The Lower House of Parliament, the House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly during its Thursday regular session to summon the Justice Minister, Cllr. Philip Banks, to answer inquiries relative to the continuous “secret killings” that have inundated the city and its environs.

	• Cllr. Philip Banks

Minister Philip Banks is expected to appear before the full bench of the House on Tuesday, next week, to show cause why he should not be held in contempt in the wake of “government’s failure to protect its citizens against marauding killers.”

The decision to summon the Attorney General culminated from a communication sent to the House by Grand Bassa County Representative Byron Brown in which he prayed his colleagues to “hold the minister in contempt to give reasons for the present state of affairs.”

In the communication, the Bassa lawmaker cited two incidents of killings in Bong and Montserrado Counties when two motorcyclists and a deportee were killed. He also made mention of numerous armed robberies that have been visited upon the country.

In a spirit of acquiescence to the content of Representative’s Brown’s communication, several lawmakers expressed disdain and frowned on the government for showing reluctance to deal with the rampant situation, which according to them has the propensity to cause havoc and scare away potential investors.

In separate remarks, the lawmakers said the war-wearied citizens and residents deserved peace of mind after the protracted period civil war, which does not require them to live in perpetual fear. as if they were criminals.

It may be recalled that the Lower House few weeks ago passed into law the ‘Armed Robbery, Hijacking and Terroristic Act, making a capital offense and non-bailable with deserving a penalty. It was sent to the Liberian Senate for its concurrence.

The bill is still at the senate and investigation conducted by this paper showed that some Senators do have problems with certain things which they believe violate international protocols.

Grand Kru: Victim Of Political Machinations 
Senator Wotorson regrets its state; calls for united front

Senator Cletus Wotorson has been meditating on the present-near state of gloom of Grand Kru County, which he referred to as once a booming commercial enclave in the southeastern region. 

	• Sen. Cletus Wotorson

Reports say there are no roads in the county, or that available roads are inaccessible as a result of bad roads, and according to Senator Wotorson, because of its present state of no roads, no adequate education facilities as well a health, the county is being relegated to the classification as “walking county”.   

Apart from that, he said the county once regarded as the educational launch pad for academic excellence and citadel of commerce in the southeast has lost recognition and is basking in the abyss of despair, and according to observers, it could be isolated if emergency efforts are not ensured in time to save it.

He spoke yesterday at programs marking the induction of officers-elect of the Grand Kru University Union at the African Methodist Episcopal University (AMEU) on Camp Johnson Road.

“Folks our newspapers and airwaves are saturated with news clips of the unbearable conditions which have pervaded our historic county to the extent that we have become the subject of jokes relegating the county to the classification as the walking county” he recollected.

But on the contrary, the Grand Kru lawmaker also among other things said “it appears that the memories of Liberians have miserably failed them in not ascribing earnest credit to the county for the many historic contributions this county has made to the intellectual, political and economic fabric of Liberia.”

Evoking students and others from the county to experience the pride of the sound political, economic and educational records of the county, he wondered why the county is being deserted, thus leaving as the “land of the forgotten, with a rash of lip service promises.”

Mr. Wotorson, who is the Senior Senator of the county said he thought attention in the context of “development economics” would have been directed towards least developed regions to provide what he called “Political and economic equity.”

He drew the attention of the gathering of Grand Kru citizens to the role the county played during the period of hard human rights conditions it was subjected to in the 1920s.

“You will recall that this county went to war for the abuse of its human rights in the 20s and 30s and forced this government to reverse its position of taxing our people without representation.

Today, we speak of inclusiveness riding on the courageous challenges from Grand. Oh, yes this was the county that produced the first Liberian to earn a master degree from the acclaimed Harvard University of the Americas,” he said.

He remembered the likes of Plenyenoh Gbe Wollor (P.G(, Patrick Klah Juwle, the first indigenous Catholic Priest and later Archbishop, Juah Nimely, the military genus and warrior who single-handedly held the whole Liberian government at bay, Dr. Joseph Togba, the first African to head toe World Health Organization and many others as products of Grand Kru.

In spite of these, he told citizens not to rest on the laurels of past achievements, but “We must take up the mantle of service to our county, for no one can do it for us what we ought to do for ourselves.”

According to him, the county and its people have become the “unfortunate victims of political machinations, empty promise unruffled because probably our voting power appears to be quite low”, and added these political manipulators may forget that Grand Kru citizens abound in Greater Monrovia and Grand Kru’s political importance might yet be miscalculated.”

He told students from the county to` stand together and promote the cause of the county, to which according to him youth and a sizable percentage of citizens have remained indifferent, and callous in identifying with the plight of thereof.

He told the students that leaving the county’s initiatives to the whims of political leaders” was unacceptable.”

“We must all forge a union so strong that the endeavors we initiate will reap nothing but success, not only because the vision we have conceptualized for our county is realistic, yet ambitious, but because you have as of today committed to be proactive and participatory,” he told students at the program also attended by great sons and daughters of the county.

Warning against division, he said the county Legislative Caucus has pledged to ensure that the “ugly head of divisionism, which according to him is championed by claims of entitlements which is distracting efforts will be ameliorated.”