They Want Gov’t To Take Strong Security Measures, As They Threaten To Boycott Oct. 10 Elections, Amid Passage Of The New Drugs Law
By Kelvin Gonlah, gonlahkelvin1995@gmail.com
At risk/disadvantaged youths in Liberian locally called, “Zogos” are probably feeling betrayed by the CDC government of President George Manneh Weah who took office nearly six years ago, promising to rehabilitate them.
With no rehabilitation and illicit drugs treatment center set up so far, the government has just in the last few months to elections announced that it has released one million US dollars to begin rehabilitating the tens of thousands of “Zogos”,
But now, in the wake of the recent passage of the new drugs law by the Liberian Legislature, some at-risk youths locally referred to as “Zogos” of Margibi County have vowed to boycott the October 10 Elections, stating that the government of Liberia should put in strong security measures before passing the drugs law.
Liberians are due to go to the polls in just over three months in presidential and legislative elections with incumbent President George Weah and his CDC planning to seek the people’s mandate for a second six-year term of office.
FLASHBACK Zogoes lining up for feeding by a foreign businessman
Members of the 54th Legislature move is part of the government’s effort to combat drugs-related crimes which staggering a huge tension in the Liberian society, the House of Legislature have voted to enact several amendments to the Liberia’s drugs law, making most offenses non-bailable. The new law states that drugs dealers, cultivators, and manufacturers are not eligible for bail but if found guilty, they would be sentenced to life imprisonment.
Speaking to some disadvantaged youths in Margibi County District # 1 over the weekend, they explained that their decisions to boycott the October 10 Elections is based on the ineffectiveness of national government to put in strong measures to remove them from the ghettos. This, they say will enable them to have access to Vocational school and rehabilitation center that will also accommodate them.
Emmanuel Kollie, one of the disadvantaged youths (Zogos) appealed to the government of Liberia (GOL) to open a vocational training center for that them. According to him, it will also help solidified government’s effort by creating self-employment for many of them to alleviate harassment on the street but if the government cannot see reason to their quests, they will boycott the October 10 Elections to call national government’s attention as part of their constitutional rights.
“If President Weah decide to sign the drugs law, we done have any problem with it because it will also help to transform some of us lives as you can see for yourself, we are tired being on the street with lot of different names that have been attached to us. Some people always say we are the worst people on earth but if he President Weah cannot put in proper measures to secure our well-being as the most talk about citizens in Liberia, the only action we will take is on elections day to punish this government because they have failed us”, he noted.
“The only way this whole drugs business will be minimized in Liberia is when our government think about creating job facilities for us by providing vocational training centers of us to have skill knowledge; we will think in a positive direction to forget about this drugs business because we are also the future leaders too, we have lot to offer our beloved country, Liberia. When we are in the ghetto, some people think negative about us but that is a blatant lie, in the ghetto, we have professional people here too”, the disadvantage youth, Emmanuel Kollie added.
Also speaking, Samuel Tengbeh disadvantage youths (Zogoe) said that he is excited by the decision taken by the House of Legislature but before President Weah signed the drugs new law, the government should think about creating more awareness and put in serious security measures on those borders like Guinea, Sierra Leone and Ivory Coast adding that it’s the main entry where drugs enter Liberia.
“We are only the consumers of drugs, we are not the dealers, the dealers are those who supply us. I think our government target should be mainly on those dealers and top officials who pretend as though they are not part of us. We have reached to a point where the government of Liberia (GOL) should be able to take full responsibility for our needs because leaving drugs is not an easy thing especially some of us who are suffering from drugs addiction. My only worry is for President Weah to build a rehabilitation center that will accommodate us but if he doesn’t, we will boycott the October 10 Elections”, another disadvantage youths (Zogo) informed the Liberian government.
He continued: “We also want the president to open football academy for us because some of us are senior players, we still have the passion for sports. If President Weah could open an academy for us, then some of us have gone far in our careers. We are jobless, the only way we can support our hobby is to either go on the dump site to look for old iron to support our hobby because we are already in the game (drugs business)”.
Interestingly, one of the at-risk youths (Zogos), Succes Urey who claims to be a relative to the former Standard Bearer All Liberian Party (ALP) Benoni Urey avouched that the action which lead him as a drugs artist who the wide speculations among many people who claimed that drugs artists are arm rubbers, killers and the worst people on earth.
“Since I started smoking I have never steal before, I survive from my skill I learned. I have a mini motorbike garage where I repair motorbike in Careysbury where I live currently. We are appealing to President Weah to open a rehabilitation center and a vocational training center attached to it to keep us busy so we can take our minds for this whole drugs business where sometimes people accused us falsely of killing and stealing but his failure to do so, we will boycott the October 10 Elections because we also have the numbers in the ghetto too,” said Success Urey.