By Alex Yomah
Montserrado County Senator, Saah Joseph, on Tuesday submitted to the Liberian Senate, an Act to provide for the creation for the St. Paul River Statutory District within the County of Montserrado, Republic of Liberia.
The bill submitted and read in plenary session, when passed into law, is intended to enhance the well-being of inhabitants in that part of Montserrado through development, decentralization and devolution of power that would eventually make development easily available and achievable at the community and district levels.
He also indicated that when the bill is enacted, St. Paul River will have its own Statutory Superintendent and local officials that will manage funds that will be apportioned by central government. It will also allow people within rural Montserrado County to benefit from the national resources and decentralize developments.
Senator Joseph told legislative reporters that the St. Paul River District is the second most popular district in Montserrado County with more than 70,000 people within the North-Western region of the county but disappointingly, it remains extremely under-developed and has no official status, something he said prompted his bill.
Sen. Joseph who said Montserrado County already has two existing statutory districts to include Careysburg and Todee for the promotion of self-governance and increased access to national development, further mentioned that, “ We are aware that St. Paul River District, incorporates the whole of electorate District #17 and other areas for electoral purposes, but unfortunately, lacks connected and improved roads, a major health center, a feeder community college, banks, hotels, central market, and other commercial centers and activities that will also create employment opportunities and economically transform lives in the district.”
The Ruling Coalition party Senator was filmed-stating that there is a need for adequate and effective coordination and direct, through executive action, a new paradigm shifts in the development of the communities spread throughout these administrative district s with a focus on the neglected rural communities of the county.
Evidenced to challenges especially the lack of healthcare center during his tour in some part of the rural areas, Sen. Joseph averred that children and adults were seen sick, and there was no nearby clinic to take the sick folks. “Because of that, we told mobile clinic to do medical check and treat those that were sick. During the medical examination, there were five people that needed emergency treatment whom we transferred to the JFK Memorial Hospital but unfortunately, two were pronounced dead out of the five.”
Meanwhile, Senator Joseph says, he was misconstrued by the media in their reports of which he said the media indicated that he was proposing to divide Montserrado County.
According to him, he never said that because his position has consistently been that, that part of Montserrado people in rural parts of Montserrado were actually excluded and were proposing a bill to place them under statutory district to enable them be on their own to have their own leaders to present their cases to central government like in the case of his bill.
“For instance, since I became Senator of Montserrado County, I have not seen any Representative from rural Montserrado County so that I can know what is happening in their areas. I took two days to tour District #1 and District#17; I could not complete just one district,” he said.