By C. Winnie Saywah-Jimmy
The major opposition party, the Collaborating Political Party (CPP), says President George Weah and his administration are far removed from the realities of the country and the difficulties of many ordinary Liberians.
Dissecting the President’s one hour and thirty two minutes address on the income and expenditure of the State delivered to the 54th Legislature on Monday, the Chairperson of the CPP, Alexander Cummings in a seven-page rebuttal gave the party’s view contrary to the address delivered to the nation giving the impression that all is well.
Mr. Cummings explained that President Weah reported to the Liberian people that the GDP growth was revised downwards to negative 3.3 percent in 2020 from negative 2.5 percent in 2019 and that reflects a decline in the projected economic growth in 2021.
He further stated that the President claimed that the Liberian dollars have appreciated as compared to other currencies, yet 40 percent of the banknotes are still mutilated when recently new monies were printed in the amount of L$4 billion and are unaccounted for.
The CPP chair said President Weah has failed to tell the Liberians what happened to the new monies printed under his administration including the inherited L$16 billion which is also unaccounted for, yet he is seeking the approval of the Legislature to print a new family of banknotes.
“President Weah also called for currency reforms, citing that the CBL does not have control over 90 percent of Liberian dollars outside the banking sector, thus recognizing the lack of confidence or low level of confidence in the banking sector. This does not show an economy that is doing well by any measure or that is expected to do well according to his projection,” Cummings expressed.
The President pronounced that the cash carried forward from FY 2019/2020 to FY 2020/2021 is US$7 million while in the National Budget of Liberia 2020-2021, Section 1.5 Fiscal Table, the unspent cash carried forward from 2019-2020 fiscal year recast budget is US$10 million, the CPP wondered what happened to the difference of US$3 million?
“Given that the surplus budget was US$10 million, why are civil servants not been paid on time; and why the government contractors including beach and waterway workers or government employees including Liberia Water & Sewer Corporation (LWSC), Liberia Airport Authority (LAA) employees, among others are yet to get paid,” the opposition pondered.
President Weah who sought to project a surplus also admitted that the public debt portfolio has increased by more than US$300 million in just one year yet, according to the CPP, nothing is seen regarding what was done with the $300 million USD; when in fact, the international partners are sponsoring all road constructions as well as the entire COVID-response while government workers’ salaries have not been current.
The political opposition parties wondered why the money was borrowed when in fact under the Pro-poor Agenda for Prosperity & Development (PAPD), the government promised to create 1 million jobs over a period of five years and after three years when there should have been at least 600, 000 of those jobs created, not one was created in the last years.
The party revealed that President Weah made no mention of new investment, jobs creation when he confirmed that the confidence in Liberia’s investment climate remains poor.
Dissecting the information provided for the distribution of the stimulus package for the COVID Relief, the President claimed that 40% food distribution has reached 10 counties benefitting 1 million Liberians but the CPP pointed to the 2020 Afro Barometer report which states among many things that, not more than 16% of any social demographic group in Liberia has received said package while 78% of Liberians say the benefits to support people during Covid-19 were not fairly distributed.
The President also said his government gave LWSC US$1.5 million but the CPP who differed said employees at the Water and Sewer are on strike for their salaries and water supply has been cut off from Monrovia and its environs indefinitely.
The President further stated that under the stimulus package COVID relief fund, his government gave US$1 million to the Liberia Electricity Corporation for COVID electricity relief but the CPP reminded that many communities are without electricity while President Weah failed to state the communities that are benefitting from that relief currently.
“According to President Weah, a total of US$26 million have been used on the COVID-response. What we cannot understand is why health workers are still protesting for salaries and hazard benefits,” the CPP wondered.