By Taisiah K. Merfee

The Patriotic Entrepreneurs of Liberia (PATEL) has frowned at the Legislature for the poor state of the Liberian business community, asserting that the Legislature is not performing its oversight responsibility to ensure that Liberianization policy is fully implemented to empower Liberian businesses.

PATEL, through its President and Chairperson on Trade and Commerce of the Liberia national business association Dominic Namely, blamed the Legislature for not calling on the Executive through the Ministry of Commerce to enforce the 100% retailer right and the Liberianization policy.

The association, therefore, threatened to take an unspecified action against the Legislature to ensure that that body of government does the right thing to empower the Liberian business community.

“We have cried for empowerment for a long time. We have engaged the Commerce Minister, the Legislature, but yet they play deaf ear. We have realized that the Executive is not our problem because the President is just one person, but we are coming after the Legislature with an action that will shake the entire Legislature because they have the oversight.”

Mr. Nimely continued by providing that the major challenge the Liberian business community is facing is the lack of financial empowerment opportunities, something he stated that the business community has tried to resolve by requesting a loan from the national government.

He provided that since requesting the loan scheme from the national government through the commerce ministry and national legislature, the government is yet to grant the business community request.

“We called all the local business organizations to know what the problem is, and they all stated that the lack of financial empowerment is their problem. 

Since two years back, we crafted a document requesting the government to give us US$50 million as loan with the interest rate of 6%, which would be paid back in five years, but since then, the government has not responded.”

He further stated that the government is strangulating the business community by hiring the services of foreign businesses.

He blamed the lack of improvement in the tailoring sector on the failure of the government to purchase security uniforms from the tailor union.

“This is one of the reasons we requested the 50 million, to empower the tailor union so that they can be able to get modern machines and quality cloths to be able to produce security uniforms and other fashion clothes.  This could be a major boost to the union and the economy in general.”

Meanwhile, he urged the government to see the need to empower the business community by hiring the services of Liberian businesses.

“The government can also provide empowerment by seeking the services of Liberian own businesses. 

The tailoring is a profession and can boost the economy, too. You can hire the tailor union to produce uniform for the various security apparatus.”

At the same time, he maintains that the Legislature is responsible for the failure of every sector of the country. Asserting that failure of the Legislature to give the necessary budgetary allotment to the needed sector is the root cause for the lack of development across the country.

He further blamed the Legislature for the poor state of the Health and the Education sectors, adding that the Legislature are only concerned about enriching themselves rather than allotting budget to needed sectors that will improve the living conditions of Liberians.

However, he also blamed Ministers and Directors of government ministries and agencies for not reflecting the reason for which they were appointed to serve.

He alleged that Ministers and Directors are not working to improve the lives of the common Liberian but rather working to impress owners of foreign businesses, something he claimed that is hampering the growth of every sector of the country.

“The presidency is not just our problem. Those working in the Executive are also our problem. When foreign businesses owners violate the rights of Liberians, our Ministers go to them not to talk for our rights but rather seek little things that they can afford from the same very people violating our rights. 

The legislature is our main problem. They usually come with lies seeking our votes, but when they get elected, they focus on enriching themselves rather than allotting budget to the needed sector,” Namely asserts.