By Alex Prince Johnson
As Chair of the powerful House Committee on Ways, Means, and Finance, Representative P. Mike Jurry wields enormous influence over Liberia’s national budget. But in his home district of Harper, constituents say Jurry’s power has brought them nothing but silence, broken promises, and a deepening sense of abandonment.
Over the past six years, residents say the district has steadily deteriorated, with failing schools, collapsing infrastructure, and public services in freefall. Critics argue that Jurry ~ who represents Maryland District One ~ has failed to translate his elevated position in the Legislature into meaningful development for the people who elected him.
“He sits at the financial nerve center of the country,” said one civil society advocate in Harper, “yet our communities are falling apart. What excuse does he have?”
Schools in Ruin, Children Left Behind
Perhaps the starkest evidence of Jurry’s alleged neglect is the state of education across the district. Harper Demonstration School is nearly roofless, classrooms are waterlogged during rainy seasons, and facilities at East Harper and A. Dash Wilson public schools are described as unsafe and unsanitary.
Students are packed into overcrowded classrooms without textbooks or teachers. Toilets are either broken or non-existent ~ conditions that particularly affect young girls. Residents say these are not isolated lapses, but the result of years of legislative inaction and neglect.
Worse still, Jurry reportedly moved to have a school principal transferred after the educator publicly questioned the lawmaker’s failure to fulfill scholarship promises. The move was widely seen as an attempt to silence dissent.
A Photo-Op, Not Progress
In one widely criticized event earlier this year, Jurry joined three others to commission fewer than 50 kilometers of community roads. The ceremony was touted as a major milestone, but residents were unimpressed.
“It was a photo-op masquerading as progress,” said a local youth leader. “With the power he holds in Monrovia, we expected real development ~ highways, not footpaths.”
Beyond the roads, communities like Barrobo Junction, New Kru Town, Little Wlebo, and Rock Town remain plagued by water shortages. Broken hand pumps and rising waterborne illnesses are the norm, even in a district bordered by rivers and rainfall.
Youth, Health, and Security in Crisis
In areas like Gbolobo, Gbenelu, and Kablaken, youth unemployment is rampant, with little to no access to vocational training. Local voices say what they need isn’t charity but real investment in skills and infrastructure.
Healthcare services are similarly dire. Clinics are underfunded, understaffed, and often lack basic medications. Pregnant women walk miles for care. Children die from preventable illnesses. Yet Jurry has not made visible efforts to channel national health allocations into the district.
Security has also collapsed. Since protesters damaged the Harper Police Station and local prison during Jurry’s first term, both facilities have remained in disrepair. The lawmaker only resurfaced when a private citizen began repairs ~ prompting Jurry to claim, unconvincingly, that he had planned to do the same.
“Where was he when the walls were crumbling?” asked one resident. “Where was he when officers had no desks, no chairs, no dignity?”
A Legacy of Absence?
Jurry’s first term was marked by similar inaction, according to local observers. While other lawmakers secured clinics, scholarships, or infrastructure, Jurry remained largely out of sight. Now, even with the authority of the national finance committee behind him, he has failed to deliver on basic needs.
Many residents believe Jurry governs from the shadows, choosing prestige in Monrovia over performance at home. His constituents say they are not asking for miracles ~ just presence, advocacy, and action.
Instead, they have been handed excuses, photo opportunities, and a crumbling district.
As the 2029 general elections approach, the people of Harper are left asking a simple, powerful question: How much longer will they be expected to applaud mediocrity dressed as leadership?
