Monrovia – A visiting former President of the University of Liberia Student Union (ULSU), Christian R. W Baker, has described the sanitary conditions, especially in Central Monrovia as ‘‘very terrible’’, calling on President Joseph Nyuma Boakai and Vice President Jeremiah K. Koung Government to urgently address the poor sanitary conditions or else the people could perish.
By Augustus D.R [email protected]
Mr. Baker, who is visiting Liberia after being away for 25 years, said he was extremely discouraged when he took a tour on Benson, Gurley and Newport Streets where he saw the inexcusable living conditions of the Liberian people.
Speaking in an interview with the FrontPage Africa (FPA) following the tour of Central Monrovia recently, Mr. Baker decried the living conditions of the people on these streets, saying the government must open its eyes and urgently address the sanitary conditions of these communities.
‘‘We have major sanitary problems. I saw the people walking over feces, water coming down. The sanitary conditions played on me and that day I did not even eat any food . On Newport Street, I saw bags with feces in them. How can you be running a government and subject your people to this thing. I am not saying the government is not doing other good things. But I am only speaking on what I have seen. The health of your people is very important and it must always be addressed because it can create sicknesses and claim lives, ’’Mr. Baker, who is the Pastor of the Church of the Divine Covenant situated in Levittown, Pennsylvania, United States of America told the FPA.
‘‘The government must deal with the sanitary conditions. What I see in Central Monrovia is discouraging and it must be addressed urgently,’’ he emphasized.
Pastor Baker, who said the church sent him on a mission to Liberia to see how they can create a Liberia-America Pastoral Net Work where they in America can be in the position to help poor Liberian churches with books, clothing, food and etc., expressed the hope that the government will heed his call in urgently addressing the sanatory conditions in Central Monrovia.
At the same, the renowned US based Liberian clergy said his attention has also been drawn to the major road leading from the Roberts International Airport(RIA) to town , terming the road as ‘‘dangerous’’.
‘‘The RIA Road is very dangerous. The pot holes, the darkness-no lights. I do not understand how the government will be bringing foreign dignitaries into this country and will subject them riding in that kind of road. And then they sit in air condition offices and assume that they are running government. One of the areas they really need to focus on before addressing the national road network is to get the RIA Road fixed- well paved and have good street lights,’’ the outspoken Liberian Pastor pointed out.
Meanwhile, Mr. Baker has challenged the Unity Party(UP)-led Government to address the basic needs of the Liberian people for which the party was elected for.
He observed that the UP Government needs to do more in providing jobs, protecting lives and properties and enhancing the social needs of the Liberian people.
The well-known Liberian clergy, Pastor Baker, quoting Thomas Hobbes and John Locke, two major proponents of the social contract theory, proclaimed that the government should exist for the people to protect liberty, property and life, but not vice versa.
He said if the government fails to work for the welfare of the society, the people have the right to change the government through democratic change.
‘‘The social contract establishes social society. In that contract, the people implicitly enter into an agreement with a government by voting a political party in power. In return, so the party government will provide the people with the basic necessities of life. If the party fails to live up to that contract with the people, the people have every right to protest, call for mass demonstrations and use their voting powers during general elections, to effect the necessary change and remove the government for failing on its implicit contract with the people,’’ he stated.
Against this backdrop, Pastor Baker uttered: ‘‘ The government must not enrich itself and forget about what it promised to do for the Liberian people or else the Liberian people will vote it out.’’
‘‘The government must address the basic needs, creating jobs and enhancing the social services. Nothing is going on the job market. I do not think the UP is meeting its promises of the Liberian people. And the party must wake up and address them now or else the party will blame itself if not reelected in 2029,’’ he, among other things, added.
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