Anti-Corruption Day's Message From The Anti-Corruption Broom-Man, Tiawan S. Gongloe, to the Liberian People
The Perspective
Atlanta, Georgia
December 8, 2022
Posted December 11, 2022
Today marks international anti-corruption day. On this day we ask all Liberians to take a moment to reflect on what corruption has done to the people of Liberia. Corruption has made Liberia not to develop. Over the past 175 years, corruption has caused the violent removal of four presidents, three of whom were killed in the process. Corruption was the primary reason for the civil conflict that caused the death of over three hundred thousand Liberians.
Under the Weah government, Liberia is moving backward due to high corruption. Officials of his government have been sanctioned for being corrupt. Transparency International’s 2021 Corruption Perception Index (CPI) has ranked Liberia among the poor-performing countries in the fight against corruption. Out of 180 countries captured, Liberia ranked 136, scoring 29. This is shameful and disgraceful. Yet his government remains corrupt.
Why is a stand on corruption so important? Corruption encompasses serious crimes that undermine social and economic development in Liberia. As a result of this high level of corruption, Liberia has a poor health system, poor educational system, bad roads, and more hungry people than most countries in Africa. Because of corruption, more pregnant women, young children and the elderly are dying in Liberia than in many countries in the world; so many children are out of school because their parents are so poor to send them to school; more Liberians are hungry because they cannot afford the price of rice and government is doing nothing to help Liberian farmers to grow enough rice to feed the nation. Corruption has made it impossible for the government to maintain our roads; therefore, Liberians find it very difficult to move from one place to the other during the rainy season, especially in the southeastern part of Liberia, Nimba County, Grand Bassa County, Gbarpolo County, and Lofa County.
We call on the Liberian people to peacefully change the corrupt Weah government by voting for the right president and lawmakers in the ensuing 2023 general and presidential election. A free, fair, and transparent election is the only way Forward.
A Better Liberia is possible
