Businesses in Redlight, Paynesville, have threatened to shut down all business activities in protest of the way they are being treated by the Liberia National Police (LNP) and the Paynesville City Corporation (CPP) and, by extension, the administration of President George M. Weah.
Business proprietors at the Redlight market yesterday, amidst police brutality, threatened to shut down their businesses until they can hear from the government as it relates to their status of carrying out business under a conducive atmosphere. According to the business people, since the street vendors were moved to the Omega Market, there has been consistent harassment from LNP and PCC officers, who extort money from them and their customers.
Speaking to newsmen, the President of the Paynesville Business Association (PABA), the umbrella organization of the businesses in Paynesville, Sheikh Y. Jalloh, said it was disheartening to note that the government would undertake a series of initiatives at the market without the involvement of the business institutions there, lest to mention consulting the marketers.
Sheikh said, even though they as businessmen have no objection to the government’s undertakings, it has reached a level that suggests that things are getting out of hand; as such, they are getting involved to protect the interest of their businesses.
He accused LNP officers of obstructing their suppliers from supplying their goods, intimidating customers who go to their stores to buy and harassing drivers who park their cars to transact business with them. He wondered how the government expects them to do business under such a harsh condition, which he described as insensitive to the plight of the business people.
Sheikh accused police officers of entering business houses and brutalizing harmless businessmen and demanding that they close their businesses without any legal backing.
Meanwhile, as President of the Paynesville Business Association, Sheikh has called on all businesses in Redlight to remain closed today until a meeting scheduled between the business community and the Ministry of Public Works is concluded, after which they will debrief their colleagues about the new developments.