MONROVIA – The Liberia Council of Churches (LCC), through its President Bishop Kortu K. Brown, has challenged the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) led-government of President George Manneh Weah to desist from paying “lip service” to the fight against corruption in the public sector and take tougher actions against officials found culpable of bleeding the country’s coffers to satisfy their personal aggrandizement to the detriment of the suffering masses.
Founded in 1982, the LCC is an ecumenical Christian organization that comprises of churches and other religious groups operating in Liberia.
In a statement issued in Monrovia recently, Bishop Brown emphasized that corruption, which has engulfed all sectors of the Liberian society for several decades, will continue to delay the future of Liberia and its citizens if government does not avoid paying lip service to the menace.
Bishop Brown made specific reference to the alleged corruption saga involving the suspended Managing Director of the Liberia Water and Sewer Corporation (LWSC), Mr. Duannah Kamara.
It can be recalled that President Weah on Thursday, June 10 suspended with immediate effect Mr. Kamara and Sensee J. Morris, Managing Director and Deputy Managing Director for Finance of the Liberia Water and Sewer Corporation (LWSC) respectively following reports of disturbances and allegations of corruption at the corporation.
The Liberia leader also mandated the General Auditing Commission (GAC) to report to him within 30 days.
But Bishop Brown maintained that though the action taken by President Weah is welcoming, the Liberian leader must go beyond the suspension and ensure that whoever is held liable for the confusion that has engulfed the corporation is held to account for their action”.
He observed that corruption remains the “number one public enemy and under-cutter” of Liberia’s national development aspirations, and as such, the government must demonstrate that it is able to confront this head on by ensuring that the row at the LWSC over the transfer of money out of the agency by the suspended Managing Director without the consent of the Comptroller is speedily investigated and findings made public.
“Corruption will delay the future we seek as Liberians if we do not take it head on. It affects every faucet of our national life and slows down our progress as a nation. Government must avoid paying lip service to the fight against corruption because if the country doesn’t rise up to confront waste, fraud, and abuse, the future we seek will elude us as it has so far shown us over the years”.
“We acclaim some of the prospects and some efforts of the government present. However, without a clear push against graft in our society, the development we seek will be hard in coming”.
Bishop Brown maintained that it is now time that Liberia projects itself to the outside world that it is now capable of addressing the entrenched culture of impunity in the society by ensuring that the country’s resources are not squandered with impunity.
He added that people who mismanaged public resources meant to improve the lives of the ordinary citizens should not go unpunished.
The world is watching
Speaking further, Bishop Brown indicated that both government officials and other citizens should be cognizant of the fact that the world is watching whatever that is going on in the post-conflict nation.
According to him, the shady deals of corrupt public officials who continue to accumulate ill-gotten wealth and others to the detriment of the Liberian people are being recorded.
“Whatever we do in this country we must realize that the world is watching us. The people we ask for money before we can grant them a concession will tell other people who they meet out there who may inquire from them about the business climate in the country”.
Bishop Brown continued: “The people of Liberia are also watching us; if we get rich overnight while the rest of the people swim in abject poverty fighting daily just to find a single meal for them and their families-the world is keeping record of our transactions in and out of the country”.
Building public image
Despite the situation, Bishop Brown urged Liberians to work hard and hold together to “erase the perception out there that we are a very corrupt people”.
He added that Liberians should not make others feel or think that they care less about their own country and people, or they are only interested in taking up high positions and putting monies in their pockets without “deep concerns” for the plights of the people.
“If the courts are seen to be places where bribery occurs on a daily basis, I don’t care how many workshops or conferences they hold; it will not change the public image of the country”.
Bishop Brown emphasized that foreign investors must trust the court system of Liberia before they bring in their monies to invest in the country, adding that, “nobody wants to invest in a country where they are not protected by the law”.