MONROVIA – As aspirants continue to make public declarations on the various positions they wish to contest in the upcoming general election, Mr. James Hallowanger, a former Deputy Director for Administration of the Special Security Service (SSS) now Executive Protection Service (EPS) has said he intends to contest as a senator in Nimba County, sating among other things to reconcile the various ethnic groups which include Gio, Mano, Krahn, Mandingo, Gbi and Doru.
Mr. Hallowanger who said he has not made any firmed decision on which party he will contest, said his intention to reconcile the various groups in the county is to demonstrate to the people that “no one tribe can claim supremacy in county, because when our former elders and leaders were meeting together those days; they met as one Nimba and we want to be a senator to accept all tribes as our people”.
“We also want to include all the tribes in the administrative structure of the county. Appointment to jobs in the county should not be based on the biggest or the bigger tribes of the county, but should be based on competence and qualifications.
“The marginalized tribes should be part of the decision making of the county so as not to feel marginalized. We have observed the underdevelopment of regions of the county like Kparblee and the Gbi and Doru, and that should not be”, he said.
Mr. Hallowanger said he has a radical departure posture of how politics is being practices in Liberia where a lawmaker goes out of his cardinal roles of lawmaking, oversight and representation to “build roads, give bags of rice, and distribute bundles of zincs”
The aspirant who spoke to The Analyst said his tenure will witness massive development which will be sourced from the county development fund and will include but not limited to building roads and bridges to the districts, purchasing drugs and making emergency intervention in the health sector, empowering students / youth with scholarships, prioritizing the security of lives and properties of the people, investing in agriculture where massive farming will take place in the 9 electoral districts as well as promoting sports and making sure that athletes competing for the county during the annual county meet will get their benefits without interfering from the officials.
“All these must be done with the county development funds. Besides, our county sitting must be opened to the citizens of the county as to where, how the funds are distributed”, he said, adding “Nimba is not the personal property of anybody and so all must be treated equally as Nimbaians.
When asked what he has been doing for the people of Nimba County that will make the people to be attracted to him, he said he is not the type of person who goes on bragging for what he has done for his own people which should not be the criteria for the emergent of a good leader but it is important to stress that he has been involved in the capacity building of the young people with scholarships offer to a lot of students and empowerment initiatives for the young people.
“Besides I have served the then Special Security Services (SSS) now the Executive Protection Services (EPS) as Deputy Director Administration and then as Acting Director exceptionally well and this is a service to national duty. My performance is also an achievement to my county and whatever that came up positively, it was because I did not betray their trust as a worthy son of the county who worked so hard and diligently and left a mark. The credit goes to the People of Nimba County. I want to also replicate this when I am elected by the people to represent them”, he said.