According to the former Secretary General, who is now a Consultant of the Bombali Traders Union – Councilor Abu Bakarr Dolphin Kamara said “the union is yet to directly benefit from the fifty million Leones pledge of Sisay.”
Kamara and the Union Chairman – Sankoh have expressed dissatisfaction with the information that was disseminated by a set of the union executives, after assuring the press that twenty million Leones has been pledged to the union by John Bono Sisay (JBS).
They put the record straight this way: “We were recently made to understand that John Bono Sisay sent twenty million Leones to Makeni, specifically for a group of petty traders known to belong to the ‘J4BS trader groups’ – and not the union of traders, per se”.
They told the press that after a stakeholder meeting held at the union office on 1 Flower Corner, Makeni, and the twenty million Leones was disbursed to the various individual trader – groups they believe are not part of the union.
The consultant maintained that they are trade unionists whose doors are always open to working with anyone that considers ‘traders’ as important people in society.
It’s on record that traders constitute a greater portion of the population of Sierra Leone. In those days, they were at each other’s throat. Not too long ago, traders have become a united force that hardly divides. In critical situations, especially on politicking, electioneering and issues of direct interest, traders have been speaking with one voice and taking unilateral decisions.
Because of their conformity since then, they have been a force to reckon with; while known to have adopted an instinct better described as ‘follow – the – leader’, which makes their union very powerful.
The political leaning of traders would mean a lot for/against individual politicians and political parties in general. So far, it remains unclear why the discrepancy, but it appears there’s a conflict of interest between the memberships, despite the main executives of the union’s zest to complete their building project before the March 7th 2018 general election elections.
