Liberian Daily Observer 12/10/2013

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VOL. 16. NO. 34 TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2013 PRICE: LD 40

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I NSI DE THI S

EDI TI ON

EDITORIAL

Food Production: the

Crux of the Matter in

Our Economy

LOCAL NEWS

Liberia Tops WestAfricas Fisheries

MSC Mechanisms

BUSINESS

AfDB Pres ident

Joins World

Leaders to Mark

Late Madiba

Nelson Mandela

Rites

COMMENTARY

Political PartiesSubmit Initial

Proposals to theCRC

SPORTS

Mandela - TheHeavyweight Boxer

See Pg. 4

See Pg. 3

See Pg. 12

See Pg. 4

See Pg. 15

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Ellen Departs for Johannesburg toAttend Mandelas Funeral ServicesBy William Q. Harmon

P

resident Ellen

Johnson has de-

parted the coun-

try for South

Africas com-

mercial capital,

Johannesburg, to attend the

state Memorial Service of the

rst black President of South

Africa and global icon, Nelson

Mandela, who passed away

on December 5th, in his 95th

year.

The Liberian leader is ex-

pected to join over 60 other

heads of state and government

and millions of sympathizers

for the State Memorial Ser-

vice of the late Apartheid icon,

which will be held at the FNB

Stadium in Johannesburg.

President Mandela, who led

Contd on pg. 13

Boakai LeadsGovt Ofcials to

Mandelas Book ofCondolence Signing

See story

on Pg.13

Chaos Looms atArcelorMittal

By William Q. Harmon

Tension is said to

be mounting at

the operation site

of ArcelorMittal

in Nimba County,

reportedly between the man-

agement and one of its sub-

contractors, Engineers and

Planners (E&P). E&P claims

ArcelorMittal allegedly owes

the subcontractor millions of

Contd on pg. 13

OneChinaPolicy

Has PaidHuge

Benefts-Says President SirleafBy William Q. Har-

mon

President El-

len Johnson

Sirleaf says

her govern-

ments deci-

sion to sub-

scribe to the One China

Contd on pg. 13

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10, VOL, No.34.indd 2 12/9/13 10:38 PM


2/16

DAILY OBSERVER Monday, December 09, 2013Tuesday, December 10, 2013 Page 2

World News

Mandela Death: DaughterMakaziwe Tells of Final Moments

(BBC)- Nelson Mandelas

daughter Makaziwe has told the

BBC about the wonderful nal

hours of the former president,

who died aged 95 last Thursday.

Ms Mandela said his wife

Graca, the children and

grandchildren were all there to

say goodbye.South Africa is observing a

series of commemorations over

the next week, leading up to the

funeral on Sunday.

More than 100 current

or former heads of state or

government will attend the

funeral or Tuesdays national

memorial.

Makaziwe Mandela told the

BBCs Komla Dumor: Until

the last moment he had us, you

know... The children were there,

the grandchildren were there,

Graca was there, so we are

always around him and even at

the last moment, we were sitting

with him on Thursday the whole

day.

She said: I think from last

week, Friday until Thursday,

it was a wonderful time, if you

can say the process of death is

wonderful. But Tata [Nelson

Mandela] had a wonderful time,

because we were there.

When the doctors told us I

think Thursday morning... that

there was nothing that they could

do, and said to me Maki call

everybody that is here that wants

to see him and say bye bye, it

was a most wonderful day for us

because the grandchildren were

there, we were there.

Ms Mandela paid tribute to the

doctors for the 24-hour care.

She said: It was like there

were soldiers guarding thisperiod of the king - yes my

father comes from royalty -

without them knowing they

were actually practising our

rituals and culture, they were

there in silence and when we as

family members come in they

would excuse themselves and

just a few of them would be

there to give us the time to be

around my dads bed.

Ms Mandela said that, for the

past few months, she would tell

her father that she loved him

and that would see him again

tomorrow.

And maybe he would open

his eyes for just a second andclose those eyes, she said.

Ms Mandela said she believed

her father had fought not just for

political freedom but also for

spiritual freedom.

He talks about the fact that

it takes courage to forgive.

Forgiveness is a very difcult

thing, she said.

I think he knew that if he

didnt forgive, he would be

forever imprisoned spiritually.

The lesson we can take from

his life is to have the courage to

forgive other people.

None of us are born hating

another - we are taught to hate

and if you can teach a human

being to hate you can also

teach a human being to love, to

embrace and to forgive.

World leaders

South Africas parliament is

now meeting in special session

to pay tribute to Mr Mandela,

with family members in the

gallery.

Deputy President Kgalema

Motlanthe said there was a

sweeping feeling of sorrow

worldwide following Mr

Mandelas death, but the most

important thing was how those

left behind dealt with his legacy.

The litmus test is whether

inheritors of his dream... will

be able to make the dream for

which he lived come to pass

in the fullness of time, MrMotlanthe said.

The foreign ministry says

that 91 current heads of state

or government have conrmed

they are coming to South Africa,

along with 10 former heads of

state, 86 heads of delegations

and 75 eminent persons.

US President Barack Obama,

Francois Hollande of France

and UK PM David Cameron

will be among those attending

Tuesdays memorial.

Three former US presidents,

George W Bush, Bill Clinton

and Jimmy Carter, will also be

there.

Mr Obama and Mr Bush arealready on their way to South

Africa on presidential jet Air

Force One, along with their

wives and former secretary of

state Hillary Clinton.

On Saturday, Cuban state

media announced that President

Raul Castro would be one of

those attending Mr Mandelas

funeral.

Under Mr Castros brother

Fidel, Cuba was a staunch critic

of apartheid, and Mr Mandela

had expressed gratitude for his

support.

Tuesdays memorial service is

likely to be one of the biggest

gatherings of international

dignitaries in recent years.

They will join a 95,000-strong

crowd at the memorial service at

Sowetos FNB stadium, where

Nelson Mandela made his nal

major public appearance during

the 2010 football World Cup.

Among those also on the

list are UN Secretary General

Ban Ki-moon, German

President Joachim Gauck,

EU Commission President

Jose Manuel Barroso, Brazils

President Dilma Rousseff,

Palestinian leader Mahmoud

Abbas and Indias President

Pranab Mukherjee.

Leading celebrities in the

anti-apartheid movement Peter

Gabriel and Bono are also

expected to attend.Mr Mandelas body will lie in

state in Pretoria on the following

three days and he will be given a

state funeral on Sunday.

A smaller number of

international dignitaries

including the Prince of Wales

will attend the burial in the

Eastern Cape village of Qunu,

where the late president grew

up.

Week of events

Mourners have gathered every

day outside Mr Mandelas house

in the Johannesburg suburb of

Houghton.

Well wishers have lit candles

there and laid wreaths at his old

home in Soweto.

The government has given

further details of the state funeral

arrangements for this week:

Tuesday, 10 December:

Ofcial memorial service at the

FNB Stadium in Soweto, to be

addressed by President Jacob

Zuma with tributes from other

heads of state

The memorial service will be

shown on big screens at three

overow stadiums - Orlando,

Dobsonville and Rand

Between 11-13 December,

selected international visitorsand guests will be able to view

Mr Mandelas remains at the

Union Buildings in Pretoria

The public will be able to

view the body from 12:00 to

17:30 on Wednesday and from

08:00 to 17:30 on Thursday and

Friday

Each morning his body will

be taken from the mortuary to

the city hall through the streets

of Pretoria. Members of the

public have been encouraged to

line the route and form a guard

of honour

His body will be transported

on Saturday, 14 December,

from Waterkloof Air Force

Base in Pretoria to the Eastern

Cape, with a procession from

the airport at Mthatha to his

home village of Qunu where

a traditional ceremony will be

held

A national day of

reconciliation will take place on

16 December when a statue of

Mr Mandela will be unveiled at

the Union Buildings in Pretoria

Some 90 screens will be set

up across the country to show all

planned national events

Flags at all ofcial buildings

are to remain at half mast

throughout the period and

books of condolence are being

circulated across the countryand online for people to post

tributes, record memories and

express their emotions.

The former South African

leader spent 27 years in jail

before becoming the countrys

rst black president in 1994.

He served a single term before

stepping down in 1999.

Makaziwe Mandela: The children were there, the grandchildren were there

Russian News Agency Closed Down(BBC) - Russias President

Vladimir Putin has abolished

the countrys state-owned news

agency RIA Novosti.

In a surprise decree published

on the Kremlins website onMonday, Mr Putin announced

it would be replaced by a news

agency called Russia Today.

