By: Naomi Tappia
Mixed reactions have emerged amongst Liberians over the action of the Minister of Health Dr. Wilhemina Jallah to order the return of the sum of $7500.00 United States dollars donated to Montserrado County health team by Senator Abraham Darius Dillion from the opposition Liberty Party an auxiliary of the biggest opposition bloc, Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) in Liberia.
It can be recalled, the Liberian Legislature’s members received $15.000.00 each as Districts engagements funds to the parliamentarians across the board.
Recently, arguably the most influential Senator and a critic of the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) donated the mentioned amount “as his way of contributing to augment the already challenged medical facilities of Montserrado County”, unarguably the most populated political sub-divisions of Liberia where the Capital City Monrovia is situated.
The County has an estimated 1.2 Million residents according to the last census conducted in 2008 by the Liberia Institute of Statistic and Geo-Information Services (LISGIS).
Senator Abraham Darius Dillion in December of last year, defeated the candidate of the ruling establishment Thomas Fallah who is a Congressman representing District #5 of Montserrado County overwhelmingly in a Special Senatorial election.
According to the Health Minister Dr. Willimina Jallah, the donation made by the opposition Senator was politically motivated, thereby ordering the recipient of the cash donated to with immediate effect return the sum to the Senator Dillion, a move that has sparked controversy by supporters of the Liberty Party and the Collaborating Political Party in the country.
Some bureaucrats and fanatics of the ruling establishment have joined voices in encouraging the Minister to return the donation based on its political nature, with some arguing that the intent of the Senator is to gain political points at the expense of the government. The opposition community has frowned at the administration of President George Weah for the rejection of the donation at this point in time that Covid-19 is raging hell across the country which led to the United Arab Emirate placing traveling ban on Liberia, Sierra Leone and Namibia due to surge in Covid-19 cases in these countries.
