APC fights APC

By Bampia Bundu

As the political tension keeps mounting in the race to the November 17 multi tier elections, reports reaching AYV indicate that some members of the All Peoples Congress (APC) in Ward 393, Constituency 112 in the Lumley community, west of Freetown, are reported to be at each other’s throat over the construction of a public toilet.

The reports further state that the current Councilor of the Ward, Madam Mary Harding and an intending aspirant for Parliament under the APC ticket, Ms. Aminata Ismael, have failed to come to terms with each other over the position of the said public toilet that Ms. Aminata Ismael plans to build for the people.

Speaking to this Reporter at the proposed site which is the current Lumley parking ground at Beach Road, Ms. Aminata Ismael said that she was approached a long time ago by some of the youths in the community to help them with a public toilet.

She also explained that as a patriot who believes in community development, she decided to construct the public toilet which she said will be used not only by community people but also by passengers who might be waiting for vehicles at the park.

She further explained that she applied for a permit from the Freetown City Council who gave her the permission to go ahead with the work.

She further stated that she also wrote a letter to Councilor Mary Harding informing her about her intension, but said Councilor Mary Harding never responded to her letter, except to tell her not to build the toilet as she is in charge of the community through whom every development project must pass.

She however maintained that she is determined to build the toilet and that nothing was going to stop her from doing the work.

Reacting to these allegations, Councilor Mary Harding said that she is not against development nor the building of a public toilet but that the toilet shouldn’t be located at the place where Ms. Aminata Ismael intends to build it as it will not be conducive to the health of the people of the community.

She also stated that as serving Councilor of Ward 393, any development project must have her approval before it is implemented.

She explained that she too had earlier made a proposal in 2009 to have a public toilet built for the community people but that she has still not received her permit to do the work.

Sounding the views of some community people, a young man, Mr. Mohammed Bangura, said that as they are in desperate need of a public toilet the location does not matter as long as it is not in obstruction of the street or a building.

He explained that he believes that the reason why the current Councilor is objecting to the construction of the toilet is simply because she had not met the expectations of her people. He also stated that Councilor Mary Harding is simply afraid and jealous of the development projects of Ms. Aminata Ismael.