Over 300 proposed development projects intended to help address multiple challenges confronting Liberians across the country have been stalled due to the failure of members of the 55th National Legislature to maintain and allocate the initial US$11.8M budgeted for Legislative Engagement Projects and the increasing disagreement over the selection of local contractors who have interest to contest against sitting lawmakers to implement these projects.
By Obediah Johnson, [email protected]
With nearly few weeks to the expiration of the current budget period for Fiscal Year 2024, the proposed projects, including construction of roads, schools, bridges, amongst others, have not been executed due to the grab of US$600,000 from the meager US$4.7M captured in the current budget as management fee by LACE.
Appearing before the Plenary of the Liberian Senate on Thursday, the Executive Director of the Liberia Agency for Community Empowerment (LACE) Julius Sele pointed out that following the passage of the budget, a program implementation framework was developed and signed by relevant authorities of LACE, the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning and the National Legislature for the full implementation of the proposed projects.
It can be recalled that in 2015, a framework document for the implementation of legislative projects was crafted shortly after Legislative Support Projects captured in the national budget was indefinitely suspended and subsequently reintroduced during the administration of former Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf.
The project was suspended due to complaints from the locals that their Superintendents and lawmakers were allegedly conniving to implement substandard projects in return for kickbacks from contractors who were implementing those projects, thereby contributing to increase in the number of abandoned funded legislative projects across the country.
Amongst other things, the framework document for the implementation of legislative projects called for funds allocated in the national budget of these projects to be transferred to a designated account that would be controlled by LACE.
Delay in releasing funds
Sele recalled that based on precedence, authorities of LACE requested the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning to release the funding for legislative projects to its designated account in keeping with the framework implementation document on April 18 this year.
He added that a follow-up was also made by LACE to the ministry in May this year.
According to him, authorities of the MOFD did not give any positive response until Vice President Jeremiah Koung intervened in July.
Sele claimed that at a called meeting with the VP, authorities of the MOFD refused to release the money to LACE despite signing the framework implementation document for legislative projects which mandates them to do so.
Assessment and bidding completed
He emphasized that they, however, encouraged LACE to carry out a nationwide consultation and assessment of the proposed projects to be implemented, conduct bidding and procurement processes, amongst others.
“At that meeting I said no! When you thwart the procedure that means you will fail. The agreement says that LACE shall have the money. We need some money so that the projects or the activities can commence. We went through the 73 districts of all the proposed project sites.”
According to him, a competitive bidding process for the implementation of the legislative projects has been carried out by LACE, following the acceptance of applications from contractors.
Sele maintained that he informed the acting Minister of Finance and Development Planning through a written communication on the outcome of the processes and the need to transfer the fund to the agency for the implementation of the proposed legislative projects, adding that, “we did not get any positive feedback.”
Boakai intervened
Following the ascendancy of current Finance Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan at the ministry, he stated that, LACE again informed him in September this year on the need to transfer the fund to its designated account in keeping with the framework document developed and signed as the current budget period was fast elapsing.
He said though it was taking time for the current Finance Minister to respond as he “was new and still needed to catch up with many other things”, authorities of LACE took a decision to reach the matter to President Joseph Nyuma Boakai.
Following a called meeting with President Boakai, the allocation for legislative engagement projects dropped from US$11.8M to a little over US$5, 310,000 in the recast budget submitted to the National Legislature.
It was later reduced to US$4.7M for the implementation of legislative projects after the recast budget was passed by the National Legislature.
He noted that as a result of the different figures in the amount and drastic reduction of what was initially proposed, the US$4.7 would be redistributed among the “both Houses” (or districts and counties).
He observed that though he is not new to the position he currently occupies, this is the first time he has been struggling for the transfer of legislative project funds into a bank account designated by the agency.
Lawmakers submitted proposals
Most often, members of the National Legislature used Legislative Engagement Projects supported by taxpayers’ monies and captured in the national budget to fulfill their campaign promises made to their respective constituents.
They see and use this as a means to lure or cajole their constituents to re-electing them.
At times, some lawmakers deprive citizens of their right to know about the source of funding of projects being implemented from legislative budgetary allotment.
During this, they continue to claim “political glory” when these projects are executed.
Many of these lawmakers, including Representatives and Senators, have already submitted their project proposals to LACE to be funded from the US$4.7M appropriated in the current national budget for legislative projects.
“We received proposals from each of you (Senators). We were able to go across the country, especially at places that do not allow vehicles to go, to do physical assessment in all of the 73 districts. LACE is the implementing arm of this,” Sele pointed out.
Senators’ issues
During the deliberation many of the Senators raised concerns over the failure of the LACE boss to report back to them after the assessment, bidding and other processes leading to the execution of the projects.
Few others expressed issues with the selection of the contractors and projects that would be selected by the agency to be implemented in their respective counties as the US$4.7M appropriated was insufficient to implement the over 300 projects proposed.
They also expressed fear that contracts would be awarded to some of their political opponents who intend to run against them during the next elections.
They described the implementation of legislative projects funded by taxpayers as “our interest.”
Formation of quasi companies
The selection of companies to implement legislative projects has been characterized with fraud in Liberia.
Companies are hastily established by lawmakers or their closed associates to win bids to implement these projects.
Authorities of LACE are most often threatened and pressured to accept company or local contractors who have been recommended by lawmakers to implement these legislative projects.
Though some of these companies lack the relevant construction materials to construct bigger structures including bridges, roads amongst others, they are accepted by LACE for fear of reprisal or “threat of summon and intimidations” from some of these lawmakers.
However, Sele made it clear at the hearing that companies implementing these projects would strictly come from in the counties.
He added that LACE will look elsewhere for contractors if there is no contractor in a particular county to implement a project in keeping with all processes of the Public Procurement and Concessions Act, noting that, “contractors will not be imported.”
He emphasized that qualified and trusted contractors are the ones who would execute legislative projects.
Sele expressed the hope that lawmakers would be pleased to appreciate the projects that would be finalized in their respective counties.
As citizens continue to mount pressure on their lawmakers to give account of their share of the US$4.7M allocation, LACE now needs to stand tough to ensure that these projects are executed to benefit the citizenry, instead of creating avenues to fatten the pockets of lawmakers and other unscrupulous contractors bent on offering bribes to win contracts, distribute kickbacks and abandoned these proposed legislative projects.
Meanwhile, Senators have scheduled next Tuesday for the continuation of the hearing with LACE Executive Director Julius Sele.
