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VOL. 16. NO. 114

INSIDE THIS
EDITION
EDITORIAL
Prevention Is Better
Than Closure

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9, 2014

PRICE: LD 40

www.liberianobserver.com

No Apology for
Empowering Liberians
-Mills Jones Replies Critics

See Pg. 4

COMMENTARY
The Mosquito
Menace
See Pg. 4

LOCAL NEWS
3 Dead, Two
Injured after Boat
Overturned
See Pg. 3

BUSINESS
CBL Galvanizes
Support in
Southeast
See Pg. 9

SPORTS
A Worthy Support to
Street Children
See Pg. 11

today!

Passed!

Contd on pg. 10

Governor Jones assure residents in Zwedru

Boakai Wants
Consolidated Efforts
Against Disasters

ice President
Joseph Nyuma Boakai
has told the
High Level
Disaster Preparedness and
Response Meeting that it is

only through a well-formulated response strategy---both in

terms of available resources
and as a result of the training required--that this nation
might prevail against disaster.
The Liberian Vice President

entral Bank
of
Liberia
(CBL) Executive Governor, Dr. J.
Mills Jones,
has made it plain to his critics that he holds no apologies
for helping Liberians through
the CBL loan scheme which,
he said, is meant to buttress
the fight of President Ellen
Johnson Sirleaf Administrations war against poverty in
the country.
What we are trying to do is
provide resources that would
enable our people to work and
help themselves. We at the
CBL see nothing wrong with
that, especially if our peoples
lives would be improved. If

Decent Work Bill Finally Endorsed

See story on Pg. 10

Contd on pg. 10

West Point
Townhall Project
Constitutes Board
Ambassador Charles A. Minor Elected Interim
Chair, Project Cost Estimated at US$1.5M
See story on Pg. 10

April 9, 2014-edition.indd 3

4/10/14 12:30 AM

Daily Observer Wednesday,

April 09, April
2014
Wednesday,
9, 2014

World News

Ukraine
Crisis: NATO
Warns Russia
Against Further
Intervention

(BBC) - Secretary-General
Anders Fogh Rasmussen said
Moscow must pull back troops
it has massed on the Ukrainian
border.
On
Tuesday,
Ukraine
regained control of one of
the government buildings
occupied by pro-Russian
activists in the east of the
country.
Moscow has said that using
force to end the protests could
lead to civil war.
However,
in
Luhansk,
officials
said
radicals
occupying the state security
building had placed explosives
and were holding about 60
people against their will.
Activists in the building denied
having explosives or hostages
but said they had seized an
armory full of automatic rifles.
Kiev says the unrest in
the east is being fomented
by Russia following its
annexation of the Crimean
peninsula.
Russia took control in
Crimea - where Russianspeakers are in a majority after a disputed referendum.
I urge Russia to step
back and not escalate the
situation in east Ukraine, Mr
Rasmussen said in Paris where
he was attending a seminar on
Nato reforms.
If Russia were to intervene
further in Ukraine, it would be
an historic mistake. It would
have grave consequences for
our relationship with Russia
and it would further isolate
Russia internationally.
The US and the EU have
already imposed targeted
sanctions on Russian and
Ukrainian individuals over the
annexation of Crimea.
Mr Rasmussen added: We
call on Russia to pull back the
tens of thousands of troops
it has massed on Ukraines
borders, engage in a genuine
dialogue with the Ukrainian
authorities and respect its
international commitments.
US Secretary of State John
Kerry, addressing a Senate
panel on Tuesday, said Russian
Special Forces and agents had
been the catalyst behind the
chaos of the last 24 hours.
He said recent events
could potentially be a
contrived pretext for military
intervention just as we saw in
Crimea.
As
tensions
rose
on
Tuesday, Russian Senator
Viktor Ozerov, chairman
of the defence and security
committee, said President
Putin could theoretically
send troops anywhere in
Ukraine under the powers
given to him by parliament
that allowed him to move
forces into Crimea.
The Federation Council
gave its agreement to the
president... to use the armed
forces in order to preserve
peoples lives. We have not
cancelled this resolution, he
told Ukraines Unian news
agency.

Ebola Outbreak Most Challenging

as Guinea Deaths Pass 100

(BBC) - It was one of

the most challenging Ebola
outbreaks we have ever dealt
with and could take another
four months to contain, the
WHO said.
The virus had now killed 101
people in Guinea and 10 in
Liberia, it said.
Ebola is spread by close
contact and kills between 25%
and 90% of its victims.
Many West African states
have porous borders, and
people
travel
frequently
between countries.
Southern Guinea is at the
epicentre of the outbreak,
with the first case reported last
month.
The geographical spread
of the outbreak is continuing
to make it particularly
challenging to contain - past
outbreaks have involved much
smaller areas.
We fully expect to be
engaged in this outbreak
for the next two to three
to four months before we
are comfortable that we are
through it, Keija Fukuda,
WHOs assistant director-

The number of people believed to have been killed by the Ebola virus in Guinea has
passed 100, the UN World Health Organization says.
general, said at a news briefing
in Geneva, Reuters news
agency reports.
The WHO said 157 suspected
cases had been recorded in
Guinea, including 20 in the
capital, Conakry.
Sixty-seven of the cases have
been confirmed as Ebola, it
added.
In neighbouring Liberia, 21
cases had been reported, with
five confirmed as Ebola, WHO
said.

Mali had reported nine

suspected cases, but medical
tests done so far showed that
two of them did not have
Ebola, it said.
Last week, Mali said it was
on high alert because of fears
of an outbreak of Ebola and it
would tighten border controls.
Saudi Arabia has suspended
visas for Muslim pilgrims
from Guinea and Liberia, in
a sign of the growing unease
about the outbreak.

This is the first known

outbreak in Guinea - most
recent cases have been
thousands of miles away in
the Democratic Republic of
Congo and Uganda.
There is no known cure or
vaccine for Ebola.
The tropical virus leads to
haemorrhagic fever, causing
muscle
pain,
weakness,
vomiting, diarrhoea and, in
severe cases, organ failure and
unstoppable bleeding.

three years ago.

WFP is concerned about
the impact of a looming
drought hitting the northwest
of the country, mainly Aleppo,
Idlib, and Hama, WFP
spokeswoman Elisabeth Byrs
told reporters in Geneva.
A drought could put the
lives of millions more people
at risk, she said.
Up to 6.5 million Syrians
could need emergency food
aid as a result, up from the
current figure of 4.2 million,
Byrs said.
As a result of the drought,
Syria could be forced to import
more than the 5.1 million
tonnes of wheat it needed last
year, the WFP said in a report.

Syria was last hit by a

drought in 2008, three years
before the outbreak of the civil
war.
On Monday, the WFP
announced that it had to cut
the size of its food parcels to
Syrian families by 20 per cent.
It blamed delays in receiving
funds from international
donors, saying it has only
received 22% of the funds
it needs for its operations in
Syria.
The WFP says it provided
food for a record 4.1 million
people in Syria in March.
Meanwhile, Syrian state
media says that that Iran has
sent an extra 30,000 tons of
food supplies to the country.

