By: Matthew H. Turry
MONROVIA – It seems the sense of affinity and gratitude which the ordinary masses of district #7, Montserrado County carry in their hearts for movie artist turned politician, Gregory Artus Frank, is overly impervious against propaganda put up by his opponents. An eloquent testimony was a scenario of a human tsunami over the weekend, when an unprecedented groundswell of supporters congregated to petition Mr. Frank for what they described as his “developmental initiatives” in the district to step forward to contest for the district seat in the October 10, 2023 Presidential and Legislative elections.
Accordingly, the occasion drew people from far and near and can be found in different categories of human endeavors including professional friends, politicians, elders, civil society organizations, women groups, supporters, family members, and friends and when the well-known celebrity unveiled his acceptance and what he intends to do as lawmaker, the venue went wild with celebration.
Reading the petition on behalf of swarms of citizens who were singing, dancing and chanting slogans, on Saturday, January 7, 2023, in Monrovia, the chairman of the Movement for Frank Artus CMOFA), McPherson Darweh said Amb. Gregory Artus Frank has the right pedigree that the district can be redeemed.
According to the chairman, based on the critical role Frank played in the development of the district prompted the citizens to gather in their numbers to petition him. He noted that Amb. Frank has made tremendous efforts in the life of many people, ranging from the improvement of female livelihood in terms of skills training, and the promotion of peace and tranquility in the district.
“We the people of district number 7 have experienced over the time an absent-minded representation. The district is lacking the proper representative that will advocate on behalf of its constituents; a representative that will create the necessary oversight responsibility to see through or come to light the basic necessities of life: such as health and sanitation, education, youth empowerment, and a clean and healthy environment”, he stressed.
He maintained that the livelihood of the constituents is under serious security threat as the result of the proliferation of contraband. He added that today, youth are the direct victims of substance abuse and the Representative has less attention to it.
Chairman Darweh drew the attention of the audience to the unfavorable conditions of the people by saying the district is so rich with respect to the presence of business and international organizations yet the living conditions of most places in the district remains deplorable. Adding the sanitation conditions of the mothers, fathers, brothers, and sisters selling down waterside remains the worst situation that man can ever adapt to.
“With all of the human rights advocacy agencies we have in the district, with all the top government offices we have in the district, the disabled community remains unfunded as such their living condition is deteriorating day by day. And upon this backdrop and many other situations that need to be addressed in our district, we the constituents of District # 7 have galvanized ourselves to petition you, Amb. Gregory Artus Frank to run for the seat of Representative in this coming October 2023 general elections”, he read.
Receiving the petition, Amb. Gregory Artus Frank commonly known as Frank Artus cautioned the petitioner not to “eat their 6years in one day”. According to Mr. Frank, many people asked the most popular question: what the person has done.
Narrowing this to the present dispensation which electorates use to evaluate politicians in Liberia, he noted that the “question what have you done” is the beginning of corruption and is the reason why politicians lie to the electorates.
“For me, I say to you today, that question is the beginning of corruption. The question is the reason why our politician lies to us a lot. The question is the reason politicians do a lot of things beyond their reach just to satisfy our need, and it is the same question that makes politicians after winning elections look you in the face and say “I bought your votes”, he asserted.
The former Liberian Movie President maintained that electorates should stop asking what you have done and begin to ask the necessary questions that could be, can this person represent us, what difference can he make in the legislature, is he a better lawmaker, what new is he bringing to the table amongst others.
“Will you be by me; many at times in Liberia we petition the right person but again for some petite reasons in the dying minute we let them down”, he expressed.
Given his life experience and his success in the movie industry, the Liberian movie icon said he hustled and struggled like anyone seeking to succeed in life. “I was a petite trader, yana boy, a value boy and a taxi driver”, he noted.
“After all this hustling and struggling God has finally answered my prayer when I first made the movie (Juetey) . That was when I realized that it was a career path for an actor. I was very proud coming back home to bring the Face of Africa Award to my country”, he explained.
He added that upon his return to give to his country, he became the President of the Liberia Movie Union and Chairman of the National Collectives Societies of Liberia where he made his impact. Meanwhile, Mr. Frank appreciated the people of the electoral District #7 of Montserrado County for the confidence to petition him. “I am grateful to all of you for this auspicious program”, he said
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