Monrovia – President George Weah Thursday, July 19, admonished maintenance staffs at the Capitol Building to ensure that the bathrooms in the building are kept clean and tidy every day.
Report by Henry Karmo, [email protected]
President Weah, himself a former Senator, made the plead Thursday when he dedicated the newly constructed annexes of the Capitol Building.
He told the gathering that as the construction for the annexes was being done and him still a senator for Montserrado County, he had hoped that as Chairman of the county’s legislative caucus, he would have been one of the lawmakers privilege to have one of the new offices.
In a statement issued, the Liberian Senate Public Affairs Department stated that both annexes were constructed at the cost of approximately US$12.9 million and they contain 60 offices – 40 for the House of Representatives and 20 for the Liberian Senate.
During the Thursday official dedication of both annexes, the Chair, Co-chair and Members of the Joint Legislative Modernization Committee warmly recognized and deeply appreciated the contributions of some personalities who worked assiduously in achieving this feat – including former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former Speakers J. Alex Tyler and J. Emmanuel Nuquay, former Presidents Pro tempore Cletus S. Wotorson, Gbehzongar M. Findley and Armah Z. Jallah, Hon. Blamoh Nelson, founding Chairman of the Joint Modernization Committee, Members of the 52nd and 53rd Legislatures, amongst others.
In respect to diplomatic notes/exchanges entered into between the Governments of the Republic of Liberia and the People’s Republic of China, on July 4, 2014, construction of two Annexes at the Capitol Building was sealed.
The project commenced on October 28, 2016 and was completed on June 8, 2018. Jiangsu Jiangdu Construction Group Co., Ltd was commissioned to implement the project. Construction of the annexes addresses Pillar 5 of the Legislature’s Modernization Plan, which was approved and adopted by the House and Senate in 2009 during the 52nd Legislature.
Background
In their determination to make the Liberian Legislature 21st century compliant, lawmakers of the 52nd Legislature evolved a Modernization Plan. Subsequently, the Joint Legislative Modernization Committee was established, which formulated the Plan with assistance from international partners.
Dozens of meetings and conferences were held between 2007 and 2009 in the formulation process. The Plan was finally approved and adopted by the House and Senate in September of 2009. Then Senator Blamoh Nelson served as Chairman and assisted by then Rep. Alomiza M. Ennos. International Development Partners that assisted in the formulation of the plan were the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), World Bank-Liberia, National Democratic Institute (NDI), United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF), which provided the initial fund for formulation of the plan.
The modernization program consists of five pillars including representation, lawmaking, oversight, staffing and critical infrastructure & work environment.
Since the adoption of the plan in 2009, implementation has been on going. While all five pillars are vital to the workings of the Legislature including the three cardinal functions of representation, lawmaking and oversight, improved working condition at the Legislature has been of troubling concern.
Under Pillar 5, the plan states: “Although the physical infrastructure of the Legislature was recently rehabilitated by the Government of the United States – including the addition of a few more offices – it remains grossly inadequate to house all the working units of the institution. Additional office space is urgently needed…..the working space is extremely inadequate and not conducive for productivity…Lawmakers and their staff are therefore hindered in carrying out their duties…”
In the face of such gloomy conditions, former President Sirleaf and the leadership committees of the Legislature during the 53rd Legislature, concerted efforts aimed at embarking on a project that could address concerns under the various pillars.
President Sirleaf’s administration then approached and requested the Government of the People’s Republic of China for assistance, which led to the construction of the two Annexes.