UN Warns of Syria Food Shortage Due to

Looming Drought

The UN has warned that a drought in Syria could lead

to a record low wheat harvest and put millions of people
at risk.
(BBC) - The World Food
Programme
(WFP)
said
rainfall since September has
been less than half the longterm average.
At the same time, WFP food

aid has been cut by a fifth

due to a lack of funds from
international donors.
Over 100,000 people have
been killed since fighting
broke out in Syria more than

(BBC) - The explosion at

a station in Baluchistan on
Tuesday injured dozens of
people and officials said the
death toll was expected to rise.
The United Baluch Army
(UBA), one of several armed
separatist groups in the region,
said it was behind the attack.
The incident comes a day
after Pakistani forces launched
an offensive against militants
in the province.
The train, known as the Jaffar
Express, is a daily express
service covering a 1,460km
(900 miles) journey from
Rawalpindi in Punjab province
to Quetta in Baluchistan.
The bomb was set off as
the train pulled to a stop and
passengers were disembarking
at Sibi station, around 160km
(100 miles) south of Quetta,
the provincial capital.
Mohammad Nazar, one of
the police officers at the scene,
said two of the trains carriages

quickly became engulfed by

flames and several passengers
on board struggled to escape.
We have recovered 12 dead
bodies from the train, he said,
adding that one of the injured
had died after being taken to
hospital.
I cant say whether the dead
are adults or children as they
are beyond recognition, he
added.
Pakistans railways minister
Khawaja Saad Rafique said the
same service had been attacked
only a few days earlier, but
there were no casualties.
A few days ago terrorists
fired upon a train when it
came out of a tunnel [in
Baluchistan), but they ran
away when security forces
responded to firing.
We will have to review the
security and find out the cracks
from where the terrorists
slipped in and planted the
explosives, he added.

Bomb Attack by Separatists Kills 13 on Pakistan Train

Page 2
Foreign Briefs

France

(BBC) The new French

Prime Minister Manuel Valls
has vowed to cut both taxes
and spending in a bid to make
the French economy more
competitive.
He said France had too
much suffering and not enough
hope as he promised to cut the
countrys large budget deficit.
Mr Valls also promised to
cut labour costs by 30 bn euros
(25bn; $41bn) over two years
to combat unemployment.
President Francois Hollande
appointed Mr Valls last week
after a poor showing by
Socialists in local elections.
In his maiden speech to
the French parliament, Mr
Valls said he would remain
committed to an EU agreement
for France to reduce its budget
deficit.

Venezuela

(BBC) - A coalition of
Venezuelan opposition parties
says it is willing to enter into
talks with the government as
long as certain conditions are
met.
The meeting was proposed
by foreign ministers of the
Unasur regional group to put
an end to two months of antigovernment protests.
Venezuelan
President
Nicolas Maduro had earlier
agreed to take part.
It is not yet clear though
whether his government will
agree to the terms demanded
by the opposition.
In a letter addressed to
the Unasur delegation, the
umbrella opposition group
Table for Democratic Unity
(MUD) said it was willing
to hold a true dialogue, with a
clear agenda, equal conditions
[for both sides] and the first
meeting of which will be
transmitted live on national
radio and television channels.

Cuba

(BBC) - A US contractor
who has been in jail in Cuba
for more than four years has
gone on hunger strike, his
lawyer says.
Alan Gross, 64, said he began
fasting on Thursday to protest
his treatment by both the
Cuban and US governments.
Mr Gross is serving a 15year prison sentence for taking
internet equipment to Cuba.
The case of Mr Gross is
seen as a major obstacle to
better US-Cuban ties. The two
countries have not had formal
diplomatic relations since
1961.

Philippines

At least thirteen people have been killed by a bomb blast

on a passenger train in Pakistan.
The Frontier Corps, a
regional unit of the Pakistani
army, said they killed 40
militants during an operation
against separatist groups in
Baluchistan on Monday.
A spokesman for the UBA
said the bomb blast was a
revenge attack for the
Pakistani
offensive
and
warned of more attacks in the
region in the coming days.

Bordering both Iran and

Afghanistan, Baluchistan has
seen a low-level separatist
insurgency for years as well as
sectarian violence.
The separatists claim that
the people of the region fail
to benefit from its natural
resources and are subjected to
human rights abuses, which
the government denies.

(BBC) The Supreme Court in

the Philippines has approved a
birth
control law, in a defeat

for the Catholic Church.
The law requires government
health centres to distribute free
condoms and contraceptive
pills.
The court had deferred
implementation after the laws
passage in December 2012
after church groups questioned
its constitutionality.
Supporters of the law
cheered as the court found that
most of the provisions were
constitutional.

Daily Observer Wednesday,

April 09, April
2014
Wednesday,
9, 2014

3 Dead, Two Injured after Boat Overturned

By Yewa Sandy

boat
carrying
passengers
from
Clara
Town
to
the
West
Point
Community on April 7, at about
9 a.m. capsized leaving three
dead and two in critical but
stable condition, police reports.
Liberian National Police
officers on the scene report that
five victims were pulled from
the Mesurado River, behind a
number of stores in Clara Town.
Amongst the five victims were
two women, one pregnant, and
three students who were all in
uniform.
All were women, whats
sad about it is that two of the
deceased were students because
you can physically see them in
their school uniforms, stated
an officer of Public Safety at the
LNP.
According to witnesses who
were preparing to fish along the
shore, the bodies of the deceased
began surfacing when one man

ran to inform neighbors.

Its sorrowful oh, I saw
something floating in the water
just like old clothes, but when
we looked real close, I saw
more floating around, and thats
when I called for attention,
said J-Boy, a fisherman, who is
familiar with the waters.
Deputy Commissioner Nelson
Freeman, stated that the LNP
was informed shortly after the
first signs of a human body
was seen in the shore by an
unidentified person(s).
We got a call around 9:30
this morning that there was a
situation involving a boat from
this side of the river and thats
when we responded. We werent
here so we cant be exact to you
when this incident occurred, he
added.
According to witnesses at the
scene, no one actually knows
what occurred to cause the
passengers to go over board, but
relatives say they were aware of
the victims getting aboard the
canoe.

The boat that was carrying said passengers being pulled

out of the water after being found in the middle of the
WestPoint Sea
I lost my aunty and my big
sister. She was going home to
go change to come back on ATS
to go witness the game, and
my aunty was going to go sell
bread, cried Clara, a distraught
relative of two of the deceased.
Mr. Nelson Freeman also
informed this paper that the
LNP has not been aware of
such commercial transport that
normally carries people from
Clara Town to WestPoint in less
then 20 minutes.

Actually thats the puzzle

we are all trying to solve, why
they were on the boat? I am in
charge of Public Safety for the
Liberian National Police and
to be frank with you, we dont
even know of such commercial
activity going on behind here
with a boat, when we got the call
this morning we thought it was
just a ordinary fishing canoe and
we were all astonished when we
got here and it was established
that this is a boat thats used for

Ken Best among 66 World Press Freedom

Heroes in Cape Town This Weekend
IPI Back in SA 20 Years On

Celebration of 20
Years of Freedom,
exclaims a banner
in bold, electric print on the
website of the International
Press Institutes 2014 World
Congress opening up this
weekend in Cape Town, South
Africa.
The message couldnt be
any clearer, a then-to-now
perspective of the press freedom
campaigners historic 43rd
World Congress held in that
same city 20 years ago, on the
eve of South Africas firstever multi-racial, democratic
elections.
Two decades later, with
another
general
election
scheduled for May 7, much has
evolved in South Africa, the
media, and the world at large.
We recognize the significance
of this 20th anniversary of
the end of Apartheid, and
also acknowledge [two] other
significant
anniversaries,

Mashallah Shamsolvaezin
says IPI Executive Director
Alison Bethel McKenzie, the
20th commemoration of the
Rwanda genocide and the 25th
anniversary of the World Wide
Web.
Although the Congress and
63rd Annual General Assembly
are being held in Cape Town,
you can see that we have
issues to discuss that impact us

Alison Bethel, Executive

Director, IPI
globally, she added.
According to her, the Congress
will explore a number of key
topics, including: the Chinese
governments role in the
developing world; a look at
the new South Africa and its
media 20 years after apartheid;
anti-terror and other national
security laws and their impact on
press freedom; and many other
important and relevant topics.

