Information Minister Dr. C. William Allen has been explaining the achievements and problems of the National Transitional Government of Liberia as it turns one year today.

In an exclusive interview with The INQUIRER yesterday, Dr. Allen said the government made tremendous progress in ensuring stability and keeping the peace with the cooperation of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL).

Minister Allen said the NTGL has made efforts in ensuring that there is freedom of expression, boasting "nobody has been incarcerated, no political prisoner in jail, no journalist in jail and there is no prisoner of conscience in jail."

On the restoration of basic services, Dr. Allen admitted that the government is lagging behind but there are studies underway for the provision of such.

He denied that corruption is in the government, but admitted there are corrupt elements in government.

In observance of the National Transitional Government of Liberia's one-year in office, INQUIRER's News Editor Timothy T. Seaklon went to talk with Information Minister Dr. C. William relative to the achievements and setbacks of the government since its inception on 14th October, 2003.

The interview which was held in the office of the Minister on Capitol Hill in Monrovia, also touched on the state of the Liberian peace process, the Liberian economy and other relevant issues of national concern Below are excerpts:

Where are we today, after one year of having the NTGL in office?

Well, fairly, I think we are better off today than we were one year ago. I think this is the key question that Liberians have to answer themselves. Am I better off today than I was one year ago? I think for more Liberians, it is a resounding yes! For some of course, it is no. But those are an acute minority, I believe.

What would you say is the NTGL's major achievement?

Well, there are several. Quite frankly, I know we will come to the shortcomings, because I don't want to give the impression that all is well. But, I think the major achievement of this government over the last year, has been two things. One is the scrupulous implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. Secondly, we have been keeping the peace with the cooperation of our friends in UNMIL.

What are the problems facing the government?

: There are many problems. Basically, the expectation of the Liberian people was very high one year ago. This country as you know, has been in existence for over 157 years. For some reason, people expect this government to solve in two years what other governments have not solved in 157 years. This poses a major challenge for us. Also, I believe we have made tremendous improvement in the area of DDRR and the march to democratic elections. This government has not done enough in the restoration of basic services such as light and water. Those are some of the problems.

Then, what is the government doing to restore basic services such as water and electricity?

As you know, these are major civil works projects. We have been without water and electricity for the past fourteen, fifteen years. It is not practical to start running pipes and wires. Thus what is happening here is that, the European Commission has just completed a management study of the electricity sectors. There are similar studies going on for water. Once those studies are completed, then we will move into the actual civil works part of the projects. Thus, it is not the matter that nothing is going on, but we have to take it initially in strives. I know that initially people expected light and water in two weeks.

From an engineer's standpoint, this is not practical.

How do you see the Liberian economy taking into account the prices of commodities?

Let's bear in mind, that this government is operating with only about 20 percent of what the budget used to be 14 years ago. So, this means that people are expecting us to do more with less, when we look at the prices of the basic commodities, rice, petroleum products etc. One of the first things the NTGL did when it came to power, was to reduce the prices of basic commodities. However, because Liberia is part of a global village, the prices we pay here are tied to the prices on the global market. So, when we see a rise in the prices of crude oil for example, and we see an increase in the price of rice on the world market coupled with an increase in freights and tariffs, these are also reflected in our local prices. For some, however, we in Liberia are accustomed to being subsidized all the time, and do not admit to the principles of free market. I think there is room for improvement. Of course, we have to change our attitudes and accept the fact that prices will fluctuate in Liberia according to what is happening on the world market.

What is the level of press freedom and free speech in Liberia today?

This is one area where the NTGL has made tremendous progress. We have in Liberia today, not only freedom of expression, which comprises freedom of speech and the press, we also have freedom from fear. People are speaking their minds without fear of being incarcerated. There is no political prisoner in jail, no journalist in jail, no prisoner of conscience in jail, no media institution has been arbitrarily closed down. I think this is a good thing. This has been a good year for freedom of expression in this country.

What is the problem with the extension of civil authority throughout the country?

Well, as you know, UNMIL is the one responsible for security. The formula the NTGL has is that, as UNMIL deploys into the leeward counties, and tell us that the security situation is good, then we move in to establish civil authority by putting in place superintendents etc. However, there has been some bickering as to the process for the appointment of superintendents. So, the combination of ensuring that there is security, and the process of appointing the superintendents has slowed down a little bit, but we are on course.

How do you see the living condition of our people compared to the time of the past government?

It varies from individual to individual. I think there are some people from the past administration who have lost their privileges, so they will tell you that things are worse. I believe that for most people, the living condition is better. Civil servants are being paid, this government is current in paying salaries, and we are committed to settling the arears. We have some problems with transportation and the buses will be here by the 11th of November. We have a firm commitment, I have the documents and I can sure it to you if you wish to see them. I think for the most part, a greater majority of the Liberian people are enjoying a better quality of life today than they were one year ago.

Is the country more stable than before?

Certainly, there is no question about that. A little over one year ago, there were missiles flying all around here. We had three warring factions shooting at each other, civilians were caught in the middle, people were getting killed, families were being separated.

Today, thanks to UNMIL and our international partners, we have peace, we have tranquility in the country and we are grateful to UNMIL and our friends in ECOWAS for this level of security.

What do you make of claims that this government is corrupt?

This government is not corrupt. I mean there are corrupt elements within the government. Okay, and you can quote me on that. I can not call names because I don't know the names. But, clearly, given the way certain things are happening in term of fiscal responsibility, I will submit to you that there are corrupt elements within the government, but this government as a whole is not a corrupt government!

: Then, what are you doing with these corrupt elements in Government?

The Chairman of the NTGL, His Excellency Charles Gyude Bryant is on record as saying that, if anyone has a name or a specific incident about corruption, he wants that information submitted to him immediately to take the corrective action. People should do that.

Come to my Minister, the Ministry of Information, you can remain anonymous and report the information, we shall follow up on it.

How is the NTGL's fiscal and monetary policy amidst reports of corrupt elements being in government?

I think this is one area where this government in the next year needs to institute internal control. I mean some reforms to ensure that the meager resources we have are being expanded prudently. I believe there is tremendous room for improvement as far as fiscal discipline and monetary policy is concerned. The Chairman has already taken control of that and we will see better implementation of our fiscal discipline and policy next year.

What should Liberians expect from the government during the next year?

In the next year, Liberians should look forward to the continuous march to a democratically elected government in October 2005.

They should also look forward to the third Monday in January 2006, when this NTGL is going to hand over power to a democratically elected government, through an international supervised elections.

Is there anything you'd like to say that we have not discussed?

All I want to say, is to take off my hat as the Minister of Information for one minute, and put on my hat as a citizen of Liberia and ask our people to remain calm, don't resort to violence, do not result to mob action to solve problems, like what happened on last Sunday when Lone Star lost to Senegal. Let's just be patient, let's exercise restraint and maturity. We will reap the fruit of the dividends. I thank you!