The Bureau of Public Affairs

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

 Monrovia, Liberia

DAILY NEWS SUMMARY FOR TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2017

News of the release of recommendations to ensure a peaceful, credible election by the Carter Center of pre-elections activities in the country is the lone story in our summary of today’s edition of the local dailies.

The summary also includes the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ response to a press statement released by a former employee, Mr. Baccus Manipakei Carr, on dismissal allegations, visit of World Bank Group Country Director, Mr. Henry G. Kerali to Liberia, Ghana and Sierra Leone, among others.

DOMINANT STORY

Carter Center On Pre-Election Activities

The INQUIRERnewspaper reports that the Carter Center’s International Election Observation Mission on Tuesday released a statement on the electoral process to date, which includes recommendations to ensure a peaceful, credible election. For the first time, Liberia’s National Elections Commission is managing the election process independent of large-scale international assistance. After acknowledging some technical difficulties in the compilation of the voter lists, the NEC continues to work on finalizing the voter roll. Although the NEC is still in compliance with legal deadlines for its finalization, presidential candidates and political party officials have expressed concerns to the Carter Center about its status.

Related Captions: Carter Center Releases Statement On Liberia’s Pre-Election Activities(Heritage),For Credible Elections Carter Center Releases Statement on Liberia’s Pre- Election Activities(FrontPage Africa)

OTHER STORIES  

Foreign Ministry Responds To Ex-Employee’s Dismissal Allegations  

The attention of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is drawn to a press statement released by a former employee, Mr. Baccus Manipakei Carr, in which he accused officials of the Ministry of illegal dismissal. The Ministry wishes to strongly reject claims in Mr. Carr’s press release, which it terms as an intentional distortion of facts to directly arouse public sentiments on an issue which was strictly administrative and dealt with meticulously. For public information, Mr. Carr, on May 2^nd and 9^th, 2017 sent life threatening messages to the Deputy Minister for Administration, Mr. Edward Eesiah, after the Ministry had taken some initial administrative action against him. Despite his gross insubordination, there was an initial inclination to resolve this matter amicably. However, Mr. Carr’s obstinate attitude made it impossible. It should be noted that Mr. Baccus Carr’s dismissal from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was an administrative decision that conformed fully with the Civil Service Agency (CSA) Standing Orders, which stipulate punitive measures against unacceptable behavior of government employees and civil servants. The Ministry believes that Mr. Carr has the right to seek appropriate recourse with the courts, if he believes that his rights were violated by his dismissal instead of resorting to blackmail and public vilification of officials of the Ministry in the press and on social media, Heritage newspaper reads.

Related Caption: MoF Clarifies Staff Dismissal(The New Dawn)  

President Sirleaf Receives Visiting World Bank Country Director 

According to the Daily Observer, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Tuesday received in audience World Bank Group Country Director to Liberia, Ghana and Sierra Leone, Henry G. Kerali at her Foreign Ministry Office in Monrovia, an Executive Mansion release said. The daily both sides reviewed and took stock of a number of critical areas such as the macroeconomic and fiscal situation; how to ensure sustainability in the bank’s program implementation during the transition period; the preparation of the budget support operation, including timeline; and make follow-up on the previous meetings and discussions regarding the emergency road maintenance works coupled with the SECRAMP project timeline.

Related Caption: Ellen Receives Visiting World Bank Country Director(Heritage)  

To Protect Peace & Stability During and After Elections: Sherman Submits Election Security Act 

The Chairman on the Senate Judiciary Committee and member of the Defense and Security Committee, of the Liberian Senate, Grand Cape Mount County Senator, Varney Sherman has submitted a Draft Election Security Act to Plenary for passage. The Election Security Act seeks to mandate and authorize the President to plan and deploy the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) and the Liberia National Police to preserve and maintain peace, security and stability during and after elections. The Act is to prevent violence and also protect peace and stability in the country during and after elections. The Act is to prevent violence and also protect peace and stability in the country during and after the ensuing Presidential and Legislative Election, the INQUIRER newspaper reads.  

