4 October 2008
(Page 2 of 2)
Analysts disagree that the current debate is solely about debasement of an institution or a group of individuals than it is about blowing the whistle to guide the nation against being waylaid by unscrupulous businessmen.
But Sunday insisted that were those who are currently rejecting the gifts sincere, they would have concerned themselves with how the vehicles will be used to benefit the Liberian people.
"They would have approached the Senate leadership to find out whether the vehicles were the personal properties of the individual senators or the properties of the Liberian government.
"As I speak, some senators are passing the vehicles over to officials in their counties. Who knows whether these so-called county officials are not family members or personal friends? You see, the misuse has already begun".
"This is the actual question: the perseveration of the vehicles to last long and help the people," he said.
Sunday said besides consulting the Senate leadership, those now playing the rash paranoid - seeing backlash in every assistance from the business community in Liberia without considering other safety guards already in place - will do well to study the Mineral Exploration Agreement between the Liberian government and ArcelorMitta Steel for clues to their fears.
Another observer, former Capitol Building employee David G. Gbayou, said it was unfortunate that so much noise was being made regarding the ArcelorMitta Steel.
According to him, there were plenty of safeguards to ensure that support of the government in time of need will absolutely have no effect on official business.
"We should be grateful that ArcelorMitta Steel chose to be opened about its assistance to the Liberian government. ArcelorMitta Steel, unlike Firestone and the iron ore companies under Tubman, Tolbert, and Doe, and the River Gbeh Plywood Company, OTC and RTC under Taylor, decided to let the nation know that it was assisting the government free of strings.
"This should be praised, not vilified. The company is in line with the agreement between Liberia and the EITI," Gbayou said.
He said giving to Liberia in keeping with the rules of EITI does not only indicate that ArcelorMitta Steel has no hidden motive for its gift but also that the steel giant seemed prepared to respect the laws of Liberia and the spirit of international agreements Liberia has signed regarding the extractive industry.
According to him, it was the height of naivety for anyone to think that by rejecting openly a gift a public official has shown hatred or bribery or clean hand.
"How can anyone claiming to be of good moral standing believe that receiving a gift from a company is sufficient to hold allegiance to that company? A good proof of love of country is to receive a gift and yet obey the laws of the country.
Anyone who cannot do that is not worth being a public official. Even in the U.S. congressional officials receive gifts from corporations and yet act appropriately on behalf of their constituencies," he said.
He said people like David Farhat who said the ArcelorMitta Steel gift would come back several years from now as tax deductions were living in the past where government officials secretly arranged deals with concessionaires to present as gifts in public, part of corporate taxes owed the government.
"We remember situations where companies supplied building materials to government as 'gift' only to be converted by public officials without benefit to the Liberian people".
"The cost of these gifts are then credited to government debt at exorbitant rates and swapped with legitimate taxes owed government. This evil practice ran for a long time at the expense of government's tax revenue base," he said.
He did not say why the same practice is not at play in the ArcelorMitta Steel situation; but he indicated that Liberia, having suffered the effects of official corruption and back dealing was not ready to go down the same road.
"President Sirleaf knows the consequence and she will not allow anyone to play the same game. This is why she signed the agreement with EITI," he said.
Meanwhile, ArcelorMitta Steel said its conscience is clear about this gift and any future assistance to the Liberian people outside its agreement with the government of Liberia and that therefore rather than been shaken by the criticism of skeptics and critics, it is strengthened by them.
A company spokesperson said had ArcelorMitta Steel intended bribery, it would have secretly met with each of the Senators separately and give according to what each will request to work in the company's interest.
He said it was laughable that anyone calling himself civil society leader would entertain the idea that ArcelorMitta Steel would impose a single gift on all the senators in order to have them work in its interest as if all the senators have the same desire and aspiration or are so gullible to make a choice.
"This is absurd. It discourages cooperation between the government and the business community. It is not only non-profit organization that must assist the government; we all must do within our strength, especially believing that by such assistance, the government will be strengthened to help the population out of difficulties.
But at the same time, we will not lose sight of our tax obligation to the government and our responsibility, according to the agreement we have reach, to the communities within which we are working," he said.
Analysts say while the views of critics of ArcelorMitta Steel's gift are justified in a limited sense, they feed dangerously on fears that lack in facts and bases.
They said those suspicious of the company's gift vis-à-vis its desire to bid for the Western Cluster deposits must do the Liberia people a favor by obtaining and interpreting the safety guards that are in place to ensure that the extractive industry in Liberia, this time around, will not exploit the nation and leave potholes and impassable roads in its wake.
"This is the role of the civil society and the critically vocal citizen," they said
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