GBARNGA, Bong County – Citizens of Bong County have decried the current economic hardship in the country, and called on President George Mannah Weah to urgently address the situation.
The respondents in separate interviews with FrontPageAfrica said the current economic hardship in the country has adversely affected the cost of essential goods and services.
According to them, the effect of the economic recession has brought untold hardship, making cost of living unbearable for many citizens.
They called on the Weah-led government to take urgent actions to address the economic downturn to ameliorate the suffering of the people, especially the ordinary citizens.
Annie Kollie, a mother of three, said prices of commodities were on steady increase despite a drop in the rate of the United States to Liberian dollar.
She said Liberians were suffering untold social and economic hardship and appealed to the president to take steps to address the prevailing economic woes.
‘The pains are becoming unbearable and people can hardly afford food a day while the prices of goods and services keep increasing despite a drop in the United States dollars rate,’ she said.
Aaron Dunbar, another resident of Gbarnga, said the current economic climate was biting much harder on civil servants whose incomes were harmonized. He called for an upward review of salaries of civil servants to meet the current economic reality. ‘People barely survive in an economy where prices is staple food items and other essential services have risen beyond the reach of the average people on the streets,’ he said.
Traders groan as hardship bites
Also, traders in Bong County are also lamenting the lack of patronage by customers as the result of low purchasing power occasionaed by the harsh economic situation in the country.
A trader who spoke with our reporter attributed the situation to the leadership style of President Weah. A trader, who identified himself as Michael, complained that the sales are usually low and the lingering hike in the prices of commodities is not helping matter. ‘Cost of living is very hard. Everything has gone up and it doesn’t seem the government is doing anything much to help the situation,’ he said.
Garmai Mulbah who runs a provision shop told FrontPageAfrica that the current government may have to come up with a stable economic policy to improve the situation of things in the country.
Similarly, a woman who hawks cold drinks in the Gbarnga Central market people who patronize her have always demanded for sachet water as against bottled water and drinks which she equally sells. She pointed that something needed to be done so that the current situation can be improved.