In compliance with the ethic of journalism, if any media institution publishes a story on an entity, person or so, when a rejoinder is written, that media group is responsible to publish for the other side of the story to be heard; in this light we wish to thank you for the space accorded the FDA.
A story captioned Erroneous Appointments, published in your widely read FrontPage News Paper, Page 6 Vol. 12, No. 45 on Wednesday, 7th March, 2018 subjectively written by a senior reporter of this paper by the name, Al-Varney Rogers and the editor’s willingness to avoid doing a due diligence to your friend the FDA is unbelievable and kind of disappointing to a friendly institution like the FDA.
Further, as an institution, the Forestry Development Authority (FDA) is avoiding having confrontation with media institutions or entities because we need you and you need us; however, there are facts we as an entity wish to share with the reading public who read your account of the story in your Wednesday 7th March edition of the Front Page that is deceiving as per the law you mistakenly quoted will be accorded the opportunity to know from whence the President comes with appointing Hon. Harrison S. Karnwea, Sr.
Notwithstanding, this published article, under the caption “Erroneous Appointments, was not only referencing the FDA though, but other agencies, notably, the FDA is responding that President Weah did not do erroneous appointment at the Forestry Development Authority.
Rather, H. E. President George M. Weah appointment of Former Superintendent of Nimba County, former Minister of Internal Affairs, Former Managing Director of the Forestry Development now appointed as Chairman of the Board of the FDA was credible and legal.
Hon. Karnwea is a locally oriented person whose life is centers mainly on rubber farming; work with Liberia’s second larger populated county, with the indigenous, including the traditionalists, youth, women, rural communities and work with the FDA for the past close to five years, the FDA is grateful to have him as the New Board Chairperson because he understands the challenges and what it takes to transform them into great changes to have government generating huge revenue from the forest sector to improve Liberia’s infrastructures.
Again, FDA as an entity did not wait; immediately when she heard the appointment news of Hon Karnwea, a release was immediately done on Public Media to congratulate President Weah and His hard Working Team for considering a resourceful personality like Hon. Harrison S. Karnwea, Sr. as Chairman of the Board of the FDA.
Disappointingly, the author of the story did not do justice to the profession and that of that good relationship that exist between the FDA and the Front Page specifically. The 1976 law that brought the FDA into existence is a living document but laws are made to withstand the test of times or prevent the wrong for the right reasons.
Equally, if there are possibilities that the nation deemed it necessary that certain hazard that was foreseen are now harmless, the legislature and that of the Executives with all of the relevant state actors could come to a common understand that this law need to be amended. This is the legal process the President and his able team used to appoint a resourceful Board Chairman, Hon. Harrison S. Karnwea, Sr.
An Act To Amend Section 6, Sub-Section 6.1 Of An Act Creating The Forestry Development Authority of 1976. It is enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Republic of Liberia in Legislative assembled.
Section 6 of An Act Creating the Forestry Development Authority of 1976, under the caption Board of Directors”, is hereby amended to revise sub-section 6.1, to read as follows:
Composition: The formulation of policies and direction of management of the Forestry Development Authority shall be vested in and exercised by a Board of Directors constitution of:
- One representative each from the ministry responsible for agriculture, the ministry responsible for labor, and the ministry responsible for lands, who shall be designated by the minister of the respective ministries but shall not be below the rank of a deputy minister.
- Four Liberia Citizens: (i) representative of the Liberia business sector (ii) a person knowledgeable in the forest operations; (iii) a representative of background/knowledge in agriculture of forestry, who shall serve as Chairperson of the Board of Director; all of whom shall be appointed by the president with the consent of the Senate.
- The Managing Director of the Authority of the Authority shall serve as secretary of the Board but shall not be considered a member of the Board.
Section 2: That Section 6.4 of the Act creating the Forestry Development Authority of 1976 is hereby repealed.
Section 3: This Act shall take effect immediately upon publication in hand-bills.
Any Law To The Contrary Notwithstanding.
If the FrontPageAfrica did her investigation very well, she would not have fallen flat on her face on the issue of Hon. Karnwea’s appointment. Realistically, the immediate past Chairperson of the Board of Director of the FDA was Sister Mary Laurence Brown, OSP; she was never the Minister of Agriculture as the writer of the story claimed.
Considering the people’s President Appointment of a former Senior Official of Government in person of Hon. Harrison S. Karnwea, Sr. as Chairperson of the Board to the management of the FDA is an added advantage and not reading the mind of the public in this full grown dynamic democratically healthy environment Madam Sirleaf left, the FDA management once again appreciate President Weah and management is ready to work with Hon. Karnwea.
Richie G. Grear, Public Affairs, FDA