MONROVIA: With about a week now into his Presidency, President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr. is now being dogged with the issue of transparency and accountability hanging over his Presidential Inaugural Team.
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill, Thursday, January 25, expressed concerns as it relates to the US$5,000 each allegedly given to the 73 electoral districts in Liberia for celebration of the President’s inauguration across the country.
At Thursday sitting, a formal communication came from three Lawmakers, asking the Plenary of the House of Representatives, which is the Highest -Decision-making Body of the Lower House of the country’s bicameral Legislature, to request the Presidential Inaugural Committee to come and provide better information about the money that was reportedly given to each district.
Lofa County Representative, Siafa Kpoto, said the people in his constituency had told him that they heard that lawmakers were each given US$5,000 for their district to be a part of the recent Presidential Inaugural Ceremony.
According to the Lawmaker, who said he wasn’t given his district’s portion of such money, it has now caused a problem for him in his district.
Representative Kpoto pleaded with his legislative colleagues to call the Inaugural Committee before the House Plenary so that members of the committee can provide House of Representatives vivid understanding of this money and how it was disbursed.
The Lawmaker also wants to know whether it was money that came from the Liberian government’s coffers or Mr. Boakai’s personal money.
“Before we visit our people in the villages, we want to firstly get a clear understanding of the money,” he said.
One of Representative Kpoto’s colleagues, Montserrado County District#4 Representative, Michael Thomas, disclosed that that the money was received.
“But who received said money is the big question that needs to be answered by the Unity Party and the Inaugural Committee,” the Lawmaker indicated.
According to him, their constituents were demanding answers from them as it relates to the money, and that is why he and other lawmakers were asking Plenary to invite the UP and Inaugural Committee who were in control of the money.
However, another Representative, Clearance Banks of Grand Bassa County District #2, clarified that he was in the gathering in which the President Joseph Boakai made the statement about giving his ‘personal money’ to each district and that the funds was not belonging to government.
Rep. Banks further stated that his district did get its share of the money and so he saw no reason why people are making noise around about said money.
Montserrado County District#12 lawmaker buttressed what his Grand Bassa colleague had said. He added further that the money came to his district under the Unity Party’s letterhead.
Meanwhile, Montserrado County District #10 Representative Yekeh Kolubah submitted a different opinion, saying that the money should have been used by the ruling party to supplement civil servants’ pay or even help in other sectors, including education or health.
“We are talking about accountability and transparency: that what the Unity Party and their Alliance campaigned for. So, if they can’t provide better information about the money, they are misleading the public,” Representative Kolubah, who was a very serious critic of the George Weah-led Administration, said.
For his part, Rep. Musa H. Bility of Nimba County District#7 suggested to his colleagues that the House’s Committee on Executive should go and find out whether the money was received and how it was disbursed in other to save the image of the House of Representatives because they are being accused.
