The Bureau of Public Affairs

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Monrovia, Liberia

DAILY NEWS SUMMARY FOR WEDNESDAY, JULY 4, 2018

News of President George Manneh Weah receipt and acceptance of the resignation of the Executive Governor of the Central Bank of Liberia, Hon. J. Milton Weeks, the House of Representatives passage into law a bill to be known as the Kamara Abdullai Kamara Act of Press Freedom, the constitution of an inter-sectorial task force to clean up Monrovia, Paynesville and adjacent cities in Montserrado for the upcoming 171st Independence Day celebration, including news of the death of eight persons and several others critically injured in a tragic motor accident Gbarnga-Monrovia highway are stories dominating today’s edition of our summary of the local dailies.

The summary also includes President George Manneh Weah’s Congratulatory Message to his counterpart, the President of the United States of America, His Excellency Mr. Donald Trump, on that country’s 242nd Independence Anniversary on Today, July 4th, 2018.

DOMINANT STORIES

Weah Accepts Resignation of CBL Boss

The Heritage newspaper says President George Manneh Weah has received and accepted the resignation of the Executive Governor of the Central Bank of Liberia, Hon. J. Milton Weeks. The President commended Hon. Weeks for his service to the nation and wished him well in his future endeavors. According to the daily, a successor to Governor Weeks will be announced shortly. In another development, the President has lauded Madam Elfrieda Stewart-Tamba for successfully ending her tenure as Commissioner General of the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA). Madam Tamba’s tenure officially ended on Saturday June 30, 2018.

Related Captions: CBL Governor Resigns(The INQUIRER), Did CBL Governor Resign over ETON Loan?(Daily Observer), Why Central Bank Of Liberia Governor Got The Ax Forced To Resign?(FrontPage Africa)

Anti-Free Speech Law Passed Named in Honor of Former PUL President Kamara Abdullai Kamara

The In Profile Daily headline story reports that The House of Representative has passed in to law the Bill entitled: “An Act to Amend the Liberian Codes Revised, Penal Law of 1978 of the Republic of Liberia, Chapter 11 by repealing Sections 11.11.11.12 and 11.4, to be known as the Kamara Abdullai Kamara Act of Press Freedom;” which was recently re-submitted by President George Manneh Weah. The Act amend the Liberian Codes Revised, Penal Law of 1978m when concurred with by the President and printed into Handbill by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will decriminalize speech offences in Liberia, the Inquirer newspaper writes.

Related Caption: House Repeals Law to Remove Criminal Defamation, Libel(Daily Observer), Decriminalizing Speech House Of Representatives passes Free Speech Bill; Heads Of Senate For Concurrence(FrontPage Africa), Yellow Card on Fisheries Sector to be Lifted (In Profile Daily), House Approves KAK Act of Free Speech(New Dawn)

Weah Constitutes Task Force To Clean Monrovia, Paynesville – As US$5.00 Fine To Be Imposed For Dropping Dirt On The Street

President George Manneh Weah has constituted an inter-sectorial task force to be headed by the Monrovia City Corporation (MCC) and the Paynesville City Corporation (PCC) to clean up Monrovia, Paynesville and adjacent cities in the county of Montserrado for the upcoming 171st Independence Day celebration. Monrovia City Mayor Jefferson Koijee told a press conference at the Monrovia City Corporation (MCC) on Tuesday, 3 July that anyone found littering or throwing dirt in the open will be fined US$5.00 or its equivalence in Liberian Dollars. 
Mr. Koijee says the initiative provides a short term job for one thousand young people from various communities in Monrovia and Paynesville. “By instruction of the president, these volunteers will be paid at the end of the month with the possibility of being maintained on job for month ahead in order to keep Monrovia and Paynesville cities cleaned and also earn money for their livelihood,” Mayor Koijee says. Mr. Koijee notes that the task force’s work will include primary and secondary waste collection and disposal, targeting 178 communities and 52 hotspots in Monrovia, Paynesville and and environs. According to Mr. Koijee, while the exercise is being launched in Montserrado County, the president urges all city authorities in other counties to work with their people, businesses, communities, concessions and community based sanitation groups to embark on similar initiative of cleaning their cities, reports the New Dawn newspaper.

