BREWERVILLE, MONTSERRADO COUNTY – Bishop Kortu Brown on Tuesday, July 29, 2025, called on President Joseph Nyuma Boakai to immediately intervene in the ongoing standoff at the Ministry of Transport, where more than 300 employees are reportedly facing dismissal due to the government’s decision to outsource certain functions to a foreign company.
“I believe that President Joseph Boakai should address the standoff at the Ministry of Transport, where workers have repeatedly protested against the outsourcing of their responsibilities to a non-Liberian company,” said Bishop Brown. “They fear losing their jobs, and rightly so.”
The clergyman lamented the government’s silence in the face of the workers’ continued appeals, while praising the Liberian Senate for stepping in. “We commend the Liberian Senate for siding with the workers and calling for the suspension and review of the contract,” he stated.
As Liberia prepares for a day of national fasting and prayer on Wednesday, July 30, Bishop Brown stressed that the spiritual exercise should be rooted in justice and compassion.
“As we go into fasting with prayers for the nation, it is very important that we consider the kind of fast God requires,” he said. “God expects us to lift burdens and address the concerns of the poor.”
Quoting Isaiah 58:6-7, Bishop Brown emphasized, “The kind of fasting I want is this: remove the chains of oppression and the yoke of injustice, and let the oppressed go free. Share your food with the hungry and open your homes to the homeless poor. Give clothes to those who have nothing to wear, and do not refuse to help your own relatives.”
He continued, “That’s the kind of fast that attracts God’s attention, not just abstaining from food or spending the whole day in church. Let us show mercy, remove the chains of injustice and oppression, and let the oppressed go free.”
Bishop Brown warned against prioritizing foreign interests over the well-being of Liberians.
“The people contending for their jobs are also God’s children. Let’s remove the chains of oppression placed on them. No foreign company, not even the Liberia Transport Management, should be preferred over Liberians or Liberian interests,” he declared.
In his final appeal, Bishop Brown urged President Boakai to act swiftly. “President Boakai, I call on you to kindly and speedily address the plight of those workers even as we fast and pray on Wednesday. We can only lift Liberia if we lift Liberians.”
