Monrovia – Mr. Desire Satia in his late thirty’s is vigorously campaigning to replace Josephine Frances as District #1 Montserrado County Representative. Younger than the current district lawmaker, he believes he has what it takes to adequately represent the people of that district in the 54th legislature.
Report by Henry Karmo – [email protected]
He sees himself as someone with a proven record of truthfulness and selflessness and he believes it is people with such characteristic the district needs.
Satia said: “Our district needs someone who understands that the next six years is going to be a major paradigm shift in development in our district.
As a candidate he has a loaded platform with Education, Health, Agriculture and Reconciliation.”
According to Satia as Representative his first job will be to reconcile the people of the district because according to him the elections has created some bad blood among citizens and the only way to heal those wounds is through reconciliation.
“I have been tested and proven in the district by my developmental work and humanitarian services rendered to people of this district. We will continue to be truthful and selfless and continue to go on with our development orientation,” Satia said.
“I have a platform, education, health; agriculture and reconciliation are top priorities in my first hundred days. In my first hundred days I will be focused on reconciliation. If elected I will be calling for district wide reconciliation and I will ask our traditional leaders to head the process.
“Health and education will also be part of my 100 days agenda and electricity will be last on my agenda,” he added.
In an interview with FrontPageAfrica he wants land owners in the area to reserve some of their land space because according to him land in District #1 specifically Bentol has been sold and if the district is to attract investors there is a need to reserve some of land space something he said will need collaborative efforts.
District #1 is the largest district in land space in Montserrado County, currently it has little over 41 thousand registered voter according to the National Election Commission data. The district hosts the capitol city of Montserrado County Bentol.
Bentol, a small city situated thirty minutes from Monrovia, still bears some scars of the vandalism and looting that characterized Liberia’s first military coup in which President William Richard Tolbert, a Baptist preacher and native of the town, was slain in 1980.
The town also suffered more extensive looting during the country’s back-to-back civil wars of the 1990’s.
Ancestors of the Tolberts migrated from South Carolina in the United States in the 1870s due to oppression and headed to West Africa.
Their home, Bentol, is the combination of the last names of two former Liberian Presidents hailing from and with strong connection to the town – Stephen Allen Benson and William Richard Tolbert – both of them descendants of former freed and repatriated slaves.
After serving for nearly ten years as President, Tolbert was killed in the Samuel Doe-led coup of 1980, forcing many surviving family members to flee the country and leaving Bentol lying looted, vulnerable, and idle and in ruins.