Monrovia — Less than 50 days before Liberia's Presidential and Legislative elections (October 10, 2023), a physically challenged (wheelchair-mobile) independent Legislative Aspirant of Electoral District #8, Montserrado County, supplied ten 25 kilograms bags of imported rice to 60 occupants of two joined Apartments (with 36 rooms) razed down by fire August 12, 2023.
"We brought the rice from Vai Town, Bushrod Island. The monetary value of the bags of rice is approximately two hundred United States dollars," Mr. Samuel Chu-Chu Sumo Dean, Sr., the Legislative Aspirant, told this writer before distribution.
The mysterious incident occurred on August 12, 2023, in the Saye Town Community, 3rd Street, Sinkor, Monrovia.
Mr. Dean's only mobility aid (wheelchair) could not go through any of the narrow access routes to the affected houses (levelled to the ground), so the driver of his car (white Pickup) and some young men in the area carried the wheelchair (with him seated on it) to the spot of the fire incident.
"I won't allow my disability to prevent my face-to-face interaction with the people I want to represent in the National Legislature," Mr. Dean said to the group of fire victims and visitors after his helpers dropped his mobility aid to the ground.
Before the special guest started his main speech, a mother, Bendu Badah, placed her four-month-old male child (Destine Smith) on his lap. "The fire made him and his parent homeless on the day he became exactly four months old," the mother announced to Mr. Dean and others at the rice donation site. The child remained on Mr. Dean's legs throughout his speech.
"I will start this interaction by firstyle thanking the CONEX Group of Companies, located on 17th Street, Sinkor, for responding to my emergency-related plead for these ten bags of rice, for me to give to all the families who were living in the thirteen bedrooms apartment before the fire destroyed them," Mr. Dean began his speech.
He said, that in another Country with a District Leader with genuine empathy for the member members of the Constituency, all those rendered homeless by the fire would have been placed into Hotels while the District Representative was working to reconstruct the destroyed homes.
"I had been informed by many people different at times that the current Representative of this District, Mr. Acarous Moses Gray, has not given anything--money or food--to any of those whose living place was destroyed by fire since August 12. Such attitude is proof of his not having genuine humanitarian feelings for you. And that is why you should vote for Samuel Chu-Chu Sumo Dean, Sr. as Representative of District number 8 of Montserrado County for the House of Representatives. When I'm elected I will solve your problems, which the current Representative is ignoring," he announced.
He revealed some items that would be in his Legislative Package for the District: Free education for students in grade schools; personal sponsorship of a Legislative Bill for university teachers with BA degrees to be paid at least US$500 as salary, while teachers with Master's Degrees will be given at least US$1,000 as salary.
He also reveals a plan to absorb the disadvantaged youth into an agriculture scheme that will make them rehabilitated and independent. "When these disadvantaged and at-risk youths, called zogos, are daily engaged in economic or vocational training that will give each person money. Soon they will certainly leave drugs and stop jerking other people's things in communities only for them to satisfy their drug-related desires," Mr. Dean said.
He also promised to economically empower his colleagues in the community of persons living with disabilities.
"When I was in America, the American Government bought a specialized wheelchair every year valued at $2,800.00 for me".
In 2006, I founded an organization in Atlanta Georgia which became a fully functional operation in 2008.
I returned to my Country in 2008 and partnered with Handicap International (HI) and other disability stakeholders in a pilot project to give free wheelchairs to persons most Liberians call crippled people. From 2008 till now, our organization has distributed over 15,000 units of Assistive Technology Devices throughout Liberia, valued at five million United States Dollars. A unit of AT is a wheelchair, crutches, walker, portable commode, shower chair, white cane, and the works. The organization helps other disabled people, too," Mr. Dean enumerated.
He also promised to introduce two American healthcare systems, for financially disadvantaged citizens and poor parents' children, which he called "Medicaid" and "Medicare". "Medicaid is for people who did not have the opportunity to contribute to Social Security, while Medicare is for retirees. When I am in the National Legislature, I will push for an increase in the National Budget for free pharmaceutical drugs for extremely poor people--of all Districts--at Government hospitals for medical treatment and free medical treatment for extremely poor elderly citizens," he promised.
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"All these are parts of my Manifesto to the people of District Number 8. If I failed on any of the "promises" listed in my Manifesto in the first two years of my being in the National Legislature, I should be impeached or a By-Election should be held for my removal from the National Legislature," he emphasized.
At the end of his speech, he allowed his guests to make remarks.
"Only Mr. Samuel Chu-Chu Sumo Dean, Sr. has identified with victims of the fire incident since it occurred August 12. In spite of his disability, he has come in person to present this relief item, rice," Mr. Jahbulleh C. Dempster, Chairman of the Jallah Town Community, announced to the gathering of victims and visitors.
Madam Lisa S. Badah, whose family of husband, wife and their children, rendered homeless by the fire, thanked the Legislative Aspirant for his humanitarian gesture. "The next day after the fire incident, you gave money, transport fare, to representatives of the victimized families to go to various radio stations to appeal to other members of the District, including current Representative, Mr. Acarous Gray, to help the fire victims with food, clothes, and many other needs. We haven't seen our Representative since April 13 when we appealed on the radio. Only you are here with another help--food--for the homeless family. We know what to do during voting time," Madam Lisa C. Badah said.
