By Bill K. Jarkloh/+231-6-468-244
Bill_ksolborjarkloh@yahoo.com
www.theperiscope.com (panwhanpen2.blogspot.com)
Information Minister Sieh
The Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism says the sexual harassment allegation raised by Ruth Yeaher against Mr. John Morlu is a person to person thing and not a matter involving the General Auditing Commission (GAC). As such, the Ministry says it is in the position to defend neither Auditor General John Morlu nor Mrs. Yeaher who is also from the GAC.
Before the Information Minister’s position Thursday, the General Auditing Commission (GAC) in a press conference Wednesday stressed that the President has to convince the entire GAC while it planted a woman to accuse the Auditor General, all because the Auditor General reported her husband to the very President, noting that it is unacceptable to knowingly appoint and induct into office a person who has stolen Government funds.
The Director of Press and Publicity, Ernest Maximore, further disclosed that the Government has left the substantive issues of accountability and transparency as captured by more than thirty audit reports produced and has resorted to attacking the GAC and the Auditor General. See below full text of the edited press release from GAC.
“We know the Minister of Finance and the Executive Mansion have led the attack on the Auditor General and the GAC, all intended to undermine the HIPC audits and 30 other audits GAC has conducted and released to the Liberian people.” Mr. Maximore indicated, saying the GAC has drawn a battle line between it and the Auditor General on the one hand, and the Executive Mansion and audit indictees on the other.
The Ministry of Information’s press release of yesterday describing as inflammatory the Auditor General’s comments that Finance Ministry cannot account for US$51m and if international auditing firms proves the GAC wrong in audits conducted under the same conditions, he would resign, Maximore accentuated, is evidently, Government mouthpiece has begun defender of the Executive Mansion and auditees against an Independent Commission of the State, describing it as a sad commentary in this country.
According to the GAC’s spokesman, “It is now evident that it was not just the Ruths and the Ngafuans bashing the GAC, the struggle is now manifesting itself in an organized Government war to damage another Government official and Government institution. Why would the Ministry of Information speak against another Government agency?”
He said but AG Morlu and GAC say no more. This issue has come to an end. Auditor General believes in the Colin Powell Doctrine: Go to war with overwhelming force and have an Exit Strategy. Minister Ngafuan and Executive Mansion has started a fight and condemned AG Morlu and GAC audit reports. Minister Ngafuan said GAC is scandalizing where there are no scandals.
Maximore added that there is no need to be superfluous on these cowardly verbal attacks; and since there will be time for questions and answers, let me say that AG Morlu and the GAC have endured too many aggressions in the last 3 years from people and groups who are clearly allergic to transparency and accountability, indicating further that for each time there is an audit, Government officials take the airways of radio stations and center-spreads of newspaper to attack the Auditor General, calling him “incompetent”, “rebel”, “witch hunting”, “unprofessional”, amongst other invectives.
Allegations personal
Addressing its regular press briefing at the Ministry of Information’s conference room, however, Deputy Minister for Public Affairs Jerolinmek Piah responded to the statement by the GAC spokesman. Mr. Piah, indicating the Ministry’s attention is drawn to what he referred to as reckless accusation of the Executive Mansion, said, “The claim was not against the Government of Liberia neither were they against the GAC; but they were against an individual.”
He reasoned that for a director of the GAC to accused the Executive Mansion is a total disrespect to constituted authorities, because the Executive Mansion is a symbol of authority, and by that the accusation by the GAC director is a direct accusation of the President of the Republic of Liberia.
Piah instead said it was the responsibility of the GAC to apply its internal mechanisms of probe to address the allegation by Ruth Yeaher against Auditor General Morlu in an attempt to establish the real truth or falsehood in Ms. Yeaher’s allegations against Auditor General, since both Yeaher and Morlu are all personnel or officials of the GAC.
Mr. Piah also suggested court option as another avenue for settlement if internal regulations would not be working to address the Yeaher-Morlu frail, saying that that it was unbecoming of a GAC director to link the symbol of authority, the Executive Mansion to the allegations by Ruth Yeaher against AG Morlu.
On other matters, Deputy Minister Piah accused those he referred to as “a number of failed officials” who he said are bent on misinforming the Liberian people regarding development projects on going in the country. The Public Affairs Deputy Minister recalled that these failed officials have always said the projects underway in the country are World Bank projects.
To the contrary, Piah said there is no such think like World Bank project in the country, saying that all projects are the Republic of Liberia projects undertaken by the Government of Liberia. According to him, some of these projects were being funded from taxpayers’ money while others were being funded through the assistance of the international community.
No World Bank project
Commenting on international assistance to the country through which projects were being funded, Mr. Piah explained that following ascendency of Madam Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf to the height of State administration, a donor conference was convened in Berlin, Germany aimed at sourcing funding for the reconstruction of the country.
According to the government senior public affairs official, donor countries, friendly nations and organizations made pledges based on the benchmarks that the World Bank be the custodian of the funds, which the Liberian Government agreed to in line with its transparency policy.
“These pledges were made good and the monies are now reserved for Liberia; it is Liberia which can identify projects on which the money should be used.” Drawing a hypothetic scenario, Piah asked rhetorically: Assuming that a church is undertaking a project and rally people who made pledges and cash donations, will the money be for those who made the pledges and donation of the Church?”
He then noted that this is the situation obtaining and Liberia is the proud owner of the funds of which the World Bank is a custodian.
When the NEW VISION quizzed the deputy minister on how much was the total of the pledges, how much was being expended, on what sorts of projects and how much was the balance at the World Bank, Mr. Piah said how much was the funds does not matter for now, what matters is the project(s) undertaken. He however said the Ministry would give a breakdown later, after consultation with the appropriate government functionaries, adding “As we speak now, there is a situation of cash inflow and out flow in the Liberia Reconstruction Trust Funds at the World Bank, at the appropriate time statistical details would be advanced”.
Where do we take the money from?
The issue of corruption was also addressed at the briefings. Piah said corruption was not pervasive in government as it is been projected, alluding to the US$900 million domestic debts inherited by the government which are now reduced to half a million, the massive reconstruction projects including the construction and rehabilitation of clinics and hospitals, schools, road networks around the country , the electrification projects of governments amongst other.
“We inherited such a huge domestic debts of US$900 million and we reduced the debts so low to US$0.5 million; we met the budget of US$80 million with low salary structures, salaries are increase, these projects are ongoing some from taxpayers money and yet we successfully pay domestic debts. If this administration was pervasively corrupt, were we would be taking the money from? So no, corruption is not pervasive,” Piah responded to a question.
He continued that these failed officials raising corruption allegations were in power, electricity was good for chickens in Careysburg while the people were sitting in utter darkness. Today, the children are sitting under street lights and those who can afford are connecting their houses,” he rated the Ellen Sirleaf administration higher above past regime.
Earlier, he disclosed that Information Minister Cletus Abenego Sieh has departed Liberia for China to chair a 32-member Steering Committee of Expo 2010 of which Liberia is co-chairman, saying that Deputy Minister of Information for Administration, Mr. Norris Tweh will head Government’s information machinery until the arrival of Minister Sieh.
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