Kenneth Y. Best
Well also have some of the
most important and influential
media practitioners from Africa
and abroad.
Some of these influential
media practitioners have been
honored by IPI and named
World Press Freedom Heroes in
recognition of their courage and
resilience in fighting for press
freedom. There are currently
66 in all worldwide, the first
50 of whom were named and

commercial purposes on this

river, its strange for us and we
hope that we can all collectively
from this moment on put in
some measures to make sure to
deal with this situation so that it
cant happen again, he assured.
Meanwhile, the LNP held to
push back sad and frustrated
onlookers as they (officers)
secured the area to allow
security officials who specialize
in water rescues a chance to look
for missing persons/survivors.
We were informed by
bystanders that one of the
survivors and a couple of
victims are at the Mawah Clinic
across the road and we visited
there, yes it as established that
there were victims, and the
doctor also confirmed to us that
three persons have passed off as
a result of the accident and the
other two were there receiving
medication. We are still hoping
to find those who are said to still
be missing, he added.
Further more, a woman who
seemed incoherent due to her
honored in 2000. Twelve of
them are from Africa including
Raymond Louw, South Africa
(2011); Pap Saine, Gambia
(2010); as well as Laurence
Gandar, South Africa (2010).
Others are from IPIs first 50
World Press Freedom Heroes,
including Liberias Kenneth
Y. Best; Omar Belhouchet,
Algeria; Gremah Boukar Koura,
Niger; Gwen Lister, Namibia;
Fred
Mmembe,
Zambia;
Freedom Neruda, Cote dIvoire;
Pius Njawe, Cameroon; Percy
Qoboza, South Africa; and
Andre Sibomana, Rwanda.
Mr. Best, publisher and
managing director of the
Liberian Daily Observer, will
attend the Congress in Cape
Town.
One of the major events at
this years IPI Congress is the
launching of a book which has
been produced in honor of the
66 World Press Freedom Heroes
of the past 60 years. It is a
coffee table publication that will
be circulated worldwide. The
biography of each World Press
Freedom Hero and his or her
reflections on their experiences
in Journalism will be featured in
the book.
In January 2014, IPI named,

as its 66th World Press Freedom

Hero,
Iranian
journalist
Mashallah Shamsolvaezin, who
has been jailed numerous times
for his criticism of government
policies. He is scheduled to
receive the prize at IPIs World
Congress in Cape Town on
April 14, 2014.
Shamsolvaezin is the former
editor, and in some cases
founder, of four reformist
dailies,
Kayhan,
Jameeh
(laterTous), Neshat, and Asr-e
Azadegan, which were all
successively shut down by
Irans authorities.
He was jailed numerous times
for his criticism of government
policies, the longest detention
period being the 17 months
he spent in Irans notorious
Evin Prison in 2000-2001 in
connection with an article
criticizing capital punishment,
which was deemed insulting to
Islamic principles.
A former recipient of CPJs
2000
International
Press
Freedom award for courage
and independence in reporting
the news, he is the third Iranian
journalist to receive the IPI
World Press Freedom Hero
award, the others being Akbar
Ganji and Faraj Sarkohi.

We Are Doomed for Failure, If

-Sen. Doe-Sherif Warns Senators, Representatives
By J. Burgess Carter

ontserrado
County Senator
Geraldine DoeSherif is warning
her colleague Legislators that
unless they start to adequately
capacitate their staffers through
empowerment and build their
human resource capacity, the
Legislature is doomed to failure.
When we are elected as
Senators or Representatives we
do not have all the technical
knowhow or the knowledge
to run our offices effectively;
that is why we hire people to
form part of our staff to help
us run our offices. But if we as
Senators and Representatives
do not capacitate these people;
empower them, build their
human resource capacity, I think
we are doomed to failure.

Senator Doe-Sherif, who

chairs the Senates Committee
on Transport, was speaking
Monday at program marking
the launch of the Legislative
Information Service
(LIS)
Electronic/E-Newsletter
and
official Facebook for the
purpose of disseminating critical
information to Members of the
Legislature and the public on the
work of LIS; as well capturing
and lifting cutting edge
activities at the Legislature.
The launch of the program
according to LIS, spotlights
what it calls Effective Service
Delivery in the Public Sector in
General and the Legislature in
Particular.
Senator
Doe-Sherif
emphasized the need for the LIS
staff and others working for the
Legislature to be capacitated
and supported in the manner and

form to be compared to none.

It is incumbent upon all of us
that we support you financially,
morally and physically, through
individual means and take it
through the different Chambers
and then the leaderships, Sen.
Doe Sherif said about LIS staff.
She assured LIS of support
from the Legislature and
promised to champion their
cause. Maybe this initiative
will help to reduce the amount
of failure we have around here.
And so I want to be the first
person to give you a laptop to
support the LIS and also a cash
donation of US$500.
Speaking earlier, the Director
of LIS McCarthy Weh asserted
that Liberia as a country is
undertaking its transformation
program called The Agenda for
Transformation, and that for
that transformation to be very
successful there is a need to
embark on critical reforms.

LIS Director McCarthy Weh; Senator Doe-Sherif

launches LIS newsletter
We
think
individual
institutions in Liberia must
embark on critical reforms, and
we think the Legislature must
take the lead in this critical
reform. Meaningful national
transformation requires critical
institutional reform, Director
Weh emphasized.
We are saying that the
Legislature must make it
mandatory for both Chambers
to run an electronic voting

Page 3

grieve cried out for a sisterin-law that was nowhere to

be found at the moment. An
unidentified man who tried
assisting the women to calm her
down stated that her sister was
on the canoe and still presumed
missing.
We cant find her sister-inlaw!
Morris
G.
Miller,
the
assistance assigned in the ER at
Mawah Clinic under strenuous
conditions tried describing to
this paper the condition of the
surviving victims.
The two survivors, their
condition
has
improved
considerably because when they
came they were not like that.
Five victims were brought here
around 9:15 a.m. by a car. Three
were dead on arrival. We didnt
detect the survivors swallowing
water, while one deceased has
been identified by a relative,
he said.
The driver of the canoe has not
been found nor has there been
any further information on how
the canoe managed to sink. LNP
are still investigating and ask
that anyone with information
should please report to their
nearest police station.

system; we think by now there

is no reason why constituents
of lawmakers who are outside
of Monrovia cannot know how
a particular member votes on a
particular issue.
Director Weh challenged
the legislature on the need to
do a little bit more. There
is something in strategic
management called competitive
advantage. If there is need for
competitive advantage between

and among the three branches of

Government of the staffers let us
do it. If the Executive thinks that
their staffers can work, let the
Legislators too show that their
staffers can work; for you to do
that, you have to support your
department.
The LIS boss regretted the
absent of House Speaker Alex
Tyler and Senate Pro Tempore
Gbehzohngar Findley, who
according to the program sheet,
were expected to make special
remarks. This is why I wanted
the Speaker and the Pro Tempore
to be present, your department
needs your support; we are
qualified, competent and have all
the requisite qualifications that
our colleagues at the executive
branch of Government have;
your Chief of Staff that run your
offices are qualified people, so
let us support them.
Meanwhile, Senator DoeSherif officially launched the
newsletter known as REFORM
2 TRANSFORM, by clicking on
the laptop send.

Daily Observer Wednesday,

April 09, April
2014
Wednesday,
9, 2014

Published by Liberian Observer Corporation

P.O. Box 1858, Monrovia

BUT YOR WAIT NA.

WEVE LIVED WITH
AIDS FOR DECADES,
WHY ALL THE FUSS
ABOUT EBOLA?

