Monrovia – Nicolas Nmah sits reluctantly in a tent at the back of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection waiting anxiously to collect his reprinted birth certificate.
Report by Mae Azango [email protected]
The sun was beaming against the wetness of Liberia’s rainy season, which had thwarted movements of many for the last couple of days in Monrovia.
Nmah seized the opportunity by joining many others eager to obtain birth certificate or a reprint from the Ministry of Health’s department of birth certificate on the Capitol By-pass.
“Even though birth certificate is important but I have a problem with Madam Mary Broh and the payment system,” he said with a smirk on his face.
“The ministry made a mistake on the date of my birth certificate,” he continues, “And Mary Broh said you should pay LD$1,000 to the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) for the mistake made by her people instead of L$500 for which the system is built to collect for birth certificates.”
Nmah frowns against the extra payment for reprint, asserting that it was fabricated to extort money from clients.
“I had paid LD$500 twice when the machine could not print out a receipt for LD$1,000.00, which I feel is not fair to me or any other Liberian,” he said this time the anger was cracking his tone as he displayed two receipts to prove his case.
He says the system was built to only receive L$ 500.00 at a time and then issue a receipt for the amount and not LD$1,000.
But Mary Broh, acting director of the department (on special Presidential assignment), says the extra charge provides incentives for staffs that “make US$35.00 per month for standing and working all day, which is not fair.”
“If you want to do reprint because oil wasted on your birth certificate or rat ate it, or some other mistake, you will pay LD$1,000 to LRA instead of LD$500, because it was due to your negligence it happened,” a buoyant Broh said in response to reproaches about the extra L$500 fees for reprint.
Broh, who has worked in various government positions in the past ten years, enjoys a bittersweet reputation with Liberians.
She’s still relishing praises for reviving the passport department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, revitalizing Monrovia City Corporation, introducing city parking system. All comes from her rigorous aptitude for reforms, her admirers aver.
But critics often slam her for over stepping by allegedly violating the laws to effect reforms.
And there were angry clients and bystanders at the birth certificate office describing the extra charge as “illegal and extortion.”
Some claimed that LRA should be aware of any additional fees.
Press and Public Affairs Officer of LRA, D. Kaihenneh Sengbeh, in a telephone chat told FrontPageAfrica that “If a person pays LD$500.00 twice for reprint of a birth certificate they get receipts, and the amount goes straight into Government’s revenue account and does not go into any separate account for any other thing”.
Meanwhile, Broh clarified that birth certificate fees are not tax, so decision for increment doesn’t go through legislation. She said the President approves government agency’s decision to increase service fees.
“Just as the passports fees went from US$23.00 to US$50.00, birth certificate fees will also go up to US$ 20.00,” she said, while referencing the her decision back in 2007 to increase the passport fees.
“At that time, the employees did not have food to eat, have transportation, uniforms and allowances. But when the fees were increased to US$50, the workers were getting food, transportation and allowances, and then I found out that when I was paying the employees regularly and on time, no passport ever went missing again.”
She argues that funds generated from the extra fees will augment staff incentives and welfare while at work, consequently ensuring efficiency and productivity of the department.
“When you pay a man his wages and incentives regularly, why should he steal?
Therefore, paying LD$ 500.00 as fees for birth certificate cannot do anything for the system. Who buys the papers or ink for printing, who feeds the employees?”
Madam Broh said Liberians have to get on board with documentation because it is worldwide requirement.
She wants legislation that calls for all citizens to be documented, adding that the delays in obtaining birth certification are because of hurdles that have clouded the system for the past 30 years.
“So we have to accommodate our citizens, because Liberia is the only country doing delayed birth certification registration because of the civil war.”
“Right now we have over 4,000 applicants backlogged that we cleared within a month, so we are getting there bit by bit,” she said.
She warned individuals against delays in acquiring children or their birth certificates, but they are often pushed against time when it is requested.
“When there is a scholarship, then you go through the government agencies you work with to write and say it is urgent that I should fix a birth certificate.”
“I should not be doing such, because having a birth certificate is personal so a government agency, should not be writing me to fix a birth certificate urgently. “
“But I do it to afford the youth the opportunities of traveling to further their studies and better of their lives,” she said.
She said when there are doubts from the US Embassy regarding travel documents, the councilor session asks her to authenticate birth certificates due to the flow of fake documents in the country.
Giving details during an interview with FPA, she recalled an incidence when the US Embassy expressed concern about a birth certificate made long before the holder or child’s birth.
She said the department also verifies death certificates.
“For example, the girl from the US who died in the motor accident, I had to verified and sign a letter and attached it to the death certificate for her body to be flown to the US,” she said.
“We do both birth and death certificates, but with the death certificate, there has to be an informant asking for the death certificate, there should be a passport to move the body.”
“The process is not tedious but it is necessary because Liberia is not a documentation country, but we have to learn it now, because in order to move a corps from one place to another, you will need documentation to board the flight and disembark.”
Despite Madam Broh’s motive for the extra charge for reprinted birth certificates, clients like Nmah still ponders the significance and would need more clarity to dissuade his perception of extortion.
However, the director is adamant people who carelessly damaged or lost their birth certificates must bear the consequence of paying the double service fee, which will then help the department underwrite the incentives of its ‘underpay’ staff.
“Let me ask you this: so, if 50 people carelessly damaged their birth certificates, should we do the reprint for the same amount?
Who pays for the paper, ink and machine to print it? Even people who work in factories are paid for over time,” she said.
“So if the citizens have problem with paying LD$1,000, let them not damage their birth certificates and come for reprint, or you will have to pay that amount.”
