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Location: Monrovia, Liberia

The MONITOR Newspaper is published by the Equal Chance Communication limited, Broad Street next to the Sports Commission.C/o Post office box 10-2863, Monrovia,Liberia.mobile #2316-517546. Email: monitorlib@yahoo.com Blog Editor: Calixte S. Heesou, Editor James B. Bleetan II.

Saturday, December 02, 2006

Confusion brewing over development funds
--- Lofa, Grand Kru Lawmakers Wants Internal Affairs Account


The Chairmen of the legislative caucuses of Lofa and Grand Kru counties Senators Sumo Kupee and Cletus Wotorson have described as “unacceptable and counter productive” the decision by the Ministry of Internal Affairs to directly purchase project materials for the counties’ development.

Senator Wotorson said the decision by the Ministry of Internal Affairs to purchase construction materials intended for development purposes in the various countries undermines government decentralization program. Mr. Wotorson is not apparently alone in the condemnation of this action by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
At news conference in Monrovia Tuesday, Senator Kupee of Lofa County said “the legislative Caucus of Lofa County is extremely dissatisfied with the manner and approach that Ministry of Internal Affairs has decided to treat this delicate matter.”
Senator Kupee stated that when the districts earmarked the projects in their various communities, they submitted projects to the Ministry of Internal Affairs through the County’s Superintendent, but contrary to the intend of the government decentralization policy, the Ministry has decided to carry out the purchase of the materials of the 100 communities in the 15-sub political divisions.
Flanked by other members of the caucus, Senator Kupee revealed that in addition to the materials purchased for the six projects in Lofa County, the Ministry of Internal Affairs has also issued a check of US$4,887.00 to cover administrative and labor cost for the implementation of the project for the entire county.
He said the items purchased by the Ministry included, nails, timbers cements, zincs, round poles among others and the county authorities have been requested to take delivery of the supplies for their respective countries.
The Lofa County lawmaker added, “Documentary evidence of purchases, indicating cost of the material is not attached to the materials supplied to the county’s authorities and there was need for more explanation on the matter.
Senator Kupee said the decision by the National Legislature and the Executive to make the allocation of US$1 million in recast budget and 2.5 million in 2006/2007 fiscal budget is intended to “reignite the spirit of community development, using people participation as a key of driving force, thereby enabling county authorities to have control over development projects and be held responsible and accountable for funds entrusted to them for such purpose”.
He said purchase of construction materials in Monrovia, especially those one already available in the counties, such as wood products undermines the very intend and purpose of the allocation by the government.
This move by that Ministry has lost the essence of government’s decentralization and participatory development exercise and it would not enhance speedy development.
However, in an interview with reporters, the Project Coordinator at the Ministry of Internal Affairs Charles Kollie said the exercise was not carried out unilaterally as claimed by the legislature.
He said the exercise was carried out in consultation with the county’s authorities and that the Ministry was taken aback by the position of the legislative caucus.

Gbollie, police chief differ on “security threat”
The Chairman of the House Committee on National Security, Margibi County Representative Richard Saa Gbollie has described as unrealistic assertion by the Inspector-General of the Liberia National Police (LNP), Beatrice Munah Sieh that the jail-breakers pose no threat to the security of the state.
Representative Gbollie said it was unconceivable for anyone including the Police Inspector General to ever believe that the jail-breakers some of whom are hardened criminals will not pose threat to communities as well as the ordinary Liberians.
Police Director Beatrice M. Sieh Following the jail-break in Monrovia, the police Inspector General told a local radio station that the escape of the 48 criminals would pose no threat to the security of the state and that a special unit of the LNP has been placed on full alert to
ensure that the escapees are re-arrested to serve their various sentences.

















