Our dear Lawmakers,
We, a group of concerned citizens of the Republic of Liberia, having heard from many sources, including some of you the lawmakers, about your failure to fully and sincerely seek our interests at the Capitol, write to ask you why, and to make a few comments in that direction.
You see, dear lawmakers, when we elect you and put you other there – there, at the Capitol – we do so, believing that you will represent and push our interests, and not those of yours or of other people or institutions. In short, we expect you to uphold the saying, “above all else, the people.”
However, from what we continue to hear, it seems the opposite is true – you don’t make us the focal point in your decision-making, which is a very pathetic situation. It’s no wonder some regret ever sending some of you to that place.
When elections are being held, you talk and move and act as if we the people will be at the center of everything. When you get there – that is, at the Capitol – your interests become the center. We think you think we are all fools. You think your career is to use us to get what you want for you and your families. We are getting tired with your continuous deceitfulness and lack of interest in our well-being.
It seems you value the interests of individuals and institutions that butter your bread, instead of the interests of us the people, forgetting to know that we are the ones who put you over there. What kind of lawmakers are you people, then?
You think about how many gas slips you should get every week or month. Some of you have twenty-four-hour current as a result of the free gas you get. You don’t even provide current for the people living around your residences. What kind of lawmakers are you people, then? You focus on how much money you should receive every month for scratch cards. You don’t think about us. What kind of lawmakers are you? You arrange for yourselves thousands of United States dollars as salaries every month, when bulk of the people are jobless or are paid peanuts. What kind of lawmakers are you?
Just this same year, Representative Edwin Snowe admitted that the 52nd Legislature failed us the Liberian people, yet none of you have refunded the money we paid you. In spite of the millions of dollars you took in the form of gas slips, scratch cards, salaries, and so forth, Representative Snowe told us that you guys failed us. You didn’t perform your end of the contract, yet you used our resources. What kind of lawmakers are you? Should we say, “Shame on you?”
Why do you focus on yourselves, instead of on us? Is it that you are weaklings that are incapable of standing up for us the people? Is it because you are unqualified or unprepared to ably represent us the people? Is it because you are determined to enrich yourselves? In other words, is enriching yourselves on the backs of the Liberian people your primary objective for fooling us to elect? What kind of lawmakers are you? Should we say, “Shame on you?”
A few days ago, another lawmaker, Bomi County Senior Senator Lahai Lassana, told us that you lawmakers were forced to hurriedly pass the concession agreement between the Government of Liberia and the Sime Darby Plantation, saying that the passing of the agreement without thorough checks and balances is now affecting the people of Bomi and Ground Cape Mount Counties. Why did you allow yourselves to be forced against the interest of the people? What kind of lawmakers are you, then? Should we say, “Shame on you””
Based on these and many other examples, we believe you people will soon pass an anti-citizen oil law, only for some of you to come back in a few years to tell us that you have failed us and that you were forced to pass it. What kind of lawmakers are you? Should we say, “Shame on you”?
We, the group of concerned citizens mentioned above, would like to stop here for now, but rest assured that we the people will return with another letter, for we really wish to know the kind of lawmakers you are.
Yours very sincerely,
The Citizens |
