allAfrica.com: Liberia: Firestone Agreement! (Page 1 of 1)

Members of the House of Representatives yesterday took a historic decision concurrent with an earlier one reached by the Liberian Senate. They had taken the definitive action in ratifying the amended and restated concession agreement between the Liberian government and one of the world's largest rubber estates, Firestone Liberia Inc., which extends the tenure of that concessionaire in the country.

In a voting process that was characterized by massive absence of the 64-member Lower House, Speaker Alex Tyler knocked his authoritative gavel on the wooden benches to signal that the required action had been taken.

The special session yesterday concurred with the Senate at the Joint Chambers of the National Legislature on Capital Hill in Monrovia.

According to the parliamentary process of ratification, 34 lawmakers voted in favor of the agreement, three abstained with nobody objecting to the motion of the passage of the Firestone Concession Agreement.

A subsequent motion for reconsideration of the action that was announced by Margibi County lawmaker Sarh Gbolee against the passage of the agreement was sharply nullified by both Speaker Tyler and other lawmakers at the special session.

Though the reason for nullification of the motion of the representative, whose constituency covers Firestone, was not forthrightly provided, it would seem that his action was seen to buy time for further deliberation of the matter to win more legislative colleagues as converts to his apparent displeasure over the passage of the agreement.

However, the action was noted as one of the rare occasions on which legislative actions have not allowed the motion of reconsideration

In an apparent act of justifying his decision to waive the reconsideration motion of Representative Gbollie, Speaker Tyler later told legislative reporters that the rejection of Gbollie's motion was due to his earlier reneging on casting any vote in the decisive moment to determine the final decision of lawmakers on the passage of the agreement.

According to the concurred version of the agreement, the lower House by the vote agrees that Firestone-Liberia shall pay annually to government a surface rental equal to US$2.00 per acre for a total of 118,999 acres including an annual income of US$237,980.00.

There is a redistribution package that requires that a certain portion of this revenue will be allotted to development in the counties of Margibi and Montserrado with government depositing 67 percent and 33 percent respectively to the counties.

For employment and training, the lower house also affirmed that as part of its supports for education in Liberia, Firestone shall provide a total of US$115,000 annually plus such amount as directed to such fund by government of Liberia pursuant to section 10.1 of the agreement.

This will be used additionally as a scholarship for Liberian citizens through a program to be administered by Firestone-Liberia, wherein one-quarter of the amount will be reserved for students who are from and currently residing in Margibi County.

Additionally, the House concurs that 35 percent of allotment would go towards benefiting students from Montserrado County while the balance 50 percent will go towards benefiting Liberian students. They also maintain that the program be jointly administered by Firestone-Liberia, in concert with local authorities and the respective Legislative Caucuses and the Ministry of Education.

The Lower House concurrence was based on recommendations submitted to plenary of the House by the Joint Committees comprising the Judiciary committee headed by Armah M. Sarnoh, the Agriculture and Fishery chaired by Thomas Fallah and the committee on Concession and investment headed by Rufus Neufville.

Prior to the committee reports to plenary of the Lower House, the joint committee chaired by Armah M. Sarnor held public hearings with several stakeholders participating openly at the Capitol building in Monrovia.

At some of the hearings, top participants included Agriculture Minister, Dr. Chris Toe who headed the government delegation in negotiating the concession agreement. Also appearing at the hearings were the ministers of finance, justice as well as the leadership of the Firestone-Liberia.

For the Association of eminent and prominent citizens of Margibi County the former senator of Margibi County, S. Bedell Fahn raised serious objection to the passage of of the agreement stating amongst other issues that the company had forcefully removed the citizens of their county in order to plant rubber trees without any compensation to the people.

He specifically demanded that Firestone make a five million payment to the county as a recompense of such historic wrongs otherwise lawmakers should reject the agreement.

It can be re recalled that the Liberian senate forwarded the act ratifying the amendment and restated concession Agreement of Firestone-Liberia on March 20, 2008 to the Lower House for concurrence of the Lower House.

This swiftness of the passage of the agreement within the space of less than two weeks has forced thinking caps upon the heads of observers that powerful concessionaires are strong enough to move things according to their own desires.

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