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— Condemns municipality’s decision to halt “Sunday Selling”
The Executive Director of Foundation for International Dignity (FIND), Aaron G.V. Juaquellie, has spoken out against Gbarnga City Mayor, Gallah Varpilah, for ceasing Sunday selling activities at the Bassa Community Market on January 5, 2025.
The decision to stop Sunday trading, which had been ongoing at the Bassa Community Market, was met with criticism from Juaquellie, who argued that it violated the rights of local sellers.
The Bassa Community Market, constructed in 1985 under the late Samuel K. Doe’s administration, fell into disuse and neglect. It only saw increased activity in mid-December 2024 when vendors from the central Gbarnga market were moved there. This relocation followed the Liberia Marketing Association and the City Government shifting vendors from the General Market to the newly constructed Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Market and other parts of the city.
The vocal rights activist said the decision is a complete violation of the rights of local sellers.
Juaquellie argued that the abrupt cancellation of Sunday selling activities, coupled with the redirection of vendors to the unprepared Sugar Hill Community Market, was a calculated attempt to undermine Sunday selling in the city.
The FIND boss noted that the City Mayor’s actions lacked legal backing, as no written law supports the decision.
In late December 2024, Mayor Varpilah announced that Sunday selling would be prohibited beginning in January 2025.
This announcement was challenged by Mr. Juaquellie, who contended that such a decision required legal justification.
Mr. Juaquellie criticized the Mayor’s decision as abrupt and poorly executed, leaving vendors and residents in a state of disarray.
Meanwhile, Mr. Juaquellie has threatened to take legal action against the city government if such incidents occur again, emphasizing the need for officials to act within the bounds of the law and prioritize the rights and welfare of local sellers.
However, when contacted, Mayor Gallah Varpilah clarifies that the Gbarnga City Corporation (GCC) did not stop Sunday selling entirely, as previously thought. Instead, it implemented a decision made in collaboration with the Liberia Marketing Association (LMA) to cease Sunday selling in the Bassa Community Market which has over the years been for Sunday trading.
The Gbarnga City Mayor Gallah Varpilah further said the relocation is intended to clean and reorganize both Sirleaf’s Market and the former Sunday Bassa Community ahead of daily selling activities in these two areas.
He further stated that the Sugar Hill Market facility will now be used exclusively for Sunday selling, similar to how the Bassa Community Market was utilized.
Throwing more light on the issue, Attorney Jonathan N. Flomo, the County Attorney for Bong County said he hosted a conference call with both parties ( Mayor Gallah Varpilah and Aaron G.V Juaquellie) regarding the issues.
He narrated that Aaron Juaquellie called him to complain about the ultra vires action of the City Mayor that absolutely no selling will be allowed on Sunday.
According to Atty Flomo, during the phone conversation, the Mayor Varpilah narrated that his intention to stop Sunday selling at the Bassa Community Market is to enable the Gbarnga City Corporation in time to clean up the market and get it ready for Monday.
He further narrated that he informed both parties that “not everything legal is expedient and not everything expedient is legal.” Though Sundays are not national holidays in Liberia, precedent hoary with age clearly shows that no selling on Sundays is a customary practice ingrained in our psyche and as such he saw no reason for the hauling and pulling.
However, to put a total ban on Selling on Sunday to include food stuff seemed to him a harsh measure because there are many citizens who live from hand to mouth and who will sell their potato greens, cassava leaves, bitter balls etc. including on Sundays just to buy food for their families.
He emphasized that he advised the parties that Sunday selling, particularly food stuffs, should be allowed from morning to 11:00am to allow the GCC to start with their cleaning activities which all the parties agreed to.
The Bong County Chief Prosecutor narrated that it was during this conversation that Aaron JuaKollie proposed that Sunday selling could be moved to the abandoned Sugar Hill Community Market but that before such move is made the market should be renovated and put in a state conducive to host marketers. This proposal was also agreed upon.
Considering the stance of the City Mayor and the vocal criticism of his action by the right activist, one can sense a deeper conflict than meet the eyes, bringing several questions to mind.
Is the GCC forcing marketers to go to the Sugar Hill Market when it hasn’t been renovated? Why is the City Mayor insisting on moving marketers to a new selling place when there was so much tension surrounding moving marketers from the Bypass Market to the Bassa Community Market where the same marketers used to sell on Sundays?
The disagreement between Juaquellie and Mayor Varpilah escalated to the point of potential legal action, prompting further discussions overseen by County Attorney Jonathan N. Flomo. Ultimately, it was agreed that Sunday selling would be allowed at the Sugar Hill Market from morning until 11:00am to accommodate both the vendors and the city’s cleaning activities.
The situation has raised questions about the motives behind the decision and the handling of market relocations in Gbarnga, prompting calls for a more transparent and mutually beneficial approach moving forward.
