Report J. H. Webster Clayeh, [email protected]
Monrovia – The Representative of Bong County District #3, Marvin Cole says the action of Bomi County Senator Sando Johnson to bring the issue of a loan sort after by the government to the public while consultation is still ongoing is completely “out of order”.
Cole was making reference to Senator Johnson’s assertion on the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the government of Liberia and Eton Financial Private Limited for US$536 million loan agreement.
The Bomi County Senator, in his wisdom, questioned the issue of the sovereign guarantee and what Liberia stands to lose in the event if it is unable to pay back the loan to the private firm.
“I am kind of confused, and this is my confusion: normally if a country wants to borrow, it is done through bilateral- country to country or the World Bank. My fear is to go into a loan agreement with a private entity, whether this entity has a credible status we do not know. Where is the sovereign guarantee trust? The agreement is not telling us what we are going to mortgage,” Senator Johnson told FrontPage Africa in an exclusive interview Thursday, May 17, 2018.
But speaking to a team of journalists at his Capitol Building office Friday, May 18, 2018, the Bong County lawmaker said President George Weah is under the constitutional mandate to execute the country’s foreign policy, adding that the action of the President to arrange with Eton Financial private firm is in no way wrong.
Although Representative Cole asserted that it is also the responsibility for the Legislature to rectify agreements coming from the executive, he added that said rectification should not be in the press.
Cole said, “For Senator Johnson to insinuate in the public that the sovereignty of our nation is being savaged by this government; we believe that his action and conversation are out of order.”
He added: “And to remind him; he who preaches equity must come with clean hands. If you are talking about sovereignty we do not wish to remind you of actions that had been melted against this nation by you and other people.”
Representative Cole also urged the Bomi County Senator to realize that the discussions and attitude of a member of the 54th Legislature and moreover, member of the ruling establishment, the collaborating political parties that issue that has the propensity to undermine the existence of the government should not be aired in the public when consultations are ongoing.
“We believe the action of the Senator is not only to address this loan agreement but to put this government and chief executive in public ridicule,” the Bong County District#3 lawmaker said.
“We reject that as members of the collaborating partners of this government that we will not encourage and tolerate any of our members who intend to undermine this government- there will be a serious political blackout.”
Although Senator Johnson sees it fit that if Liberia or any other country wants to borrow; it should be done through bilateral agreement – meaning, country-to-country or the World Bank or IMF, Representative Cole argues that the government should go into agreement with any private firm that has the capacity to loan the Liberian government for development.
“It is not mandatory that we must go to the IMF or the World Bank to loan, any individual, and any nation that is of a friendly position to help this government we encourage them,” he said.
“So, I think that his conversation that we are dealing with a private firm is coming from claims that we do not want to remind ourselves. This pro-poor agenda of his Excellency will not be undermined by any individual.”