The new agency will be headed

by journalist and keen Kremlin

supporter Dmitry Kiselev.

The state-owned Voice of

Russia radio station has also

been closed. The decree was

effective immediately.

Of all the state-owned media

organisations, RIA Novosti has

made the greatest attempt to

produce balanced coverage in

recent years. This was in part

because of its international

clients in media organisations

around the world. It would havelost credibility otherwise.

But now the agency is being

taken over by the Russia Today

brand, which for opposition-

minded Russians is more of a

government mouthpiece, giving

carefully selected news with a

clear pro-Kremlin bias.

The word propaganda -

never far from the Kremlins

opponents lips when they are

discussing state-controlled

Russian television news - is now

also being used to describe the

new news agency.

Sergey Ivanov, the head of

the Kremlin administration,

has told journalists in Moscow

that the news agency is being

restructured in order to make

it more economical while

increasing its reach, Interfax

reports.

The move will make Russias state-owned agency moreeconomical and increase its reach, the Kremlin says

Thai PMYingluckDissolves

Parliament andCalls Election(BBC) - Thai Prime Minister

Yingluck Shinawatra has

dissolved parliament and called

an election after sustainedprotests in the capital, Bangkok.

All opposition MPs from

parliament on Sunday, and

protesters marched again on

Government House.

Ms Yingluck won a huge

majority in the last election in

2011.

But the protesters say her

government is controlled by her

brother, ousted leader Thaksin

Shinawatra, and have vowed to

continue demonstrating.

Early on Monday, as protesters

set off for Government House,

Ms Yingluck announced on

television that she would call

elections.

They have demanded the

current government resign and

want it replaced with a peoples

council

For the past two weeks the

leaders of the protest movement

that has been trying to bring

down the government have made

one thing clear: that they do

not believe a new election will

resolve the conict. Instead they

have argued for parliamentary

democracy to be replaced by an

appointed Peoples Council -

although they have left unsaid

which people would choose this

council.

So the unexpected

announcement by Yingluck

Shinawatra that she would

dissolve parliament will notsatisfy many of the tens of

thousands now out on the streets

of Bangkok again. It is part of a

solution, one woman told me -

but the Shinawatra family have

to leave Thailand.

There is uncertainty too

whether the opposition

Democrat Party would contest,

or boycott the election. Their

MPs resigned en masse from

parliament on Sunday, this

morning they are being evasive.

In 2006 the party boycotted an

election, causing a deadlock that

eventually led to the coup that

deposed Ms Yinglucks brother,

Mr Thaksin.

The core of the oppositions

grievances is the belief that

the ve consecutive election

victories by the governing

party were bought, either by

bribes, or through unsustainable,

populist policies. But all the data

shows clear and strong support

in Thailands north and north-

east for the government, and

that all the recent election results

broadly reected the will of the

majority.

At this stage, when there are

many people opposed to the

government from many groups,

the best way is to give back the

power to the Thai people and

hold an election, she said. So

the Thai people will decide.

The elections will likelybe held on 2 February, Thai

government ofcials say.

In the general election in July

2011, Ms Yinglucks Pheu Thai

party won a majority, with 265

seats to the Democrat Partys

159 seats.

Pheu Thai draws considerable

support from mainly poor and

rural areas of Thailand, and

would be seen as well-placed to

win an election.

(BBC) - Ukrainian riot

police are taking up positions

near Kievs City Hall, where

thousands of anti-government

protesters have massed.

More police are being bussed

in, the BBCs Steve Rosenberg

says, with priests urging them

not to use force.

The tense stand-off followsweeks of demonstrations after

a government U-turn on a free

trade deal with the EU.

President Viktor Yanukovych

said a he would hold talks

involving the opposition on

Tuesday.

Ukraine

(BBC) - North Korea has

broadcast images of the once

powerful uncle of leader Kim

Jong-un being removed from a

meeting, conrming reports of

his dismissal.

The dramatic images show

Chang Song-thaek being

escorted from a party session by

uniformed guards.The state news agency KCNA

accused Mr Chang of forming

factions against the state,

corruption and depraved acts

such as womanising and drug

abuse.

Analysts say such a public

dismissal is unique and could

signal a wider purge.

North Korea

(BBC) - Aid agencies paid

Somalias al-Shabab militants

for access to areas under their

control in the 2011 famine,

according to a joint report by

two think tanks.

In many cases al-Shabab

insisted on distributing the aid

and kept much of it for itself, the

report says.

Some of the groups are still

paying al-Shabab to operate in

the large parts of Somalia it still

holds, it adds.

More than 250,000 people

died during the famine, caused

by a drought.

Somalia

(BBC) - Syrian government

forces are reported to have

taken control of the motorway

linking Damascus with the city

of Homs.

The road has been closed

for several weeks because ofheavy ghting with rebels in

the Qalamoun Mountains,

which run along the border with

Lebanon. The army is also said

to have captured most of Nabak,

a town next to the road, 80km

(50 miles) north of the capital.

Over the weekend, opposition

activists accused government

forces of carrying out atrocities

against families there.

Syria

(BBC) - Spanish director

Pedro Almodovar has attacked

his homelands government as

he accepted an honorary prize

at the European Film Awards in

Berlin.The 64-year-old lmmaker

called it deaf and insensitive

to the countrys problems and

railed against its awful cultural

policy.

Spanish state funding to the

arts, including lm, has been

drastically reduced in recent

years.

Almodovar called 2013 the

worst year for his industry.

Spain


3/16

DAILY OBSERVER Monday, December 09, 2013Tuesday, December 10, 2013 Page 3

Liberia Tops West AfricasFisheries MSC Mechanisms

Hosts Workshop on Illegal, Unregulated, Unregistered Practices Waters

By Edwin M. Fayia III

Statistics from the

Bureau of NationalFisheries (BNF)

showed that Liberia

has topped seven West African

countries placing rst on

monitoring, surveillance, and

control of its waters from

illegal shing activities. These

countries include Ghana, Cape

Verde, Sierra Leone, Senegal,

and Guinea Bissau.

Recently, through the

Ministry of Agriculture

(MOA), Liberia hosted a

regional workshop attended by

all stakeholders in the sheries

sector that extensively

discussed the issues of illegal

practices in West Africanwaters.

Ofcials of the BNF told

the Daily Observer during

the three day workshop,

that the discussions were

planned by the Sub Regional

Fisheries Commission (SRFC)

based in Dakar, Senegal in

collaboration with the MOA

and BNF in Liberia.

The workshop was held

under the theme: National

Sensitization Workshop on the

Operational Guide to Facilitate

the Implementation of the

FAO Agreement on Port-

state Measures to Prevent,

Deter and Eliminate Illegal,

Unreported and Unregulated

Fishing (IUU).

The workshop drew

participants from agencies

of the Liberian Governmentthat are associated with the

monitoring, surveillance, and

control activities in Liberian

territorial waters.

In an interview with the

Daily Observer during

the workshop held at the

Ministry of Agriculture, BNF

Coordinator William Y. Boeh,

said that the workshop looked

at issues such as the industrial

shing activities in Liberian

territorial waters.

Commenting on the number

of participants from line

ministries and agencies, Mr.

Boeh disclosed that two

participants were selected from

each entity and 40 professional

and resource persons were

assembled for the three days

workshop in Monrovia.

Agencies in attendance at theworkshop included the Liberia

Maritime Authority (LMA),

the Bureau of Immigration

and Naturalization (BIN), the

Coast Guard Division (CGD),

the Justice Ministry, the

Liberian Seamen Union, the

MOA, and BNF among others.

Boeh furthered that

senior personnel from the

Sub Regional Fisheries

Commission from Dakar,

Senegal made presentations

during the workshop

that provided extensive

sensitization messages that

prepared the participants for

the implementation of MSC

mechanisms in the country.

The Director of Research

and Statistics of the BNF, D.Wisseh Kay, disclosed that

since the Liberian Government

and its partners initiated the

monitoring and control system

a few years ago, the marine

resources of the nation are

protected and secured.

Director Kay also intimated

that these measures have

deterred illegal shing

activities in the Liberian

territorial waters for the past

several years.

Mr. Kay also disclosed

that the BNF has developed

a strategy where a device is

mounted on any vessel that

comes to sh in Liberianterritorial waters. The device

is then closely monitored by

trained BNF personnel.

He further said that vessels

caught outside of the shing

area would be dealt with by

the appropriate authorities

who would be acting based on

the shing regulations of the

country.

I cannot readily provide you

with statistics on the number

of vessels caught for IUU

violations in Liberia at the

moment, because our records

are being compiled, Director

Kay concluded.

