Monrovia – The Government of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has come under serious criticism with Liberians expressing mixed views as to what the Government has done during its two terms in office.
Some believe that government has done nothing as relates to development to improve the lives of its people while others strongly believe that the president has done well to improve the lives of its citizens couple with many development projects. President Sirleaf commenting on the debate said she took Liberia from a pariah state to a better position and her critics are unfair with their criticisms.
President said “History will remember that I met Liberia, a broken nation, a pariah state and I put it on the track for sustainable development. There is no escaping that, nobody will deny me that because it is true”. She went on to tell critics of her regime to keep quiet.
“I am tempted to just say two words to the critics: Shut up! — laughter— just to say that let me just put it this way. Some recent criticisms from some people who I will call my good old friends, that this government is incompetent, this president is incompetent. You know my response, incompetence got me where I am and incompetence got them where they are. Maybe a lot of people will want to be incompetent”.
In the debate, those who defend government and point out development projects the regime has implemented are normally seen as praise singers of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
The Ministry of Information Culture and Tourism, responsible to inform the public about government’s day to day activities has in the past been criticized by many Liberians of being a reactionary Ministry that respond to every statement coming from critics of the government and politicians, thus leaving out its original purpose of highlighting government’s activities.
To independently inform the Liberian people on government’s developmental projects around the country, the newly appointed Minister of Information, Len Eugene Nagbe has launched a new program that affords independent journalists and media institutions the opportunity to tour government projects around the country starting with Grand Bassa County.
A team of journalists from several media institutions headed by Presidential Press Secretary Jerelimick Piah Monday toured government developmental projects in Grand Bassa County. The team was received by Grand Bassa County Superintendent Levi Denmah who took the journalists on a guided toure of government projects in the county.
The Government of Liberia has carried out a huge developmental progress in Grand Bassa county but still has challenges in the county mainly the threat the Atlantic Ocean poses to the city and issue of lack of jobs for the people since Accelor Mittal, the steel company operating in the county started downsizing workers due to the drop in the sale of iron ore on the world market.
Many of the youths in the county are now making use of government’s free eighteen (18) months training program at the Liberia Opportunities Industrialization Center (LOIC) in the County. Grand Bassa County Superintendent Joseph Levi Denmah during the tour with journalists around the facilities of the LOIC explained that the LOIC program is an eighteen months program.
He said students from Grand Bassa, River Cess and Margibi counties are making use of the LOIC program, saying the students spend twelve months in the class and six months for internship. During the visit at the LOIC, over hundred and fifty students were seen in different departments including Home art, tailoring, pastry, engineering and electricity.
A female student in the mechanical engineering department, Lawrenna Charlie 21 explained that she is enjoying during what she’s involve in, thus encouraging her colleagues to take advantage of the LOIC program. She noted that upon her graduation she wants to continue heavy studies by getting involve in heavy duty mechanic.
For her part, Angeline nelly Toe 27, want government supply the school with materials, saying the materials they are using on the campus not enough.
“We are many and the materials we using are not enough for us, we need more materials in order to speed up our process, but without the materials we cannot go faster because we have to wait for our friends to finish using the materials before we start to use it too,” she explained.
A multipurpose building has been constructed by Chevron Liberia social development for the LOIC. The multipurpose building is intended to support the LOIC workshop.
The Bassa Community College (GBCC) is another milestone by government in the county, the college has been completed and students are already attending the school but the president of the GBCC, Dr. Levi Zee Zangai says the school needs buses that will carry students to and fro. He noted that already the school has trained 92 nurses 90% of which has been employed and working.
Another place visited was the County Service Center, the government of Liberia seems well on its way to decentralize and de-concentrate its activities with the operation of the Grand Bassa Service Center in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County more than seven months ago.
Located in the heart of Buchanan, the Grand Bassa County Service Center serves as a one stop shop center for those who normally commute to Monrovia to get documentations such as Contractor Permits, mining license, birth and marriage certificates amongst others.
More than LD$1.8 million has been raised in revenue generation for the first seven months of its existence with a total of 3,436 service users, according to D. Emmanuel Wheinyue, Media Engagement Officer of the National Decentralization Implementation Secretariat at the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The last place of visit by the team of journalists was the Port of Buchanan. The Port Manager of Buchanan, Patrick M. Konneh said the Port of Buchanan is fully operational with seven days a week and a 24-hour pilot service following the installation of a Pilot Aid Navigation System. The cost of the navigation aid is estimated at US$200,000.
Provision of the service follows three years of collaborative efforts between the NPA and Arcelor Mittal, leading to the installation of appropriate aids to facilitate night time operations at the port. Acting NPA Managing Director David Williams recently disclosure at a press conference held at the Freeport of Monrovia.
On the economic benefits of the 24/7 port operations of the Buchanan Port, Konneh indicated that there would be an increase in vessel traffic, providing for an increase in revenue through tariffs and taxes as well as royalties. The increase in service at the Port of Buchanan will also make it competitive through timely berthing of vessels, full utilization of all berths and berthing opportunities, and reduction in vessel idle time at all berths at the port.
Additional services include safety navigation, measuring vessels within harbor, especially after dusk, and making demand for employment by all stakeholders, including the NPA herself.
