By Bill W. Cooper
Serious argument on Tuesday, June 27, 2023 ensued among several senators regarding the trend by which projects are to be implemented through monies collected by the National Road Fund (NRF) in various counties.
According to our legislative reporter, the entire Tuesday, June 27, plenary floor of the Senate also turned chaotic for some minutes with some Senators believed that larger counties should benefit a bigger percentage of the fund, while others took exception to such belief.
Our reporter added that the argument came after a report from the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights, Claims and Petitions on “An Act to restate and amend an Act to Establish a National Road Fund for Road Maintenance in the Republic of Liberia”, read in plenary session.
During the argument, Maryland County Senator, James Biney argued that the Ministry of Public Works should not be given a full responsibility to build local roads in the counties as means of avoiding the challenge of unimplemented projects which he said has existed for years.
This, Sen. Biney believes that all counties should be given their own equipment to carry out their local road projects through the National Road Fund instead of funds being given to the Public Works Ministry to do Road pavement in collaboration with counties Superintendents.
According to him, 40 percent of the NRF should be given to the counties themselves for their local projects, while the remaining 60 percent to the Ministry of Public Works through the purchase of equipment for the construction of major highways across the country.
He also called on his colleagues not to pass a law that allows a specific amount to be managed by the Counties’ Superintendents, adding that contrary to his point, nothing will be achievable, and that the cash will be eaten without accountability.
The Maryland County Senator added that the availability of equipment in each county will be a decision to get a local company to implement the local projects unlike in the pass where the issue of accountability and transparency was a major issues for funds given to various counties local authorities.
For his part, Sinoe County Senator, Milton Teahjay recounted that during the establishment of the various counties, there was no consultation made to any considered big county to make decisions in the allocations of resources for others seen as small counties.
According to him, it does not make any logical point for people to ever argue that big and small counties in the Republic do not have equal share of the resources for development and investment.
He added that it is disenfranchising the other counties that are considered small in size, noting that the Superintendents and Legislative Caucuses should sit and decide the projects to be implemented.
At the same time, Nimba County Senator, Jeremiah Koung also stated that the addition of money to the County Development Fund indicates the release of additional cash for authorities to eat.
He asserted that the fund should not be approved by the Senate and leave its usage to the Executive Branch of Government through the Ministry of Public Works, and thereby stressed the need for the Senate to allow the Ministry of Public Works to detail its workings in every county, instead of passing a law on the matter.