Cross-section of WARFP-Liberias Participants,Stakeholders and SRFC Ofcials in Monrovia

Ex-Lawmakers, Others Certiedas Constitution Ofcers

By Leroy M. Sonpon, III

Former Margibi

and Grand

Bassa Counties

legislators, Senator

Roland Cooper Kaine and

Representative Vinicius Sona

Hodges, and 16 others were

over the weekend certied

Counties Focus Persons

for the Constitutional Review

Committee (CRC).

They were certicated

after an intensive three-daytraining regimen (procedure,

course) held from Wednesday,

December 4 to Friday,

December 6, at the German

Embassy in Congo Town.

The former CDC lawmaker,

Kaine, was a member of

the National Transitional

Legislative Assembly and the

52nd Legislature (2006-2011),

while Hodges, a former star

radio journalist, was a member

during the 52nd Legislature.

Named the Training of

Trainers for Civic Education

and Constitution Review

Committee Facilitation, the

workshop was organized

by CRC in collaboration

with the United Nations

Mission in Liberia (UNMIL)

and the Integrated Mission

Training Center (IMTC)

with sponsorship from the

United Nations Development

Programme (UNDP).

The Deputy Chief of IMTC,

Ms. Angelika Siaw, served as

lead and chief facilitator.

Rev. Dr. Jasper S. Ndaborlor,

Chairman of the Sub-

committee on Civic Education

and Media at CRC, told

reporters that the workshop

is one of three, designed to

train at least 75 County FocusPersons as well as CRCs civil

educators.

He said the training is

aimed at familiarizing the

County Focus Persons with

key components of the 1986

Liberian Constitution and to

raise public awareness of it;

the intention is to understand

the mandate of the CRC and

how it aims to stimulate a

broad discussion and input

from Liberians on how the

Constitutions should be

updated, modernized, and

strengthened.

An ancillary (secondary)

effect hoped for, is the

promotion of this countrys

long-sought (looked for)

sense of national unity and

reconciliation, with a view to

contributing to the deepening

of consensus (agreement) on

national principles, customs

and something that has long

eluded this nation (people):

identity.

The CRCs Civic Education

and Media boss said the

training also seeks to teach

Focus Persons how to educate

and promote the principles and

practices of democracy andhow to protect the rights of all

Liberians including minorities.

The exercise also expects to

determine conditions under

which adults and youths learn

best and design effective and

interactive civic education

programs to accomplish that.

However, the focus person

of UNMIL, Tamrat Samuel,

hailed the graduates for their

sacrices, but urged them to

critically reach out to Liberians

and get their views that the

Constitution should reect.

In August this year,

Former Senator Roland Kaine and RepresentativeVinicius Hodges receiving certicates

Graduates pose for a photo

President Ellen Johnson-

Sirleaf commissioned a ve-

member Constitution Review

Committee comprising

Chairperson, Cllr. Gloria Scott,

and four others including,

Kennedy Sandy, Dr. D.

Elwood Dunn, Madam Amelia

Ward, and Soko Sackor, to

discuss some of the criticalconcerns enshrined in the

1986 Liberian Constitution,

and recommend amendments

where necessary.

The CRC takes two forms,

with the second portion

witnessing an interactive

forum with stakeholders,

which is ongoing. The CRC

recently met political parties

and over the weekend sat

with civil societies in Margibi

County.

It may be recalled that Cllr.

Scott pointed out that members

of the Constitution Review

Committee, in the discharge

of their work, have determined

that the vast majority of the

population of Liberia does

not know the provisions ofthe Constitution and what it

intends to remedy.

The Constitution Review

Committee Chairperson said

that CRC wants members of

the Liberian population to

form a consensus and make

informed decisions on what

they [Liberian population]

want their country to be like

from now on.

CSOs are the Watchdogsof Democracy-CRCs Co-Chair

By Abednego Davis

An Executive of

the Constitution

R e v i e w

C o m m i t t e e

(CRC) on Friday, December

6, disclosed that one of the

major roles of Civil Society

Organizations (CSOs) is

to serve as a watchdogs

(maintain surveillance

over a person, activity, orsituation) set-up to monitor

developmental initiatives and

the status of democracy.

Mr. Soko V. Sackor, who

is CRCs sub-committee

chair on civil society, made

the assertion on Friday, at

the opening of a three-day

consultation forum with

CSOs.

The forum was held at the

administrative building in

Kakata City, Margibi County.

It was intended to integrate

the CSOs views into the

general views already gathered

by CRC from the general

citizenry.The forum also hopes to

continue reminding CSOs

about their role in the review

process.

CSOs, the CRC executive

noted, Are usually vocal.

We want to encourage you to

continue to be vocal on issues

of democracy.

This government has

been very charitable in

encouraging CSOs. You have

been engaging in legislative

activities like helping to

draft laws, while urging the

government to adopt certain

policies. Opportunities such as

this forum are in continuation

of that relationship, Mr.

Sackor noted.

He explained, As continue

to create the environment to

permit CSO participation in

the 1986 constitution review

process, I would like to

encourage you to work with

us to tackle this great task

that has been assigned to your

organizations.

What do we want to achieve

with these objectives? Mr.

Sackor asked.

Simply for all of us to have

an improved understanding

of several constitutional

issues that would be raised,

answered Mr. Sackor.

I am know that signicant

work has been done with CSOs

concerning provisions within

the 1986 constitution, he said,

adding, I am a witness to the

success of this collaboration,

therefore, the CRCs active

engagement with CSOs is

not only appropriate but one

that will make our job more

effective.

Mr. Sackor explained

that CRCs approach to

constitution review is bottom-

up. We get views from

the general public and then

formulate the constitutional

issues.He said it is to ensure that all

views from the various sectors

of society are expressed to the

CRC.

We have brought

together both mutual benet

organizations and public

benet organizations, he

added.

Mutual benet

organizations, Mr. Sackor

explained are organizations

whose purpose it is to assist

their own members.

Public benet

organizations main purpose is

to help specically identiedgroups of people and the

general population. The direct

or indirect beneciaries of

these organizations are not

their members. They are not

necessarily accountable to

those that they plan to help.


4/16

DAILY OBSERVER Monday, December 09, 2013 Page 4Tuesday, November 5, 2013

OBSERVER CARTOON WITH A. Leslie Lumeh E-mail: [email protected] www.leslielumeh.com

Published by Liberian Observer Corporation

P.O. Box 1858, Monrovia

Liberias First Independent Daily

0886812888, 0886472772www.liberianobserver.com

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Food Production: theCrux of the Matter in

Our EconomyCentral Bank Executive Governor Dr. J. Mills Jones took

pains in his address to the Liberia Bankers Association

(LBA) last Friday to reassure the Liberian people that their

economy is not on the verge of collapse.

One of the main concerns of everyone in Liberia

citizens, residents, local and foreign businesspeople

alikeis the drop in the value of the Liberian dollar vis--

vis the United States dollar. As Christmas approaches, the

currency pressures will mount, igniting even more fears

than already exist.

The Governor quickly cautioned that the Central Bank

does not make . . . U.S. dollars . . . The economy has to

earn [them].

He insisted that despite this Liberian dollar decline,

the economy is not about to collapse, as some, whom he

describes as non-economists, are thinking. The CBL has

made some strong interventions in the economy and this

has helped to contain the pressure on foreign exchange,

he said.

But he admitted that further CBL intervention has

been curtailed due to the availability of limited foreign

exchange to the CBL.

Further, GOL has prevailed on the CBL to prioritize the

accumulation of reserves, he added.

The Governor gave further reasons why he thought the

economy is not in trouble. Ination in Liberia remains

in single digits; the debt burden is relatively low; and

insurance and other foreign companies continue to seek

investments here.

Moreover, engagement with the international

organizations, including the African Development Bank

(ADB), World Bank and the International Monetary Fund

(IMF) remains positive. This is a vote of condence.

The Governor said the economy must earn its foreign

exchange? How?

The answer is very simple: produce, produce, produce.

When we produce the food we eat, then we save foreign

exchange.

This newspaper has frequently urged the Liberian

government and people to grow more food and to encourage

the growing of more food. Liberia has no business

importing food, especially such basic commodities as

our staple, rice; and vegetables. Yet this newspaper has

always lamented that much of the pepper, tomatoes and

other vegetables we eat come from Guinea and La Cote

dIvoire. Why is this so when we have the exact same

vegetation as our two next door neighbors; and probably

even more rainfall than they combined?

