OPEN LETTER TO SENATORS ON THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC WORKS

Dear Senators:

During the Confirmation Hearing of Mr. Roland L. Giddings, Minister – Designate for the Minister of Public Works (MPW) position, I was surprised by the concerns expressed by some senators on “roads,” especially the senators from the Southeastern section of Liberia.

Mr. Roland L. Giddings does not meet the basic engineering requirements (knowledge, skills, and experience) to lead an engineering institution like MPW to plan and develop Liberia’s road network.

Some Liberians are trying to spin the Revised Executive Law – Title 12 – Liberian Code of Laws. Chapter 27 of the Law on Ministry of Public Works clearly states the duties of the Minister of the Ministry of Public Works and his principal assistant, the Deputy Minister.

The Minister’s duty:

1. To design, construct, improve, and maintain, directly or by contract, all highways, streets, roads, bridges, and storm sewers.

The portion of the law being spun is the phrase “by contract” by supporters of Mr. Giddings. I want those spinning this phrase to stop. The purpose of contracting to function to an outside entity is when your entity cannot execute a task. Will Mr. Giddings be contracting all engineering tasks since he lacks the tools to provide the leadership?

Some are arguing that his principal deputy is there to assist him. Let’s understand the role of the  Deputy Minister. The law says, “Deputy Minister of Public Works who shall be the principal assistant to the Minister of Public Works and shall perform such specific duties as may be delegated to him by the Minister of Public Works. The law states, “such specific duties as may be delegated to him.”

The principal assistant has his duties to perform. He is only to help with specific duties as may be delegated. Is the thought going around that the proposed Minister, who does not understand engineering, should contract his engineering responsibilities or delegate them to his assistant? If so, WHY should such an individual be in the position in the first place? Why doesn’t the principal assistant occupy the position, then?

What value will such a candidate add to an engineering institution responsible for developing our road network? I say non. Does the candidate understand what it takes to decide for a country needing well-engineered roads to improve its economic activities?

A road network is like our body’s circulatory system.   When your body’s circulatory system has obstructions, it leads to stroke, death, or other deformations. Liberia’s road network has many obstructions that are killing our economic activities.   I do not need to explain the pains of traveling around Liberia. Simple engineering problems are causing us to lose money and spend sleepless nights or weeks in remote parts of the road network. If you are traveling with perishable goods, they will spoil, and the traders will become the losers.

When questioned about his ability to lead the ministry, Mr. Roland L. Giddings bragged about Spoon Talk on February 1, 2024, about his achievements. He said NON-ENGINEERS have performed better as ministers than engineers in the past eighteen (18) years, from former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s administration to former President George Weah’s. Mr. Giddings did not provide any evidence to support his statement. I want to know what makes him feel he can provide the planning from inception to completion on road projects better than experienced engineers.

I have been in Liberia for these administrations. I have not seen or heard about any project under the leadership of the late Minister Willie Knuckles, Minister Lusine Dunzo, Minister Kofi Woods, Minister Gyude Moore, the late Minister Mabuto Nyepan, and Minister Ruth Coker Collins where they planned, developed, engineered, and constructed any road network (roads and bridges) under their leadership at the Ministry of Public Works using our funds in collaboration engineers and contractors to achieve it. They have yet to achieve it. The lack of these ministers to achieve these developments is one of the prime reasons our economy is suffering or suffocating and about to die if it had life as humans (animals).

President Joseph Nyumah Boakai has followed the same processes as his predecessors by recommending individuals who will not add value to our road network. The process continues to kill our economy. Instead of creating opportunities for Liberians to grow and develop their economy, they empower foreign entities; these entities import their staff, leaving Liberian engineers undeveloped and unemployed as they struggle.

Let’s take an overview of Mr. Roland L. Giddings’s involvement in our infrastructure development as he told it on Spoon Talk and Class Reloaded:

• The Mount Coffee Hydro Electric Dam. According to him, he was a Decision Maker in its planning, designing, and construction. Liberians are suffering today for electricity because of their bad decisions. I know this because I had discussions with Mr. Joseph Myers, Managing Director, and Mr. Dustan Maculley, who works on the project. We disagreed on the strategy being implemented. Spoon Talk of February 7, 2024, two (2) panelists (Mr. Gbarpoluboy Mamey and Mr. Samuel Jackson) provided their take on the Mount Coffee headache and why Liberians are suffering today for electricity.
• The RIA Reconstruction and Smythe Road projects are two (2) road projects he has claimed leadership.   He made East International (EAST), whose involvement in the two projects has raised many eyebrows. He promoted EAST, but now he wants to distance himself from it by calling for an audit. The residences along Smythe Road between Conex (formerly Total) Gas Station and the S. D. A. School are experiencing severe flooding during the rainy season because of bad pavement engineering decisions.
• During his confirmation hearing, he did not respond to Lofa County Senator Momo Cyrus’s question but bluffed his way with the senator. He used the same tactics on Spoon Talk on February 1, 2024, when three panelists (Madam Glendy, Mr. Alex Cuffy, and Mr. Samuel Jackson) asked about their road concerns. He bluffed his way through it instead of addressing their questions. 

The individuals posting the questions lack highway engineering knowledge to know if he addressed them.   They roll on to the next item, not to show their unfamiliarity with the topic.

Mr. Roland L. Giddings has worked in offices or has been in meetings where engineers were discussing issues. He believes he is fit to act as an engineer. You can experience this bad practice around Monrovia. For example, a nurse working in a surgical theatre with surgeons for many years feels he has the knowledge, skills, and know-how to perform surgery. In the neighborhood, he opens a clinic and is called a doctor. He starts performing surgeries.   A critical patient comes in, and he decides to perform surgery. The patient dies. The nurse gets away with murder because of the system we have developed. 

I watched all his presentations that I could find. Mr. Giddings did not, or he needs to articulate his vision for developing  Liberia’s Road network. Highway engineering is a huge capital investment. The right strategy and plans should jumpstart our economy’s rebirth. Our economy has been dying from 2006 to the present because of poor strategy. Our civil works are in the hands of others who are reaping the benefits and taking it to where they came from, and Liberia has yet to grow. I do not see from Mr. Giddings’s discussion of his plans how our economy will boom from all these multimillion-dollar investments in civil works being planned. I see nothing changing.

Monrovia has sanitary and storm sewer problems. Some will argue it is Water and Sewer responsibilities. It would help if you read the law creating the Ministry of Public Works. You will better understand the requirements of the head of the ministry. President Boakai stated during the campaign that you cannot give a man’s job to a kid in reference to former President Weah. But he is repeating the same where.

Our National road network must be improved to connect all fifteen (15) counties all year round.  Because of their lack of experience, Liberians are suffering to get around. 

My advice to the Liberian Senate is to reject this candidate. You are not going to get any value for our infrastructure. He will be a “yes sir” ministry to our foreign donors who are coming to help and reap what they bring, leaving us with the spoils. 

I hope the Liberian Senators do not follow what Lofa County Senator Momo Cyrus displayed during the confirmation hearing of Mr. Giddings when he openly declared his vote for Mr. Giddings when his colleagues on the committee had not deliberated on the candidate. Is this business as usual, Senator Cyrus?