Firestone offers 50 cents per acre
…Under new concession agreement

The Firestone Rubber plantation company, which runs the largest-scale rubber sector in Harbel, Margibi County is one of the earliest investments in the country.

Child Laborers at the Firestone Plantation

Since 1926, when government signed a 99-year contract with the company to plant and harvest rubber, there has been criticisms that Firestone has not done enough to improve the lives of the plantation people and build manufacturing facilities.

With the change of administrations, especially the most recent made up of ‘advocates’ many Liberians believe the change had come, but as The Monitor peruses another Concession Agreement between The Republic of Liberia and the Firestone Natural Rubber Company, LLC and Firestone Plantations Company, the paper discovers that much is being offered the company while little is being given Liberia and its people.

Section 19 – Surface Rental exposes the shocking disbelief that government will receive US$0.50 per acre. “…during the rehabilitation Term and the Regular Term, Firestone Liberia shall pay to Government, during each calendar year, for all Government Land included within the Concession Area, a surface rental equal to one half United States dollar (US$0.50) per acre, provided that this amount shall be adjusted once every decade beginning with the tenth anniversary of the Effective Date to take effect on January 1 of the following calendar year.

Under the agreement, the government wants Firestone to pay this amount (US$ .50 cents) annually in advance, on or before January 15, to the Ministry of Finance.

The agreement inherited from the defunct National Transitional Government of Liberia (NTGL) is currently under review. It is not clear whether the Unity Party Government would consent to this agreement.

Section 1.28, under the agreement states: “Any land, other than subject to a lease granted by this Agreement, and including any creeks, streams, rivers, and bodies of water and their residue contained on such land, that is owned by any Person except Government, or as to which any Person except Government or Firestone and Firestone Liberia has a right of possession recognized by law.”

Of late, Firestone has been striving to regain its lost image after strong criticism and lawsuits from human rights organizations.

A report released in 2004 by SAMFU, Save My Future Foundation, accused Firestone of failing to upgrade its facilities and bulk of its labor force live in dilapidated buildings and do not have access to safe drinking water. The report revealed how children were abused on the plantation.

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Securities showdown
SSR director arrested, released

The base director of the Security Sector Reform (SSR) in Liberia, Franciques Demetrius was last Sunday, September 24 ordered arrested by Mark Jouridine, Assistant Director of the Special Security Service (SSS) and prevented from leaving the country.

The SSR boss was arrested at the Roberts International Airport in Harbel, Margibi County and his passport along with other travel documents seized by government’s joint security at the airport and turned over to the Police Deport Commander at the RIA.

Mr. Demetrius, an American national currently managing the operations of Dyn Corp International, an agency responsible for theretraining and restructuring of the country’s security sector, was traveling to neighboring Sierra Leone for a four-day assessment visit with the hope of establishing his institution’s branch in that country.

Investigation conducted by The Monitor revealed that the SSR boss was later released from detention at 9 pm Sunday night following the intervention of the United States Embassy accredited near this capital and Justice Minister Frances Johnson-Morris, then acting President of Liberia.

The investigation revealed that the row between the two men started on Saturday, 23 September when Jouridine was asked to remove his parked car from the entrance of the SSR headquarters on 20th Street, Sinkor outside Monrovia, something he refused to heed.
It was based on the argument between the SSR security on duty and the assistant SSS director, an eye witness hinted our reporter, that he (Mark Jouridine) pulled out a 45-round pistol at the security officer - a scene that sent people running helter-skelter.

Our eyewitness said it was just within that time Demetrius appeared on the scene and immediately warned Jouridine that “it was illegal to pull out a gun in the midst of civilians considering the fragile security situation in the country. This annoyed the assistant SSS director who held the SSR boss at gunpoint for few minutes, threatening to “get even” with him in due course.

The following Sunday, as Demetrius was preparing to leave the country through the RIA, he was stopped by joint security at the airport apparently upon orders of the assistant SSS director and his passports and other documents confiscated.
Up to present, Demetrius has not yet received his documents back and has been unable to make the trip to Freetown.

At the SSR offices in Sinkor, Demetrius who has reported to work since the incident on last Sunday could not speak officially to newsmen. A staff of Dyn Corp International opined that Demetrius was reluctant to go public on the matter because of the United States Government’s policy that “only the U.S Embassy is charged with the responsibility of speaking on their behalf”.

In a telephone interview with our reporter, the assistant SSS director denied arresting and seizing the documents of the SSR senior staff saying. “I have nothing to talk to you about, because all that was explained to you are all lies,” Jouridine responded and switched off his phone.