We have frequently made two more points: rst, that the

Agriculture Ministry should train and deploy, as a matter

of urgency, agricultural extension agents throughout the

country to help our farmers boost their production. Over

three years ago Agriculture Minister Florence Chenoweth

told this newspaper that several ag extension agents were

being trained for such deployment; yet, where are they?

Second, we have repeatedly named Grand Kru and Lofa

counties, especially Foya, where cattle grow naturally.

But no one has taken this suggestion seriously.

Cant we learn from Rwanda, which in ve years became

self sufcient in food?

The good Lord has endowed us with mineral and other

natural resources. Let us not wait for these to earn

foreign exchange. We cant go wrong with making food

production THE option, in which we could both save and

earn fx and bring the Liberian dollar on par with the US

dollarone for one!

INSIDE CRC-ISSUES AND STRIDESPOLITICAL PARTIES SUBMIT INITIAL PROPOSALS TO THE CRC

WITH D. WA HNE, JR.

The Constitution Review Committee

(CRC) has taken a major stride towards

achieving its mandate. At a Buchanan con-

sultative meeting hosted by the CRC, regis-

tered political parties of Liberia seized the

moment to generally endorse the constitu-

tional review process and have appreciated

the CRCs exible engagement policies

which make every Liberian citizen impor-

tant and a part of the review process.

The political parties have had several en-

gagements with the CRC and had assured

it that a set of proposals would be submit-

ted by them that would aim at addressing

crucial national issues that require constitu-

tional considerations.

Prior to the Buchanans meetings, regis-

tered political parties had submitted initial

proposals representing each partys con-

cerns about the 1986 Constitution. Those

proposals which constitute national debates

are subject to the approval of the Liberian

people in referendum.

The Buchanans meetings set the grounds

for inter-party collaboration and the de-

velopment of a joint position on critical

national issues requiring constitutional in-

terventions. The CRCs Chairperson, Cllr.

Gloria Maya Musu-Scott told participating

registered political parties that the Com-

mittee did not come to the meeting with a

sealed envelope containing proposals for

deliberation. The issues for debates andadoption would be generated by partici-

pants themselves with the CRC as note tak-

ers. However, the CRC told representatives

of parties that issues developed and dis-

cussed at the consultative meeting would

not be considered conclusive as the review

process continues and would be embracing

other views and counter views.

Interestingly, the motivation of politi-

cal parties needed no second guessing as

regarding their determination to move the

process into action. About nine crucial is-

sues feature on the oor. These were: (a)

Decentralization (b) Land (c) Qualication

(d) Integrity (e) Citizenship, (f) Elections

Commission (g) Gender (h) Property (I)

Reduction of presidential powers.

Democratic choices were made through

the voting process and out of the nine cru-cial issues; the rst six were chosen. They

are: Land, Decentralization, Qualication,

Citizenship, Integrity and Elections Com-

mission. In an effort to guide the process,

six Committee members were tasked to

help supervise the conduct of the delibera-

tions with no inputs and positions of their

own. The thematic groups or focus groups

discussions were democratic as well as

their submissions made to the plenary of

the consultative meeting.

LAND

On the question of land ownership, the as-

signed focus group critically looked at Ar-

ticle 22 (a) of the Liberian Constitution and

proposed an amendment to include the right

of customary ownership of land. They also

proposed that Article 22 (b) gives rights to

property owners to benet from mineral re-

sources found on or beneath their land at a

5% rate. This issue has been one which has,

for some time now, generated the interest

of the Liberian population. In their thought,

the current land laws especially contained

in the 1986 constitution provides prosperity

to foreigners than Liberians and accounts

for making them super rich and Liberians

super poor.

This columnist observed the anxiety and

enthusiasm of political parties to reach a de-

cision on this issue as well as on each topi-

cal issue and the analysis which followed

their decisions. Another critical issue which

generated interest as land was decentraliza-

tion of governance. However, there were

dissenting views on the issue of the election

of chiefs. This generated mixed reactions;

but the majority took the day.

DECENTRALIZATION

Articles 54 (d) & (e) and 56 (e) captured

the concerns of parties. The focus group

assigned to this critical task proposed that

superintendent and district commissioner;

paramount, clan, and town chiefs should be

elected; while their removal should be donethrough special petition by eligible voters

in their respective localities and not by the

President or a legislative assembly. The pe-

tition shall follow due process which means

court action. They also proposed that the

constitution empowers the Chief Justice

and Associate Justices to appoint marshal,

deputy marshal, sheriff, justices of the

peace and other court ofcers instead of the

president. This in their reasoning, would re-

duce excessive presidential powers.

INTEGRITY

The debate on what constitute nepotism

has been attracting diverse views from the

Liberian public for a long time. There are

those who believe that when the president

or ofcial of government relative or chil-

dren are qualied, they should not be dis-criminated against. To do so would be a

violation of their constitutional rights. Oth-

ers dont think kindly about that. However,

registered political parties focus group

hearings on Integrity have proposed that

the President shall not appoint more than

two of his relations in the executive branch.

According to the presentation of the

group, no public ofcial shall appoint a

relative to institution they supervise. The

President also shall not appoint more than

two members of the same ethnic back-

ground to senior ministerial positions.

In a bid to control or exterminate corrup-

tion, the group also proposed that anyone

convicted of corruption under Liberian

laws shall not be eligible for appointment

in public ofces. They want the Liberia

Anti-Corruption Commission or LACC to

be constitutionally empowered to imme-

diately prosecute after investigation. Any

ofcial accused and under LACC investi-

gation shall not continue in ofce until the

contrary is proven.

The group further proposed that ofcials

accused of acts of exploitation-be it sexual

or nancial-shall be immediately prosecut-

ed and if found guilty, shall be dismissed.

On public assets, it was recommended

that the General Services Agency or GSA

be given constitutional mandate to recom-

mend the prosecution of anyone found

abusing public assets.

ELECTION COMMISSION

On electoral matters, the focus group as-

signed to deliberate and recommend to the

plenary of registered political parties at

the consultative meeting, as expected, did

not allow such glorious opportunity to slip

away without discussing issues affecting

their existence and operations. Two key is-

sues (elections and qualication) were reli-

giously discussed by them.

At the conclusion of their deliberations,

the group submitted that political parties,

civil society organizations and the religiouscommunity should be constitutionally em-

powered to recommend nine names of com-

missioners to the President out of which

seven names would be derived as commis-

sioners of the National Elections Commis-

sion to serve for a period of ve years and

not more than two terms.

They further submitted that a xed

amount be constitutionally endorsed to be

declared in nancial statements to the Elec-

tions Commission as required by Article

83d. The amount proposed is US$500.00 in

addition to assets. They want other fees to

remain as stipulated in Section 7.3 of the

electoral laws.

One of the amendments voted against pri-

or to the 2011 elections was debated by the

focus group and seemed to have received

consideration by registered political par-ties. In their opinion, the second Tuesday in

November would be appropriate for elec-

tions. This thought is generated from the

inconveniences suffered during the raining

season as well as low voters turnout due

to torrential rain falls around October. The

plenary of the consultative meeting en-

dorsed the submission.

The group, by democratic accent, also

expressed disagreement over the Elec-

Contt on page 5


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DAILY OBSERVER Monday, December 09, 2013 Page 4Tuesday, November 5, 2013 Page 5Tuesday, December 10, 2013

American Professor Named President of Liberian Baptist Theological SeminaryBy Marcus N. Malayea in

Gbarnga Bong County

The Board of Trustees

of the Liberia Baptist

Theological Seminary

(LBTS) has approved

the nomination of Dr. Richard

Francis Wilson, an American

professor, as the sixth president

of the Seminary.

According to the Chairman

of the Board of Trustees, Mr.

Aaron Marshall, the decision

was reached at a well attended

meeting at the Boards fourth

quarterly meeting this past No-

vember 22, in Monrovia.

Mr. Marshall told the Daily

Observer that Dr. Wilson came

to the Liberian Seminary from

an evolving relationship with

Mercer University in Macon,

Georgia in the United States of

America.

He explained that prior to the

Boards approval of the nomi-

nation of Dr. Wilson , the post

was lled by Dr. Arnold Hill.

Dr. Hill, a Liberian, has served

as President of the Seminary but

he resigned in May of 2013 to

concentrate on his own business.

Dr. Wilson currently serves

as Columbus Roberts Professor

of Theology and also Chairman

of the Roberts Department of

Christianity, in the College of

Liberal Arts in the USA.

Speaking to this paper, the

Chairman of the Board of Trust-

ees, Mr. Aaron Marshall, said Dr.

