-Pres. Weah
President George Manneh Weah says his administration has entered its third year and it was time to review, recalibrate and deliver considerable progress, noting still more needs to be achieved.
The grounds of the Capitol Building was graced by officials of government, partisans of both ruling establishment and the opposition, members of the diplomatic corps, international partners, Liberians, members of the Liberian Legislature and authorities of the Judiciary branch to listen toPresidentWeah’s 4th Annual Message, which covers revenue and expenditure for the year ended, and the legislative agenda for the coming period.
Despite huge protocols and high presence of security, local entertainers were busy providing melodious voices, while traditional dancers trilled foreign guests.President Weah in a relaxed mood mounted the stage following playing of the national anthem by the band battalion of the Armed Forces of Liberia.
Speaking before members of the Liberian Legislature in the William Richard Tolbert Joint Chambers at the Capitol Building, Mr. Weah said his administration is enjoying its third year of national governance and it’s time for the government and employees to enforce the Pro Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development for the betterment of the country and ordinary people.
According to him, with the limited time at hand, there is no room for errors, urging heads of agencies and ministries to take note and act properly.
Reflecting on the immediate past year 2020, President Weah said it was challenging especially, with the battle against the global COVID-19 that saw the economy dropped drastically and that Liberia was not the only country hit with the downturn economy but the world at large.
The Liberian leader pointed out that despite the COVID spread and devastation, the economy was also faced with shortage of Liberian dollars against its United States counterpart.
[bsa_pro_ad_space id=1]
He narrated further that 40 percent of the Liberian dollars were mutilated and unusable for commodity purposes thereby putting users at a disadvantage point.
He recommended that to avoid reoccurrence of such bleak picture, the Liberian Legislature and the Executive branch of government will work closely in giving additional authorities to the Central Bank of Liberia for proper control and management.
He maintained that the Central of Bank of Liberia needs to be strengthened through legislations for proper financial management and handling of financial-related issues.
Commenting on the fight on corruption, President Weah said government is working with authorities of the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission to create Criminal Court ‘F’ to exclusively try corruption cases.
He stated that the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission needs extra prosecutorial power to prosecute cases and individuals who fall squarely within purview of the commission for prosecution.
He announced that his office will soon forward a bill in the quest for the creation of the specialized criminal court and extra prosecutorial power to the LACC to make it effective in combating corruption.
President Weah said will also submit a bill, seeking protection for gender and sexually abused victims. He added the bill is intended to protect people reportedly being sexually harassed, abused, or intimidated.
By E. J. Nathaniel Daygbor
