- Lawmakers from Liberia’s House of Representatives want the ongoing National Identification registration program to be free of charge
- The House Plenary mandated its Committees on Judiciary, Elections and Inauguration and Post and Telecommunications for a report in a week’s time
- Registry chief interposes no objection to making the program free
By Joyclyn Wea and Tetee Gebro with New Narratives
MONROVIA, Liberia — Liberia’s House of Representatives are pushing for the government to make the country’s mandatory National Identification Cards free of charge in the wake of the chaos and frustration surrounding the registration process.
The National Identification Registry is charging $US5 for a card to access vital services, including banking and all government services in line with an executive order.
During Tuesday’s heated session, in which Mr. Andrew Peters, the Registry’s chief, appeared to answer a litany of questions, the lawmakers said most citizens couldn’t afford the amount because of poverty. “3 out of 10 people in Monrovia are living in poverty,” with an even higher proportion in rural areas—”8 out of 10,” according to a 2019 World Bank report.
Moima Briggs-Mensah of Bong County, whose communication triggered the hearing, said she was worried that most people, especially those who lived below the economic ladder, were being excluded from the process.
“This matter is important to our people,” said Representative Moima Briggs-Mensah of Bong County, whose communication prompted the hearing. “Not only should the process of voting be free — let’s make this free for all Liberians to benefit.”
Ivar Jones, her colleague from Margibi County, shared her sentiment when he made a motion for the Plenary to decide the issue.
Jones later amended his motion, requesting that the matter be referred to the House Committees on Judiciary, Elections and Inauguration, and Post and Telecommunications for review. The Plenary agreed, asking the committees to report back within a week.
“It is a fundamental right for Liberians to be uniquely identified,” said Jones. “With the urgency attached to this executive order, I move if I may obtain a second that this body takes a decision mandating the Registry to free of charge register all Liberians beginning today up to the 31st of August and thereafter.”
Jones did amend his motion later, requesting that the matter be referred to the Committees on Judiciary, Elections and Inauguration, and Post and Telecommunications for further deliberations. The Plenary agreed with him, requesting the committees to report on the matter within one week. The move is characteristic of how the Legislature handles matters of national sensitivity.
Mr. Andrew Peters, executive director of the Registry, who had earlier testified before the Plenary, will face the committees behind closed door. Peters told eager and waiting reporters after the hearing that he interposed no objection to calls to make the ID program free for everyone.
“They are the policymakers, so if the policy makers say the government will take responsibility, who am I?” asked Peters. “I don’t have a problem with that. It is the government’s responsibility to make sure that people are uniquely identified. If the government decides we will shoulder the cost as other countries are doing, I will be the happiest man.”
Chaos and frustration erupted in recent times over the process, with many citizens, fearing their exclusion, voicing their anger about the issue to FrontPage Africa/New Narratives. That compelled the Registry to extend an earlier deadline by 76 days. Only 16 percent of Liberia’s estimated 5.5 million people have been enrolled in the national database. There are still concerns about the availability of centers and equipment to fast track the registration process, an issue Peters admitted in Plenary was a big challenge. He said his agency processes only 5,000 ID cards daily, a pace he admitted would take nearly three years to serve all eligible persons. Peters said poor road networks, limited postal services, and inadequate logistical support were barriers to the process.
As he told a news conference earlier this week, Peters told the lawmakers that there were plans to open 100 enrollment centers in major counties and acquire six specialized printing machines to accelerate production.
The digital ID initiative, funded through the World Bank’s $30 million Governance Reform & Accountability Transformation Project or GREAT Project, is intended to modernize Liberia’s citizen services.
This story was a collaboration with New Narratives as part of the Investigating Liberia project. Funding was provided by the Swedish Embassy in Liberia. The funder had no say in the story’s content.
