18 April 2008
Monrovia — Members of the Lower House of Parliament at Tuesday Regular Session yesterday, overwhelmingly voted to summon Information Minister, Dr. Lawrence Bropleh to appear before Plenary to show cause why he should not be held in contempt for allegedly misusing US$200,000 reportedly given to him by the Robert Johnson Foundation.
The decision to summon Minister Bropleh followed a communication addressed to the Plenary by Representative Evan Koah of Nimba County.
In his communication, he alleged that the minister received US$360,000 from the Robert Johnson Foundation for the lease of the Kendeja Cultural Center on the Robertsfield Highway for the construction of a Four Star Hotel.
According to the Nimba County lawmaker, Mr. Bropleh admitted in a local daily that the US$200,000 was taken by the Ministry of Information to build a new culture center as well as facilitate the relocation of the Kendeja School Complex. He quoted Bropleh as saying that the remaining US$160,000 was deposited in government revenue.
Upon reading the communication, several lawmakers excepted to the manner and form in which Dr. Bropleh and his ministry handled the money for the lease agreement with the Robert Johnson Foundation.
The lawmakers described said such is an act of corruption, and as such want him to give full account. Some lawmakers doubt the reality that the money in question is used for the building a new culture center as well as the relocation of the Kendeja School Complex.
They have accordingly expressed need to have Dr. Bropleh disclose how the amount was applied. One lawmaker who claims to live within the vicinity of Kendeja confided in this paper that the Liberian government wanted each Kendeja dweller given a relocation package of US$1,000.
Instead of this, he claimed that the Minister willfully gave some residents amounts as low as US$300, 400, 500. Recently, students of the Kendeja High School went on the rampage and destroyed down a vehicle belonging to dismissed Assistant Information for Culture, Mr. Jawee Quaye. They students protested their being out of school since the government took over Kedneja.
President Johnson-Sirleaf visited the community and told the students that their action was wrong, even-though they were entitled to education and government was under obligation to provide education for them.
She also expressed dismay at the slow pace with the work was being done, noting that the Minister of Information and his crew were not giving her accurate information, and even declared that "heads would roll." True to that, she relieved Assistant Minister Quaye of his post and ordered an investigation.
Commenting on the invitation from the House of Representatives, Mr. Bropleh says he will show up to explain, but he has requested the house to postpone the day because of his engagement with other activities.
According to him, he has written the Speaker and registered his concern about conducting the investigation in the public as it could jeopardize the ongoing investigation.
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Dear editor, It is very important that Dr.(???)Lawrence Bropleh faces the parliament to account for this huge sum of money. But my question is, who is in charge of such interaction and to whom should such amount of money be paid?
Minister Lawrence Borpleh is a colorful gentlemen with very checkered backgroud, but as an information minister, is he also in charge of paying people to leave an environment or is he in charge of reconstructing a school?
Does he negotiate the sale of what I must term a national asset on behalf of the government?
There are many questions and issues here, but my only comment is that liberia cannot afford to go backward.
The Ellen Sirelf government should either put itself together or be prepared to leave power after this term.
A.D.Roberts/USA