Wilsons mandate will primar-

ily focus on four decisive areas,

which include: the overhauling

of the institution curriculum to

ensure regional and internation-

al certication; the expansion

of the base of the school that

would include other liberal arts

subject matter; putting in place

the mechanism for external -

nancial support for theological

education in post war Liberia

and to establish proper modali-

ties for the election of a Liberian

president within the period of

one calendar year.Dr. Wilson will try to help

the Liberian Baptist Theological

Seminary get back to its previ-

ous status after struggling with

a series of crises Mr. Marshall

declared.

At the same time, the Chair-

man of the Board of Trustees,

on behalf of the Board, has ex-

tended gratitude to Dr. Wilson

for accepting what he termed as

a challenging position; and the

Mercer University family for the

evolving partnership with Ricks,

the Seminary and the people of

Liberia.

In a dispatch from Dr. Wilson

from the United States of Ameri-

ca, a copy of which is in the pos-session of the Daily Observer,

said his rst priority would be

to rebrand the Seminary and

give it a sense of community.

This would be done by making

it more attractive to prospective

students and faculty, and by con-

centrating on the development

of the faculty.

My responsibility will be to

clear the debris and secure the

foundation of the institution,

while helping the seminary

overcome some serious issues,many of which are the result of

the countrys post war struggles.

I will also bring renewed ur-

gency to our task to offer sound

theological education to pastors

and church leaders in Liberia,

Dr. Wilson declared.

The American Professor will

head the seminary for the period

of one year and will return to

Mercer University, Macon full

time by 2015.

Dr. Wilson intoned that his at-

traction to Liberia began with

a former Liberian student, Olu

Menjay, a 1995 graduate of the

Mercer University who immi-

grated to the United States of

America after surviving the civil

war in Liberia.

He furthered that on several

occasions, Menjay has persis-

tently asked him (Dr. Wilson) to

visit Liberia and nally agreed

and instantly bonded with Li-

beria.

Since then I have traveled to

Liberia nine times, Dr. Wilson

disclosed.

Mercers connection to Li-

beria was further strengthened

when Menjay was elected presi-

dent of the Liberian Baptist

Missionary and EducationalConvention in 2012, he (Men-

jay) approached the President

of Mercer University, William

Underwood, about the need for

an interim president at the semi-

nary, Dr. Wilson explained.

Following Menjays return,

he became principal of Ricks

Institute, one of the boarding

schools in the country, the dis-

patch maintained.

The seminary is in poor -

nancial shape due to decisions

made by the past two presi-

dents--- whose names were not

disclosed--- that were not trans-

parent and seemed to have fur-

ther divided the faculty. These

are some of the challenges Dr.

Wilson will try to tackle.

He will also travel across the

country with the seminarys

Board of Trustees helping to

detect future leaders that would

take over the seminary.

The seminary is in decent

shape compared with other Li-

berian buildings, its roofs are

still intact and the library still

stands and it is the largest li-

brary in the country, the Board

of Trustees Chairman indicated.

Dr. Wilson holds a Doctor of

Philosophy from the SouthernBaptist Theological Seminary,

Louisville, Kentucky, USA,

from 1982, served as an assis-

tant professor in 1983-88, and

assistant dean of academic af-

fairs from 1987-88. He obtained

a Masters of Divinity in Histori-

cal Theological Studies, from

The Southern Baptist Theologi-

cal Seminary in 1978, and has

worked as Chair of the Roberts

Department of Christianity, at

the Columbus Roberts Professor

of Theology in 1999.

He is also a member of several

global organizations including

the Lilly Fellows in Humanities

and Arts, Baptist World Alliance

Ethics Commission; Chair of the

Commission 2010-2015, Paul

Tillich Society; International

Dietrich Society; Council of the

Societies for Study of Religion;

Baptist World Alliance Theolog-

ical Education workgroup; So-

ciety of Biblical Literature and

American Academy of Religion

just to name a few.

Dr. Richard FrancisWilson, President LBTS

Lack of Chairs, Other Facilities, Affect LearningAt J.W. Pearson in Ganta

Learning activities

for more than 3000

students at the JohnWesley Pearson (J.W.

Pearson) Elementary, Junior and

Senior High School in Ganta,

the commercial hub of Nimba

County, is now in shambles as

a result of inadequate seating

capacity, coupled with a lack of

basic educational facilities.

J.W. Pearson was built by the

government in the 1950s as an

elementary school, and origi-

nally contained 11 classes. Be-

cause of the present constraints,

the administration has been left

with no alternative but to parti-

tion the auditorium and create an

additional three classrooms.

Since the 50s up to present,

the institution has remained the

only government-owned school

in Ganta. Yet, nothing has been

done to improve its learning fa-

cilities, the Principal, James L.

Saye Kardamie, informed the

Daily Observer in a recent ex-

clusive interview in Ganta.

Mr. Kardamie said, The in-

stitution is beset (troubled) by

so many problems, including

the lack of chairs, a library, and

laboratory.

In the case of the shortage of

chairs, the principal explained

some of the students come to

school as early as 6 a.m. just to

be the rst to have some of the

available seats.

According to him, those who

come between 7 and 7:30 a.m.have to bring their own chairs

from their respective homes, or

are otherwise forced to sit on the

bare oor.

Additionally, Mr. Kardamie

said, Most of the instructors,

especially the newly recruited

teachers, often abandon classes

to run after their pay checks,

either in Sanniquellie, the coun-

tys political seat at the Chief

Education ofces (CEO), or in

Monrovia, the nations capital

at the Ministry of Education

(MOE).

Mr. Kardamie disclosed that

the situation was serious to theextent that learning at the school

was being hindered, causing

students to repeatedly performbelow academic standards

whenever public tests are ad-

ministered; making the schools

present state of affairs worse.

Principal Kardamie said the

lack of a fence to scare away

potential intruders from illegally

entering the courtyard was an-

other serious issue.

Another major problem is the

lack of a fence, which has virtu-

ally exposed the entire campus

to suspected thieves, Mr. Kar-

damie complained.

Moreover, he said that the in-

stitution does not have a single

janitor or security guard to keepthe classrooms kempt (clean)

and protect the property from

being damaged or stolen at the

hands of wicked-minded indi-

viduals.

At present, he said the enroll-

ment has increased from over

1,750 students last academic

year, to about 2,995 students this

year.

Of the inux of students this

year, Mr. Kardamie records

about 1,700 of them in the senior

high session, while the rest are

registered in the lower classes.

The J.W. Pearson School runs

two sections (morning and after-

noon) from kindergarten to the

12th grade.

Interestingly, even with the

poor learning condition, the ad-

ministration enrolled over 70

students in a single class.

The reason, said Mr. Kar-damie, can be attributed to the

introduction of the governments

free and compulsory educa-

tion.

The number of students that

is supposed to be in a single class

is 45-50, but with the introduc-

tion of the free and compulsory

education, the number of stu-

dents per class has increased.

Minister Etmonia David

Tarpeh

Principal Kardamie:The situation worries

me because my passion isquality education

Students carry chairs to school daily

On Thursday, November 21,

2013, the Minister of Educa-

tion, Etmonia David Tarpeh, in a

press statement, acknowledged

some of the harsh condition stu-

dents were enduring to acquire

education.

Minister Tarpehs comment

fell in line with constant me-

dia reports that students in ru-

ral parts of the country lacked

chairs in almost all of the gov-

ernment-owned institutions;

resulting in students regularly

sitting on the ground to acquire

their education.

Minister Tarpeh corroborated

(conrmed) Mr. Kardamies sto-

ry, but also shifted the blame on

some members of the public for

the insufcient chairs at many of

the government schools across

the country.

According to her, there are

individuals who usually borrow

chairs from public schools, for

parties and other activities, and

deliberately refuse to return

those items.

This, she claimed was one of

the factors that are affecting the

learning of the school-going pu-

pils in Ganta.

The Minister said that it was

the responsibility of parents to

repair broken chairs at the vari-

ous public schools.

When the chairs spoiled, let

the parents x it. That is what

we call a viable PTA, because

when the chairs are not there, the

children will sit on the ground,

Minister Tarpeh suggested.

One of the classes remains virtually emptied

INSIDE CRC-ISSUEStions Commission adjudicating

cases brought against them by

aggrieved parties. They want

the Constitution to establish

Election Courts around the

Country to adjudicate electoral

complaints. In their thought,

the commission cannot be the

defendant and the judge at the

same time.