Related Caption: MCC to Fine ‘Dirty Residents’(Daily Observer)

8 Killed In Accident In Suakoko Several Others On Critical List

The headline story of the INQUIRER newspaper reads that a tragic motor accident on the Gbarnga-Monrovia Highway Monday evening left eight persons dead several critically injured when a bus and taxi collided. The accident which occurred around 7p.m. in the Suakoko District, left eight passengers; four from the taxi and four others from the bus dead instantly. According to eye witnesses the bus was traveling from Monrovia to Gbarnga while the Taxi which was driven by one Cyrus Bono, who later died at the Phebe Hospital, was departing Gbarnga for Monrovia. According to eye witnesses; Daniel Sumo who is a charcoal burner along the highway, the bus was in excessive speed when it encountered the head-long collision with the taxi, the paper reads.

Related Captions: Crash Kills 5 – More than 10 Under Critical Conditions(New Dawn), Road Tragedy Four Dead, 13 injured in Fatal Accident On Monrovia-Ganta Highway(FrontPage Africa)

OTHER STORIES

Pres. Weah Congratulates US On Independence Day

The New Dawnnewspaper quotes a Foreign Ministry release: President George Manneh Weah has sent a Congratulatory Message to his counterpart, the President of the United States of America, His Excellency Mr. Donald Trump, on that country’s 242nd Independence Anniversary on Wednesday, July 4th, 2018. Independence Day, also referred to as Fourth of July, in the United States, is the annual celebration of nationhood. In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence which proclaimed the independence of the United States of America from Great Britain and its king, then George III. According to a Foreign Ministry release, President Weah, on behalf of the Government and people of Liberia and in his own name, expressed heartfelt congratulations and warm greetings to President Trump, and through him, to the Government and people of the United States of America as they celebrate this historic milestone. “On this lofty occasion, we relive the dreams of the founders of your great country- in their pursuit of freedom, liberty and justice, on which principles your proud nation was born and emerged as a beacon of hope and prosperity,” the Liberian Leader said.

Senate Agrees On Eligibility Clause Inserted In Elections Law

Following hours of debate, over 12 Senators yesterday voted unanimously to insert into the Elections Law a clause stipulating that lawmakers desirous of contesting for an open seat must first resign their position. The Senate also agreed that the Judiciary Committee goes back into committee room and re-frame the document before sending it to the House of Representatives. The Lawmakers’ decision was as a result of a Bill submitted to the Senate by Senator Varney Sherman, under the title, “Restriction on Eligibility of a Sitting Member of the House of Representatives and a Sitting Member of the Senate to Canvas for Vacancy in the Senate or the House of Representatives During his/her Term.” In their much awaited debate, the Senators agreed that the document was necessary, but some suggested that instead of creating a mushroom of statutes, the Eligibility Act must be sent to both the National Elections Commission (NEC) to form part of its laws and the Code of Conduct. According to the Daily Observer, the lawmakers have agreed that whatever decision is taken, it will not affect the ensuing by-election.

Related Caption: Political Restriction Senate Sets Limitation On Lawmakers Eligibility To Contest By-Elections; Forwarded To House For Concurrence(FrontPage Africa)

TRANSCO CLSG Holds Bi-Annual Coordination Meeting

The Management of TRANSCO CLSG is convening a two-day high level biannual Coordination meeting with all of its EPC Contractors and Owner’s Engineer of the CLSG project in Makeni, Sierra Leone July 3-4, 2018. According to a TRANSCO release, the objective of the meeting is to take stock of progress made in the implementation of the CLSG interconnection project and agree on actions to address all projects and agree on actions to address all project implementation related issues, the In Profile Daily reads.

Liberia Holds Top European Union Meeting

The Heritage newspaper reads that a high-level Liberia-European Union meeting gets underway July 4-5, 2018 at NaFAA’s Technical Office, Mesurado Pier on Bushrod Island, with discussions expected to focus on development Liberian fisheries sector. According to a NaFAA Press release, the high power European Union delegation has arrived in Monrovia to discuss issues surrounding the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement (SFPA) between the Liberian delegation through the National Fisheries and Aquaculture authority (NaFAA) and the European Union. The SFPA is aimed at promoting responsible fisheries to ensure long-term conservation and sustainable exploitation of marine biological resources. At the same time, the Liberian-European Union discussion will also focus on the lifting of Liberia’s Yellow Card imposed by the European Union as a result of non-compliance in the fisheries sector.