However, Assistant Justice Minister and Special Assistant to the Attorney General of Liberia, Attorney Onesimus Barwon has confirmed that officials of the SSR have informed the ministry about the incident. He said the team of SRR representatives passed through his office but were later ushered in to meet with the Justice Minister behind closed door on the matter.

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“China Will Not Support Any Secret Deal”
-Amb. Songtian Assures

“It is impossible and unnecessary for China to have any secret deal with any individual or party to train private army or security, because only those in power who have lost their trust in the national army and stands in the opposition side of the people needs private army in stead of their national army,” Chinese Ambassador to Liberia Lin Songtian has declared. Amb. Songtian said, people of China have no interest in Liberian politics and will never do anything to destabilize the country after years of civil conflict.

Speaking in Monrovia at one-day Symposium on Liberia- China Relations organized by the Liberia-China Friendship organization Amb. Songtian said, China has a political commitment of maintaining full partnership and not ownership” with all developing countries including Liberia to empowered them and strengthen their capacities to develop by themselves.

The Chinese Ambassador noted that his country will never seek what he called any special interest in Liberia but has only one concern that is in the path of development toward deeping and strengthen cooperative partnership between China and Liberia.

Ambassador Songtian was reacting to recent compliant by the opposition Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) that the Unity Party led government was training its “battle cry group” to serve as private security to the President in the people’s Republic of China and Libya.
“As true friend of the people of Liberia and Ambassador of the people’s Republic of China representing over 1.3 billion population, I do hereby tell you the truth that those allegations are open and ridiculous lies to the Liberian people and the international community and a very simple but evil intent to spoiled the good image of the PRC and confuse the minds of Liberians and other friends,” said Amb. Songtian in a very serious mood.

He disclosed that 22 Special Security Services personnel are presently in China undergoing training as part of a bi-literal agreement to help Liberia return to normalcy after 14yeas of devastation.

Amb. Songtian assured Liberian that no individual from Liberia including the security forces undergoing training in China will return to cause any ideological conflict in the country, because according to him the people of China are very busy and concentrating on how to develop their economy and not to transfer their ideology out of China and destabilize any country.

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FORHD examines govt.’s performance

The Foundation for Human Right and Democracy (FORD), a pro-democracy and human rights organization in Liberia has described as not only “ unacceptable’ but also inhumane the allocation of US$30 monthly as salary for the impoverished civil servants while the President, Vice President, Speaker, Chief Justice and other lawmakers apportioned huge salaries and benefits unto themselves.

FORHD Executive Director Aloysius Toe said the inequitable of the country’s resources has the tendency of bringing about discontentment that could thereby escalate into mass civil action capable of breaching the peace, which has been hard won if both the government and its development partners do not prioritize the provision of basic social services.

Launching the official assessment report of the Unity Party led government under the theme: Beyond the Promises after the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s Inauguration, promises kept and broken,” Mr. Toe said prioritizing the delivery of social services and other key areas of developmental interest as enshrined in the Unity Party’s campaigned platform based on social change for the people of Liberia remained crucial to the country’s political stability.

President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf Mr. Aloysius Toe

Mr. Toe said while the Unity Party led government action’s plan was not intended to be an instant panacea for the chronic social, economic and political problems that country now faces, to fail now could lead to severe consequences for the government.

He said considering the unfolding development in the country, Liberians are watching to see how President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and her government will translate their electoral promises and statutory mandates which include the Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy into reality.

The IPRSP which is to be followed by a full PRSP scheduled to commence in late 2007, is aimed at proving a more comprehensive and longer term national economic development framework for Liberia. It is also expected that PRSP would provide an opportunity for the government to demonstrate its professed resolve to institute social change.

Mr. Toe said attempts by officials of the Liberian government and past administrations over the years to amass wealth for themselves at the detriment of the down trodden masses is a “betrayal of the confidence of the electorates.”

The FORHD executive director called on the government to ensure that those indicted by the

ECOWAS audit report are brought to justice as a way of livening to its campaign promises which include eliminating corruption in the public sector.

He said attempt by the government to ignore the prosecution of those indicted by the ECOWAS audit reported, is an indication of its failure to demonstrate credible commitment to the fight against corruption.

Mr. Toe recommended to government to accelerate the establishment of the proposed anti- corruption bureau and prosecute corrupt individuals identified in the report.

In a seven count recommendation to the government FORHD among other things called on the government to develop a comprehensive reconstruction strategy that will ensure durable impact as opposed to the use ad-hoc measures.He also called the government to encourage mass citizens’ participation together with civil society groups by increasing public awareness and information sharing on the Liberia reconstruction strategy and activities, writes James B. Bleetan II.

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Theo Joseph licensed as Forensic CPA

A United States qualified Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Assistant Professor Theophilus Dekonty Joseph, has been licensed as a Forensic Certified Public Accountant in Spokane, Washington State, the USA.

