The Executive Director of the rights group, “Lady Justice Center of Liberia”, Hawa Metzger, has accused the 55th National Legislature of making the citizens poorer. Metzger stemmed her accusation on the lawmakers’ action of allocating huge sums of money to buy vehicles for themselves despite the huge salaries and benefits they are getting on a monthly basis, at the detriment of the citizens who elected them.
“Our country is rich with natural resources but the citizens continues to live in abject poverty, thus causing the citizenry across the country to becoming beggars in various communities and at street corners,” Hawa Metzger said.
The America-based Liberian social justice activist has decried the 55th National Legislature for allocating to themselves in the national envelope about US$45,000 each to purchase vehicles for the 103 lawmakers.
The World Bank latest poverty report indicates that 3 out of 10 people in Monrovia are living in poverty, and the situation is significantly worse in rural areas where 8 out of 10 individuals were affected by poverty in 2016. According to the report, this stark disparity between urban and rural areas poses a significant challenge to poverty reduction efforts in Liberia.
The report describes Liberia as one of the world’s poorest countries, having experienced a volatile growth trajectory marked by challenges of fragility. Despite possessing significant natural resources such as gold, iron ore, and plenty of land, Liberia’s economic performance has been unstable, largely hindered by conflict and reliant on exports of primary commodities.
This resource-driven growth model has failed to generate sufficient employment opportunities for Liberians or foster broad-based growth and development, further exacerbating the country’s poverty and economic challenges.
Speaking to a cross-section of Liberians on Tuesday, July 16, 2024, at the Center for the Exchange of Intellectual Opinions (CEIO) on Carey Street, central Monrovia, the Executive Director of the rights group said she wants the people of Liberia, mainly the youth, to demand that their lawmakers do the right thing for them.
Metzger has revealed that her call to the people of the Liberia concerning elected government officials does not in any way means that they should carry out protestation, but rather demand that they do the right that will help improve their lives.
“My institution is working with other rights groups in the country by making sure to address the challenges confronting the citizens across the country,” the Executive Director of Lady Justice Center of Liberia is quoted as saying.
She pointed out that her institution is also collaborating with other human rights institutions in the country to help address the plight of victims of human rights valuation, sexual abuse and ritualistic killings.
Further, the Executive Director has said there is need that background checks are done on the security apparatus in the country that are responsible for fighting illegal substances in the country.
“You cannot say you are fighting illegal substances but you are the main person that is allegedly involved with selling such substances,” Hawa Metzger said.
She revealed that her institution is also involved in removing from the streets people who are commonly referred to in Liberia as “zogoes”, but whom she considers the forgotten people in the society. She said her institution rehabilitates them to become useful once again in the society.
Metzger challenged her fellow Liberians to stand up and compete with their foreign counterparts if the country’s economy is to get in their hands.
“I want to see more Liberians owning stores on Broad Street, in our major commercial centers as well as market places, instead of selling in wheelbarrows around town, which makes me shed tears as at times,” Hawa Metzger is quoted as saying.
Executive Director Metzger spoke to a cross-section of Liberians on Tuesday, July 16, 2024, at the Center for the Exchange of Intellectual Opinions (CEIO), on Carey Street in central Monrovia.