With a huge expectation from electorate to deliver, exercise transparency and unify the district, Montserrado County’s district #4 Representative, Michael M. Thomas, has refuted rumour that he received US$5,000 from the Unity Party for the electorate’s celebration of the inauguration of President Joseph N. Boakai. However, he announced his new position as Chairman on Judiciary in the House of Representatives; writes Ojuku Silver-tongue Kangar, Jr.
“There is this myth in the district about US$5,000 for every district for preparing our people to go to the inaugural program. Now, that is myth that Michael Thomas received US$5,000; it is blatant lie. I did not receive a dime from anybody,” Representative Thomas said during a special meeting with former representative-candidates of the district in the just ended election. “If I have received it, I would have officially announced it to the district and allowed our people to make a decision.”
In furtherance, Representative Thomas said that he heard that the US$5,000 was given to the district’s Unity Party leadership for some portion of the money to be used for district office rental fee, and the balance used for the inaugural commemoration because everyone could not attend the program at the Capitol Building.
But the US$5,000 expenditure has sparked a public debate nationwide, as UP partisans are protesting that each district received US$4,000 instead of the US$5,000.
But in a precise tone, Unity Party’s Chairman, Luther Tarpeh, said the US$1,000 deduction reached the approval of every district’s leadership nationwide before it was done.
In a related development, Representative Thomas told a team of journalists that he has been appointed by Speaker Fonati Koffa as Chair on Judiciary in the House of Representative.
“We have concluded the elections at the Legislature and the issue of speakership has been resolved; we voted overwhelmingly, and Cllr. J. Fonati Koffa won the speakership,” Representative Thomas said. “I have been offered officially as Chairman on Judiciary, which is a leadership position, and I serve as a number five person in the Legislature. So it shows that district #4 has won, and we will benefit.”
According to the Representative, the rendezvous with the former representative-candidates was in no way for him to cajole them to backout from political participation in the district come 2029’s general elections, but for his leadership to be holistic.
He refreshed the electorate’s minds that hand pump construction, wells digging, electrifying the district community by community, and so on, are underway, citing that all his election promises will not be forgotten, but will be fulfilled gradually. He said the electorate’s plight is his first priority.