The Bureau of Public Affairs

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Monrovia, Liberia

NEWS SUMMARY FOR THURSDAY, FEBRUAY 6, 2014

Three panelists at PUL’s Edward Blyden Forum welcome Speaker Alex Tyler’s US$73 million proposal for direct districts impact projects in the country is our lone dominant story in our selected dailies for today Thursday, February 6, 2014.

Dominant Story

Panelists Welcome US$73m Proposal, But…

The Inquirer newspaper (like others) reports that at a one-day Edward Wilmot Blyden Forum held by the press club of the Press Union of Liberia (PUL), three panelists have welcomed Speaker Alex J. Tyler’s US$73 million proposal for direct impact projects in all electoral districts of the country. During the re-opening of the 53^rd National Legislature last month, Speaker Tyler projects after he and his colleagues went on a nationwide tour to sensitize citizens of the oil and gas sector reform bill. The Speaker said he observed that money put into the budget seemed not to have impact on the lives of the people. Speaking on the topic “Dissecting Proposition For The US$73 Million District Impact Fund” yesterday at the forum, Speaker Tyler restated his justification for the amount he proffered because citizens in the rural areas have not felt the impact of central government from its inception since 1847. Speaker Tyler who represents the people of district #1 in Bomi County described the proposal as a win-with situation that would bring about great transformation of the country.

Related Caption: US$73m DDIF Proposal Gets Backing, But..Blyden Forum Speakers Foresee Insincere Management (The Analyst), Speaker Tyler Continues US$73m Strive (The FOCUS)

Other Stories

Passport Officer Nabs Man With Fake Birth Certificate

The Passport Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday arrested a man with a fake birth certificate. Marking the disclosure at a press conference at the Ministry, an interviewer at the Passport Division, Mr. Andrew D. Wonplo, said the fake document was discovered when suspect David K. Constance went for an interview to obtain a passport. According to Mr. Wonplo, the Passport Division and the Division of Vital Statistics at the Ministry of Health were doing all within their power to curtail the production of illegal or fake birth certificates in the country. Meanwhile, the Director of Vital Statistics at the Ministry of Health, Mr. Solo S. Barton, has thanked Mr. Wonplo for the professional manner in which he handled the situation. According to Mr. Barton, the birth certificate that was presented by suspect David Constance has lots of features that makes it completely fake, amongst which is the signature of the former Principal Registrar, H. Flomo Goziah, the FOCUS newspaper reports.

Harper Mayor Appeals For Water, Sanitation

The Heritage newspaper says the Mayor of Harper City in Maryland County, Madam Regina Sampson, is appealing to international NGOs operating in water and sanitation sector to assist the Corporation provide water for the over 20,000 residents of the city. She said services provided by the few NGOs currently operating in the city do not cover the entire population, thus denying majority of the residents’ access to safe drinking water. Speaking Saturday in an interview with the Liberia News Agency in Harper, Mayor Sampson said the situation was worrisome as residents risk falling prey to water-borne diseases because they are constrained to drink water from creeks around the City. She told LINA that since the civil crisis, which damaged the city’s water facilities, there has not been adequate supply of safe-drinking water in Harper, and that restoring water supply to the city is the City Corporation’s number one priority. Meanwhile, the Harper City Mayor has disclosed that the destruction of the City Hall Theater during the Liberian Civil Crisis is hampering the revenue generation capacity of the City Corporation. Madam Sampson said the theater was used to host workshops, seminars, weddings and conferences and served as a source of revenue for the corporation.

Legislative Employees To Get Salary Increment

After two years of delay in effecting salary increment for workers at the Capitol, the Press and Public Affairs Bureau of the House of Representatives has announced here that the leadership of the 53rd Legislature has assured the workforce that the salary increment issue will be resolved this February. House spokesman Isaac Redd, recalled that in 2012, President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf announced a $ 25.00 (Twenty-five United States dollars) salary increment for civil servants across the country. Director Redd said, initially when the President made the pronouncement, the Ministry of Finance refused to pay staff of the 53rd Legislature. 
He added that the Civil Service Agency has authorized the Ministry of Finance to proceed with payment for the US$ 25.00 salary increment for employees at the Capitol as the army, police and paramilitary officers had already benefited from the Presidential directive. Redd noted that as a result of the delay in salary increment in the country, some people had taught the President’s pronouncement was highly political. He said the leadership has told the workforce at the Capitol that its regrets the delay in effecting the salary increment, but assured that the House’s Ways and Means Committee and the finance session has been communicated with  to work with the Ministry of Finance to have the payments done. According to him, Speaker Tyler is very much concerned about the delay in the payment of salary increment for staffs of the Capitol, adding that Speaker Tyler and Senate Pro-temp Gbezohngar Finley along with other colleagues have been seriously embarrassed over the situation since President made the pronouncement in 2012, the New Dawn newspaper reports.