Mr. Joseph, who is the foremost Liberian to have been certified as a Certified Fraud Examiner, is Managing Partner of VOSCON Incorporated, a Liberian Auditing, Management Consultant and Forensic Accounting Firm. Mr. Joseph was admitted to the Forensic Certified Public

Accountant (FCPA) Society early this year upon completion of “certain testing and experience guidelines” administered by the Forensic CPA Society, Inc., in the USA.

According to a letter from Donna Larsen, Chief Executive Officer of the Forensic CPA Society, Mr. Joseph is now authorized to use the FCPA designation after his name, in addition to his other designations, CPA (Certified Public Accountant) and CFE (Certified Fraud Examiner).

In the letter, Ms. Larsen noted that the FCPA certification was organized to promote excellence in the forensic accounting profession, which is bent on examining fraudulent accounting practices.

According to the letter, Mr. Joseph will be required to earn 20 hours of Continuing Professional Education (CPE) in fraud or forensic accounting related courses annually in order to maintain his license as a member of the Forensic CPA Society.

Mr. Joseph is Assistant Professor of Accounting at the University of Liberia and Stella Maris Polytechnic. He qualified as a CPA in the State of New York in 1990 and as a Certified Fraud Examiner from the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners in Austin, Texas in 2003. Mr. Joseph also holds an MS in Accounting and MBA in Finance & Investment from Adelphi University in the state of New York, USA in 1990 and 1991, respectively, as a USAID sponsored scholar.

He is an executive member of the Liberia Institute of Certified Public Accountants (LICPA), a fellow of the Rhode Island Society of Certified Public Accountants (RISCPA), and concurrently holds membership with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants (NSSCPAS), the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE),and the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA).
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A R T I C L E:

Surviving under women’s power
By SOD

The world was shocked when Liberia’s elections commission announced that a long time female politician had won the 2005 elections to end the nearly two-decade civil conflict. Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf defeated former world best footballer George Weah in a run-off election, thus giving power to the first female African president to head this war-torn country.

Her victory was influenced greatly by intensive campaign, concentrating on the ‘gender’ issue, from local and international organizations many of which were headed by men. Some leading giants from the former ruling National Patriotic Party of Charles Taylor delivered Madam Sirleaf to the traditional leaders of Liberia amidst apprehension from their partisans.

As soon as the election fever died down and the inauguration of the new government took place, women got fully in charge of state power in Liberia. Under this new political dispensation, women are directing key financial and security related governmental institutions.

Women are legally heading the joint security of war-weary Liberian with over 150,000 ex-fighters to contend with. Women are also dictating the course of the country’s economy with over US$6bn debts to be settled before tending to resuscitate the economy.

Many of the women in government are said to have international acclaim, having lived and worked in foreign lands for considerable lengths of time, but they have since failed to bring their families’ home as the country shares the cost of their respective homes in exile. They spend thousands of United States dollars for the upkeep of their homes abroad while trying to ‘rebuild’ our country. Their children attend good schools in exile and sleep sound without ‘Issakaba’ harassment.

Mind you, the women leadership introduced a new labor policy by reducing the country’s work force from 65,000 to 35,000 within nine months, thus increasing the unemployment at an alarming rate of 94%. Their authority seems to be limited in rural Liberia and security has heightened in recent times. Thank God that UNMIL is still here.

Their economic policy has backfired due to vested political interests as a row has developed over the importation of this nation’s staple food, rice, and this crisis is deepening on a daily basis. The school fees under the women’s power have hiked by over 50% and they don’t care how much a market woman would spend for her child to enter school once their own children are in schools abroad.

The head of the country’s security says we should protect ourselves at night while they (officials) sleep under heavy security protection funded by taxpayers’ money. Can you imagine that the people have turned to ‘watch-men’ and the servants who are paid for the jobs turned masters?

Surviving under the women leadership after several years of war and destruction is frustrating. Even some of those who heavily campaigned for women’s power are disappointed. A lady that previously worked at the Finance Ministry saw her entire family affected by the downsizing/rightsizing policy. This woman’s (name withheld) husband was laid-off at the Executive Mansion, her son was right-sized at Commerce and she herself was affected at Finance. The affected family members have the requisite job qualifications, but that did not save their necks.

The women in power have stripped men of pride and dignity. Their slogan of ‘papa na come’ has been reversed by the president. She said ‘papa still on his way coming and is yet to come’, that shows how women are suffering their gender partners (men).

Guess what? Some of their staff have rumored that some leading women in government do not have men at home, thus causing them to miscalculate in making decisions that affect the livelihood of the people without taking into consideration family values. There is no last advisor at home who would be frank with these women. From office they go home to their laptop computers. But where are their husbands?