Police Director Sieh
But Representative Gbollie in reaction to the statement told newsmen in Monrovia Monday that it was an elusion for anyone to believe that the loose criminals pose no threat to the country and its people.
“Even if they do not pose threat to national security, the fact remains that they definitely pose threats to the various communities and ordinary Liberians,” he said.
Representative Gbollie said some of the escapees are former combatants while others are professional criminals and as such it was important to put the public on full alert about the danger those individuals pose to the society instead of making it to appear insignificance.
At the same time, the government of Liberia has announced that all prisoners at the Monrovia Central Prison will now be transferred to the Zwedru maximum prison in Grand Gedeh County.
Liberia’s Information Minister designate Dr. Lawrence Bropleh said the Zwedru maximum prison has already been prepared to pay host to the more than 400 convicts.
Senator Taylor launches WAPAO Liberia
An organization known as the World African Progressive Awareness Organization (WAPAO) has been formally launched in Monrovia. WAPAO is a non-political, non-governmental Christian humanitarian and awareness organization catering to integral development of all human kinds and to create an enabling and conducive environment for all nations and peoples of the world, especially for those of the African descent.
Senator Jewel Howard-Taylor The main trust of WAPAO is general development, human resource; spiritual awareness, pan African lectures and mental emancipation as well as ensuring justice, racial balance and at the same time promote peace.









Senator Jewel Howard-Taylor
WAPAO shall also endeavor to engage in the promotion of food, clothes, books, music, magazines, shoes and other materials and equipment necessary to improve the human person.
It also shall engage in health care services for the needy and poor and prevention education among others.
Performing the ceremony recently at the Monrovia City Hall, Bong County Senior Senator Jewel Howard-Taylor underscored the importance of organizations with men and women with integrity that are in preparedness to make a difference in post conflict Liberia, something she added, WAPAO was no exception.
She commended the President General and other executives of the organization for their interest in embarking on programs aimed at enhancing the professional skills of ordinary Liberians to be useful in the society.
Senator Howard-Taylor said it was about time for Liberians to make the difference by initiating programs with the view of improving the livelihood of war affected Liberians, adding, “we all deserve better and improved life.”
She challenged the current generation to leave behind a legacy that the younger generation and generations yet unborn would emulate as Liberia gradually recovers from the ashes of war.
The former Liberian first lady called on executives and members of WAPAO not to give up the struggle in helping to make Liberia a better place for all after years of devastation and carnage.
“You will face obstacles and challenges like the children of Israel, but I say to you, don’t give up. Do your part and allow the society to be the best judge”, she said
Earlier, the Council of Priest I, Shankar T. Jhamnani high-lighted the importance of the organization and noted that WAPAO was considering several projects including, Agriculture, human resource development and other related training that would the minds of most less fortunate Liberians for a better future.
Mr. Jhamnani said WAPAO is committed to working with other institutions and individuals in the country to make Liberia once more a “bread basket” on the African continent.
For his part, the President General of the WAPAO, Rev. Franklyn D. Todd said it was inconceivable to see “westerners advancing, while the Africans are retrogressing.”
“We all were made by the image of God with equal intellect and behooves our leaders and current generation to ensure that we all have equal access to the basic things of life,” he Todd said.
He reminded Liberians that after the revolution in the People’s Republic of China several years ago, they decided to forge ahead with development and the evidence is clear today, adding, “Liberians must rise to the enormous challenges and also make Liberia second to non in Africa too.”
Hazardous gas threatens ozone layer
-EPA warns