Liberias First Independent Daily

0886812888, 0886472772
www.liberianobserver.com

Page 4

BECAUSE EBOLA
KILLS MORE PEOPLE
FASTER THAN AIDS.
HUM... THE WE HAVE TO BE VERY
CAREFUL AS TO WHAT WE DO,
WHERE WE GO, WHO ENTERS
LIBERIA AND FROM WHERE.

Prevention Is Better
Than Closure

The Guinean Ambassador to Liberia, Elhaji Abdoulaye Dor,

has appealed to neighboring countries not to close the border
with his country in face of the Ebola outbreak. He has rather
suggested that serious preventive measures be taken to halt or
minimize the spread of the deadly disease. Senegal closed its
southeastern border with Guinea.
Following our publication of Observer Senior Reporter C.Y.
Kwanues story on the Ambassadors concern, the Daily
Observer immediately contacted Liberias Health Minister, Dr.
Walter Gwenigale, and Immigration Commissioner Lemuel
Reeves, for their reaction to the Guineas envoys plea.
Both the Health Minister and the Immigration Commissioner
readily concurred. Dr. Gwenigale referred to the International
Health Regulation that preceded the establishment of the World
Health Organization (WHO). That Regulation advised against
border closures in the event of a disease outbreak. At WHOs
establishment in 1948, where Liberian was represented by its
first Public Health Director General, Dr. Joseph N. Togba, the
WHO confirmed that Regulation.
Dr. Gwenigale fears that should Liberia close its border with
Guinea or any other neighboring nation, people will start
dying in the bush because there are too many crossing points.
He observed that many Guineans and Liberians cross the
border daily working on each others farms.
Commissioner Reeves told the Daily Observer that from
Grand Cape Mount to Maryland County there were 176 known
border points, only 35 of which, until recently, were manned
by Liberian Immigration. Now the number of patrolled border
points has increased to 45. Mathematically, that leaves 131
border points unchecked.
He fears that if the borders are closed, people would begin
using unofficial routes along our porous borders, hampering
the Health Ministrys ability to monitor and regulate possibly
infected persons.
Dr. Gwenigale told the Daily Observer that Jorwah, the town
built in the 1970s by President William R. Tolbert, Jr., behind
his farm in Bellefanai, Bong County, was very near the Guinea
border, where highly frequent crossings occur each day.
Commissioner Reeves yesterday told the Daily Observer
in addition to human beings crossing the borders, there are
also animals, including monkeys and deer, all of which are
disease carriers. In addition, there are planes from neighboring
countries bringing people into other countries. So, in his
opinion, border closing would not solve the problem.
We think that all three officials, the Guinean Ambassador,
Liberias Health Minister and Immigration Commissioner,
make a lot of sense in arguing against closing the borders. All
their arguments are cogent.
We are fortunate that there has not so far been a rapid spread
of the disease. Of the 134 cases reported in Guinea there have
been only 100 deaths. Of the 10 casualties in Liberia, the last
person to die was on Sunday morning, April 6, in Foya, where
news of the outbreak here was first reported.
The Health Ministry has disclosed that two labs have been
created in Liberia to monitor and fight the spread of Ebola.
The labs are linked to the Meta-Biotic Laboratories in
Kenema, Sierra Leone. The first lab in Liberia is a permanent
one, established within the Liberia Institute for Biomedical
Research, located in Charlesville, near the Roberts International
Airport (RIA). The second is a mobile lab, based in Foya, Lofa
County, where the first casualties were reported. This lab
is equipped to provide rapid response to any reports of Ebola
incidences in the general area.
Commissioner Reeves told this newspaper that he will
this weekend commence a tour of various border points,
beginning in Grand Gedeh County. It may be a good idea for
the Commissioner to consult with Health Minister Gwenigale
with a view to taking along health workers familiar with the
epidemic. These experts would know what to do immediately
in the case of detection anywhere along the way.

OBSERVER CARTOON WITH A. Leslie Lumeh E-mail: leslie@leslielumeh.com www.leslielumeh.com

The Mosquito Menace

By Henry I. Miller and John J.
Cohrssen (Courtesy of project-syndicate.org)

STANFORD Mosquito-borne
diseases kill millions of people
annually, and cause suffering for many
more. In 2012, there were an estimated
207 million cases of malaria, leading
to some 627,000 deaths. Dengue
fever is a leading cause of illness and
death in the tropics and subtropics,
with as many as 100 million people
infected each year. And there are an
estimated 200,000 cases of yellow
fever annually, leading to 30,000
deaths worldwide.
It takes only one bite from a diseasecarrying mosquito to transmit a
debilitating or deadly infection and
mosquitoes breed and multiply with
astonishing speed. Given that there
are no vaccines or drug treatments
for illnesses like dengue fever and
West Nile virus, and that treatments
for diseases like malaria are difficult
to access in many at-risk areas, more
effective mechanisms for controlling
mosquito populations are desperately
needed.
CommentsView/Create comment
on this paragraphThe good news is
that a promising new technology is
ready for field-testing. It is now up to
government agencies to facilitate its
development.
Today, the dominant method for
reducing insect populations the socalled sterile insect technique (SIT)
relies on radiation to sterilize males,
which are then released into infested
areas to mate. But this approach,
which has been used since the middle
of the last century, has not been
effective with mosquitoes, owing to
their fragility.
Advances in molecular biology offer
analogous but far more sophisticated
solutions. Using molecular geneticengineering techniques, the British
company Oxitec has created a new

way to control the mosquito species

that transmits dengue fever.
Male mosquitoes are bred in the
laboratory with a specific genetic
mutation. As a result, their offspring
produce high levels of a protein that
prevents their cells from functioning
normally, causing them to die before
reaching maturity. Male mosquitoes
do not bite, so their release presents
no health risk, and, because
their progeny die, no genetically
engineered mosquitoes persist in the
environment.
If the males are released over a
period of several months, this would,
in theory, result in a marked reduction
in the mosquito population. All that is
needed now is to determine whether it
works in practice.
Scientific research to develop
products like irradiated sterile
insects or the Oxitec mosquitoes
proceeds progressively from more
to less contained conditions from
the laboratory to confined trials to
limited field trials. Now that Oxitec
has conducted promising field trials
in the Cayman Islands, Malaysia,
and Brazil, it is preparing to conduct
trials in other countries, including the
United States.
Such trials are always appropriately
controlled and monitored to ensure
that they are safe and effective, with
government regulation providing an
extra safeguard. In order to determine
the appropriate level of oversight,
government bodies would presumably
conduct a science-based risk analysis.
When it comes to genetic
engineering, however, science seems
to matter less than politics. The fact
is that molecular genetic engineering
is more precise and predictable
than older, cruder techniques like
irradiation. But, while SIT remains
unregulated in most places, the
regulatory reviews of genetically
engineered living organisms have
tended to be drawn out and excessive

worldwide, with politics delaying

and sometimes even preventing
approvals. As a result, research and
development in genetic engineering
is more expensive, discouraging
investment and hampering innovation.
This is all the more problematic in
the case of mosquito control, given
the urgency of the problem. The
World Health Organizations Special
Program for Research and Training
in Tropical Diseases has called upon
regulatory agencies to emphasize
science-based,
case-by-case
targeted requirements with a degree
of practical parsimony, instead of
relying on a precautionary approach
that can require data to address all
theoretical risks. In other words,
regulators should consider these
innovations public-health costs and
benefits, and expedite their review.
Given the degree of suffering
caused by mosquito-borne diseases,
government leaders must not subject
genetic-engineering solutions for
controlling them to the same kinds
of political and populist headwinds
that have impeded the approval of
genetically engineered agricultural
products. Only with pragmatic, factbased regulation can the world realize
genetic engineerings full diseasefighting potential.
About the Authors
John J. Cohrssen is an American
attorney in private practice who has
served in senior staff positions in the
White House and the US Congress.
Henry I. Miller, a physician and
molecular biologist, is Fellow in
Scientific Philosophy and Public
Policy at Stanford Universitys
Hoover Institution. He was the
founding director of the Office of
Biotechnology in the US Food and
Drug Administration and is the
author of The Frankenfood

DAILY OBSERVER

Page 56

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

USAID/ Liberia Municipal Water Project

he US Agency for International Development

(USAID)/Liberia is seeking qualified construction companies to construct two (2) mini water
systems in the city of Voinjama and Sanniquelle.
USAID/Liberia will award two separate contracts for work
in each city.