With the intent to prevent un-

due inuences, the group has

proposed nancial autonomy

for the Elections Commission

as well as state funding for

political parties. They also pro-

posed voters registration to be

conducted twice before Presi-

dential and General Elections.

These issues seem to have re-

ceived general consensus.

The debate on qualication

of electable public ofcers was

rigorous. However, the group

believes the minimum age re-

quirement for the Presidency

and Vice Presidency be set

at 35 considering that young

people account for 60% of the

population of Liberia. They

have also recommended gender

sensitivity in regards to quali-

cation for the presidency and

vice presidency. It is their view

that the current constitution is

masculine.

CITIZENSHIP

To qualify for citizenship,

the thematic group on citizen-

ship proposed that natural born

Liberians should contest for

President or Vice President and

that the parents of the candi-

dates must have been Liberian

citizens at the time of birth and

belong to one of the tribes,

clans, chiefdoms, provided

that descendants (Americo-

Liberians) who can trace their

roots to a settlement will not

be disenfranchised. However,

a consensus was derived by the

Consultative Forums Plenary

that Articles 27(abc) remains as

it is and that Article 28 be main-

tained. They also rejected dual

citizenship.

Political parties position on

the 10 years residency clause

for those aspiring for the Presi-

dency or Vice Presidency as

enshrined in Article 52c be re-

tained with a proviso that can-

didates cannot come from the

same county and region of the

country. These recommenda-

tions to the CRC do not consti-

tute the CRCs nal version of

reports to be submitted to the

President of Liberia for onward

submission to the National Leg-

islature for amendments. They

are initial proposals. As the pro-

cess continues, more proposals

are expected from individual

political parties, stakeholdersand citizens from around the

country.

These debates are subject to

more debates. If you wish to

make your contributions to the

CRC on the political parties

proposals, please contact the

following: Email: info.crcli-

[email protected] or call CRC

short code lines: Novafone

1986; Lone Star 1986 or Cell-

Com 0776305715.


6/16

DAILY OBSERVER Tuesday, December 10, 2013 Page 6

CHINA & AFRICASponsored by the Embassy of the Peoples Republic of China

Sponsored by the Embassy of the Peoples Republic of China. Please sendyour comments to the following email: [email protected]

Remarks by H.E. ZHAO Jianhua Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiaryof the Peoples Republic of China at the Farewell Reception and InvestitureCeremony Held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Liberia

(December 6, 2013)Your Excellency Mrs. Ellen

Johnson Sirleaf, President of

the Republic of Liberia,

Your Excellency Mr. Joseph

N. Boakai, Sr., Vice President

of the Republic of Liberia,

Hon. Speaker,

Hon. Chief of Justice and As-

sociate Justices,

Hon. President Pro-Tempore,

Hon. members of the Legisla-

ture and Judiciary,

Acting Dean, members of the

Cabinet and other government

ofcials,

Dean and members of Diplo-

matic Corps and InternationalOrganizations,

National Traditional Council

of Chiefs and Elders,

Heads of Civil Society Institu-

tions and Organizations,

Distinguished Ladies and

Gentlemen,

Iam extremely honored

and overwhelmed by

such a glorious title. The

little things that I have

done cant match this great

generosity. I take it as Libe-

rias profound appreciation of

Chinas friendly and coopera-

tive policy. Whatever I have

done is only the result of myfaithful implementation of

such a policy. So the honor

and the credit should go to the

Chinese Government and Chi-

nese people. In fact, I would

not be able to have made some

tangible and comprehensive

progress if the Liberian Gov-

ernment and people had not

rendered to me their valuable

support and cooperation. Mad-

am President, I would like to

express heartfelt gratitude to

you, and to the Liberian Gov-

ernment and people.

Madam President, Ladies

and Gentlemen,During my tenure, I have

witnessed Liberias funda-

mental and positive changes.

I would like to take this op-

portunity to commend you on

the signicant progress that

Liberia has made under your

strong and visionary leader-

ship. Ten years of peace, av-

erage more than 7% growth

rate, restoration of govern-

ment institutions, and obvious

improvement of infrastructure

and so on. To be fair, it has not

been easy. It is always dif-

cult to rebuild a country from

scratch. But Madam President,

you and your team have been

successful in uplifting Liberia

and Liberian people, despite

the constraints, difculties

and challenges that you have

to face and overcome almost

every day. I am very happy

to see that Liberia is rmly

moving forward on the path

of stability, development and

transformation. And I hope

and believe that Liberia will

become a middle-income

country by 2030.


and Gentlemen,

It would have been more

difcult to rebuild and trans-

form Liberia if the interna-

tional community, particularly

your major partners have not

provided generous support

and assistance. What China

has done for Liberia is only a

small part of it. Even for this

small part, on numerous occa-

sions, people from all walks

of life in Liberia keep saying

thank you and we are grate-

ful for the help. Sometimes Iam so overwhelmed by this

gratefulness that I almost for-

get the cardinal principles that

have been guiding our bilat-

eral relations. Our relationship

is not one-way or one-sided;

it is based on equality, mutual

respect and mutual benet. I

would like to highlight what

Liberia has done for China, for

which the Chinese Govern-

ment and people remain for-

ever grateful.

The Liberian Government

led by H.E. Madam President

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has been

pursuing a friendly and coop-

erative policy toward China.The Liberian Government

has been rm in adhering to

the One China policy, which

consolidates the political basis

for our relations. Last year, a

resolution passed by both the

Senate and the House reaf-

rmed the One China policy

and demonstrated that the Li-

berian people are supportive

of the friendship and coop-

eration subsisting between our

two countries.

On various regional and in-

ternational affairs, Liberia has

done the best it can in render-

ing valuable support to China,

particularly on issues whichare of great concerns to us.

Liberia has been active in

promoting bilateral economic

and trade relations with China.

Liberia has become one of

Chinas major trading partners

in Africa. Liberia has been

encouraging and welcoming

Chinese investments, and the

Liberian Government has been

working hard to improve busi-

ness and investment environ-

ment.

Liberia has also been open

to cultural and personnel ex-

changes between the two

countries, which allows us to

enrich and expand our rela-

tions, to learn from each other

and to enhance people to peo-

ple friendship and cooperation

at grass root level.


and gentlemen,

With tangible, comprehen-

sive progress, the relationship

between China and Liberia has

entered into a new phase. The

future is bright and promising.

Before my departure for a new

post, I feel obliged to say a few

words about what we should

do in the coming years.

First, strengthen mutual

trust. We appreciate Liberias

rm and continuous adherence

to the One China policy. China

should and will strengthen its

support to Liberias efforts to

maintain peace and stability.

We need to increase high-levelvisits and enhance people to

people exchanges. China and

Liberia should continue to

support each other on major

regional and international is-

sues.

Second, expand mutually

benecial cooperation. China

will increase the amount of

grants, technical assistance

and scholarships to Liberia.

China welcomes more import

of Liberian products, 95%

of which will enjoy duty-

free treatment. China would

like to see Liberia taking full

advantage of the measures

announced at the FOCACMinisterial Meeting held in

Beijing last July, particularly

the credit line of US$20 bil-

lion to African countries,

which mainly supports the

development of infrastruc-

ture, agriculture, manufactur-

ing and development of small

and medium-sized enterprises

in Africa. Liberia still suffers

huge infrastructure decit. As

infrastructure projects require

huge amount of investment, no

country in the world can de-

velop infrastructure by using

grants only, and Liberia is no

exception. China would like to

explore investment and nan-

cial cooperation with Liberia

for infrastructure develop-

ment. Despite continuous pro-

gress, food security remains

a critical issue in Liberia. In

agriculture, both countries can

do a lot more in sharing skills

and experiences, which will

contribute signicantly to job

creation and income genera-

tion for Liberian farmers and

young people. Liberia, up till

now, has no basic industries,

especially labor-intensive in-

dustries. China would like to

encourage and support Chi-

nese enterprises to invest in

Liberia and transfer technol-

ogy and skills to Liberians

in order to upgrade Liberias

economy.

Third, strengthen educa-

tional and cultural coopera-tion. People to people contacts

and exchanges are becoming

increasingly important in our

bilateral relations, particularly

those between young peo-

ple. Job creation for Liberian

youth remains a fundamental

and very challenging task.

China shall double its efforts

to cooperate with the Liberian

Government in this regard.


and Gentlemen,

This is the rst time for me

to be in Africa, and I feel very

lucky to be sent to Liberia,

because my tour of duty here

has been very rewarding. I am

proud that I have made many

friends here, which includenot only government ofcials,

but also students, reporters,

artists, farmers, and in par-

ticular friends who are help-

ing the disabled, women and

children. From these friends,

I have come to understand the

difculties that Liberia is fac-

ing, and the hope that Liberia

has for the future, which ena-

bles me to advise my govern-

ment to tailor our support to

what the Liberians really and

urgently need, and more im-

portantly, to respect their own-

ership.

