By Bill W. Cooper
Several students under the banner Gbarma District University Student Union (GDUSU) have called on Gbarpolu District 3 Representative, Joseph Mathews to account for his share of the US$30, 000 received by lawmakers recently.
According to the group, they are of the belief that Liberia can move forward if there are transparency and accountability in leadership, and as such, the need for Rep. Mathews to account to his constituent precisely the student community of his district can never be overemphasized.
Presenting their petition to the lawmaker yesterday at his Capitol Building office in Monrovia, GDUSU president, Abraham Kallon among other things also accused the Gbarpolu County lawmaker of living an extravagant life at the detriment of his constituent.
Kallon also named the issue of lack of good healthcare, bad road conditions, lack of safe drinking water and deplorable condition of public schools as some of the basic needs lacking within their district under the leadership of their lawmaker.
“Despite our district being one of the richest districts within the western region, Rep. Mathews has failed to go out to lobby for companies that will help provide jobs and other basic needs for his constituent like other lawmakers,” he said.
According to him, Rep. Mathews has also neglected and abandoned his district as well as refused to have a constant interaction with his constituent to ascertain and know their plights and challenges confronted with since his ascendency as Representative.
He added, “All our lawmaker is now involved with is to parade with falsehood and pretense that he has his people at heart but not so because he rides over US$60,000 car while his people do not have basic necessities to live as required by nature under the social contract theory.”
Meanwhile, the group is at the same time calling on their lawmaker to be proactive in the discharge of his legislative duty through the performance of his three cardinal responsibilities ranging from oversight, lawmaking and representation.
Receiving the petition on behalf of his boss, Rep. Joseph Mathews’ Chief of Office Staff, Zusanah Dono denied the assertion by the student group but assured of submitting their petition to his boss for subsequent action.
