Senators ‘loot’ offices
By Festus Poquie

Many employees as well as visitors to the Capitol Building were Thursday afternoon amazed when some members of the Liberia Senate were seen taking away furniture from their offices as they adjoined for the first agricultural break.

The items included chairs, desks, rugs and etc were loaded into personal vehicles as they waved goodbye to each other and employees of the Capitol.

The clearing of offices by some of the senators followed a request from U.S. Government for the lawmakers to turn over the seat of the first branch of government for a period of six months for renovation to enable that branch of government accommodates its entire membership.

Some employees of the Capitol Building who expressed shock and dismay over the latest move by the some members of the Senate had earlier thought that lawmakers would only take away their personal belongings.

Senate Pro-tempore Isaac Nyenabo

The Chairman of the Senate Rules, Order and Administration Committee, Margibi Senator Clarice Jah who justified her colleagues’ action said the decision was based on past experience, adding, “during the tenure of the National Transitional Legislative Assembly (NTLA) who left their materials were looted and we don’t want for this situation to report itself.”
“There is no need to worry about the status of the office furniture. The senators themselves will need them when they return from their break”, she said.

She added that since the inception of the Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf led government, the General Service Agency did not provide any office materials, except chairs that were placed in the Chambers for the purpose of holding regular session. Some of the items that were taken away carried the official Government of Liberia procurement seal.

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Deputy speaker emphasizes resources management
By Festus Poquie

The Deputy Speaker of the House Representatives Tokpah Mulbah says most civil conflicts on the African continent are prompted by unfair distribution of natural resources by African leaders.
“African leaders must now begin to fairly distribute natural resources in a way that the people will feel a part of the government,” Deputy Speaker Mulbah noted.

He said African leaders must desist from the poor management of their countries’ natural resources and bad governance if there should be lasting peace on the continent.

The Deputy Speaker made the statement recently following his arrival from the South Korean Capital Seoul where he had gone to attend a peace conference.

The 4-day conference was held under the theme, “Peace Beyond the United Nations,’ with emphasis on Africa and the Middle East.

Mulbah further stressed that community leaders need to involve themselves in preaching peace messages and organizing religious and political conferences.

The lawmaker told reporters that delegates from the West African sub-region resolved to conduct regional workshops with community’s leaders from countries of the sub-region to explain the need for peaceful co-existence.
“This will be done frequently in the Mano River Basin which has been an epicenter of conflict,” he stated.

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Vocational, technical training faces setback
…Institutions lack equipment, logistics

Representatives of the Government of Liberia (GOL) vocational and technical institutions under the supervision of the Bureau of Professional and Technical Education (BPTE) has underscored the urgent need for educational stakeholders to increase their assistance to the bureau to enable it effectively provide the required skills and professional training to needy Liberians.

The bureau is engulfed with many problems, which include the lack of vehicles, communication equipments, generators, drafting equipment, electrical machines, architectural equipment, stationery and tools, amongst others.

During a recent consultative meeting, representative of government vocational and technical institutions said the lacks of basic working implement have compelled their institutions not to accept the growing number of students wanting vocational and technical education.

Several government vocational and technical institutions are partly conducting training but under severe difficulties. They said the lack of logistics and needy materials is hampering the smooth operation of vocational and technical institutions in the country.

According to them, there are huge numbers of students in their institutions but they cannot be trained because the institutions lack the required material and logistics, which is creating hard feelings in some counties.

They observed that unless stakeholders of the country’s educational system be encouraged to quickly intensify their support to the bureau, it would not be fully prepared to meet the needs of destitute Liberian students.

They also said delay in salary disbursement to instructors and other staff is causing serious problems that have cause some of them to threaten to seek employment elsewhere.

They furthered recommended that stakeholders be encouraged to participate in the preparation of the national curriculum for vocational and technical institutions, as well as various industries in the teaching process by using their facilities when necessary.

The meeting also discussed the possibility of additional provision of computers to the institutions, method of lesson planning, duration of vocational and technical training, proposed curriculum, method of technical training in today’s technology, and problems and constraints faced by their institutions.

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Lack of technology hampers farmers
-Minister Williams
By: P. Numennie Williams

The Acting Deputy Agriculture Minister for Technical Services Solomon Hedd Williams says fifty percent of our crop losses in the agriculture sector are attributed to major pest problems especially pest and the lack of harvesting technology.

He said the non-availability of storage and cooling facilities imposes a threat to national food security.

Minister Williams said the government through the Ministry of Agriculture is determine to put in place mechanism and polices that will address problems of crop losses experienced during harvest.

He said as a matter of urgency, there is need to address great losses to agriculture production. A new department called the Division of Agriculture Engineering has been established at the Ministry, he informed journalists.

This department, according to him, is charged to apprehend issues of agricultural mechanization; land cleaning, tilling and cultivation using modern equipment and other farm implements and in puts.

This division will also engage in activities of dams, drainage, irrigation, canals, building construction and preparation for nursery beds.

He said the division would also focus on land, water, and environmental issues that will create an avenue for post harvest technology that is now imminent in Liberia.

Accordingly, this department will also concentrate on food processing or the development of small scale for rural ago-industry.

He said this would create employment opportunities, increase commercial farming in the country.

He said there is need to gradually shift farmers from traditional harvesting practices of rice, coffee pounding to that of a milling technology.

He said supermarkets operating in Liberia should not be canned locally from abroad incentives should be created where our local farmers can be engaged to get involved in massive vegetable production to an extend where supermarkets will be compelled to purchase vegetable from our local farmers.

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Article:
Liberia - the one we have!
By Sam Zota, Jr.

