IPNEWS: With just three days into his presidency, President Joseph Nyuma Boakai is now being dogged with the issue of transparency and accountability hanging over his Unity Party.
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 their inaugural celebration.
During Thursday sitting, communication came from three lawmakers asking the Plenary of the House of Representatives to request the Inaugural Committee to come and provide better information about the money that was reportedly given to each district.
Lofa County Representative Siafa Kpoto said that people in is constituency had told him that they heard that lawmakers were each given US$5000 for their district to be a part of the inaugural ceremony. According to the lawmaker, who said he wasn’t given such money, it has now caused a problem for him in his district.
Rep. Kpoto pleaded with his colleagues to call the Inaugural Committee so that they can provide them vivid understanding of this money and how it was disbursed. He also wants to know whether it was money that came from the government’s coffers or 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 Rep. Kpoto’s colleagues, Montserrado County District #4 Representative Michael Thomas disclosed that that the money was received, adding: “But who received said money is the big question that needs to be answered by the Unity Party and the Inaugural Committee.”
According to him, their constituents were demanding answers from them as it relates to the money so that it why he and other lawmakers were asking Plenary to invite the UP and Inaugural Committee who were in control of the money.
However, another of the representatives, Representative Clearance Banks of Grand Bassa County District #2, clarified that he was in the gathering in which the President made the statement about giving his personal money to each district and that the money was no government money.
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,” Rep. 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. By Taisiah Merfee
