In Recent Days, there have been widespread public discussions about the pronouncement by Minister of State Without Portfolio, Mamaka Bility, about the bringing into the country of 285 road equipment.
MINISTER BILITY ALSO disclosed that the 285 equipment will be distributed 19 per county, a move that could see a massive relief for Liberian people.
MINISTER BILITY MADE the disclosure without announcing the source of equipment, whether these equipment were purchased by the Government of Liberia with state resources or provided by a friendly country or institution to the Government and people of Liberia.
"THE PURPOSE OF this equipment is to bring the president's vision of low-cost modern equipment for roads. maintenance. For those of us over 40 years old, you remember they used to have modern equipment at the Ministry of Public Works yard, and there is a bad road that is used for maintenance of that road," she said.
CONTINUING, SHE ADDED: "The plan is to have 19 pieces of earth-moving equipment in each county. We did this calculation with the help of the Minister of Public Works, Mr. Layfette Giddings, and it is intended not only for the maintenance of roads, but also to construct roads and bridges. Every county will have its equipment."
WHILE THE EQUIPMENT for road reconstruction and rehabilitation could be a major boost to the country, the source of funding for the equipment is paramount and should be made public.
IN THIS ERA, transparency and public disclosure of information is an obligation of the government and the right of the people to know about the operations of their government.
THE FREEDOM OF Information (FOI) Act of Liberia signed into law on September 16, 2010 provides all persons the right of access to public information and the Government of Liberia must respect the law by making full disclosure of the source of the equipment.
AS A RESPONSIBLE government that is championing the issue of transparency and accountability, the government must act promptly by disclosing the source of the equipment to give the Liberian public the opportunity to know who is doing this good for the country.
TO EVEN DISCLOSE the arrival of the equipment without stating the source is a mark of secrecy, which must not be done by a government that came to power against the backdrop of fighting corruption and ensuring transparency in the public sector.
IT IS QUESTIONABLE for the Government to wait and get public backlash before disclosing the source of the equipment as this smells sinister and indicates that the government has something to hide.
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A TOTAL OF 285 equipment is not something small that should be accepted by the Liberian people without knowing the source of such equipment.
THE PUBLIC RIGHT to know should not be tested by the current government. There is no room for shady deals as the Liberian people have suffered the aftermath of corruption for too long.
A GOVERNMENT THAT promised to rescue its people must always do things differently and live up to the confidence reposed in it by the Liberian people.
EVERY TRANSACTION MUST be done with transparency and accountability and Liberians must at all times know about the activities, operations and actions of their government.
THE LIBERIAN PEOPLE are still aware about the failed Ebomaf and Elton loan deals that raised their hopes for massive development but later collapsed in thin air.
THE NEW GOVERNMENT must learn from the mistakes of the past government and come clean on its operations. The eagerness of the Liberian people for development and relief from bad roads must not be used as an opportunity to go to bed with anyone even if it is the devil.
THE LIBERIAN PEOPLE need to know the source of the equipment so that they can decide on whether to accept a gift, a loan or a donation.
NO ONE ACCEPTS something whose source is not known and this is exactly what the government is doing to the Liberian people.
THERE SHOULD BE no 'good' in secrecy as the Liberian people have the right to know about the operations of their government.