What is most rewarding is

what I have learned from you,

Madam President, your wis-

dom, your ability, your expe-

riences, your leadership skills,

your hard work, most impor-

tantly, your rm and relent-

less dedication to your people.

You have really enlightenedme, of course, not for me to

aspire to be the president,

which is impossible for sure,

but to be a person who serves

the people even when he is a

diplomat. This Child Will Be

Great, your memoir, Madam

President, I have read it and

have learned the truth, that is,

everybody can be great if he/

she can be as dedicated to the

people as Madam President

has been.

Madam President, Ill miss

you.

Mr. Vice President, Ill miss

you.

Dear friends and colleagues,

Ill miss you all.

Wherever I go, Liberia will

forever be in my heart.

Thank you.

Classical Chinese PoemsSorrow after

Departure (SelectedStanzas)By Qu Yuan

I sigh and wipe away my

tears, oh!

Im grieved at a life full of

woes.

Good and just, I hear only

jeers, oh!

Morning and night I suffer

blows.

I make a belt of grasses sweet,

oh!

And add to it clovers and

thymes.

My heart tells me its good

and meet, oh!I wont regret to die nine

times.

Explanation

The above lines are

selected from Li Sao,

a long poem by Qu

Yuan. It is consid-

ered that Li means part-

ing, while Sao refers to

Sorrow. Li Sao consists of

all together 373 lines, 2490

characters. Such a magni-

cent, powerful long poem

composed in the ancient Chi-

na more than 2000 years ago

deserves the Chinese peoples

pride in the worlds poetic his-

tory. Because the entire poemis too long to be understood by

the readers, only eight lines are

chosen here. However, these

eight lines alone have vividly

portrayed the poets personal

characters and pursuits. Qu

Yuan presented himself in our

eyes as a patriotic poet who

was concerned about his coun-

try and his people, aiming at

perfection and being ready to

give his life for his ideal.

In this selection, the rst two

lines of the rst stanza and the

last two lines of the second

stanza have been handed down

from ancient times and quoted

very often. The line bemoan

the so many hardships of the

peoples life shows the poets

concern and sympathy for the

sufferings of the toiling mass-

es. I would rather repent even

if I had to die many times

reects the poets spirits of

dauntless struggle and devo-

tion.


7/16

DAILY OBSERVER Page 10Tuesday December 10, 2013

Additional information are provided in t he bidding documents.

2. To be considered responsive for particular lot, bidder shall quote for all items in its required quantities for that lot. Bidders who

do not quote for all the it ems under a selected lot shall be rejected as incomplete. Bids will be evaluated and contract awarded on

per lot basis or combination of lots whichever is nancially advantageous to the purchaser. Alternative/option Bids will not be

accepted.

3. Bidding will be conducted through the National Competitive Bidding (NCB) process.

4. Bidding is opened to all national contractors who hold Ministry of Public Works CCCS Certicates with a Minimum Cer-

ticate of Class B0-B12.

5. Interested bidders may obtain further information and inspect the bidding documents at the address below between 8:30 A.M

5:00 P.M. Bidding documents may be purchased upon payment of a non-refundable fee of USD100.00 at the Project Implementa-

tion Unit, Old Road, Congo Town, Monrovia.

6. Bids must be delivered to the address below on or before Thursday January 9, 2014 at 12:00 P.M.All bids must be

accompanied by:

Bid Security is 2% of the quoted price A copy of a valid business licence

A copy of an updated tax certicate;

A copy of valid business registration certicate/classication certicate- Class (B0-B12) (with the Ministry of Public

Works).

A list of recent contracts performed (at least two similar works) with evidence of completion.

Site visit will be held on (December 15-17, 2013).

Pre-bid Conference is scheduled for Friday January 3, 2014 at 2:00 P.M.

7. Bids will be opened on Thursday January 9, 2014 at 12:00 P.M. in the conference room of the Project Implementation

Unit Ofce, Old Road, Congo Town, Monrovia.They will be opened in the presence of bidders/ bidders representatives who

choose to attend. Late bids will be rejected and returned unopened to bidders.

Signed: Project Coordinator

STCRSP

Lot

Item

No Road NameLength

(Km)

Proposed

Width

(m) District

Date ofCompletion

1 Folima - Nyeyama 6.3 4.5 Vahun

2 Kamatahun - Yengema 5.0 4.5 Kolahun

3 Polorwu - Kaintahun 6.6 6.0 Kolahun

4 Foya Tengia - Sadu Bendu 4.5 4.5 Foya

1

5 Yasadu- Konjoloe 8.5 6.0 Foya

TOTAL 30.9 Km

1 Baquedu Rd Junc - Konadu 10.9 6.0 QuarduGbondi

3 Baquedu Rd Junc -Nyamakamadu

8.6 6.0 QuarduGbondi

3 Zorzor Rd. Junc - Nekebuzu 6.7 4.5 Zorzor

2

4 Zorzor Rd. Junc - Vetesu 3.1 4.5 Zorzor

5 months

TOTAL 29.3 Km

Smallholder Tree Crop Revitalization Support Project (STCRSP)

IFAD/PIU, Ministry of Agriculture

NATIONAL COMPETITIVE BIDDING

CONSTRUCTION/REHABILITATION OF GRAVEL ROAD PAYMENT OF

60. 2 KM FARM TO MARKET ROAD IN LOFACOUNTYMOA/PMU/IFAD/NCB/W-15/2012 Date of issue: December 9, 2013

1. The Project Implementation Unit (PIU), Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) has received a loan from the International Fund for

AgricultuDevelopment to nance the Smallholder Tree Crop Revitalization Support Project (STCRSP) for the under mentioned

now invites sealed bids from eligible bidders:

I, the undersigned Registered Land Surveyor E. Lansana Johnson have been requested by Rev.

DR. G. Franklin Holt SR. to resurvey a certain parcel of land on the 14th day of December 2013

at 11.00 clock A.M./P.M.

Said parcel of land is lying and situated in Brewersville V.O. A Junction Montserrado County.

The following names listed below are asked to be present with their deeds, diagrams and all other

documents along with their technical representatives to verify their claims.

1. Brewersville City Corporation

2. Mr. Varney Konneh

3. Old Man John

4. Charles S. Holt. Sr.

5. Clarence Massaquoi

6. Octavius Sampson

December 5, 2013

SURVEY NOTICE

SURVEY NOTICE

T

his is to inform the general public and the below listed names or individuals that the

undersigned Licensed Surveyor (Henry K. Lamadine) has been requested by Madam

Carmena E. Pierre Addallah to re-survey 2 lots of land on Saturday, December 14,

2013 at the hour of 10:00 a/m.

Said property is located at 12 houses road Paynesville, Montserrado County, sharing common

boundary with Majorie P. Cooper and Inez A. Pierre.

Therefore, anyone who having property or claim on the said property are requested to be

present on the day of the Survey with their relevant documents and technical representative to

represent their claims as to avoid future land dispute or encroachment.

Let this Notice claim the attention of the following individuals:

1. Mr. & Mrs. Togbah

2. Mr. Sam T. Slehsee

3. Mr. Mark George

This is to inform the general public that the Ministry of Lands, Mines and Energy has observed and notice that there are

some group of unlicensed surveyors and some illegal land sellers are in the constant habit of selling land illegally, forg-

ing some License Surveyors signatures on deeds in Margibi County, which is bringing lots of land dispute or conict in

Margibi County making the buyers or the grantees to be the looser.

Therefore, any land buyer or individual wishing to purchase land in Margibi County should contact the Ministry of Lands,

Mines and Energy for a license surveyor or check the Resident County Surveyors ofce in Margibi County for Verica-tion of License Surveyors.

Any deed carrying E. Lassana Johnsons stamp will not be acceptable for probation, because he fails to defend his sig -

nature.

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA

MINISTRY OF LANDS MINES & ENERGYP.O. BOX 10-9024

1000 MONROVIA 10, LIBERIA, WEST AFRICATEL.: (231) 226-858, FAX: (231) 226-281

November 26, 2013

This is where

business meetscustomer.

