By Stephen G. Fellajuah
Barely eight months to the conduct of the upcoming October 10 presidential and legislative elections, a pressure group and political movement under the banner Movement to Save The State, has predicted that there will be damaging consequences on Liberia, especially on the future of the young people if sanctioned ex officials are elected to public offices
Speaking to newsmen on Saturday, February 11, 2023 in the suburbs of Boys Town, Margibi County, the National Secretary of the movement, Adulphus Nuah said it is extremely worrisome to see such individuals to surface in other areas of national leadership in the wake of the international call from Liberia’s traditional and long standing ally, the United States of America could have damaging consequences on the country especially Margibi County.
“Furthermore, allowing these individuals with such tinted characters to participate in the national politics will place the county and country in the minds of the international partners as people with whom the world should have no business dealings. When such individuals are allowed to lead, the district, county or the country could be denied certain development and empowerment opportunities including the building of the human resource capacity of the young people”, Nuah stated.
According to him, it is time to checkmate, prevent, and discipline public servants, past and present government officials who have been given the opportunity to lead and served the people, but instead chose to enrich themselves at the expense of the suffering masses for which they were exposed and sanctioned.
The Movement To Save The State through its Margibi Chapter furthered that the intent of the sanctioned is to evade justice by contesting for electoral positions that could shield them from indictment and prosecution and prevent them from legal actions if they are mistakenly elected into offices of public trust.
In subsequent statement, Mr. Nuah pinpointed that If said individuals are successful, their leadership could denied them from much of what to benefit as a district, as well as county and nation at large to certain extent, stressing that the presence of US sanction Nathaniel McGill in the body politics of Margibi will continue to have a negative impact on the people, and could scare, prevent, and discourage investors and well-meaning partners from doing business in the county due to the history of his corrupt past.
Three former officials of government were sanctioned by the United States government for corruption among other things, to include Nathaniel McGill Former Minister of state for Presidential Affairs, Counselor Sayma Syrenius Cephus, former Chief persecutor of the Ministry of Justice, and Former Freeport managing Director Bill Twehway.
“We cannot speak to the issues related to the other sanctioned officials without first addressing our own. Therefore, we are moved to bring to the attention of our international partners and national government to address those accused ex-government officials, especially Mr. Nathaniel McGill by turning them over to the law, in order that they can have their day in court.
“A glaring instance of the impunity ravaging the land is the gross corruption of state resources by Nathaniel McGill and his allies. It is sad that instead of listening to the plight of the People, Nathaniel McGill and his allies have looted the coffers of the state with no remorse, and he is now roaming the corridors of Margibi County seeking to buy his way into public office through our electoral process using the very resources he has stolen from the people.
We condemn this unjust, harsh and inconsiderate action at a time when poverty has ravage the nation due to the high rate of unemployment and low income. It is shameful that a leader who is supposed to soothe the wounds of those he is leading chooses the dishonorable option of inflicting more injuries on people who are already down.”
Nuah said it is inhumane that Nathaniel McGill did not bother to show any form of empathy or remorse to the citizens of the country for the damage done through his corrupt deeds, but rather he has chosen to come to Margibi County in an attempt to take advantage of the ignorance of the majority of citizens who due to their poverty stricken condition may fall prey to his scheme for one half bag of rice, a T-Shirt and few thousand Liberian dollars.
He said his movement is also cognizant of the fact that the CDC led government has shown gross disrespect to the citizens of Liberia and the people of Margibi County in particular, and have diminished the significance of our democracy by allowing Nathaniel McGill to continue parading the streets of our county in the name of wanting to contest as Senator of Margibi County, saying we strongly condemn this assault on democratic principles, particularly the campaign laws of the NEC and in any true democracy.
As things stand, according to Mr. Nuah, impunity seems to have replaced democratic decision making, while those holding political power carry on without any consideration for social and economic justice. Abuse of citizens’ rights, attacks on decent and free speech have all become the order of the day. Citizens can hardly find examples of the kind of moral conduct that falls in line with principled, people-oriented leadership. All across the land, impunity and reckless use of political power is the name of the game. Similarly, the unaccountable use of public resources without recourse to the demands of transparency and probity has become the norm. There are many examples of these serious breaches by people entrusted with political power, who have been using it, not for the good of the collective majority, but for the narrow, self-serving, and anti-people few.
“Our movement has also observed that despite the failure of the government to effectively extend any meaningful helping hands to enable citizens to cope with the prevailing rate of poverty in the country, it has been busy piling more hardships on Liberians. Inflation, especially the high cost of food items and basic necessities is making life unbearable. Insecurity is getting out of control just as Liberians face the travails of the harsh economy on their own without meaningful support from the government, they are also at the mercy of arm robbers, zogos and many other violent criminals stalking the land.
“The Liberian people must now begin to organize to provide an alternative. Citizens, who bear the brunt of the deficit in good governance must begin to prepare themselves for the rescue mission. If Margibians do not unite to rescue the county from the current crop of rudderless politicians, the county could implode, causing harm to everyone. Criminals must not participate in our upcoming election especially those who have been caught in the US integrity report, and Mr. McGill is of no exception.”
In concluding, he called upon all citizens of Margibi County to join THE MOVEMENT TO SAVE THE STAT in resisting the senatorial ambition of Mr. Nathaniel McGill bx participating in the petition drive and official complaint to be file to the National Elections Commission, the Supreme Court of Liberia, the central government. The petition will be available in all five electoral districts of the county for signature indicating consent to have Nathaniel McGill leave our county and be prevented by the NEC not to participate in the upcoming 2023 elections, but to rather proceed to the courts to clear his name.