Announcement - Change of Name

his is to notify the general public that WATTA M.

KARNEH name has been changed to MAMAWA J.
KARNEH. Additionally, all documents bearing his previous
name, WATTA M. KARNEH should remain valid. This
announcement should claim the attention of the general public.

Signed: MAMAWA J. KARNEH

USAID/Liberia is soliciting companies to compete for these

contracts in accordance with United States Government
acquisition regulations. Companies will be selected based
on demonstrated competence and qualifications for the required work. A company can submit a bid for both contracts,
but can only be awarded one of the contracts. The period of
performance will be 18 months (6 months construction period and 12 months defects liability period) from the notice
to proceed. USAID/Liberia estimates giving the notice to
proceed in early May 2014.
A firm that wishes to respond to this request must, at a minimum:
Be a local Liberian entity
Have all licenses and permits required by the law of
Republic Of Liberia to legally transact business and
perform the work;
Have an established business with a permanent address and telephone listing; and
Have no political or business affiliations which could
be considered contrary to the interest of the United
States.
An interested construction company can obtain a copy of the
solicitations and drawings for free electronically via www.
fbo.gov, or in hard copy for a fee of $50 USD at LMWP
Office 19th Street and Payne Avenue Sinkor, Monrovia,
Liberia LMWP contact information is provided in the
solicitation on www.fbo.gov. Please direct questions about
this process to USAID/Liberias Office of Acquisition and
Assistance (OAA) via email at oaaliberia@usaid.gov or
telephone number 077-677-7000 ext: 7042 or 7076.

This is where business

meets customer.

CALL NOW: 0777472772

TO ADVERTISE

INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE, INC.

BID NOTICE

he International Rescue Committee, Inc. (IRC) is

a private international, nonsectarian, voluntary organization providing relief, protection and resettlement services for refugees and victims of oppression or violent conflict.

USAID/Liberia will have a pre-bid meeting at the Liberia

Municipal Water Project office on 19th Street and Payne
Avenue in Sinkor, Monrovia, Liberia on 14, April, 2014
from 10:00 am 12:00 pm local Liberia time. Interested
companies must submit the names of no more than two (2)
employees who will attend the pre-bid meeting via email
oaaliberia@usaid.gov by 10:00 am local time, 11 April,
2014.

IRC is implementing a Health Program in Lofa County

under funding from the Ministry of Health and Social
Welfare (MOHSW), and is seeking bids/proposals for the
provision of Medical Supplies.

In addition to the pre-bid meeting, USAID will organize an

optional site visit for each site as follows:
Voinjama on 18, April, 2014 starting at 9:00am local
Liberia time. Participants will meet at: the Social
Security Guest House in Voinjama at 9:00am local time.
Sanniquelle on 16, April starting at 9:00am local
Liberian time meet at: the Social Security Guest House
in Sanniquelle at 9:00am local time.

11th Street, Russell Avenue

P. O. Box 3912
Monrovia, Liberia

Bidder will be responsible for covering all his/her costs and

transportation required to and from the site visits.

vol.16 no.114_ADS copy.indd 6

Interested and suitably qualified companies or service providers in and around Monrovia may request complete tender
information from the IRC office located at:

Contact Person:
Operations Coordinator
Tel: +231 777302938
Submission of all Bids runs from Friday 4th April 2014 and
closes on Friday 11th April, 2014 at 5:00pm.
Only successful bidders will be contacted.

4/9/14 1:02 AM

Daily Observer
Advertisers Supplement

Page 68

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

CBL Builds, Dedicates Credit Union Banks in Gr. Kru, Gr.

Gedeh, R. Gee & Maryland Counties: A Pictorial

Grand Kru citizens escort Governor Mills Jones to the ceremony

The National Petty Traders Union in River Gee County

The newly constructed Credit Union Bank built by CBL in Grand Kru County

The newly constructed Credit Union building that was delicated by Governor Mills
Jones

Students on the roadside ready to welcome Dr. Mills Jones

Some elders in Fishtown River Gee County

Governor Jones presents the key of the newly constructed bank in Grand Kru County.

Governor Jones cuts the rbbon to open the newly constructed bank in Fishtown, Rivergee County

Continued on pg 7

Daily Observer

Page 97

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Grand Kru citizens escort Governor Mills Jones to the ceremony

Governor Jiones presents the key of the newly constructed bank in Grand Kru
County

The United Women based in Grand Kru

Rep. Isaac Roland chats with Governor Jones

Citizens of River Gee County await CBL Governor Dr. Mills Jones

(L-r) CBL Director of Adminstration D. Sheba Brown, Grand Kru County official,
CBL Board of Governor John Bestman and Governor Mills Jones in Grand Kru
County

CBL Chief of Staff Crayton Duncan chats with CBL Executive Governor Mills Jones

Cross section of Grand Gedeans gather for the ceremony

In Grand Gedeh County, traditional masked dancer performs

Page 78

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Advertise today!
Call: 0886472772

Email: Advertising@liberianobserver.com
Forward Liberia (Since 1981)
ewspaper market research in Liberia reveals that each copy sold is read by at least 4 to 10 other
individuals. As the newspaper with the highest print circulation in Liberia, we offer our advertisers
more value for their money. And through our website Liberianobserver.com, the Daily Observers pdf
version (as it appears in print) pitches your advertisement to thousands of Liberians in the Diaspora and many
other subscribers around the world who are seeking business and other opportunities in Liberia.

For online advertising rates, please visit www.liberianobserver.com/advertising-1

Print Advertising Rates as of Feburary 1, 2014:

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(vertical)
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Banners
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All dimensions are in inches. Prices listed are daily
insertion rates, payable in United States Dollars
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Ad content is preferred to be received electronically
via email (advertising@liberianobserver.com) or in
person at the Daily Observer office on McDonald
Street, Monrovia.
Display ad design services are available upon
request. Please use the Advertising email address or
the above phone number for all inquiries.
The cut-off time for submitting ads is 4:00 p.m. (for
black/white ads) and 2:00 p.m. (for color ads) on
the day before publication date.

BELOW IS AN EXAMPLE OF A CLASSIFIED AD:

2 column inch ad space for only US$20 per day
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Get 5 consecutive days for the price of 4 insertions

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Services: security, catering, janitorial, logistics, etc.

Phone: 0886472772
Email: advertising@liberiaonobserver.com

2 newspaper columns wide

CENTRAL BANK OF LIBERIA

Watch out!

Its coming!!

Its almost here!!!
The Central Bank of Liberia plans to launch the Secured Transactions and Collateral Registry in June 2014.

