which led to the death of three persons, according to police report. The protest also led to the burring of serval earth moving machines for the company.
The protestors requested the country manager out, a Liberian and replace him with a citizen from the county-Sando Whyen. Mr. Whyne who once worked for the company was asked due to some administrative matters. While working for the company, workers union asked the CEO of BMMC to dismiss him because he was not in the interest of them.
“I feel very sad because the community is very quiet. I am not feeling fine because when the company is functioning well, the community will be peaceful and job will go on well.
Another person, Mr. Mark Garjay Quito, said they regret the violent protest, “but we are appealing to the company to re-start the project. Next time, when there are issues, we can sit down and discuss it rather than going on strike”.
I feel very sad because the community is quiet. I am not feeling fine. There are rules and regulations in everything.
We need them back and we need the right thing. Because when company is functioning well, the community is peaceful and the job will go on peacefully.
“We the young people, have difficult time because we will not go in the bush to do any hard work. But since the company left, we are managing until the company can come back. There is no job and we have gone back to our old days,” Quito said.
He added: “We try to appeal to management to come back so that we can do the work. We do not want for the company to stay out, because if they stay out the right thing will not be done.”
For his part, Abraham Massalay, a youth activist frowned on the protesters. But added, “if there are issues, we need to sit down so we can talk it, but not to damage investors properties. When other people see it, they will not like come here.
“See, the market is poor. Things are very difficult here since BMMC left. Some of the youths we are controlling here, they said they want for BMMC to open vocational school so that when the company leaves, the youth can live. On what they have learned.
They are also appealing for the establishment of a vocational school in their communities. They said, if established, such school will enable them to learn series of trades to help them in the future.
“Our priority is to have vocational school here. This will help us. But to do protest, do it the rightful way. To take it to through the right channel. But to protest in a violent way, it is not fine. We Regret the action. I am against it. Dialogue is the way out,” he concluded.
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