Removal From Streets Must Be A Tripartite Arrangement.
RECENTLY, WE HEARD from the Ministry of Commerce and other line Ministries and agencies about the removal of street sellers from the various streets in Monrovia. The Ministry even went as far as giving ultimatum for street sellers to vacate the streets or risk some punitive actions. It is good that the notice was published in the media. We do not know if the rightful administrative procedures were followed. That is, getting the various stakeholders in the business community involved. Abrupt removal of street sellers has a far-reaching consequence, especially because some of them borrowed money from microfinance groups, Susu clubs, and even commercial banks and are under pressure to pay back their lenders. Paying back the money they owed to their lenders rests squarely on their daily sales, these are some of the reasons we are asking the government to use the tripartite arrangement in order for the street removal policy to sink in well with the marketeers and the consumers.
WE ARE AWARE THAT THE " Leave the Street policy" is a public policy. Because it is a public policy, it should be enforced through a multi-stage process, primarily during the implementation phase where administrative agencies, bureaucracy, and frontline workers turn adopted laws and regulations into action. Enforcement mechanisms must include written detailed regulations, allocation of government resources, conducting inspections, and utilizing the judicial system for compliance. Removal of marketeers from the streets should not be in the way our City Police officers are conducting themselves. Chasing marketeers in the streets just to confiscate their goods and after the goods is seized, there is no accountability of the vendors goods in return. This is unfair and unacceptable. Government must recognize the stress these people go through with their daily hustles.
WHILE IT IS TRUE THAT WE all need to keep the city clean by putting measures in place, such as removal of street sellers, it is important to keep in mind that the government must identify alternatives for them.
ANOTHER OPTION THE GOVERNMENT must to explore could be to recondition or renovate general markets in Monrovia, such as the ones at Waterside, Nancy B. Doe, Duala, Mary-Go - Round, Redlight, Gorbachev, and other places around Monrovia.
The execution of one week ultimatum by the Ministry is not the best way to go. What it does is it will put our citizens out of business, make them vulnerable to City Police officers, create payments delinquency pf payment of loans secured from banks and other financial institutions , and make it difficult to respond to some domestic