Operations of the Registry-The Registry will be operated and managed by the CBL. It is an electronic public
database that contains information on security interests in movable assets and secured parties priorities. The
Registrys main purpose is to give public information that a security interest exists in identified collaterals and
establish priority of secured parties based on the day and time of registration.
The Registry will provide three (3) basic services to the public as follows: Searches, Registration and Amendments of financing statements.
i.
Searches will be conducted on the Registrys database to find out if there are prior security interests
in the movable assets (properties) offered by the debtors as collateral for a loan.
ii. Registration of a financing statement in the Collateral Registry will give notice of a security interest
in a debtors collateral.
iii. Amendments will be done to add, change or delete information previously provided in a financing
statement through the submission of a financing change statement.
Enforcement-In the event of default (the debtor does not repay a loan), the secured party has the right to
enforce their security interest in the collateral. The debtor also has the right through a court order to suspend
enforcement if it believes that the secured party is damaging the collateral or has sold it for low value. The
Secured Transactions and Collateral Registry has its legal backing from Chapter 5 of the Liberia Commercial
Code of 2010 and The Secured Transactions and Collateral Registry Regulations issued by the CBL in 2013.
Benefits-The Registry will encourage access to finance through the use of movable assets and will bring
transparency to the credit environment. It will serve as incentive for secured parties to allow debtors especially
MSMEs to use movable assets as collateral to access finance. In this way, the Registry will significantly support the Governments Agenda for Transformation.
Target Groups-The Registry seeks to meet the needs of under-served MSMEs, women entrepreneurs, Factoring and Leasing Companies, Non-Bank Financial Institutions, individuals and etc.
Fees Payment- Under the Registrys operations, searches will be free, while registration and amendments of
financing statements will require service fees. The structure and method of payment will be communicated to
the public at a later date.
For further information or inquiry, please contact: Mrs. Euphemia Swen-Monmia on cell #: 0886590575
& 0777445144 or Mr. Fonsia M. Donzo on cell # 0886517614; or at the Regulation and Supervision Department, Central Bank of Liberia.

Daily Observer Tuesday, April

08, 2014
Wednesday,
April 9, 2014

Page 9

CBL Galvanizes Support in Southeast

-Citizens Celebrate as CBL Opens Banks in River Gee, Grand Kru

By George D. Kennedy,
Business Correspondent

he Central Bank
of Liberia has
once again taken
a major step to
enhance its financially
inclusive program across
the country. The latest
move by the Bank is the
construction and dedication
of credit union banks in
Grand Gedeh and River
Gee counties, in the
southeast of Liberia.
The two counties are
among the poorest in
Liberia, making access
to bank loans extremely
difficult. If made available,
interest rates on bank loans
in these counties could be
very high.
CBL officials, led by
Executive Governor J.
Mills Jones, drove to the
region last weekend to open
the two banks, which would
be used by registered credit
unions and village savings

and loan associations to

facilitate access to finances
for businesses and residents
in that part of the country.
The idea of this financial
inclusion scheme emanated
from Dr. Jones, who
believes that unless the
Liberian people can have
access to the national cake
and poverty is reduced,
the economy will not be
where it ought to be, and
the suffering of the people
would continue.
The Board of Governors
of the CBL, comprised of
former Finance Ministers,
former National Bank
governors and commercial
bank executives, have
endorsed this idea, which
is making a strong impact
in the lives of ordinary
Liberians in the countries
rural areas.
Thousands of citizens,
including business owners,
government
officials,
elders, and youth and
student groups, lined up

along the roadsides in

Grand Gedeh, Rivergee,
Grand Kru and Maryland
counties to show their
support to CBL officials as
they visited their counties.
Governor Jones trip to
the Southeast was based
on an invitation from
citizens and officials of
these counties, including
Maryland County District
#3 Rep. Isaac Roland, a

of crimes; the Financial

Action Task Force (FATF)
in February 2012, revised
its standards to provide a
stronger framework against
criminals.
The GIABA programs,
according to Director
Nduka, are providing new
ways to combat threats to
the international financial
system and have competent
authorities with knowledge
and experience to counter
the evolving dangers posed
by money laundering and
terrorist financing.
He
explained
that
FATF
recommendations
two and 40 call for
national
cooperation
and
coordination
as
well
as
international
cooperation
amongst
competent
authorities.
These authorities include
regulatory institutions that
ensure money laundering
rings and terrorist financiers
are effectively combated
and shut down.
He
said
that
recommendations one and
from 19 to 21 of GIABA
documents
specifically

focus on money laundering

and terrorist financing
risk assessment, customer
identification,
record
keeping and reporting
suspicious transactions on
financial institutions.
Money laundering and
terrorist financing have
adverse
consequences
on the financial system.
They
undermine
the
stability and integrity of
the system and expose
the system to reputational
damage and legal risk. This
reduces the contribution
of the sector to economic
development, while all the
countries integrated into
the international financial
system become exposed to
the risks of these crimes,
said Dr. Nduka.
He
moved
on
to
recommendation
26,
which requires regulatory
authorities to undertake
supervision of financial
institutions under their
purview for Anti-money
Laundering (AML) CFT
and the financial sector,
which is central to the
implementation of the

CBL Executive Governor Dr. J. Mills Jones

Money Laundering: A Foe

of
the
Financial
System
-GIABA Programs Director Describes Money Laundering
By David A. Yates

r. Buno Nduka,
director
of
programs and
projects of the
Inter-Governmental Action
Group against Money
Laundering, has described
the act and terrorist
financing as activities that
undermine the stability and
integrity of the financial
system in West Africa.
Dr. Nduka made the
statement Tuesday, April
08, at a one-day financial
sector executive officers
dialogue meeting held in
Monrovia.
According to him, the
dialogue was intended
to provide a standards
framework to act against
criminals by clarifying
and strengthening existing
obligations and tackle the
threat posed by money
laundering and terrorist
financing in the sub region.
He said, As part of the
global efforts to ensure that
the financial system is not
misused for the purpose
of laundering proceeds

man who is desperate to

see the people of Maryland
County rise from poverty.
Mr. Harold K. Chea, head
of the Unity Savings Credit
Union in Zwedru, Grand
Gedeh County, was also on
hand to receive Dr. Jones
and his delegation.
Chea told reporters that
he is proud to welcome
and honor Dr. Mills Jones
for his unprecedented,

invaluable,
committed
and dedicated service
toward the empowerment
of Liberians through the
practical demonstration of
his indigenous approach
to building the Liberian
economy.
Mr. Chea noted that the
people of Grand Gedeh
were overwhelmed by the
financial and technical
support they have received
from the CBL through
its unprecedented loan
initiative
under
the
leadership of Dr. Mills
Jones.

Studies of performance
for Liberian businesses
after you took over as
Governor of the CBL up to
present reveal significant
transformations in contrast
to the past, he said.
Liberian businesspeople
have seen a new day. Access
to finance is no longer a
major issue; acquisition
of skills and knowledge
through capacity building
is a milestone achievement
that is accelerating the

growth and expansion of

Liberian owned businesses.
We must commend you
significantly for that,
Governor Jones, lauded
Mr. Chea.
Rep. Isaac Roland was
among several Liberians
who praised the CBL
Executive Governor for
his loan initiative that
is helping our people
significantly.
In response, Dr. Jones
expressed his gratitude to
the people of Maryland,
Grand Gedeh, River Gee
and Grand Kru Counties
for appreciating the work
of the CBL. The CBL
boss reiterated: no one,
irrespective of his/her
geographic location, should
see poverty as their destiny
or as a badge of honor.
The CBL boss assured
rural dwellers that the
Bank remains committed
to working with the Board
of Governors, management
and staff for the sustainable
transformation
of
the
Liberian economy.

