Political Words of War: Gray, Toles Clash Over Development Gains in Mont. District Eight

MONROVIA, LIBERIA: A fierce verbal political confrontation has erupted in Montserrado County District Eight, between incumbent Representative, Prince Toles, and former Representative, Moses Acarous Gray, as both district stakeholders trade accusations against each other and claim better representation of the district.

The words of war clash stemmed from the ongoing demolition exercise in Saye Town, District Eight Montserrado County.

Gray accused the incumbent Representative, Prince Toles, of under-representing his constituents, stating that the Representative is fueling the ongoing demolition homes in Saye Town by protecting business owners who are claiming legitimacy of the area.

The Former Representative further accused his successor of secretly receiving US$60,000 from business owners to support ownership claims of a large acre land, and leaving the vast number of residents victimized within the district.

Gray linked the Representative to corruption allegations and betrayal of his constituents' interests. He said the Representative has failed to intervene to negotiate and find an amicable solution in the dispute.

“The District’s lawmaker has been compromised. Prince Toles takes bribes from business people, then pretends they are his own,” he added.

He also took to his social media handle to criticize Representative Prince Toles, noting that the Lawmaker has contributed no meaningful development across the district since assuming office.

The former Representative Acarous Gray claimed that his administration served the best needs of the district. According to him, land dispute victims during his leadership received a minimum of US$800 through negotiations in aid of their resettlement plans.

"During our time we negotiated and some tenants got a minimum of $800 usd while some house owners even got $6k USD. The community dwellers sat on the table and made their own decisions then but now Puff Daddy has compromised his constituents", he stated.

Gray mentioned that the district has under 12 years of leadership experienced transformation and tangible developments, including road upgrades, bridge construction among others, something he said the incumbent Representative has failed to prove any difference.

The words of War exchanges intensified when Representative Prince Toles, recently counter-accused his predecessor, Acarous Gray, of wasting twelve years representing himself instead of the district.

Representative Toles denied the allegations from Acarous Gray of undermining the interests of his constituents in the ongoing Saye Town demolition exercise. Tole claimed that at no point in time did he receive money from a particular group, linking him to the demolition exercise.

He described the allegation as baseless and said the former representative was knocked out due to self-fish style of leadership. Toles said that while residents were faced with extreme hardship, the lawmaker chose pleasure and luxury to travel out to spend heavily on his wedding ceremony.

"Gray, you have been history, and you have long decayed in the process. Your investment was selfish and the last was poorly invested in your failed Paris wedding. Forget it; there’s no coming back into the light for you. Unlike you, I made a decent living in the private sector before I came into politics, and my investments continue to work for me today", the Representative noted.

Meanwhile, the District 8# Representative, boasted of making gains in his first two years in office as compared to his political rival. Representative Prince Toles mentioned the construction of a multi-purpose facility to host research activities, an event hall, a recreation center among others within two years of his administration.

“Gray, you have been history, and you have long decayed in the process. You spent 12 years on Capitol Hill investing in yourself, and your entire investment in District Eight is less than 10 percent of what we have done for our people in two years and one month,” Toles said.

As the two prominent figures clash, residents are uncertain about the state of unity among past and present leaders of the district, who they hope could move under one canopy and enhance development across the district.

As the verbal exchanges continue, political pundits believe it has the propensity to brew division and stagnate the developmental agenda of the district.