The national legislature has been cited by the Bishop of the Baptist Restoration Ministries as one of the most notoriously corrupt organizations in Liberia and wants the entire slate of representatives and senators to be ousted in the elections of 2023.
The present crop of parliamentarians, according to Bishop Joseph Gardea Johnson, a former vice president of the Liberia Baptist Missionary and Educational Convention, are mostly to blame for the difficult socioeconomic circumstances the Liberian people are going through in the nation.
Bishop Johnson announced his decision to run a campaign against the reelection of these parliamentarians during a press conference held at his office in Congo Town.
He asserts that until Liberians can discover the legitimate candidates who possess the credibility, honesty, integrity, and freedom from corruption to fill these posts, they must keep changing their leaders. Bishop Johnson stated he does not give some of the opposing political parties his face because they have surrounded themselves with rehabilitated felons when speaking about the qualities of future elected leaders.
“Giving them state power is like putting rats in charge of kittens. By the opposition associating themselves with criminals is an indicator that they would do the worse.”
When asked about the coalition, he said if the government employees are perpetrating the worst of atrocities, then means they are replicating the wrongdoing they were fighting against. Bishop Johnson stated: “The level of poverty in our country is more than severe” in response to the impact of the challenging social and economic circumstances in Liberia. Because citizens are the best advocates any nation can have, the fact that people are poor hurts me and makes me feel horrible.
He claims that if the economy of the people is strengthened, they would be better able to build this country on their own as they won’t be relying on foreigners to do it for them. He questioned how government or concession company workers could afford to construct or buy cars when their wages did not support them. “When wage systems are inadequate, poverty is handed down from one generation to the next, and when parents are unable to find work, their children will utilize any means at their disposal to survive.” He charged that the whole leadership of Liberian society had failed to uphold laws that protected particular business sectors and the workforce.
The Liberian Baptist cleric commented on the Western Cluster deal, saying that most government representatives just negotiated for their own satisfaction as opposed to the interests of the people. “Why are certain government officials acting in such a nasty manner?” These are some of the same things that have been done repeatedly throughout the years to keep this nation’s population in abject poverty and to retard its pace of growth.
He suggested that a law be passed that would forbid the National Elections Commission from registering anyone to run for public office who has been recruited by anti-graft organizations until that person can come forward and claim their identity. Bishop Johnson emphasized, “We must not continue to permit NEC to register suspected criminals to run for public offices in this country,” noting that the current crop of lawmakers, some of whom are suspected of war crimes, corruption, and being hooked by anti-graft institutions, were imposed upon the people.
The Bishop of the Restoration Baptist Ministries accused the government of failing to address the issue of ritualistic killings by creating a national committee with the express purpose of looking into the circumstances surrounding the drownings of Harry Greaves and Odell Sherman, among other mysterious deaths that occurred under the administration of former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
Bishop Johnson is renowned for being pragmatic, all-encompassing, and outspoken on matters of national importance. He is also known to be brave and critical of the problems in Liberian society. He began as a preacher for the Liberia Baptist Missionary and Educational Convention and advanced to become the national executive committee of the Liberia Council of Churches; nevertheless, he departed to found the Baptist Restoration Baptist Ministries. He was ordained a bishop a little more than nine months ago, and the church is involved in setting up educational facilities for underprivileged children, feeding the elderly, helping with medication by paying hospital costs, and empowering many women through loans.
Reported by: Augustine Octavius
Contact: +231777463963
Email: augustineoctavius@gmail.com
