Liberian opposition leader Mr. Alexander B. Cummings has proposed strategies to address ongoing food crises here, warning that the current regime’s ‘panicked reaction’ doesn’t solve food shortages and crises.
“This situation cannot be resolved by resorting to tentative actions and panicked reaction to shortages and crises as the Weah Government has been prone to do over the last five years,” Cummings said.
The Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) leader returned home over the weekend from visits to Canada and the United States.
Mr. Cummings said during his visit overseas, he held very important meetings with Liberians and global political, business, and educational leaders concerning the development of Liberia.
In those meetings, he said he spoke about the urgency to deal with the food insecurity situation and improved agricultural production in Liberia.
“We have therefore proposed a comprehensive strategy to include [the] emergency provision of rice, our essential staple, at [a] concessionary price while we pursue an accelerated and sustained program of domestic production,” Cummings said.
He noted that the program will entail intensive training of Liberians at universities in rice-producing states, provision of experts, investment, and financing for equipment and machinery.
“The program must be private sector driven to succeed while [the] government provides assistance and extension services,” he added.
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Over the past few months, Liberia has been hit by food crises, dominated by the reported shortage of the nation’s staple, rice, though the government here continues to deny it.
Consumers and retailers have all been through difficulties purchasing rice, as dealers would demand customers to buy unwanted goods as a precondition to purchasing their staple food.
For several weeks people desperately queued at stores to buy rice, but most of them would return home with disappointment.
Mr. Cummings argued that there are plenty of databases to tap into.
He recalled that Liberia once hosted the headquarters of the West African Rice Development Association (WARDA), which together with the Central Agricultural Research Institute (CARI), developed high-yield seeds.
He noted also that the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and other global institutions have also made commendable progress in the areas of rice production and other cash crops such as cocoa, coffee, and cashew, among others.
He believes that the Liberian government only needs to demonstrate seriousness in engaging these institutions to achieve its goals and cannot continue to play with the lives of the people by fooling them about fake shipments of rice.
Additionally, Cummings said the Legislature must assert its oversight to ensure that millions of dollars allocated for rice subsidy are properly accounted for.
“Our country is not poor, and our people are not lazy. Our soil is fertile, and our weather is favorable to growing what we eat and to export the surplus,” Cummings suggested.
He claimed that what Liberia lacks is determined, competent, serious, and responsible leadership that will make the right decisions.
He said the country also lacks investments in the productive sectors.
He accused the government of spending most of the national budget on enriching and caring for five politicians – the President, the Vice President, the Speaker, the Pro-Temp, and the Deputy Speaker, while the nation starves.
Cummings lamented that hospitals are without beds and medicines and schools are struggling.
From education, manufacturing, and communications to infrastructural development, he said he is engaged with international partners and industrialists who are prepared to invest in Liberia.
However, the CPP leader stated that those international partners are concerned about the current climate of rampant corruption and abuses of power that have overtaken the Weah Administration.
“These serious investors need a responsible and competent Liberian Government that can be trusted to stop the stealing, strengthen the justice system and improve accountability,” Cummings said.
The opposition leader lamented that the country is too rich for so many of its people to be so poor.
“This is why a Cummings Administration will stop the stealing, end impunity, improve accountability and guarantee the trust of the international community,” he continued.
He vowed to do this because he needs to end the suffering of the Liberian people, unite the country, grow the economy, provide opportunities for the youth, ensure empowerment for women, and create decent-paying jobs for Liberians.
