–LPP standard bearer Cllr. Gongloe says
Opposition Liberian People’s Party (LPP’s) newly elected standard bearer, Cllr. Taiwan Saye Gongloe says corruption is a weapon of mass destruction that has made every aspect of life so difficult with children being affected the most.
Delivering a speech following his election in Gbarnga, Bong County on 16 September 2022, the renowned Liberian lawyer and presidential hopeful lamented that corruption has made it impossible for Liberians to travel in most parts of the country.
“Corruption is a weapon of mass destruction. In Liberia corruption has become a pandemic. Like a pandemic the only way to slow a pandemic is to take preventive measures,” said Cllr. Gongloe.
But Gongloe said he will tell the people that his party believes in operating an open, transparent, and accountable government.
If elected president of Liberia, Gongloe promised assets, salaries, and benefits of elected or appointed officials, including the president, and vice president will be made known to the public through publication under his government.
“We will mobilize and motivate the Liberian people by showing good examples, for all Liberians to collectively sweep corruption from Liberia,” said Cllr. Gongloe.
According to him, the number one task of the Liberian People’s Party today is to lead the Liberian people in the battle against corruption.
Gongloe warned that corruption is keeping more children out of school because their parents cannot afford to send them to school.
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He, therefore, called for collective effort in forming a movement against this notorious enemy of Liberia.
The LPP standard bearer complained that Liberia has experienced the worst forms of hardship from the effects of one-party rule, military dictatorship, armed civil conflict, brutal civilian dictatorship all due to bad governance stimulated by greed and selfishness.
Cllr. Gongloe argued that bad governance has made corruption an acceptable culture of governance, unfortunately.
As a result of the high level of corruption in most government offices in Liberia, he said, a majority of the people of Liberia are getting poorer and poorer every day.
“Corruption has made every aspect of life so difficult that more children are dying in Liberia before reaching the age of five, more pregnant women are dying and more people are dying from easily curable diseases and from hunger,” he lamented.
“Fellow partisans, the challenge of transforming Liberia into a better country for all is indeed a very difficult one. However, with our party’s principle of putting the interest of the people above all other considerations, we will overcome the challenge of transforming Liberia for all Liberians to equally enjoy Liberia,” Cllr. Gongloe pledged.
He suggested that the people of Botswana, Singapore, Rwanda and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have shown that with good leadership any country can be transformed into a better country, no matter how difficult the situation.
“For example, Botswana is a landlocked country with more than half of its land covered by the Kalahari Desert; Singapore is a little island with less natural resources; Rwanda is a landlocked country that fought a bitter civil war like Liberia, and the United Arab Emirates was a desert land for many years with the popular mode of transport being camels and donkeys,” he explained.
With good leadership, he said, these countries are among the better-developed countries of the world today and their citizens are getting richer due to less corruption, while the citizens of Liberia are getting poorer every day due to uncontrolled greed and corruption.
He further warned that Liberia cannot continue to choose bad leadership because bad leadership promotes corruption and corruption brings hopelessness, despair and untold hardship in any country.
“Today, for example, because of corruption, the SN Brussels has canceled all flights in and out of Liberia. Liberians flying out of Liberia or coming to Liberia have to travel to Freetown, Conakry or Abidjan by road to get on international flights. This is an additional source of suffering for Liberians,” he lamented.
