Commerce, LPRC Boss To Be Summoned “For Lying”

The debate for the plenary of the House of Representatives to summon Commerce Minister Wilson Tarpeh and the Managing Director of the Liberia Petroleum Refinery Corporation (LPRC) Marie Urey Coleman yesterday ended in deadlock.
Though majority of the members of the House of Representatives agreed that the two officials be made to appear before plenary in one week to give reasons why they failed to tell the truth while under oath regarding the situation of gasoline in the country, the Speaker, as presiding officer, took seize of the matter till later date.
In her motion yesterday, Bomi County Representative Haji Fata Siryon, called on her colleagues to take urgent measures aimed at addressing the gasoline crisis in the country and made a motion for a week to be given to the committee to report because several of her colleagues had already made similar suggestions that the two government official failed to admit to the current gasoline situation in the country.
The situation drew everyone’s attention when the issue was being discussed, that lawmakers including Representatives Francis Dopoh of River Gee County, Munah Pelhum Youngblood of Montserrado County as well as Mariamu Fofana of Lofa County and several others agreed that there was a need for urgent steps to remedy the situation.
However, the Specialized Committee headed by Nimba County Representative Jeremiah Koung and other members comprising of Representatives Samuel G. Kogar of Nimba, Samuel R. Enders of Montserrado, Ellen Attoh Wreh of Margibi Counties called on their colleagues to give them more time to get to the bottom of the entire gas saga.
Though the plenary did request the government officials to report to that body in a week and the special committee is requesting more time so that they carry out in-depth investigation, the head of the committee, Representative Koung confirmed that they were already aware that the LPRC and Ministry of Commerce heads misinformed the lawmakers and the Liberian people when the officials appeared before the plenary a week ago and that they even repeated same when the Committee visited the site on a fact-finding mission recently.
Yet, he pleaded with the plenary to allow the committee the necessary time, though not definite, so that all the 21 committee members could reach the APM-Terminals management and others involved with the gas shortage in order present a comprehensive report that could inform plenary’s decision in whatever actions it would want to take thereafter.
Representative Fofana and others who refused to give the committee members any additional time said, due to the current state of the country’s gasoline condition, plenary needs to act immediately to save the state. She further that if those proper things are not done, the current gasoline situation could tarnish the good image of the country and bring to them to public ridicule.
Meanwhile, in an angry mood, Representative Dopoh frowned at Speaker Bhofal Chambers for his failure to have the issue handled by plenary instead upheld that it be investigated by the committee and accused the Speaker of continuously overshadowing plenary’s discussion especially on issues that is cardinal to citizens’ livelihoods.