MONROVIA – Mr. Alexander Cummings, political leader of the Alternative National Congress (ANC) and a fierce critic of the George Weah administration says he is ready to offer his services to the government in combat of the coronavirus in the country.
Cummings lamented Liberia is currently experiencing a rapidly increasing surge in COVID cases, occasioned by an unimaginable number of hospitalizations and deaths, particularly, in Montserrado county and its environs.
Cummings: “We have gone from 2,149 cases a month ago to about 3,146 cases today, thus registering about 1,000 new cases in a month with 14 deaths. Hospitals are running out of beds and life-saving medical oxygen which are in short supply, are being rationed among those in extreme needs. Doctors, nurses and other healthcare practitioners and support staffs are scrambling. People are forced to look on helplessly as their family members and friends who are turned away, suffer, suffocate and die.”
Though offering to work with the government, he stated that administration has not been responsible enough to meet up with the urgency that the situation deserves.
Cummings: “In the midst of this chaos and existential threat to our people, President Weah without any conscience and sense of responsibility to the people, left on his usual private jet to Ghana. At this point, the President should cancel all further travels and remain in country to lead this effort until this situation is handled. There is no time for politics here. I call on President Weah to lead. That is why the people of this country gave him their votes in 2017. They entered a social contract with him to protect them and change their lives. He cannot continue to abandon that responsibility. He cannot continue to lead from the back as has been the case since his ascendancy. At this difficult time, we demand compassionate and prudent leadership, which is clearly lacking.”
According to Cummings, he does not believe that the public health measures announced by government is enough to stop the transmission of the virus. He said there is the need to act more fully to mobilize the nation to take the actions that are required to end the spread.
He recommended the National Budget is recast to provide funding for the purchase of beds, PPEs, masks, vaccines, ventilators, oxygen and massive awareness; Solicit additional support from our citizens in the diaspora and our international partners and donor community; Increase the hazard pay of existing health workers and employ more health workers and contact tracers; Immediately close all schools and ensure the completion of the semester from home, pending the end of this crisis and Work with community leaders and community-based organizations to create awareness and help with enforcement of GOL new regulations instead of the use of paramilitary forces. We are at war with COVID and not ourselves.
The ANC political leader and chairman emeritus of the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) also appealed to Liberians in the diaspora to reach out with whatever assistance and support they can mobilize and provide to the government, medical facilities, family members and loved ones in Liberia.
“I am also sending out an SOS call to the international community, especially the United States, the European Union, and all friendly nations of the world, for much-needed help with vaccines, medical supplies, ventilators, and other support to our hospitals and community clinics. At home and abroad, as Liberians do all we can to keep ourselves safe and care for those who are sick, I ask the world to also help us. If nothing is done urgently, our numbers will quadruple., more people will get infected and several more will die,” he stated.
He urged Liberians to wear masks at all times and observe precautionary measures to keep safe, adding that “The continued failures of the government, however frustrating, do not have to lead to any more avoidable deaths. Each of us need to act to save all of us. Our lives depend on each of us. Please, do whatever you can to save the life of a friend, neighbor, family, someone you love, or may not even know.”