Monrovia – Several senators of the Liberian Senate have spoken against outside interference in the application of legislative functions making specific reference to the Global witness.
Report by Henry Karmo – [email protected]
The lawmakers’ reference was in response to a statement from the Global witness calling on lawmakers to pass a Land Rights Act (LRA) that protects the land rights of rural Liberians and reject any versions of the LRA that strip rights from these communities.
Senators Dan Morias and Peter Coleman of Maryland and Grand Kru Counties did not hold back their feelings in telling the public that the Senate Committees on Lands, Mines, Energy and Natural Resources and the Judiciary have been under immense pressure from Foreign Countries including the United Nations to passed the law even if it didn’t meet the approval of the citizenry.
“Our country has come of age for us to be dictated to. They (Global Witness) know that we are on a verge of passing a law so they want to get the credit. Liberia is a responsible country and we should be allowed to run our affairs,” Senator Morias said.
Like Morais Senator Colman believes the pressure has come from the above which he failed to name because someone somewhere wants to set a legacy.
“No legacy at the expense of the Liberian people we are in no rush to pass this law we need to clean it properly. I differ with some of my colleagues who want to hide the fact that we have been under pressure…
“We have been under pressure from the UNSRSG of as if we didn’t pass this law something will happen.”
The House of Representative last week Thursday voted to pass the land right law in the name of giving the land to the people with this passage it was expected that the House of Senate would have concurred with the House of Representatives on the passage of the act but to the contrary senators including members of the committees had issues with the act.
Jonathan Gant, Global Witness campaigner said: “The LRA, if passed, should recognize that communities own their land and ensure local communities – and only local communities – have the power to say where their lands are and how they should be managed.
Global Witness believes that any Act that does not protect the ownership and management rights of rural landowners should be rejected by the legislature. If the legislature passes a law that does not protect these rights, the law should be vetoed by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
The land Right Act has been in the legislature since 2014, the act has suffered several setbacks. In 2015, the Senate plenary mandated its committees on lands Mines, Energy and Natural Resources and Environment, Judiciary, Human Rights, Claims and petition to evaluate the proposed land rights Act 2014 submitted to the Legislature by the President of Liberia and advise plenary.
The Act takes into consideration four issues which include; Private Land rights, Customary Land Government, and Public and Protected Areas. In the report submitted to the Senate plenary, under Private land sole Proprietorship, Partnerships composed on only Liberians and corporations owned entirely by Liberians may hold titles to land.
In the act the ownership of private land excludes the rights to the mineral resources on or beneath the land.
“The ownership of private land shall become extinct by abandonment and the land escheats to the Government if the owner fails to pay all taxes on the land for a continuous period of 10 years or the land has not been occupied, development of used by the owner for a continuous period 10 years.
In the committee report set by Senator Albert Chie of Grand Kru County, under customary land, a community’s ownership of customary land includes the ownership and right to use an alienated, by means, all non-mineral mineral resources on the land such as a forest. Mineral resources are excluded.
All concessions, contracts, permits, and licenses issued on community land prior to the effective date shall remain enforceable in keeping with their existing terms and conditions. During the review of any concession on customary land after the effective date, the inputs and concerns of the community hosting the concession will be presented through the customary land support office.
Under Government land and Public Land, Government Land shall consist of all lands owned, occupied and used by the Government for buildings, projects and other activities of Government, including lands on which are located offices of ministries, agencies, schools health facilities, military bases etc.
Public land in the act shall consist of all lands acquired and held by the Government through purchase, donation, confiscation, escheat, and gift or otherwise, which is not presently used by the Government and is neither private nor customary land.
Protected areas under the act may be created by the Government on a private land or customary land, upon negotiation with the owners.
The land rights act submitted to the National Legislature by President of Liberia is believe to be a very major step in resolving the land conflicts in Liberia.
It delineates the different the different categories of land ownership and rights in Liberia and discusses the bundle of rights associated with each land category.