Montserrado County District #13 Representative Edward P. Flomo, calls on President George Manneh Weah to veto the recast budget passed this week by the House on grounds that the financial instrument fails to prioritize plight of the Liberian people in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
He argues that allotment made in the recast budget for the fight against the pandemic is quite below the amount needed to pay health workers, who are very crucial in the Covid-19 fight.
He says President Weah should place the projection of US$34 million in the recast budget on hold until it is reframed to reflect the needs of health workers in terms of protection and welfare.
Speaking when he kicked-off distribution of rice, sets of jerseys and footballs in all 38 communities in District #13, Rep. Flomo warns that the coronavirus should be taken seriously by the government, adding that in the midst of the virus, nothing is possible in the country and the world at large.
Presenting 100 bags of (25kgs) rice and other items to residents of Flahn Town Community, the lawmaker calls on people of goodwill to come to the aid of the Liberian people in their fight against Covid-19.
He disclosed that a total of 1,000 bags of rice have been secured for distribution to the various communities to reduce hardship brought as a result of lockdown and other measures introduced by the Weah-led administration to defeat the Coronavirus.
He also spoke of previous donations to the district, including huge consignment of buckets and hand sanitizers to reduce spread of the virus, while calling on residents to remain in compliance with guidelines set by the government and the World Health Organization to stay safe.
Accepting the donation, residents of Flahn Town, including women and youth groups, thank Rep. Flomo for the kind gesture and assure him the items would be used for their intended purposes.
The House of Representatives this week ratified the Government of Liberia’s COVID-19 Response Recast Budget at over US$500 million, pending concurrence by the Senate.
President George M. Weah wrote House Speaker Bhofal Chambers last Friday, detailing the executive’s proposal in the draft recast budget and reapportioning more than US$32 Million in the current 2019-2020 national budget.
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The House’s Committee on Ways, Means, and Finance, and Public Accounts and Expenditure, in line with mandate of Plenary, conducted hearing on the Draft Recast National Budget for Fiscal Year 2019/2020, beginning with the Revenue Envelope.
The Committee divulged that upon review of documents and testimonies from the Liberia Revenue Authority and the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, respectively, the recast revenue envelope is projected at US$518,005,258.00, forecasting domestic revenue at US$394,594,258.00 and external resources at US$123,409,000.00, respectively.
–Editing by Jonathan Browne