A Happier Ending for IMF Reform?

The New Dawn newspaper asserts that despite an elegant solution that involved no new commitments of resources, the US Congress has refused to take up a long-delayed funding proposal for the International Monetary Fund. In the process, it derailed a multilateral agreement that was hammered out back in 2010 – ironically, in the eyes of the rest of the world, with US President Barack Obama’s administration taking a leading role. And it did so at a time when financial disruption in emerging economies is reminding the world of the importance of a strong stabilizing anchor at the core of the international monetary system. After the initial disappointment, many are hoping that Congress will again take up the Obama administration’s IMF request after a short interlude. It will certainly have several opportunities to do so while working on other financial legislation. But, with Congressional elections due later this year, few are confident that lawmakers will be in any mood to change course until 2015 at the earliest.
This is an unfortunate and regrettable outcome for both the IMF and the international community as a whole. Congressional obstinacy is forcing the Fund to miss out on an opportunity to strengthen its finances at a time when most other countries have already approved the initiative. It is also being held back from addressing, albeit modestly, governance and representation deficits that have steadily eroded the integrity, credibility, and effectiveness of this important multilateral institution. Meanwhile, global developments confirm that the recent period of financial tranquility remains a tentative one. Rather than being anchored by fundamental and durable reforms, the current calm has been secured through prolonged reliance on central banks’ experimental monetary policies, especially in the United States, Europe, and Japan.

 2 Die In Fire

 At least two kids, ages 8 and 13, are reported dead as a result of a fire incident in Banjor, Beverly Hills community, Virginia outside Monrovia. An eyewitness, Sylvester Kweekeh, narrated to the New Dawn that he noticed his next door neighbor’s three-bedroom house was engulfed in flames at about 12a.m. Wednesday, immediately after he brought his ill son outdoor to administer some medication.  “After that process, the next thing I heard was a dog bark, which caught my attention so I decided to look and see what was really happening in the community. When I look through the window, the next thing I saw was heavy fire coming from my neighbor’s house while they were still asleep”, Sylvester narrated. According to him, he immediately called other residents to come out to help off the fire. He said the cause of the fire was not established, adding “all I can tell you is that when the community dwellers came around, we helped to ease the fire and within that time the police and the Liberia National Fire Service arrived on the scene, but it was already late for the victims.  Sylvester identified the two victims as Moraga, 13; and Gbeleboy, 8. Meanwhile, the owner of the newly constructed house, Ballah Brown, narrated that he and his family watched movies before going to bed, and that after they were through, he himself cut off the generator, but surprisingly, he noted, the fire just came from the kitchen and swarmed the entire roof of the house, New Dawn newspaperwrites. 

CSA Boss Lauds JICA For Empowering Liberians

The Director General of the Civil Service Agency (CSA), George Werner, has thanked the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), for training 45 Liberian Civil Servants in Ethical Leadership, Quality Productivity and Improvement from 22 government ministries. Director Werner observed that in postwar Liberia, questions abound about the conduct of public administrators on integrity, justice and respect for the rule of law. He made the statement in an address to a cross-section of civil servants from government ministries and agencies at an Ethical Leadership for Quality Productivity Improvement Program, at a seminar held Wednesday, at the C. Cecil Dennis Auditorium at the Foreign Ministry. He noted that the gesture by JICA to sponsor 45 Liberian Civil Servants for the training, which was held at the Ghana Civil Service Training Center, was commendable, noting that the training was the result of a memorandum of understanding between the Liberian Government and JICA, LINA, the Analyst newspaper reveals.

Armed Robbers Hit Pipeline Community…One Suspect Nabbed

A top back page lead of the Inquirer newspaper reports that Wein Town in the Pipeline Community was Monday night hard hit by armed robbers who made away with undisclosed amount of money and goods. According to eyewitnesses, the robbers fired gun shots in the air thereby creating panic among residents who had to flee for their dear lives. They said the gun shots could be heard from distances around the community and many occupants had to call the police. One eyewitness told this paper that the armed robbers were really targeting the Uncle J’s Business Center, whose owner had been suspected of having lots of money recently. However according to other sources other businesses were also harassed by the armed gang who were driving a black pick-up with several men onboard. Early Tuesday morning police allegedly caught one of the suspects in the armed robbery incident; the suspect was first held at the Zone 9 Depot 3 Police Station but later moved to another police depot with fear of mob violence. Police Spokesman, Sam Collins said that the case was still being investigated by the police and as soon as information is released the public would be informed. Several years ago a police depot in the same community was burnt down by residents who wanted police to release a suspect to them.