—-Describes Information from Minister Mamaka Bility as Informal and Unofficial
IPNEWS: Amidst growing concerns from both members of the Legislature and the public regarding recent public pronouncement by a junior minister of 285 yellow machines at the cabinet retreat other than president Joseph N. Boakai himself continued to be met by huge public criticisms.
Last week Senator Amara Konneh, of Gbarpolu county requested hard answers to how much did the 285 yellow machines cost and how did the Boakai Administration raised the money?
Konneh stated that the minimum price for each of these units is about $100K. That sets the total above $30 million. The Administration must state what that figure is, and who put up the capital.
Recounting on the President George Weah’s officials justifying the Ebomaf and Eton scandal, arguing that “even if the President got loans from the devil, we support it to fix our roads.” But that position contradicted the international Anti-Money Laundering/Countering the Financing of Terrorism framework to which Liberia is subject, Konneh maintained that the Boakai administration is no less bound by international law to do due diligence on all counterparties to its procurement and investments.
“Assuming, in good faith, the partners involved are legitimate, are they private, or state-owned, were the resources they provided bilateral or multilateral? Even if this was a grant, the nature of the grantor determines the economic and political conditionalities associated with the deal. How can we be sure the Rescue Mission has not committed us beyond the bounds of our values? Even if our values remain intact, how does this deal align with our debt and risk profile? If this was a loan, was it concessional or non-concessional and what are the terms of the financing agreement? Is the repayment amount budgeted? Over how many years and at what rate? We often mistakenly assume that interest rates are our only concern when entering a loan agreement. But exchange rate risk is just as important, depending on how much of our revenue we raise in Liberian Dollars. If our exchange rate increases, it makes debt servicing that much more expensive. What plans do GOL and the CBL have to manage that risk?”
“What is our absorptive capacity for this high influx of equipment? I worked on the budget and know we earmarked a percentage of the Road Fund for road equipment purchase. But that amount was nowhere near the value of units in the video. Where is the assessment that justifies the deployment of such a massive fleet, all at once, and the assignment of 19 units to each county? This reminds me of the noble effort we made to build up the Jackson F. Doe Medical Center in Tappitah, Nimba County. It had all the equipment, the bells and whistles, but not enough trained staff to run the facility. The Emirates Hospital in my county of Gbarpolu, which I visited two weeks ago, has a similar problem. Meanwhile, at JFK, we have stellar doctors with limited tools to operate to the full extent of their expertise. Will we face the same problems with road development under this administration? Or does the GOL’s road development strategy include current and target headcounts of qualified staff, across the counties, for both road and asset maintenance and repair? Each county’s size and needs are different. However, these plans must be subject to a standardized governance structure for road works and asset management, with proper and consistent reporting. If done correctly, this will be an important step towards decentralization.”
“Speaking of reporting, the GOL must report on the procurement process associated with this deal. It is well known in the literature on corruption, that corruption is procurement and procurement is corruption. As Finance Minister, I enlisted the help of Justice Minister Christiana Tah and her successor Hon. Benedict Sannoh to help apply legal scrutiny to prevent us from falling into that corruption trap. And I often exasperated my Cabinet colleagues with the cumbersome nature of my due diligence. I expect no less from the current Finance Minister and his team. So, did this acquisition meet the provisions of our Public Procurement and Concession Act? I will closely inspect the GOL’s response to this against the letter and spirit of the law.I am glad to see the Boakai Administration making bold moves toward road construction and rural development. My county of Gbarpolu can only benefit from roads that connect our farms to markets, our children to schools, and our sick to hospitals. So, the concept of bringing in yellow machines is more than welcome. My concern is that we do not do the right thing the wrong way. Laws, standards, and procedures exist for just that reason, and to ensure that we do not waste the resources we already barely have.”
“Lastly, in a country ruled by the people, it is not enough just to do the right thing. The people must know what their President and other public servants are doing for them and how. As one of their representatives in the Senate, I look forward to having my questions answered. Most of all, I hope that the answers will show the high competence I know rests in the Liberian bureaucracy. This government, this Unity Party, has done development planning before and done it well. Let’s show the people that we’ve still got it!” Senator Amara Konneh stated.
On the heels Senator Konneh’s outburst, another supporter of the Boakai’s administration, Martin K.N. Kollie, says the announcement of the 285 yellow machines by the Minister of State without portfolio was premature. There was no need to share AI-generated videos and pictures of yellow earth-moving machines without a formally transparent and open agreement/MOU (e.g. procurement, loan, grant, or aid) being reached, announced, and displayed between the Liberian Government, the Sany Group, and the so-called Guma Group.
Kollie insisted that the government should not have waited for people to ask, “Where is the money coming from to fund this project and what agreement has been reached?”
Before announcing this project, a detailed press statement should have been done with full disclosure of everything. Minister Bility should not have been the one to make this announcement. A “US$25 million” project is no small feat. Like I said, this is a big win for Pres. Joe Boakai if the DEAL is not shady and if the machines will ever be brought to Liberia as promised. MICAT should have properly coordinated with MPW, MFDP, and MOA for a formal announcement upon the arrival of the yellow machines to Liberia and not before. To have made a formal announcement without full disclosure and without the machines being on the ground was a PR blunder. What if the machines do not come? Then it means that the government has created a huge trust issue/gap for itself. Credibility crisis and mistrust will eventually begin to set in. The People will become more skeptical about and critical of the government. This could have been avoided.
Since an open government was promised in 2023, the government must be able to tell the people through what arrangements were such a huge project secured/procured. Where’s the money coming from? Is it from the budget? Is it a freewill/gift? What’s the total cost of this project? Were PPCC guidelines and legislative requirements followed if it’s a project that required procurement or a pre-financing? Did the government conduct any need-based or feasibility study before rolling out this project? What research outcomes/analyses in the short-run or the long-run informed their decision to invest in this project? How will the machines be maintained, fueled, etc.? Who pays for this? Do we have trained operators and are they Liberian operators? How will they be paid? How did we arrive at 19 machines for each county when county sizes, populations, and needs vary?
“I am asking as an activist. The government cannot ignore these important questions. The more it tries to ignore them, the more the PR blunder/woe adds up. Don’t leave the public in suspense. Don’t allow the public and the opposition politicians to speculate. It’s dangerous. It harms/hurts the government more than you can imagine. Be proactive, and not reactive. This requires a centralized system of communication through control and coordination. Again, there was no need to share AI-generated videos and pictures. There was no need for Minister Bility to do this. Furthermore, governance is openness, honesty, transparency, and accountability.” Martin K.N. Kollie insisted.
Now, the Government of Liberia has termed information of 285 earth moving machines pronouncement by deputy minister of state without pofolio Mamaka Bility as informal and unofficial.
Speaking to Reporters at the MICAT Regular Press Briefing, Information Minister Jerelinmick Matthew Piah said the pronouncement by the deputy minister is unofficial adding that only the information ministry has that right to announce government programs and progress.
It can be recalled recently the government through deputy ministry of state without pofolio Mamaka Bility announced 285 pieces of earth moving equipment to the country, something that has raised concerns from Liberians, thus requesting government to provide source of the machines.
