Liberia: “Vote Reform-Oriented, Transformation-Minded Legislators”

The Director of the Legislative Information Service (LIS) has made a passionate call to voters across the country to vote for reform-oriented and transformation-minded individuals in the Legislature.

McCarthy Weh’s call, which comes barely a week to the October 10 General and Presidential Elections, emphasizes the fact that Liberians’ quest for a New Liberia is largely dependent upon a legislature that is reform and transformation focused, as the body responsible for ensuring checks and balances.

To produce a reform-oriented and transformational legislature, Weh noted, voters must uncompromisingly reject and deny the return of lawmakers to the legislature who have reneged on engaging in meaningful policy formulation for improvement in the livelihood of citizens in the last six years.

Weh, who heads the knowledge-based information center of the Legislature, made the call in a press statement. The Information Service oversees the library, archives, and research divisions of the Liberian Legislature. The bi-cameral department, amongst other services, provides institutional reform-tailored research for national growth and development.

In his release, he reaffirms his long held view over the years that the Legislature stands at the core of Liberia’s entrenched challenge of backwardness and underdevelopment, stressing that lawmakers’ failure to embark upon sweeping reform of their own institutions makes it highly difficult to meaningfully contribute to achieving national transformation.

Weh stated that the lawmakers themselves are to blame for the relentless public perception that the body is intrinsically corrupt due to its reluctance in championing attributes of transparency, accountability, and openness.

“For the mere fact that the first branch of government’s financial books have never been opened for review and/or audits, though a recipient of more than half a billion United States Dollars since 2006, justifies public perception,” he said, stressing that until more reform-minded individuals who champion transparency, accountability, and openness assume leadership positions at the President Pro tempore and Speaker-ship levels of the Senate and House, Liberia will continue to remain in the continual, endless cycle of hopelessness and deprivation.

Director Weh, who heads the research division of the Legislature, states that statistics show the Liberian Legislature has received over US$600 million since 2006, while the current 54th Legislature has received budgetary appropriations amounting to more than US$270 million, far more than the previous two: 52nd (US$106.5 million +/-) and the 53rd (US$226.4 million +/-). 

The Legislature’s research boss, who is now a Minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, referenced the biblical saying “To whom much is given, much is required,” as contained in Luke 12:48. 

The Research Director laments that with this whopping amount received by the Liberian Legislature in general and the current 54th in particular, its state of professionalism is sadly poor.

He notes that the first branch lacks nearly every necessity required for its effective running – lack of WiFi/internet, persistent lack of stationery and needed office equipment, and no public buses for its staff.

Speaking of rejecting undeserving lawmakers, Director Weh is emphatically calling on: the religious community in Bomi County, all members of various political parties, members of the physically challenged community, petite traders and yana boys, youth and student groups, teachers and marketers, traditional leaders, civil society actors, and civil servants throughout Bomi County to categorically reject the re-election bid of Senator Morris Saytumah.

Weh states emphatically that Senator Saytumah has in the last six years turned the Senate’s Ways and Means into a CRIMINAL CARTEL against the knowledge-based information center in particular and other department in general, to the extent that budgetary funding to his departments and organs have not been forthcoming.

As a consequence of Senator Saytumah’s action, service delivery by the information center has been largely paralyzed during most of his tenure since assuming the chairmanship of the Senate’s Ways, Means, and Finance Committee.

“Saytumah is yet to account for US$320,000 out of the US$350,000 appropriated for the effective running of the information center, the LIS Department,” he said. “Even US$50,000 approved by the Ministry of Finance in April of this year for the information center and transferred into the Senate Central Bank’s account is yet to be released, while the Modernization Secretariat has since received its share of US$50,000.”

Weh, now Pentecostal preacher, opines that God detests greedy, self-centered and oppressive personalities and leaders; therefore, any leader with insatiable greed for public wealth and perceived as embodiment of corruption, anti-transparency-and-openness, needs not serve in the public sector.

“Such leaders must rather be self-employed, noting that the public sector is for selfless public service that will benefit the greater good for the greatest number,” Director Weh said, while expressing hope that those currently heading the Legislature and lacking reform mindset and transformation attributes must not continue to lead the august body into the 55th Legislature, noting that no reform-deficient and anti-transformation leader must steer the affairs of leadership at the highest level, come 2024 and beyond. He divulges that the current legislature has received, in appropriations and/or allotments, no less than US$270 million in six years.

“Yet, with no WiFi installation for internet services, lack of stationery and other vital office supplies, no transportation services for a greater number of staffers, and other necessities, as it was exactly in 2006 prior to the crafting of the Legislative Modernization Plan,” he said. “This simply speaks to the fact that the institution is bereft of reform- oriented and transformational leaders, and beginning with the 55th Legislature, there must be that eagerly craved shift in paradigm.”

It can be recalled that in 2015, during the 53rd Legislature, Director Weh and the LIS submitted a twelve- count reform proposal to the then Speaker and President Pro Tempore under the theme: Recognizing Need for Progress, Confronting Challenges, and Proffering Reforms to rebrand and transform. Since 2015 the bi-cameral has been pushing the legislative reform agenda, something that has led to some leaders of the Legislature antagonizing the department; the Director now Pastor remains relentless.

Should reform-oriented and transformational leaders be voted for the 55th Legislature in January, 2024, one can be cautiously optimistic that it will do better than the 52nd, 53rd and now 54th Legislature, Director Weh concluded.