-ANC’s Cummings laments over mysterious deaths, violence in Liberia
MONROVIA – The political leader of the opposition Alternative National Congress (ANC), Mr. Alexander B. Cummings has lamented over the occurrences of mysterious deaths in Liberia under the watch of the George Weah-led government, describing same as being troubling.
In a nationwide address Tuesday, 27 April 2021, Cummings said the Weah-led government is failing again, regarding its duty to protect its citizens.
He asserted that the world over, the first thing any serious government fails not to do is to provide protection for the lives of its people, saying, “even on this one, somehow, President Weah’s Government is failing, again.”
He insists that governments have a duty to protect everyone – “those who can afford and those who cannot. Because every life is precious.”
Cummins began his address to the nation by stating that he knows that many Liberians are worried about some of the things going on in the country, indicating the he too is worried as well.
Cummins emphasized that the mysterious deaths of Liberians is troubling, stating that he recently returned to Monrovia to news of another “mysterious death” – “the man’s name was Mr. Anthony Johnson.”
The ANC political leader disclosed that from the pictures that have been seen, it is hard not to believe that Mr. Johnson was murdered – “please remember his family in your prayers,” Cummings pleaded with Liberians.
He intimated that under the watch of Weah’s administration, the occurrences of “mysterious deaths” are many, indicating, “we have to ask ourselves; how many times are we going to be expressing sympathies to families for the mysterious deaths of their loved ones?”
Cummins wonders how can anyone in Liberia feel safe when the Weah-led government cannot explain how people are disappearing and dying.
“When a government is silent, or cannot seriously investigate and convincingly explain the deaths of people, that government is actually encouraging criminals to continue to kill people,” Cummins said, noting, “this threatens the lives of everyone. This is not how serious governments behave. It is not how governments show they care about the lives of their people.”
He added: “Today, in many places in and around Monrovia, in the day or night, people are scared to walk the streets. Communities are unsafe. Drugs and crimes are taking over our streets and neighborhoods. The people who should be helping to protect our people are themselves helping to sell the drugs to our children. The people who should be fighting crimes are looking the other way while people are being robbed and harmed, and while armed robbers are breaking into homes terrorizing sleeping families.”
Cummins recalls that when President Weah was asked about the “mysterious deaths” and the fear people are now living under, he said people should go and buy CCTV,” wondering, “what kind of President tells families who are crying for the wicked killing of their relatives to go buy CCTV?”
The ANC political leader further wonders how many Liberians can buy CCTV, pointing out that under Weah’s leadership, many Liberians are not working, and according to him, “those who are lucky to be working, the government has cut their salaries so much that there is barely anything left to do anything, let alone buy CCTV!”
Cummins continues: “For many civil servants, the monthly cost of transportation is more than their harmonized salaries. Every day in the life of ordinary Liberians is a struggle just to eat, or to pay rent, or to pay school fees. When someone gets sick, the whole family is likely to breakdown because they can hardly afford to pay the hospital bill.”
He threw gibe at president Weah and some of his cronies, saying “maybe some of the President’s friends and officials can buy CCTV. But it is not the President’s friends and officials that are dying mysteriously, or being harmed, robbed and are scared to walk the streets or get in a taxi cab at night,” rather, he said, “it is ordinary Liberians that are now living through this hell. And they cannot afford CCTV.”
“Governments have a duty to protect everyone – those who can afford and those who cannot. Because every life is precious,” he added.
“All over the world, the first thing every government tries to not fail in doing is protecting the lives of its people. Even on this one, somehow, President Weah’s Government is failing, again,” Cummins stressed.
He then pleaded with Liberians to provide protection for themselves, saying, “my people, I don’t know how, but today, I have come to beg you to please protect yourselves. Get home early. Lock your doors at night. Look out for each other. Do your best to be safe.”
As a way of remedying the ills being experienced under Weah’s leadership, the ANC political leaders vowed to work hard and unseat President Weah during the 2023 presidential election.
“From the bottom of my heart, I promise you – work as hard as we can to make President Weah a one-time President,” said Cummings, who promised that President Weah is unseated at the polls; his (Cummins’) leadership will put an end to the issue of mysterious deaths in the country.
He averred that under a Cummins’ presidency, the occurrences of mysterious deaths will be abolished by going back and investigating all of such deaths, begging with a former employee of the Central Bank of Liberia (CBL), Mr. Matthew Innis to Mr. Anthony Johnson, whose decomposed lifeless body was recently discovered in the Baptist Seminary Community, off the Robersfield Highway.
“Anyone we find to be involved – big hand or small hand – we will arrest you, try you, and punish you severely, in keeping with the law,” Cummings emphasised.