Participants at yesterdays launch of the program

AML/CFT standard in any
country.
He disclosed that the
outcomes of GIABAs first
round of mutual evaluation
of member states (MS)
reveal a generally low
performance
by
the
financial sector. This is
owed to several factors,
including
insufficient
commitment on the part
of the management of
financial institutions in
implementing AML/CFT
standards.
The compliance status
of the sector in relation
to the implementation of
AML/CFT standards has
serious consequences on
the integrity and stability
of the sector, its role in
economic
development,
and
ultimately,
the

achievement of ECOWAS
overall objectives, he
maintained.
For his part, the Director
for
Regulation
and
Supervision of the Central
Bank of Liberia (CBL),
Musa Kamara, on behalf
of Central Bank of Liberia
(CBL) Deputy Governor
for Administration, Charles
E. Sirleaf, told GIABA
members that President
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
is fully committed to
strengthening the AML/
CFT of the country.
Money Laundering
Money Laundering is the
process where the proceeds
of crime are transformed
into ostensibly legitimate
money or other assets.
However, in a number
of legal and regulatory

systems, the term money

laundering has become
mixed with other forms
of financial crimes, and
sometimes used more
generally
to
include
misuse of the financial
system, including terrorist
financing, tax evasion, and
evading of international
sanctions.
It is said that the term
money laundering was
coined from the practice of
the American mafia who,
at one time, channelled
the cash proceeds of their
crimes through launderettes
to legitimize the cash.
Whether this is true or
not, the term money
laundering is now widely
used.

Daily Observer
Wednesday, April 9, 2014

No Apology

we must take a chance on

anyone or anybody, we must
take a chance on ourselves.
We must take chances on our
very selves if somebody else is
going to take a chance on us. I
will not apologize for helping
our people---and by extension, our nation, he tacitly
made the psychological connection.
The CBL Executive Governor made these comments in
Zwedru, Grand Gedeh County
where he dedicated the newly
constructed Unity Savings
Credit Union building. He had
performed a similar ceremony in Fish Town, River Gee
County and in Barclayville,
Grand Kru County.
Although the Governor did

not say to whom he was referring, analysts say that the 53rd
Legislature---whose members
tried to make something negative out of the widely applauded way he runs the Central
Bank---could not be as far his
target from these statements.
The lawmakers had turned
Dr. Jones into a folk-hero by
suggesting that his financial
method was shrouded in political aggrandizement. They
even went as far as orchestrating (arranging, scheming)
a recent amendment to the
CBL Act, mandating that CBL
governors with an interest in
elective positions resigned
from the Bank three consecutive years before plunging into
politics.

Passed

By Keith Morris

he House of
Representatives
finally
agreed with the
Liberian Senate Tuesday,
April 8, on setting a minimum
wage for Liberian workers.
The House agreed to set the

minimum wage for skilled

workers at US$6 per day while
unskilled and domestic workers are subject to US$4 per
day. Said legislation covers all
sectors of the economy including government and concessionaires.
The latest decision is based
on recommendations from the
Joint Committees on Labour,

Boakai Wants

said that bitter experiences

have taught us that irregular or
knee-jerk responses to situations of disastrous proportions,
usually leave us with casualties
that should not have been, had
we been better coordinated.
Vice President Boakai made
these remarks on Tuesday
when he formally opened a
Government High Level Disaster Response Meeting that
convened at a local hotel to
consider guidance for the future organizational structure
of disaster management in the
Country.
He identified mechanisms to
coordinate activities between
government ministries and
agencies and other stakeholders in the event of a disaster.
The Vice President also identified requirements which need
further research and action to
improve the ability of the Liberian Government to effectively
manage disasters and to recognize actions needed for Liberia
to comply with Ecowas mandate.
Hon. Boakai pointed out that
no matter how many volunteers
or resources one may be able to
command from the outside in
the event of a disaster, disaster
preparation must begin with
the host, saying The better
prepared you are, the better you
can effectively guide the efforts
of those who come to assist.
Speaking further, Vice President Boakai cautioned the
meeting that the purpose of the
forum was to examine the Liberian Governments disaster
management plans, policies
and procedures, and assess
their adequacy to respond to a
major local, regional or global
disaster event. He told the
meeting to take into account
the low-level of Liberias preparedness and noted that we
can do far better and we should.

VP Boakai furthered that

Government remains focused,
and there is a political will;
with our eyes set on the course--even in the face of scarcity of
needed resources and technical
knowledge---we will explore
the most efficient measures
of preparation. Disaster does
not discriminate and does not
choose its victims whether rich
or poor, partisan or opposition,
weak or strong, he added.
On Monday, Vice President
Joseph N. Boakai met with Officials from the National Disaster Management Organization
of Ghana, the United States Africa Command, National Emergency Management Agency of
Nigeria, and the Chair on the
Committee on Disaster of Nigeria on Capitol Hill ahead of
the High Level Disaster Preparedness and Response Table
Top Exercise.
The Officials were, Mr. Kofi
Arthur, of the House of Parliament of Ghana, Mr. Ebenezer
Kofi Portuphy, of the National
Disaster Management Organization of Ghana, Mr. Erik
Threet, of the United States
Africa Command and Mr. Muhammed Sani Sidi, Director
General of the National Emergency Management Agency
and Sunday Ifedayo Abegunde.
They were accompanied to the
Office of the Vice President by
the Deputy Minister of Internal
Affairs, Rennie Jackson.
According to the Minister of
Internal Affairs, Morris Dukuly, the purpose of the meeting was to stimulate discussion
among senior officials of the
Liberian Government on matters related to improving national disaster management and
preparedness capabilities of the
country.
The meeting was organized
by the members of the Liberian
Technical Core Team, National

Page 10

But Governor said that If

we are going to build an economy based on more equitable
distribution of income, then
Liberians need to be empowered.
He said building a middle
class (middle income economy) is crucial for the foundation of securing Liberias
democracy, adding that we
must empower Liberians financially.
Helping Liberians should
be discussed. It is not an option, but a responsibility. It
is imperative and we do it in
order to move forward. This
is why the CBL is trying to
do by offering a helping hand
to our people. We are not giving handouts. We are not on
the street distributing money
to people. We work with Village Saving Loan Associations

and Credit Unions in order to

achieve this goal, the CBL
boss clarified.
The CBL Executive Governor believes that if we have
to develop Liberia, we must
work by creating an environment that would encourage
people to work. This financial
institution building that we are
dedicating here today should
be seen as a symbol to move
forward, Jones declared.
The Governor insisted that
Liberians should look to the
future and think bigger because it is the only way we
can improve---by thinking big.
You cannot get far by thinking small. Those who reach
the sky were willing to think
big and work hard. Progress
comes through hard work and
if we have to build our nation
we have to build it ourselves.

Repayment of CBL Loan

Governor Jones reported that
borrowers are repaying the
CBL loan. People are repaying their loans. We are encouraging them. We are making

progress because things dont

change overnight. We cannot
keep doing the same old things
and expect different results,
he stressed.
Governor Jones informed
the public that development is
not a budget, meaning that development is about hard work
and producing in order to get
higher income.
By producing, he said
you help the government significantly to get more income,
through which government
can in turn improve the living
condition of its people.
He maintained that the CBL
remains a friend of the private
sector, where jobs will come
from in helping the government meet its goal to fight and
reduce poverty in the county.

Ways and Means, Finance and

the Judiciary, which reported
to the plenary after working on
the proposed legislation.
Both Houses passed the bill
last summer with conflicting
versions, forcing both chambers to constitute a Conference
Committee to further discuss
and agree on a single position.
According to the Constitution, both Houses must agree
under the same accord before
sending said legislation to the

President for signature.

In Representative Acarous
M. Grays motion, the Houses
Plenary concurred with the
Senate while taking into consideration the protection of
employers and employees under this proposed legislation.
However, Grays fellow
Montserrado County Representative, Edwin Snowe, filed
a motion for reconsideration
and is expected to reopen the
debate soon.