Related Caption: Liberia Holds Top European Union Meeting(FrontPage Africa)

IAA Director Nyeswa Promises Vigorous Audit

The Executive Director of the Internal Auditing Agency (IAA), Emmanuel B. Nyeswa, has promised a vigorous internal audit at various government institutions to help save government resources from going to waste. Director Nyeswa spoke with newsmen on Monday at the start of the entity’s five-day annual retreat in Congo Town, outside Monrovia, aimed at validating documents that will bring the IAA up to speed in delivering its mandate. Mr. Nyeswa said IAA’s five-year strategic working documents would ensure proficiency of the entity’s agents and ultimately advance standard internal auditing that would salvage government of waste expenditure as well as minimize corruption in government, asserts the Daily Observer.

House Looks Into Hike In US Rate

The House of Representatives looked into the hike in the US Dollars exchange rate against the Liberia Dollars on Tuesday, 3 July. It all started after Montserrado County District #2 Rep. Jimmy Smith released a report from the House Committee on Banking and Currency concerning the continuous unprecedented depreciation of the Liberia Dollars against the United States Dollars on the Liberia market. The committee states that based on the meeting held, they observed that the supply and demand for money has an adverse effect on the price paid for (foreign exchange rate). According to the report from the committee on banking, the more the supply of the money, the more devalued it is and vice versa, reports the New Dawn newspaper.

Commerce, Partners to Launch Service Website

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry in collaboration with Swedish National Board of Trade and World Bank Group is expected to launch a service sector website which will provide an e-government solution to the business community and the public at large. The program which will take place at about 3pm on Friday, July 6, 2018 in the multi-purpose conference room of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry will bring together several stakeholders from ministries and agencies, the Liberia Chamber of Commerce, the Liberia Business Association amongst others, the INQUIRER newspaper reports.

Minister Tweah Admits To Technical Capacity Gap Among Staff

According to the Daily Observer, the Minister of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP) Samuel D. Tweah has admitted to the prevalence of technical gap among the staffs. Tweah made the observation on Tuesday, July 3, in a remark he made during dedication of a computer lab for the Liberia Macroeconomic Policy Analysis Center at the ministry. He said a lot of time has been devoted to capacity-building in times past, yet the gap persists. Minister Tweah said it is important that the staffs would be able to collect data and analyze them. He said under his watch he would ensure that the staffs use the newly-dedicated lab efficiently to gather and analyze information and statistical data the ministry needs.

Commerce Books Several Business Houses

According to the Daily Observer, authorities at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) Nimba Inspectorate have booked about 20 business houses for violations, including failure to register their businesses, lack of tag to indicate prices of  things and sometimes selling “expired goods.” Speaking to reporters at the office, Commerce inspector in Nimba County Nelson Korquoi said booking of the connected businesses came after the ministry launched a vigorous inspection exercise across the county. Korquoi said all the business centers involved were fined, based on the magnitude of their violation or crime.

LIPRIDE Concludes Dialogue On Human Rights

An interactive dialogue for rights actors and organizations has ended in Monrovia, with calls for policymakers and state actors to consider human rights as civil rights and not privilege. Organized by the Liberia Initiative for the Promotion of Rights, Identity, Diversity and Equality in partnership with the Independent National Commission, the dialogue to bring organizations working on Right issues in the country to review the country’s Human Rights situation and draw a workable strategy.LIPRIDE is a conglomeration of coalition of organizations working to promote and advocate for the rights of people living with HIV, minority groups and Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights in the country.The dialogue brought together representatives from the ministry of Justice, Independent National Commission on Human Rights, Independent Human Rights Investigators, the U.S. Embassy Human Rights Section among others.Speaking at the start of the dialogue, the acting Chairman of the Independent National Commission (INCHR), Atty. Bartholomew Colley told representatives of Human Rights organizations at the gathering that respect for Human rights goes beyond status in society, Sexual orientation, identity, health condition, traditional beliefs because it is an obligatory for people’s rights to be respected at all times, reads the Heritagenewspaper.