The an official of the Ozone Unit of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Monrovia has warned against the use of what he described as hazardous gas on the Liberian market.
The Ozone is a natural layer of gas found out side of the Stratosphere. It plays an important role in the protection of the outral violet ray from reacting the earth surface.
Scientists are said to have discovered that the vital layer has been threatened by hazardous “man made gases” known as ECF.
An official of the EPA, Karl Neblett said as part of its obligation to ensure the safety of this layer, the EPA has taken series of measures to stop the importation of gases that pose danger to the Ozone.
Mr. Neblett, told The Monitor that this unit has been training commerce and custom officers about the danger of the gas (ECF) and to help in controlling the importation of “man made gas.”
“We have been conducting workshops for commerce and customs officers and refrigerator technicians to provide them equipment to test gases that will be imported in the country.”
“We also license importers to import special quality of gas and those who violate our regulations are fine US$50,000 depending on the gravity of the violation”, he said.
Neblett revealed that mankind would definitely suffer from various skin diseases and cancer should the layer be destroyed.
Knowing the devastating consequences the distribution of the Ozone poses to mankind, the United Nations according to Neblett organized the Montreal Protection to arrest the manufacturing of the CFC.
The protocol requires all members state to control and subsequently eliminate all man made gases that have the propensity to damage the Ozone layer. Liberia signed the protocol in January 1996.
Thinking Aloud

Selective Glorification or yellow journalism?
The case of George Nubo, Tom Kamara
For very long, I had been wishing for the occasion when some of our self highly acclaimed journalists of indisputable standards of objectivity and impartiality would slip and kick themselves in the mouths.
Luckily for me, I was highly rewarded when fate conspired and delivered the publication of two articles that appeared separately in the November 21 issues of two “respectable and reputable” newspapers in Liberia under the respective titles: “PRES.SIRLEAF WANTS DONORS TO ACCOUNT” by a Tom Kamara– (new democrat) and “THE HUMAN RIGHTS FARCE AND UNMIL CONSPIRACY” by a George H. Nubo of the “Perspective” in Atlanta Georgia (daily observer).
I have always wondered whether the characterization of the writers of these articles, a year or so back by none other than the poisonous pen of the verbose Dr. H. Boima Fahnbulleh, the born again National Security Advisor as mercenaries hunkering in the journalism profession for “manna” were justified. Now I see that characterization as the “truth, nothing, but the whole truth”.
I think I would do justice to these “venerable” purveyors of sycophancy, if I dealt with them separately; first applauding Mr. George Nubo for his excellence in journalistic “spinning” of the truths and his superb performance in hitting the highest crescendo in replicating his “master’s” voice. We do know that since the creation of the Perspective website, Nubo has been one of the most effective “journalistic hit men of Liberia’s recent times”, a very poor country boy from the southeast sacrificing for greener pastures.
For we know it was the likes of this very George Nubo who capitalized on the assertions of persons that encouraged the burning down of our country’s capital in the early days of the past presidential elections, but later flipped like a cheap one-cent yellow coin, forgetting the heinous intent of those messages and began to soak Liberians with the trumped up praises of what a Harvard graduate would do for Liberia.
Little did he know that in fact there were three Harvard graduates in the Presidential race; two with Law degrees who actually earned Law degrees and one with a degree in Public Administration who was of course touted as a “Harvard trained economist” by Nubo.
Now that the chickens are coming home to roost and we are beginning to realize that criticizing a Government is much easier than running a Government; and the cracks of non-deliverability are beginning to emerge, it is not strange that he would choose to chastise Aloysius Toe, a simple, dedicated young man who is committed to exposing deceit and incompetence can be indicted by him as trying to “undermine the Government”.
I wonder he forgot the common saying that “what goes around, comes around”. George Nubo, you cannot continue to earn your living through falsehood and chicanery.
Even your “Perspective” will soon come under the microscope. Aloysius Toe was right on the button when he raised the alarm for a “secret oil deal, gone bad”. Mr. Greaves is not the first Managing Director of Liberia Petroleum Refining Company (LPRC), neither was he the first to negotiate for an oil quota that the Republic of Nigeria as a matter of Policy afforded to other sister African countries.
We know that similar deal went berserk when the likes of those now involve in this deal abused the very Nigerian benevolence; got in bed with a foreign oil Company raping Liberia out of millions; and it finally resulted into the dismissal of the then Nigeria oil Minister of Petroleum. Was it a crime for Toe to ask for the publication of the detail of an oil contract that was “approved” by the LPRC Board of Directors, which vehemently denied knowledge of it, except maybe the lady Judge who co-signed LPRC’s financial statement?
By the way why are the GEMAP transparency Gurus so silent about this deal? Did their man play a leading role? By the way why don’t you scold the President by embracing the usage of the caption, the heinous Poverty Reduction Program, a derivative of the deleterious Structural Adjustment Program, instead of “Wealth enhancement Program”, a preferred description of what ought to be done? Or why don’t you scold the President who find herself constantly defending her visit to China, in view of the two- hour lecture, she is alleged to have received from those who did not like the idea of the visit.
No amount of sugar-coated defense of poor performance that could be detrimental to the future of the striving down-sized people of this country will help your case to get “musical chairs,” job of Minister of Information. So shut-up or push off.
Mr. “know-it-all; do-it-all Tom Kamara, the favorite whipping-boy of our former political activist now “advising” on national Security, I think I would bore my readers if I recapitulated the characterization that was befittingly meted out to you by him. Nowadays, we are confused as to where and what you stand for. Or are your benefactors not appreciating the bits-and tips you provided now-and –then when the tide seems to be fading? I was taken aback by your out-pouring glorification of the belated realization of the potential conspiracy by a selected group of those pretending to be showering Liberia with this outpouring of benevolence under the ‘SACRED” disguise of a “one-way” transparency and accountability? For sometime now, many Liberians, including our Lawmakers have been quietly and yet forcefully stepping on the wrong toes about the need to provide evidence of statistical applications of the much heralded $1 billion dollars raised in the name of Liberia.
I think not long ago, I believe it was the Senior Senator from Grand Kru who challenged the International Community to show some details and physical evidence of how this huge financial benevolence was used? It was only the News Newspaper that published the story on its back-page and website as well.
For you and your level of objectivity and professional evaluation those warning signs did not matter as long as you did not get the “proper approvals”. With your “objectivity and courage” one would have assume by now you would have called for a review of the GEMAP contract as long as we are reviewing all contracts, nor have you called for a review of the military frame-work which will now put our boys in bed with enlisted US soldiers? What is happening, boy? Try to be what you think you are and stop vilifying your professional colleagues. Set some examples of national interest or since it is rumored that you might be of a different nationality, Liberia’s interest is secondary to you financial survival. Until I see you next time, keep looking back.
Editorial:
We differ with police Inspector General