See how they jumped into the rice politics. Having lived outside the country for over two decades, the commerce chief decided to award the commodity to a guy that supported the women’s cause to obtain state power. The women leaders claim to have instituted “open market” but again the market is still in their bags. Despite opposition by ordinary citizens and even members of the Legislature, the women remain firm on their decision regarding the rice issue.

Their spokesman has said it’s not good to interfere with the women’s policies despite the prevailing economic situation that has led to increments in the prices of basic commodities coupled with a high exchange rate between the US$ and the LD.

Don’t forget that millions of dollars of donor money is being pumped into our economy but we can’t feel or see its impact. What can the women say about this?

Liberians are believed to be in slavery under the present women leadership as everything they do tends to harm the survival of their male counterparts.

Surviving under women’s power, one must be willing to tote his bags without comments irrespective of hunger, insecurity, poverty and other weary aspects of life. For them, to speak out against societal ills is interpreted as “undermining” their government. Under women’s power, all power belongs to the president and her lieutenants – even to appoint city majors.

Also, for women in control of state power, only men are corrupt and there in no corruption as far as women are concerned, even if they are getting USD1.00 on each bag of rice that enters Liberia. For them, to sell donated rice is power but to receive gifts is a crime under women’s power. If you pressurize them, the women would take a month’s vacation abroad teaching others about governance and economic empowerment while their own economy remains in doldrums.

Unless the women in power realize that they need the assistance of men in their effort to govern Liberia, the people would continue to live and die in poverty while the children of the “women in power” would live happily with the country’s resources in exile.
Surviving under women’s power in our time is to shut-up and perpetually be their bag boys, and die poor while they drink their wine. But don’t you think this is another form of enslavement of the masses?

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E D I TO RI A L

Ellen’s Stance on Corruption Disappointing

In her inaugural speech delivered on Capitol Hill on 16 January 2006, President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf declared “zero tolerance” against corruption, one of the vices that were by and large responsible for the protracted bloody civil conflict in Liberia, and a scourge that continued to plague the economy during the transitional period.

From all indications, the pronouncement by Liberia’s (yea Africa’s) first female democratically elected president was gladly welcomed by well-meaning Liberians and members of the international community as well.

The decision by the president to declare ‘war’ against corruption through accountability and transparency received warm reception with standing ovation from the majority of the Liberian people and their international partners.

Contrary to the pronouncement by the Western trained public administrator and economist, in less than seven months there are indications that the Liberian leader has begun twisting her tongue on the pledge to fight corruption; and this trend if ignored could re-immerge Liberia into deep sea of economic paralysis and political crisis.

We were taking aback when the president who had all along declared “zero tolerance” on corruption conceded in her address to Liberia’s international partners at the recent “stocking taking” conference at the Foreign Ministry in Monrovia that no single government can eradicate corruption.

She however assured participants at the conference that the Unity Party led government will fight minimize the crippling epidemic.

The apparent delay by the government to prosecute former officials of the Gyude Bryant transitional government accused by the ECOWAS audit/ economic crime investigation report is a glaring sign that the president is gradually not keen to tackle corruption head-on.

For President Johnson-Sirleaf and her government to suggest that there are no sufficient pieces of evidence to prosecute individuals who were indicted by the ECOWAS audit report is highly questionable and smacks of lack of firm political will.

Who is under greater obligation to provide the appropriate evidence that is needed to prosecute the former NTGL officials linked to allegation of corruption than the president and her government?

The answer is obvious, because the government is certainly armed with sufficient documentary evidence to establish the facts but is simply reluctant to do so.

S P O R T S

‘I will make IE a great club’
-Bill Martin

The name Bill Martin is gradually becoming a household name when it comes to sports in Liberia.

The young businessman is currently seeking the presidency of the Invincible Eleven Majestic Sports Association despite the club’s huge financial burden.

In an interview with our sports desk recently, Mr. Martin said he is part of a new generation that intends to lift the club and make it a great one.

Martin who is shouldering the financial burden of the basketball team of the club to the Zone III Men Basketball Championship competition scheduled for 6-14 October 2006 in the Ivorian capital Abidjan. He said with the level of preparation done by the technical staff of the club, he is confident the team will come out off the competition with flying colors.

Martin said the euphoria built by the players since they won the LBF championship will help them a lot. He said the club is willing to accept any contribution from fans and supporters.

The young Liberian said what he is presently doing for IE demonstrates that he will do more when he given the chance to run the club.

He called on fans and supporters of IE not to abandon this historic club. “I will make IE a Great Club,” he added, beaming with confidence.

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