Minister of State for Presidential Affairs Nathaniel McGill has threatened his cabinet colleagues that they would be dismissed or substituted if they are caught playing carelessness with the Liberian people's job, saying the government here is in its injury time.
Speaking at the signing ceremony of a US$ 40 million agreement between the Ministry of Public Works and the World Bank Tuesday, 31 May 2022 in Monrovia, McGill said any official of the Coalition for Democracy Change (CDC) led government that will be caught playing carelessness with the Liberian people's job will be dismissed.
He warned during the ceremony held at the Ministry of Public Works on Lynch Street that the government is in an injury-time and there is no business to entertain fun or make "bays".
"You know we are in the injury time now gentlemen and when you make fun or bids, you know [you] will be substituted or dismissed straight [away] with immediate effect because no wasting time," McGill said.
"Where we are now is [not] making fun time and we will make sure that anybody that makes "bays" [will] be substituted," he emphasized.
Addressing the Ministry of Public Works, McGill said the challenge now is on "us and we will be on your back to ensure that this loan is implemented."
McGill's warning to his cabinet colleagues comes as Liberians prepare for the 2023 presidential and legislative elections.
Incumbent President George Manneh Weah is seeking a second six-year - term against a divided opposition community.
There are dozens of political parties here seeking to make the ruling CDC a one-term government, and efforts to unite opposition leaders have been quite challenging.
A newly formed alliance, the Democratic Alliance of Liberia (DAL) says it will give Liberians the hope that the disintegrated opposition bloc Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) failed to give the citizenry following prolonged internal political fight.
Talking about the filth in Monrovia, McGill disclosed that Liberians are responsible for the dirt in the streets and drainage across the country which had led to major flooding in this rainy season.
He added that Liberians usually block the water way.
"I think the President will have to issue [an] Executive Order. Liberian people, every day, we say the place is dirty but [who's making the place dirty? McGill asked.
"Every time the people say [the] government is not working, they are not cleaning the cities and the place dirty. Who's making the place dirty? It's the same Liberian people," he claimed.
He said they need to encourage President George Weah to issue an Executive Order that whenever anyone is caught putting or throwing dirt in the street or the city, they should be penalized.
He asserted that people are now putting dirt in the drainage on the newly constructed Japan Freeway as they are also doing with the road construction from Red Light to Coca-Cola Factory in Paynesville.
McGill stated that Liberians are destroying the drainage, and that can cause flooding and other major environmental pollution.
"The government can build Liberia because even if you make it beautiful like heaven if citizens decide to make it like hell and dirty they will," said McGill.
He urged the citizenry to change their minds and attitude and take the responsibility to make their cities beautiful and clean.
He argued that money can do everything but the commitment that the people have as a country can change things.
He called on the citizens to desist from listening to the opposition community because it's their job to criticize, adding that they were in opposition before and they play the same football game and now they are on the other side so it's their time for them to talk and criticize.
"We have to do what we can do as a government and forget about the past because it's our time. Let's do our part because history will judge us when we leave," said McGill.
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He called on Liberians to be patriotic because the country is for them, urging them to support the president because the government will go and Liberia will stay.
"Anybody that wants to criticize, let them do something," he noted.
Regarding the newly signed finance agreement, Mr. McGill extolled the World Bank for its continued support toward the Pro-Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development, adding that there is never a project that the World Bank Liberia team has turned down.
McGill pleaded that the current World Bank Liberia team remain in Liberia until the expiration of the CDC - led government's administration.
He praised the World Bank team's instrumentality through which he said Liberia will in less than no time drive from Monrovia to Harper, Maryland County through Nimba County.