On 26 November 2006, more than 50 prisoners reportedly ‘escaped’ from the country’s maximum central prison in Monrovia known as “South Beach” hosting individuals serving several sentences for various crimes.
According to prison authority the individuals were serving jail sentences at the central prison for crimes ranging from aggravated assault, rape, manslaughter, theft, arm robbery and murder among others.
Immediately, following the jailbreak a combined team of the Liberia National police and UNMIL hurriedly arrived at the scene and managed to rearrest at least eight of the escapees while in hot pursue of the rest.
The situation has caused panic in many communities and especially with the threat they pose with the holidays knocking on our doors.
This cannot be overemphasized that the security of a single Liberian as well as everyone within the confines of the country’s border is indeed the primary responsibility of the government as enshrined within the Liberian Constitution and should therefore be taken seriously.
The escape of a single convict from the Monrovia Central Prison or any prison should not be brush aside lest to mention the 48 fugitives.
Assertion by Police Inspector General Beatice Monah Sieh that the “jail-breaking does not in anywhere pose security threat to the country and its people” is far from the truth.
The police chief must be realize that the fugitives have the ability to once more terrorize our people in any form and manner, especially in parts of the country where the presence of state security is lacking.
Considering that some of those escapees are ex-combatants of former warring factions in the country’s protracted bloody civil war and still have the know-how to cause havoc within the Liberian society and they should not therefore be under estimated.
We strongly differed with the Police Inspector and hasten to add that the escaped of the already convicted men should not be taken for granted considering the porousness of the country’s borders.






























































































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