GBARNGA, Bong County – The National Youth Movement for Transparent Elections (NAYMOTE) has ended a one-day open budget discussion in Bong County using the Citizens’ Guide to the National Budget.
The one-day event gathered more than 40 participants from across Bong County. The one-day budget discussion was held with less than 12 days to the elapse of the 2018/2019 national budget.
Introducing the event, NAYMOTE’s executive director, Eddie Jarwolo, said the gathering seeks to promote citizens knowledge and understanding of the national budget, foster greater understanding on whether institutions in Bong County receiving funds from national budget or government for their operations to report to citizens on the amounts they have received from their different allotments, how they used those amounts and the challenges in accessing the funds from government.
Four institutions from Bong County were highlighted during the discussion. They include Bong County Technical College with annual allotment of US$ 786, 959, Project Management Committee (PMC), has an allotment of US$ 207,666, C.B. Dunbar Hospital received in allotment of US$ 320, 000, while the County Service Center has US$ 30,000 in allotment.
Of the four institutions, the Bong County Technical College received all of its allotments from government for the period under review.
The institution’s representative at the discussion said the college is grappling with the president George Weah’s free tuition waiver announced last year.
“Money we raised from tuition was directed at stationery and other important issues necessary to the running of the college. Since last year, we haven’t received a penny from the government in that direction and because of that it’s affecting the operations of the college,” the BCTC representative at the discussion said.
Meanwhile, of the US$ 30, 000 allotment for the County Service Center, only US$ 10,000 was received during the current budget year, according to the head of the center, Jefferson Gbaryan.
Gbaryan said as the result the Service Center has reduced its supply of electricity to the center. “That’s our lastest we have taken because we don’t have money to run the center for 8-9 hours,” he said.
Also speaking, the PMC chairman, Steve Mulbah, announced that Bong County has received 1 million in Social Development Fund from the government.
He said it was the first time Bong County received Social Development Fund from the government in more than four years.
In his remarks, acting Bong County Superintendent, Anthony Sheriff, was hopeful that the discussion on the national budget would empower citizens with information to ask their duty bearers questions about allotments from government to institutions in the county.
Sheriff disclosed that the past and current government owe Bong County over US$10 million dollars.
Providing an expert opinion on the discussion, former Bong County lawmaker George Mulbah said that it’s the responsibility of a legislative caucus in any county to assist various institutions in the county to have access to funds allocated in the national budget for the county.
“Sometimes administrators of these instructions should inform their lawmakers or liaise with them in accessing funding,” he said.
Meanwhile, participants lauded NAYMOTE for the discussion and said the discussion enlightened their minds on sensitive issues about allotments in the national budget.
Togar Weyea, chairman of the Independent Bong Interllectual Class, a pressure group in Bong County, said he is returning much enriched to advocate for allotments in the national budget for Bong County.
“For me the one-day was rich. The discussion went beyond my expectations,” Weyea added.