CALL NOW: 0777472772

TO ADVERTISE

Foundatallm

ajorsupermarketsindowntownMonrovia

7


8/16


United Nations Population Fund

Vacancy Number : UNFPA/LBR/VA/003/13

Post Title : Programme Associate (ASRH)

Contract Type (Level) : Service Contract (SC - 6) One year initially, renewable subject to

satisfactory performance

Duty Station : Monrovia, Liberia

Date of Issue : 01 December 2013Closing Date : 14 December 2013

Duties and responsibilities:

Under the overall guidance and supervision of the UNFPA Representative, and the direct supervision of the

Program Specialist for ASRH and National Program Ofcer for ASRH, the Program Associate for ASRH will

provide technical support for UNFPAs response to national ASRH priorities. The ASRH Ofcer will specically

carry out the following duties and responsibilities:

Policy and Capacity Development

In collaboration with ASRH Programme Specialist and National Program Ofcer, review and update

the progress report of the UNFPA ASRH Programme, including the checking and collection of

information on achieved progress and the status of the programme implementation

Coordinate with ASRH Program Staff to ensure that all documents such as nancial reports, work plan,

progress report, evaluation report, etc, are submitted in timely manner;

Ensure logistical and administrative arrangements and follow-up relevant to the ASRH programme

functions/meetings such as Adolescent Girls working group, Joint Program on Adolescent Girls, AfT

Youth Development Partners meetings, UNDAF Pillar 3 meetings, and other related meetings as well

as eld monitoring missions are completed in a timely manner

Support UN interagency collaboration and joint programming efforts in ASRH including joint planning

and monitoring and evaluation

Ensure follow-up and provide necessary inputs on government requests for technical assistance in

ASRH-related areas that UNFPA can provide adequate response to Provide substantive input into the UN Technical Group on ASRH, and technical support on ASRH

related issues at key stages of the UN joint programming processes and the UNFPA country programme

cycle

Guide and support implementing partners in the development of result oriented program and annual

work plans

Programme Technical Support

Promote substantive and programmatic linkages between UNFPA-supported ASRH interventions

with efforts to promote young peoples empowerment and gender equality, and prevention of early

marriage, unwanted pregnancy and prevention/management of STIs and HIV/AIDS

Assist in the Coordination and follow-up on the delivery of ASRH component output

Conduct eld visits to assigned project sites and assess the achievement of project results

Support/Facilitate the inputs of ASRH Program during Joint review meetings and retreats

Prepare and make inputs on status and progress reports including lessons learnt and recommendations;

follow-up action plan on recommendations made

Organize visiting missions, and eld trips, including timely preparation of required documentations

Assist in the development of materials for meetings, presentations and workshops

Compile, analyze, summarizes data pertaining to the ASRH Program, maintains records, documents

and work plans for the monitoring of ASRH project implementation as well as Audit

Assists in the organization of meetings with r epresentatives of implementing Partners involved in the

implementation of ASRH Program

Support and provide technical inputs for the implementation the UN Joint Program of Support HIVand AIDS as well as attend meetings

Prepare draft of correspondence regarding ASRH programme related issues

COMPETENCIES

Core Competencies

Integrity/Commitment to UNFPAs Mandate/Valuing Diversity

Performance Management

Developing People/Coaching and Mentoring

Fostering Innovation and Empowerment

Working in Teams & Communication Information and Ideas

Self-Management/Emotional Intelligence

Appropriate and Transparent Decision Making

Analytical and Strategic Thinking and Results Orientation/Commitment to Excellence

Knowledge Sharing/Continuous Learning

Functional Competencies

Conceptual Innovation in the provision of technical expertise

Leveraging the resources of national governments & partners/Building strategic alliances and

partnerships

Job knowledge/Technical expertise Adaptation and application of knowledge/innovations in different contexts

Integration in a multidisciplinary environment

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

Under graduate degree in public health or related health sciences;

Minimum of three (3) years of relevant working experience

Extensive knowledge of the ASRH situation and trends, and a thorough understanding of the social,

cultural, economic and gender dimensions of Liberia

Familiarity with the UN system and/or experience working with an international organization is an

advantage

Dedication to United Nations principles and demonstrated ability to work harmoniously within a team

and with different nationalities

Able to work under m inimum supervision

Demonstrate initiative and sound judgment and commitment to UNFPA mandate and mission

Excellent interpersonal communication and writing skills

Computer literacy

HOW TO APPLY

Candidates should submit their applications indicating post and vacancy number, attach an updated CV, and

a complete United Nations Personnel History Form P.11 obtainable from the UNFPA ofce or on the UNFPA

website at www.unfpa.org. All applications should be marked condential and addressed to the UNFPA

Representative, H.G. Plaza, 5th Floor, Mamba Point, P.O Box 10-0274, 1000 Monrovia, Liberia.

The last date to receive applications will be 14 December 2013. UNFPA will only respond to applicants who

will meet the stated job requirements.

Prepared by: Matthew S. Morris

Cleared by: Elham Elamin

Approved: Ratidzai Ndhlovu

Please note that this post is a National Post and is opened to applicants of either sex.

Pre erence will be iven to e uall uali ied women candidates.

The Management of the

Liberia Domestic Airports

Agency (LDAA) wishes to

inform the Public that as

a result of numerous incidenc ent of

vehicles along the main road leadingto the James Spriggs Payne Airport

which obstructs the free ow of trafc,

a number of security measures have

been put in place to avoid any re-

occurrence.

Therefore, the management is warning

all those in the habit of parkingor abandoning Vehicles without

authorization to desist immediately.

These new measures are intended

to ensure the overall security of the

Airport and traveling public.

Drastic action awaits anyone caught

violating these measures.

Please cooperate to avoid future

embarrassment.

Public Service Announcement

Ofce of the

GeneralManager

December 06, 2013


9/16


Procedures:1. Application forms are free and available at LBDI Branches

on 9th Street Sinkor and Randall & Ashmun Streets

2. Payment can be made by Cash, Managers Check or Debit

Authorization

This offer

document is simply

an Information

Memorandum and

does not in any

respect represent

a prospectus. The

offer documentand the securities

that it bears are

directed at selected

investors as well

as the members of

the general public.

Every prospective

investor to whom

this document has

been addressed is

expected to conduct

i n d e p e n d e n t

evaluation of the

Financial Position

and operating

results of the

Liberia Cement

Company.

Private Placement of

206,572

Common Stocks of the

Liberia Cement Corporation

at US$12 per Stock Payablein Full On Application

OFFER CONDITIONS:

Individual:Minimum of 5 stocks

at US$12 each

Institutions: Minimum of 1,000

Common stocks and additional

common stock in multiple of 100.

NOV. 18, 2013: Close

of Offer: Dec. 20,

2013

LBDI Central Monrovia

Branch

Ashmun & Randall

Streets

Monrovia, Liberia.

LBDI Sinkor Branch

9th Street, Sinkor,

Tubman

Boulevard,

Monrovia, Liberia

Liberian Bank for Development and Investment

Information Memorandum

INVEST

TODAY!

Visit our branches

and be a proud

owner of CEMENCO

REQUEST FOR QUOTATION (RFQ) FOR IT SOLUTION PACKAGE

1. Background:

IBI International, a development consulting rm in the USA and Liberia, is seeking an IT service provider / vendor

to setup a standardized package to provide selected Ministries, Agencies and Commissions (MACs) with a secure IT

platform for nancial management and back-ofce activities as part of the USAID Governance and Economic Manage-

ment Support Program (USAID-GEMS). GEMS is a ve-year technical assistance program to strengthen public sector

capacity in Liberia.

2. Objective

The objective of this procurement is to put in place a secure and highly available Information and Communication

Technology (ICT) platform at each selected MACs to support back ofce activities. The vendor will also be required to

provide induction training for IT staff at the MACs in the use and support of the new systems.

3. Scope of Work:

LOT 1: The setup and conguration of computer installations at four sites

Supply, installation, conguration and support of scalable secure and high availability workgroup Client-Server base

computer and network infrastructure at four separate government Ministries, Agencies or Commissions (MAC).

The deployment includes a le/application server, client laptops, UTM device and network infrastructure. Comprehen-

sive on-site support is required.

The vendor should have a minimum of 3 years experience in setups of a similar nature and is required to provide no less

than four site references for similar installations.

LOT 2: The setup and conguration of computer installations at three sites

Supply, installation, conguration and support of scalable secure and high availability workgroup Client-Server base

computer and network infrastructure at three separate government Ministries, Agencies or Commissions (MAC).

The deployment includes a le/application server, client laptops, UTM device and network infrastructure. Comprehen-

sive on-site support is required.

The vendor should have a minimum of 3 years experience in setups of a similar nature and is req

Documents

Liberian Daily Observer 12/10/2013