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Liberia news

Hustling politicians?

Politics is a game based on interest, and if interest is the ultimate goal other than what electorates are told in campaigns, then disillusionment is soon to set in if promises made are not fulfilled. Liberia seems to have walloped in such quagmire for a very long time as politicians after politicians raise hopes of the people at the ballot box, but after they ascend to power, the rhythm changes.

Hustling pol

Perhaps it is in pursuit of this personal interest rather than the general wellbeing of the citizenry that many politicians here are now jumping from one party to another or forming alliances of various shades on the road to the 2017 elections.

A Liberian lawmaker Sen. Thomas Grupee says most politicians here and their followers are hungry as evidenced by how they are jumping from one party to theother, chasing money, positions and gifts.

The list is countless: Emmanuel Lomax has summersaulted three times from the NPP to ALP and now the LP, while current ANC National Chair Orishod Gould jumped the boat from the CDC and organized the ANC. Ex-speaker Alex Tyler resigned from the ruling UP and founded the LPDP, while UP Montserrado County campaign Manager Musa H. Bility recently crossed over to Cllr. Charles walker Brumskine’s LP, among others.

Sen. Grupee, who has already vowed on state-broadcaster ELBC to voteVice President Joseph NyumahBoakai as Liberia’s next president ifelections were held today, said despite thealarming number of aspirants seeking elected offices, not many of themwill end up being candidates because they would change their mindsbefore October 2017.

“I have seen people here jumping from one political party to theother. And a friend of mine was telling me the otherday say Tom, by the time October comes, some of these people wouldhave changed political parties about four, five times. Okay, what isthe driving force? Money,” he told ELBC’s Super Morning Show onWednesday, 16 November.

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Grupee notes that “the level of poverty in this country is sobad” that people are compromising themselves, suggesting that ifLiberty Party were dividing motorbikes today or giving out things,people would jump there to claim membership with LP.

He estimated about 22 registered political parties in Liberia, besides independent candidates that he said could be summed up to30 [persons] that are looking for the presidency. The Nimba Lawmaker thinks many aspirants are justseeking relevance and they will not end up being candidates for theoffices they are aspiring to, citing alleged conversations he hadwith aspirants from his county.

He however expressed worries that such practice has always plungedLiberia in trouble, adding that the country is soresourceful but it faces problem of bad management system. According to him, Liberia’s bad managementsystem cannot be attributed only to the presidency, saying it is “a fact” that every agency and all sectors here are corrupt.

“Liberia is so resourceful; but the problem that we have is badmanagement; bad management. Okay, and this cannot be contributed toonly the presidency. All of those, when I look at every sector ofLiberia, agency, they’re all corrupt.”

He said corruption has become so endemic that the entire country is being run on “small thing” as people are asked to pay for every service they need from governmentagencies even if government does not require payment for such.

“A Lady told me the other day that Liberia runs on small thing. I saidwhat [do] you mean, she said I want [to] go register here, they saygive me small thing. You want [to] … free your products from the Portthey say give me small thing. Ehn, you even want to pass legislation, they say small thing.”

By Winston W. Parley-Editing by Jonathan Browne

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