The fourteen (14) years senseless bloody civil conflict in Liberia - the oldest (but poorest) republic on the continent of Africa - did not only destroy the fabrics of the nation but also left ten of thousands of people dead and caused thousands of its citizens to flee for safety into neighboring countries and other parts of the world.

Power-greedy and selfish politicians who are now “angels” holding public positions (as a reward for their evil deeds against the Liberian people) rode on the illiteracy of the people, mainly the youth, and poisoned their minds against one another to kill their own fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, friends and other relatives for their (politicians’) evil gains. While the carnage was been perpetrated in Liberia, the children and family members of the war sponsors were abroad attending the best of schools with state resources.

What surprises me is that those very heartless and shameless politicians who trained the children (9-20 years), who gave them arms and ammunition (instead of pen and paper), are now referring to those very people as criminals, useless people, country people illiterate people, etc. Isn’t that regrettable?

During the October 2005 legislative and presidential elections, we saw those same so-called politicians who masterminded the killing of their kinsmen to satisfy their own selfish desires, and even those self-acclaimed ‘freedom fighters’ who initially said they did not want state power but only intended to bring down dictatorship, contesting for the nation’s highest seat and legislative posts.

With this, several questions remain unanswered: Didn’t they know that this nation, Liberia, is the only one we have? Were they not aware that elections were going to be held one day in this country? Didn’t they know that there were eligible voters here when they were throwing mortar shells from one place to another? Were they ignorant of the fact that precious lives were been taken away on a daily basis as a result of their evil deeds? What a shame!
Mind you, most of these “wolves in sheep’s clothing” are still masquerading around here like true patriots, while using the very money and resources they stole from the Liberian people for their private businesses, riding luxurious cars and living in million dollars houses (with all facilities) at the detriment of the poor Liberian people who live on less then US$1 per day.
Can you imagine Liberians are living in their own country begging for daily bread, even worse than being in a foreign land?

Some Liberians, who fled the country to seek refuge in other countries as a consequence of the war, have even opted to remain in those countries for the rest of their lives because of the “backwardness” of this country in nearly all sectors.

They must remember, however, that there’s nowhere like home. Despite the condition you find yourselves and your country (among the world’s poorest countries), you are still Liberians. You have a duty to return and contribute your quota to the rebuilding of our war-ravaged nation; Liberia is the only one we have. Only you and I can make it what it ought to be.

Present day’s reality shows that the fangs of corruption are still biting into this country’s skin.

In her inaugural address, President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf declared war against corruption and described it as “an enemy to the state”, but it is often said in Liberia that, “Where you tie goat, that is where it finds something to eat”, meaning, wherever one finds him/herself, that is where he/she gets daily bread. This has been an age-old problem that Liberia has got to tackle.

Let’s face the fact. Can this age-old problem of corruption be solved in this new political dispensation with the current allocations in the National Budget heavily favoring government officials while servants who do the hardest (physical) portion of the day-to-day upkeep of the government given peanuts?

Can this monthly take home salary of US$30.00 allotted to a civil servant cater to the needs/wants of these laborers who are mostly heads of family (ies) without them being corrupt, while government officials proudly walk home monthly with US$1,500.00 plus other fabulous allowances and benefits?

I believe that if nothing is done to solve this and many other problems, the president’s pronouncement will only remain in words, not actions, because it is often said, “action speaks louder then words”.

Madam President, Liberia is all that we have; therefore, let allocation of the people’s (taxpayers) money be done appropriately in their interests and not at their detriment.

Security: “The security situation in Liberia has remained generally stable, but there are continuing serious threats to stability that require careful and robust management,” UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said in his 12th progress report to the Security Council on UNMIL operations in the country. . This statement is in concurrence with previous pronouncement by the U.S Government.

Now you don’t need to ask me again whether Liberia is safe, because it has been confirmed that this country is not actually safe despite the presence of over 14,000 UN troops in the country.
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Editorial:
Open up to criticisms

Strong reaction emanating from the Executive Mansion describing views expressed by some opposition Liberian politicians and the Foundation for Human Rights and Democracy (FORHD) as “unnecessary criticisms” is not only regrettable but also an attempt by the Unity Party-led government not to tolerate the views of others.

For us, it is too early for such outburst of anger from government especially towards criticisms made in good fate.

President Johnson-Sirleaf and officials of her government must realize that no human being is infallible and that perfection belongs to God only and as such the Executive Mansion must be prepare to accept criticisms as suggestions to help better the lives of Liberians.

Mrs. Johnson-Sirleaf deserves all respect, rights and privileges appertaining to the Office of the President and it would be imprudent for anyone or group of individuals to think that she does not deserve the highest honor of the nation.

It is inconceivable for anyone to believe that rights organizations in the country including the Press Union of Liberia as well opposition politicians should remain mute on critical issues of national concern such as threats against free speech, the downsizing of public servants, the failure by government to prosecute former NTGL officials indicted by the ECOWAS audit report and the “super monopoly” imposed on the importation of the country’s staple food, rice in favor of OLAM/ the Sinkor Trading Company.

The Monitor expresses shock over the Executive Mansion’s overreaction, intolerance to the media reports and public criticisms about the government’s recovery program. The people of Liberia deserve the right to know - every step is precious in the crusade to rebuild this wrecked nation ravaged by a 15-year bloody civil war.

It is only prudent that government accepts public criticisms no matter where it comes from or who made them.

Criticisms are not only met to seek the downfall of a particular government, but they are intended to pin point the pitfalls of institutions and individuals thereby providing options for decision makers.

The President and those in public office must awaken to the fact that they have chosen to enter the limelight and therefore open not only to praises but criticisms as well.

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