The near-perpetual rise of mountains of dirt and filth in and around Monrovia clearly suggests that sanitation and municipal authorities are firmly locked up in the abyss of laissez faire and carelessness. Those who follow the current garbage crisis in the country liken the evolving situation to war days when city governments and ordinary community leaders were concerned more about food and medicals than cleaning the environment. Over 15 years since the war ended, the country, especially Monrovia is seemingly sliding back to its wartime garbage status, and this is concerning to even the clergy. In an interview with reporters, the President of the country’s single largest Christian association lamented the invasion of the city by garbage, calling for special presidential taskforce and the total involvement of the citizenry to ward off looming health catastrophe. The Analyst reports.
The President of the Liberia Council of Churches has described the widespread exponential expansion of garbage in and around the seat of Government, Monrovia, as a serious public health concern that needs the concerted efforts of public, private and ordinary citizens.
Rev. Dr. Kortu Brown is therefore particularly calling on government institutions responsible for city cleaning and beatification to such as the Monrovia City Corporation, the Paynesville, the Liberia Marketing Association, Ministry of Public Works, Ministry of Health, amongst others, must do something urgently about the worsening sanitation problem.
The Pentecostal prelate demeaned what appears to be the invasion of several communities in Monrovia and its principal suburbs—West Point, Front Street, Duala, Point 4, Gurley Street, Red Light, Newport Street, New Kru Town, Jallah Town, Slipway, amongst others.
He said the situation is a clear and present danger for millions of residents.
Bishop Brown called for quick and decisive actions on the part of agencies having statutory functionaries to save the situation.
He also called on President of Liberia, Dr. George Manneh Weah, to appoint a Presidential Task Force to clean the city, adding that this is important “because the primary responsibility of any government is to ensure the safety of the public. As it is, Monrovia is becoming unsafe and something must be done by the CDC Government.”
The Council of Churches President spoke strongly about the need for the Government “to promote public safety, public health and public welfare” as enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic.
“Dirt, as we all know, gives birth to mosquitoes, mosquitoes breed malaria and malaria is source of death in Liberia,” Dr. Brown said. “This is why we expect the Ministry of Health to come in with the public awareness and action to contain the situation.”
Meanwhile, Rev. Brown is calling on all citizens and community leaders in Monrovia and its surroundings to keep their communities clean and properly dispose of the dirt from their homes and yards.
“MCC and the other cities require our partnership in this process of keeping our cities clean,” he stressed.
“In Exodus Chapter 19, God told the Children of Israel to wash their clothes and clean their communities for 3 days before He, God will descend the Mountain of Sanai to speak with them. As July 26, our Independence anniversary approaches, we need to clean our communities so God can visit us”, he urged the people of Liberia.”
Commenting on By-Elections Postsponement
During the interview, Rev. Brown also commented on the postponement of the Montserrado County By-elections, warning the National Elections Commission (NEC) to avoid pushing the country towards always violating the Constitution.
“These kinds of violations weakens the rule of law and makes the Government to suffer from the ‘deficit trust’ like when the people couldn’t trust in 2014 that Ebola was real or that the former warring faction, LURD had invaded the country in 2009,” he advised.
The Constitution requires a by-election in 90 days as a consequence of the death, resignation or expulsion of a member of the Legislature.
The NEC is currently headed by a Lawyer who is cognizant of these provisions and their consequences, he noted. “Is he willfully violating the Constitution? We will wait to see how they proceed”.
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