PHOTO: Rep. Mulbah
By Emmanuel Mafelah, mafelahemmanuel29@gmail.com
GBARNGA, Liberia- Former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representative and Lawmaker from Bong County, Tokpah Mulbah has lashed out at the County’s Legislative for seeking their own “personal interest” instead of the development of this central Liberian County.
Mr. Mr., former electoral district #1 Representative has attributed the backwardness of the county development to what he called, “personal interest” exhibited by leaders of the county.
He was speaking over the weekend when he appeared on Radio Gbarnga’s live shoe, “Let’s Find Out”.
The former Bong Lawmaker believes that in order for the county to move forward there is a need for leaders of the county put aside their personal gain and work together for the common good of the ordinary people.
Mr. Mulbah, who is a member of the Congress for Democratic Change, served the Legislature during the administration of former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
He was briefly placed under house arrest in July 2010 for allegedly ordering an assault on a policeman who was trying to impound his (Mulbah’s) vehicle.
He said the county and its people has suffered for so long and is now time that leaders of the county come together irrespective of their political affiliations.
Despite the abundance of natural resources, including gold, iron ore among others, citizens of Bong County still live in abject poverty, while leaders of the county ride thousand dollars vehicles and live in mansion, Mr. Mubah said, something he described as being evil.
“Today the Bong County technical College and so many other projects in the county here that was initiated by us (the 52th and 53th legislature) are yet to be completed. That should be a shame on the part of our leaders in the county,” the former Lawmaker said.
Frowning on the reported rift in the Bong County Legislative Caucus, Mr. Mulbah said: “During our time, there were some disagreement among us the members of the caucus, but did not stop us from working in the interest of our people and the county at large.”
He said they were sensitive to the plats of the ordinary people at all time, but that is a different case for members of the current 54th legislative caucus of the county.
The former Deputy Speaker outrightly blamed the county lawmakers for the under development of Bong County.
The former District number #1 Representative claimed that there are some leaders in the county who are bent on fighting to remove young people from jobs in the country simply because these young people didn’t vote for them or were not in their camps doing the election period.
“When these leaders need the votes of our people, they humble themselves and make a lot of promises. See what is happening in this county today, under this current 53th legislature, Bong County is yet to boasts of tangible developmental projects.”
Former Rep. Mulbah believes that the true meaning of a public servant is to serve his people at all time and the opposite.
“It’s therefore incumbent upon all leaders/authorities of the county to set a new stage, turn a new page and work together so that in the future, Bong County and its people will be better than their yesterday and today. Be that as it may, to make their tomorrow better than their yesterday and today will require that they all learn to integrate everyone in the decisions that affect the land.”
He cited as an example, the decisions taken about the Bong County development funds, saying that development priorities should not be left with a chosen few. Mr. Mulbah then called for genuine reconciliation and unity of Bonty County, something he said “should not be left with few individuals to decide our fate”.
“Our lawmakers should adopt a new way of representation, such as regular periodic meetings to inform them about the deeds and not only words at the legislature. The education of our children through the County Development Funds should not be politicized,” former Representative Mulbah concluded.