Since the foundation of Liberia in 1822, the issue of corruption has eaten-up the entire society of the country. The practice of corruption can be vividly seen in Liberian homes, educational institutions and even in religious institutions.
Corruption in the public sector remains the major obstacle to Liberia’s development with the majority of its citizens living in extreme poverty.
As part of efforts to curtail the corruption menace which has delayed the country’s progress over the last decades, some Liberians under the banner “Concern Citizens of Liberia” has presented a three-page strategy document to the office of President George M. Weah to help eradicate corruption from the country.
The group of Liberians who held placards that depict anti-corruption messages assembled at the grounds of the Foreign Ministry on early Thursday, October 11, 2018 morning and presented their strategy document to the Liberian leader who was proxy by Deputy Minister of State and Presidential Affairs, Wesseh Blamo.
Presenting the document, the National Coordinator of the group, Timothy Kpeh said for too long the country has suffered the aftermath of corruption and it is about time that President George Manneh Weah takes action to eradicate the menace from the public sector.
He said the alleged missing 16 billion Liberian dollars is a classic example of broad-day corruption and wants all those that will be implicated in the ongoing investigation to face the full weight of the law.
According to Kpeh, President Weah remains the beacon of hope for the Liberian people and he must act in a way that will bring forth relieved to the struggling citizenry.
“Whereas, corruption is rooted in every sector of our land and majority of our people cannot afford 1 United States Dollar a day; whereas, 60% of Liberia population are young people with the unemployment rate of 3.27 percent in 2017, according to ILO; whereas, Global Witness report Power to the People released on Wednesday, October 10, 2018 has revealed on how progressive community forestry in Liberia is being undermined by the logging industry when Liberian law is meant to give communities the right to sustainably manage their own forests, empowering people to nurture and protect their customary lands and to call the shots when negotiating with companies such as logging firms…Now, therefore, we the citizens of the Republic of Liberia are calling on you our President, Dr. George M. Weah to declare within 90 days the death of corruption in Liberia,” the group declared through their strategy document.
Receiving the document on behalf of the president, Deputy Minister for State and Presidential Affairs, Wesseh Blamo thanked the group for their peaceful gathering and promised to submit the petition to the Liberian leader upon his return from the Republic of Congo.
According to Deputy Minister Blamo, President Weah is concern about ending corruption in Liberia but greater responsibility also lies on each and every citizen to stop practicing corruption in their everyday social interactions.
He claimed many Liberians are not fair to their partners at home, something he believes, is another form of corruption that has been inculcated into the larger society.
