PHOTO: Maxon Kpakio, JFL Director
BY Our Reporter
The Executive Director of the Justice Forum Liberia has written an open letter to one of the ranking members of the United States Congress, Senator Ted Cruz, cautioning him to match the words of the CDC government of President George Manneh Weah against its deeds.
In his letter to Sen. Cruz, dated September 24, 2021, Mr. Maxon Kpakio called the US Senator’s attention to a number of bad governance practices of the Weah government since it took office close to four years ago, including cases of corruption.
But President Weah and his government has repeatedly said that it is committed to fighting corruption and bad government. A Bill from the Executive is currently before the country’s Legislature to give the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) prosecutorial power and protection for whistleblowers, among other things.
Mr. Kpakio said although the CDC’s elections mantra was “change for hope”, the deeds of the regime he claims shows the opposite, accusing President Weah of paying more “attention to making himself better first before the people and country.”
FULL TEXT OF THE JFL’S LETTER BELOW:
Senator Ted Cruz
Senator for Texas
127A Russell Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510
September 24th, 2021
Dear Senator Cruz,
I write this letter to you on behalf of this organization and the rest of the patriotic citizens of Liberia, but particularly the children of Liberia. Justice Forum LIBERIA is a social justice advocacy organization advocating for the rights of every citizens of Liberia also known as the voiceless. So, in short we voice out for the voiceless on those issues that affects them in everyday life, from corruption, to nepotism, from misused of power, to bad governance, from the inability for government to provide maximum security for her citizens to fighting drug trafficking, and the trade in human body parts, and from gender based violence, to mysterious deaths, etc.
This organization have decided to write you and few of your colleagues because we have been seeing photos of you and those of your colleagues on social media posted by few of our government officials, including the Minister of State Mr. Nathaniel McGill, and the Finance Minister, Mr. Samuel D. Tweh of the Liberian government with captions such as “we are lobbying for Liberians”, “we are here to see people who can defend the Liberian government at the Capitol Hill”, “these individuals will be pushing the CDC-led government interest at the Capitol Hill”, etc.
Senator Cruz, while we appreciate our government officials having the opportunity to meet with you and few members of your colleagues, we want you to know few facts that perhaps they have failed to tell you when they met with you. We want to once again remind you that we are speaking on behalf of the masses and we want you to please listen to us and our concerns expressed in this letter.
We will be honest here and share with you some of the issues we have been campaigning against which this CDC-led government continues to do creating rooms for more hardship, lack of preparation for the future for our children, and lack of developmental vision. We started our advocacy against this, ‘our’ government on wasteful spending as just within six months of President Weah presidency, he built over six tall buildings. He constructed an entertainment center know as Jamaican Resort, and also built his personal church. He bought himself a private jet, he rebuilt his three bed rooms into a mansion, and as we speak, we are told that he already bought himself a yacht which will be in the country as soon as he moved in his reconstructed home which is located near the beach. How will an individual come to power under the slogan “Hope for Change” but rather paid attention to making himself better first before the people and country?
We will appreciate for you to seek more redress to these concerns on behalf of the children of Liberia particularly before accepting the job as a lobbyist as you could be eating money that should have gone to help the government creating opportunities for young and disabled people of Liberia. Do you know that since 2017 the CDC-led government came to power not one vocational institution have been constructed? Do you know that there are school buildings in villages and towns that are leaking to the extent that during raining seasons learning are disrupted for several weeks?
Have you any idea that the unemployment rate at present is about 85%? Do you know that over 80% of the population is still living on less than $1 US Dollars? Do you know that nearly every week there is some kind of protest in the country were citizens are either calling for justice, seeking redress from the government to address social responsibility issues? We want you to put yourself in a leadership position as the president of Liberia facing all of these challenges but yet going out to pay people thousands of dollars for them to lobby for your government and create false impressions to the outside world that all is well.
Just within a year or so after taking state power, government money totaling $16 billion Liberian money disappeared, US$25 million dollars still in question since 2018, bogus concession agreements signed, mysterious disappearance of citizens, the mysterious death of four state editors, the ongoing ritualistic killings around the country, are all issues that you should be seeking redress on, Hon. Senator. Just few weeks ago before the team departed Liberia to meet with you people, President Weah have to turn over to his economic advisers Madam Makenneh Keita who he appointed and have been working directly as Director for special presidential projects for receiving an alleged bribed of US $5 million dollars from a would be investor. Prior to that, the Manager of the second largest port in Liberia, the Port of Buchannan, located in Grand Bassa County who is now believed to be out of the country after being accused of wiring about US$200,000 to a bank in USA pointed accusing fingers at the nation’s national port, the Freeport of Monrovia, Mr. Bill Teahway of stealing US$1.5 million dollars. Where you able to ask the team about news in Liberia? Accepting a job as a lobbyist and be paid huge amount of money extracted from the poor people of Liberia will be so unrealistic and you could only be assisting and contributing to more suffering in Liberia. Many Liberians are very sad and angry hearing that you have been hired as a lobbyist for this corrupt CDC-led government of George Weah. I hope that after reading this letter, you will get back to the team which was headed by the Minister of State, Nathaniel McGill and ask them few questions relative to these issues raised in this communication.
Thank you very kindly.
Yours, truly
Maxson S. Kpakio
Executive Director
Justice Forum LIBERIA (J.F.L.)
Tel: +231(0)775379665/+44(0)7475378999
This letter was also sent to:
Senate Majority Leader, Senator Chuck Schumer
Senator Lindsey Graham.