By Lewis S Teh
Veteran Liberian lawyer and Presidential Candidate, Cllr. Tiawan Saye Gongloe, says when elected President of Liberia, he would waste no time in subjecting corrupt officials to the rule of law, as the foundation for development.
“Ladies and gentlemen of the press, we continue to stress the rule of law in this country, and by God’s power if elected, all those officials that are going against the law by means of corruption, violation of the law, and citizens’ rights will be subjected to the rule of law, because this is the foundation for the development of Liberia”, he promises.
Cllr. Gongloe, who is Standard Bearer of the Liberian People’s Party (LPP) made the vow on Friday, August 25, in a news conference held in his office on Ashmun Street in Monrovia.
He says the rule of law is the number one on his platform for a better Liberia, underscoring that nothing happens in any country positively in the absence of the rule of law.
“Rule of Law sets the tune for sustainable economic development, investment, employment, education, health for everything that government wants to do, that is why I’m emphasizing it.”
The Counselor further vows that is the kind of standard he envisages for Liberia where anyone irrespective of status will be equally subjected to the rule of law once the law is violated, including janitors.
“Even if my son or daughter violated the law, they will bear the penalty because nobody is higher than Liberia.”
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He frowns at the country’s poor health care system, which he observes, was responsible for the death of former Minister of Justice, Cllr. Henry Reeves Cooper.
Cllr. Gongloe laments that it’s unfortunate and shameful that Liberia lacks good diagnostic process with lot of treatments being conducted through guesswork all because of the absence of appropriate equipment to diagnose patients, adding that when people are not diagnosed properly, it’s difficult to treat properly.
“If the John F. Kennedy Medical Center, which is considered first among all, does not have paracetamol, you do not expect the clinic in ‘Bocongedea’ or in Sasstown to have medicine”, he continues.
He says the people of Liberia are living by the grace of God because the whole medical system is broken down completely due to lack of rule of law, but vows that when he is elected President, he will never go abroad to seek medication.
The Presidential Candidate who carries a broom in public to symbolize his commitment to sweep corruption in the public sector, also vows that he will not take a cent from government coffers to seek treatment abroad, if elected President, saying “me, my vice president and the government will collectively work to make our health care system works.”
“No sick people can do things well; you can’t go to school or work if you’re not healthy”, the Counselor adds.
Meanwhile, the LPP candidate is calling for reconciliation among political actors, noting that even though former President Sirleaf admitted to failing to reconcile the nation, there’s a need for citizens to reconcile.
“Everywhere I go during this campaign period, I reconcile the people; imagine I slept in Tuzon, former President Doe’s town. Given what happened between the Mano, Gio and Krahn people during the civil war, I had the courage to sleep in that town and the people knowing where I come from were happy”, he reveals.
He notes that Liberians want to be united and they are yearning for a leader that is capable of bringing them together.
According to him, his recent decision to have gone to the ruling CDC headquarters to sympathize with the Coalition for the loss of three female partisans was meant to demonstrate unity, stressing “As we engage in politics and speak against each other, we must not compromise the single star of the country that became the first in Africa.” Editing by Jonathan Browne