Supreme Court Denies Candidate 

As the October 2017 elections gear up, some candidates have begun falling to the wrath of the Supreme Court with the latest being a Liberty Party’s representative candidate from district #9, Nimba County, Michael Slawon, who was slammed for legal blunders thus rendering him incapable to contest in the pending elections. The Supreme Court Tuesday, September 12, handed down an opinion in the case of Dahn Sherman, a resident of District # 9 in Nimba County and the Director General for the Commission on Higher Education, Dr. Slawon, who was earlier accepted by NEC to contest the pending election on the ticket of the Liberty Party. Mr. Dahn’s case filed at NEC alleged that Dr. Slawon is a presidential appointee and should be barred from participating in the pending elections; an allegation the accused has denied and resisted up to present, the INQUIRER newspaper reads.  

President Sirleaf Signs Wheat Flour Fortification Law 

The National Food Fortification Alliance (NFA) of Liberia is commending President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, for finally signing into law the regulation for Wheat Flour Fortification. According to the NFA, the regulation signed recently is aimed at making both  domestic-producers and importers to fortify their wheat flour with nutrient’s types and level that match Liberia’s adopted fortification standards, in order to curtail chronic diseases (s) leading to infant and maternal deaths in the Liberian society. Chronic malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies persist in Liberia as outlined by the 2011 Micronutrient Deficiency Survey thus showing that 59% of children between 12-59 months, 38% of pregnant women, and 33% of non-pregnant women are anemic, the INQUIRER newspaper reads.  

UNAIDS Reaffirms Support To Network Of Persons Living With HIV 

UNAIDS Country Director accredited to Liberia, Dr. Miriam Chipimo, has reaffirmed the UN coordinating body of the AIDS made the declaration over the weekend, during the Network’s regular Quarterly Association Meeting, hosted at UNAIDS Country Office. The LibNep+ Quarterly Association meeting took place in the context of renewing, redoubling and re-energizing the efforts of the members of the Network as it contributes its quota to the newly adopted Accelerated National HIV and AIDS Emergency plan (Catch-Up plan) of the Government of Liberia which is aligned with the Political Declaration on ending AIDS by 2030 approved in June 2016 at the UN General Assembly in New York, USA, the Heritage newspaper reads.

LiNCSA Drafting New Arms Legislation

The Liberia National Commission on Small Arms (LiNCSA) has begun drafting a new legislation to implement the global arms trade treaty (ATT) in the county. The ATT, which came into force on December 24, 2014 is a landmark treaty that regulates the international trade in conventional arms, from small arms to battle tanks, combat aircraft and warships. According to the Daily Observer, the enforcement of the new treaty will expand LiNCSA’s mandate to cover cross border transfers of all conventional arms and to establish it as Liberia’s licensing authority with the total responsibility for administering the national conventional arms transfer system.

Assassination Plot about Weah Was Concocted Police Investigation Reveals

Police investigators in Monrovia have discovered that recent claim by three individuals about assassination plot against the political leader of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), Senator George Weah, is a complete concoction by the said individuals. The Police charge sheet considers the statements of the three suspects which took headlines in the media as false, misleading and only intended to disturb the peace and security of Liberia and further accuse the suspects of having criminal intention to steal from the Unity Party by deception under the pretend of mobilization, the INQUIRER newspaper reads.

SEGAL Donates L$1.2M Relief ItemsTo Sierra Leone Victims, CAB

To restore hope to victims of the mudslide in Freetown, Sierra Leone in August, the Security Expert Guard Agency of Liberia (SEGAL) has donated relief items worth L$1.2 million to the Embassy of Sierra Leone and the Center for the Blind Orphanage home in Liberia. The item included food and non-food items. Making the  donation in Monrovia, Mr. Momo Cyrus, Chief Executive Officer and General Manager of SEGAL said the assorted items to victims of the recent mudslide in neighboring Sierra Leone was part of his organization’s way of identifying with government and its people. Also making similar donation to the Christian Association of the Blind (CAB) in R2 Community (ELWA), Mr. Cyrus said people living with disabilities, especially blindness are great contributors to society, reads the Daily Observer.

Related Caption:  SEGAL Makes Donation To School Of The Blind, Sierra Leone Embassy In Monrovia(FrontPage Africa)