Gbarnga streets to be paved – Delegates Agreed on Projects

Delegates from Bong County’s thirteen administrative Districts have successfully passed on projects covered by the County Social Development Fund (CSDF) and Social Development Fund (SDF). Bong County annually receives US$2,762,000.00 from China Union-Liberia, Arcelor Mittal-Liberia, the national budget and other sources.

At the County Development Sitting for fiscal year 2013/2014 last week, the delegates agreed to apportion US$800,000.00 for the ongoing construction of the delayed Bong County Technical College or BCTC, US$50,000.00  each to all districts, as well as US$250,000.00 for feasibility studies on the pavement of major streets of Gbarnga, separate scholarship allocations to universities, among others.

The New Dawn-Liberia Correspondent, who observed the program, said the most controversial decision was on which districts to be exclusively covered by the China Union Social Development Fund. Representative Adam Bill Corneh of Salala District, on one hand, told the sitting that  in consonance with the MDA of China Union, Salala was an affected community considering the fact that thirty percent of the operations of the company was in the district.

However, the tough-talking Fuamah and Sanoyea District Representative Corpu G. Barclay, on the other hand, disagreed, claiming that Sanoyea and Salala had exclusive right to the fund.

She eventually left the hall when a unanimous vote was taken by  delegates to allot the money to Salala, Sanoyea and Fuamah Districts-all in the Lower Bong County. Following the vote, the Presiding Officer ordered the resolution to be used as a working tool for development.

The new Chairman of the Bong Legislative Caucus, Senator Henry W. Yallah, who presided over the sitting, lauded delegates for letting out their voices on the tangible development projects. Meanwhile, some Civil Society actors were in disagreement with what they called contravening of some sections of the budget law.

Appearing on community radio stations last Saturday, Catholic Justice and Peace Commission Regional Coordinator Jesse Cole and Youth-Aid Executive Director Sayblee Weyea described the process as cosmetic and did not reflect the view of the delegates, describing the projects as an imposition on the people. All nine lawmakers of the Bong County Legislative Caucus attended.

Speaker urges Bong students

The Speaker of the 53rd Legislature is urging Liberian students to pay more attention to studying their lessons. Speaker Alex J. Tyler noted that while government has the mandate to educate its citizens, students were also under obligation to be studious if they must be successful in the future.

Representative Tyler sounded out the advice recently in Gbarnga when about hundred beneficiaries of the Prince Karmue Moye Scholarship gathered for an acquaintance meeting with him. He hailed Mr. Moye for his assistance, saying that it takes a lawmaker to do what the Bong County Electoral District #2 lawmaker has initiated in his county.

Representative Moye, addressing the students, recommitted himself to their education, describing the education Liberian youths as a major part of his development agenda to his people. He urged the students to study, as a student who fails in a class would be automatically dropped.

The Government of Liberia provides US$1,000.00 every fiscal year for scholarship, but the lawmaker is said to be spending more than L$750,000.00 on Junior and senior secondary education, and US$19,000.00 on the sponsorship of university students annually. Beneficiaries were full of praises for the youthful lawmaker and pledged to always study to get better grades.