By Gideon Nma Scott, Jr.
A local businesswoman at the Caldwell Junction in Duala is recommending unembellished punishment for anyone or group of persons caught throwing dirt in the streets and other public places.
Madam Anna Boe Thomas observed that the refusal of the Monrovia City Corporation (MCC) to clean the city, coupled with its leniency to apply the city ordinance to ensure the tidiness of the city, has given special leverage to people to throw dirt anywhere and at any time, and go with impunity.
“While we agree that the cleanliness of the city should not be left on the shoulders of the MCC alone, they should take the lead. That is why city corporations, townships, and boroughs were established, to ensure that their various cities, townships, and boroughs are clean to a minimum, if not maximum, international standard. No one needs to tell you that this city, Monrovia, is very dirty,” she said.
Madam Boe Thomas complained that the MCC abandoned its statutory responsibilities of cleaning the city and maintaining its sanitation to the mercies of the LMA, whom she described as a major contributor of the dirt in the streets, the Fula, Lebanese and Indian business community, as well as street sellers like herself, who have seized the advantage to throw dirt from their various businesses on the main streets.
“Even the communities are giving their garbage to zogoes, who throw them anywhere they see,” she stressed.
“I want the national government to get involved in this. It is troubling me to see other responsible people sweeping and cleaning the dirt from the street and coming to see new stockpiles of dirt in the places that they cleaned the day before. This is wickedness in high places,” she said with a sad face.
She recommended in her Liberian tone, “I want for the government to give strong punishment to anybody they catch putting dirt in the street, even if it is myself, my children, big government people or even president, so that when people see how they are punished, they too will learn from it.”
“During normal days, the Syrians, Lebanese, and Indian people who had stores, were responsible to clean the sidewalks before their business places, but today, they would sweep in their stores and shops and throw the dirt in the streets,” she charged.
Madam Boe Thomas called on the government, especially city corporations across the country, to initiate a well-defined sanitation awareness-raising activity that will include the various corporations, the citizens, health and education partners, as well as the media, to propagate the message of how all partners can contribute to keeping their vicinities clean.
Following the pronouncement of Amb. Joseph Boakai and Jeremiah Koung as President and Vice president-elect following the November 14, 2023 runoff election, many Liberians and foreign residents, including several sanitation organizations, began a robust cleaning up exercise, intended to give Monrovia and areas adjacent a facelift ahead of the inauguration.
But with only a few more days left to the auspicious inauguration ceremonies, it appears that the efforts of those cleaning have been thwarted by some people who continue to throw garbage and other trash in public places and major street corners.
