Grand Bassa County Senator Jonathan Kaipay is calling for equal distribution of the country’s money to all the capital cities in the country, proposing that each county capital should receive US$100,000 while other cities in the country get US$50,000.
In his communication to the plenary of the Liberian Senate, the Bassa Senator says Monrovia City Corporation’s annual budget is over US$4 million dollars while the Paynesville annual budget is over US$500,000.
But Kaipay believes that all cites created by law should be given US$100,000 because Article 7 of the Constitution calls for the equal participation of citizens in the wealth of the nation.
According to Senator Kaipay, there are other cities in the country that need to benefit as well. He argues that while there is money in the budget to Internal Affairs for cities, there is still money allocated in the budget for Monrovia and Paynesville Corporations.
He thinks this additional allocation done for Monrovia and Paynesville should also be done to all the other cities around the country.
Kaipay adds that cities that are enacted by law are being marginalized in the National Budget, urging that they should have been given an envelope from the budget as well, noting that such allocation can be used for health and sanitation in the various cities.
He recommends to his colleagues that it is necessary for such allocations to be done now since the National Budget has reached to the Legislature, expressing hope that his advocacy will yield good fruit.
In a motion, Senator Dallas Gueh of River Cess County thanked the author of the communication, saying it is necessary that all the other cities be included in the budget.
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Meanwhile, the communication was sent to the Senate Committee on Ways, Means and Finance to report to plenary in one week.—Edited by Winston W. Parley
