Monrovia — For the first time, Senator Morris Saytumah (UP-Bomi County) has publically spoken on the debate surrounding the Western Cluster Memorandum of Understanding saga, describing the many criticisms as making a mountain out of a mole hill.
According to Senator Saytumah, contrary to rumors about a competition between the Western Cluster Mineral Development Agreement (MDA) and the Memorandum of Undersetting, there is no competing interest but blamed himself and other members of the caucus for not going back to explain to the people.
Senator Morris Saytumah: "People are making a mountain out of a molehill. We all read the Western Cluster MOU, the problem is that we need to go back to our people to explain to them what has happened. The MOU has it birth from the MDA so there is no competing interest between the MOU and the MDA but we are the cause because we didn't go back to our people to explain to them."
The Senator also frowned on Bio Chico for taking what he called "outrageous" steps that are not part of the agreement and called for actions to be taken. He cautioned the Senate Committee on Concession to be strong and exert its oversight.
Like senator Saytumah, Senator Edwin Snowe also of Bomi County (IND-Bomi County) frowned on the executive branch of government for failing to remit the over US$5 million paid by Western Cluster company under the county social development requirement.
Sen. Snowe also revealed that the county's only referral hospital was recently rescued by US$20k from the County as a result of not receiving a dime from the government of Liberia for over nine months. The hospital serves as the only referral hospital for Bomi, Gbapolu and Grand Cape Mount Counties.
"The Bomi County Community College is also about to shut down. The government has failed in its commitment to the college. Allocation was made at the Ministry of Finance, but still, a dime hasn't been disbursed. The college is about to shut its doors because of financial difficulty."
What happened to Western Cluster?
The Western Cluster deal continue to experience a series of setbacks due to the failure of the Government of Liberia (GOL) and the legislative caucuses of the operational areas to involve their citizens in the renegotiation processes which led to the signing of a controversial Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the resumption of the company's operations.
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On Wednesday, June 8, 2022, Western Cluster broke ground to recommence its operations in Bomi. The groundbreaking ceremony came barely a few days after the government signed the MOU with the company.
The MOU was signed following the failure of the company to implement the Mineral Development Agreement (MDA) it signed with the government in 2011 due to the outbreak of the Ebola virus and the drop in the price of iron ore on the world market.
It gives the company the right to operate at three iron ore deposits, including the Bomi Hills Mines, in Bomi, Grand Cape Mount, and Gbarpolu Counties.
But following the signing of the MOU and commencement of operations of the company, the citizens, especially those from Bomi County have been raising a series of issues ranging from the unilateral decision taken by their caucus to renegotiate the deal without their input, construction of the roads, and disagreement over the trucking of the iron ore, amongst others.
They summoned their lawmakers to a mass meeting that took place in Tubmanburg on Wednesday, January 11 to respond to their ten-count resolution signed on January 7. Among other things, the resolution calls for the cancellation of the MOU with the company.
At the just-ended meeting, the citizens blamed their lawmakers for the manner and form in which Western Cluster and the Liberian government continue to drag towards ensuring the full implementation of the Mineral Development Agreement (MDA) the company signed with the erstwhile Unity Party led-administration of Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