Following Snowes motion,

the Plenary agreed that a Minimum Wage Board be constituted after two years in order
to study the economic variables of the nation and make
increments in wages when
necessary.
The bill is now on its way to
President Sirleaf for signature
and onward submission to the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs to
be printed into handbill if the
President signs it into law.

Passage of the bill by the

Legislature comes as a relief
to many industrial workers
and organizations, including
the Liberia Labor Congress, a
body of labor advocates.
The group has, over the
years, advocated for said legislation; forcing them to stage
several protests on the grounds
of the Capitol Building prevailing on their lawmakers to
act in their interest.

Disaster Relief and funded by

the United States Africa Command and their implementing
partner, the Center for Disaster Humanitarian Assistance
Medicine.
During the Mondays meeting
Vice President Boakai stressed
the need for a clear-cut mandate and implementable terms
of reference for Liberias disaster relief program, as the Ebola
virus continues to snowball
in the region.
In his address today, Vice
President Boakai recalled the
No Way Camp Disaster, and
so many others including the
recent fire disaster that left

many dead and homeless at

Johansson and other fires and
storms across the country that
destroyed lives and properties.
Todays meeting is expected
to provide a deeper understanding of the challenges that are
likely to arise during a major
disaster event, identify gaps
in the Liberian Governments
disaster management, and
recommend changes to plans,
policies, and procedure.
Health Ministry authorities in
Monrovia have announced that
eleven persons have so far died
from the Ebola Virus as the
Government continues to take
measures including awareness

programs to stop the spread of

the deadly virus that has also
left many dead in neighboring
Guinea.
United States Ambassador to
Liberia, Deborah Malac, the
Program Manager of the United States Africa Command,
Erik Threet, Louis K. DaviesMorris, Director of the National Disaster Relief Commission
of Liberia, Daniel Gambo of
the National Emergency Management Agency of Nigeria
and George Kofi Arthur of the
House of Parliament of Ghana,
and Mr. Ebenezer Kofi Portuphy National Coordinator of
the National Disaster manage-

ment organization of Ghana

among several international
guests as well as Officials of
the Liberian Government were
in attendance.
There were presentations on
the United Nations and Ecowas
mandate, disaster preparedness
program overview, the legislative process, committee oversight and resources, Ecowas
Policy and guideline disaster
relief management structures
and systems and disaster coordination and legal structures,
according to a release issued
by the Office of the Vice President.

erts, Chaplain of the board;

Mr. Kenneth Y. Best, Sr. and
West Point Commissioner H.
Miatta Flowers, Patrons.
Lead project architect, Mr.
Adolphus McCritty, gave the
board an overview of the design of the building, allaying
fears that based on the beach
front location designated for
the town hall, the building
might be undermined by sea
erosion. McCritty explained
that the structure has been designed like that of a bridge to
withstand water the force of a
tsunami. The building, he said,
will have a finished floor 18
feet above sea level as well as
four via ducts for water to pass
through.
Partnering with Mr. McCritty as an architect on the town
hall construction project, Mr.
F. Augustus Caesar explained
to the board that in order to
circumvent land ownership issues, the elders of West Point
had designated two acres of
land for the peoples use. No
transfer of ownership is being
requested or required. A declaration prepared by a lawyer
will be signed by the elders

of West Point, attested to by

Commissioner Flowers and
submitted to the Ministry of
Public Works.
While the building itself
would not require the demolition of houses, some West
Point home owners may have
to make sacrifices to make
way for an access road to the
site Caesar said.
Construction is scheduled
to begin after soil tests have
been completed. The project
has been estimated at US$1.5
million. The actual size of
the building, the architects
explained, will be dependent
upon the amount of funds
raised.
Two financial institutions,
the Liberia Bank for Development and Investment and Afriland First Bank, have been
designated by the board; and
also signatories authorized.
Supporters and friends of the
project wanting to give to the
project may deposit funds of
any amount into the projects
escrow account currently set
up at LBDI. An online portal
will, in short order, be set up
for overseas-based supporters
wishing to make donations to
the construction of a town hall

for the township of West Point.

All supporters making donations of any amount to this
cause will have their names
engraved on the wall of the
building upon completion.
The West Point Townhall
Project was launched on Saturday, October 27, marking
the 75th birth anniversary of
Kenneth Y. Best, publisher and
managing director of the Daily
Observer newspaper.
Mr. Best said he wished no
celebration for himself but,
with the assistance of family,
friends and well wishers, to
reach out to the people of West
Point, from where the Daily
Observer got its first front
page story at its launching on
February 16, 1981. The story
was headlined, West Point
Dwellers Are Angry.
The board expresses its
thanks to all who have already
contributed to the project and
calls upon all well-meaning
Liberians, especially those
whose peoples constitute the
township of West Point, to
give charitably to this most
worthy cause.

West Point

he West Point
Townhall Construction Project held its first
board meeting
Friday, April 4,
at the new Evelyns Restaurant
in Sinkor.
Representatives of the township of West Point in the persons of the Commissioner,
elders and governors of the
various ethnic groups, the European Union, architects and
patrons of the project were in
attendance.
After welcome remarks by
West Point Commissioner, H.
Miatta Flowers, and an overview of the project by Mr.
Kenneth Y. Best, whose brain
child the project is, a corp of
officers was elected as follows:
Mr. Charles A. Minor, Interim Board Chair; Mr. Amos
Sie-Snowie, Kru Governor of
West Point, Vice Chair; The
European Union, Treasurer;
Ms. Nelly S. Cooper, representing the women of West
Point, Vice Treasurer; Ms.
Lindiw N. Khumalo, Board
Secretary; Mr. Isaac T. Rob-

People can only help us, but at

the end Liberians must build
Liberia.
We must understand the
challenges we face. If people
in villages and towns do not
have something to give commercial banks in Monrovia
as guarantee, what should we
do? Should we fold our arms
and continue to complain? It
will not be enough. If we must
fight poverty we should go
where there is poverty. It is no
secret that poverty is suffered
by low-income earners, especially those in the towns and
villages.

Page 11

Fo
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,

Fo
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ad qu
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Daily Observer Wednesday,

April 09, April
2014
Wednesday,
9, 2014

Read more sports articles on the Daily Observer website @ www.liberianobserver.com/sports

A Worthy Support to Street Children

-Putu Mining, NOCAL, AquaLife Show the Way

Team Liberia in a happy mood in Brazil, arriving tomorrow

By Omari Jackson

ine Liberian street

children took part
in the just ended
Street Child World
Cup in Brazil and the results
are encouraging and would
make a difference in their
lives.
The nine children are part of
a larger number of Liberian
kids, over 300, being helped

by Street Child Liberia, a nongovernmental humanitarian

organization
recently
organized with support from
Street Child UK.
The organizations primarily
goal is removing street
children from the street and
re-uniting them with their
parents.
The Street Child Liberia
was recently established in
the country, with volunteers

and support from Street Child

United Kingdom.
Who is a street child? Public
Relations Officer Ms. Tarsha
Mathies Jackson, said, Is a
child who practically lives
on the street; who finds food
for himself and runs his own
affairs.
Street Child Liberia has
succeeded in re-uniting several
parents with their children,
has paid for two years school

children, ably represented

Liberia and West Africa as
worthy Ambassadors. They
joined 19 countries, including
USA, Pakistan, Rwanda, Brazil
and the eventual champions,
Tanzania, to tell the world that
they are somebody and their
voices need attention. They
are returning home tomorrow
(Thursday, April 10, 2014)
to carry the message to their
colleagues to live and live
large and shape their future for
a better tomorrow.
While the new heroes are yet
to touch the Liberian soil, we

fees, as well as providing them

with school materials.
Parents are additionally
supported
with
financial
assistance, Tarsha said, after
the two years the parent is
helped to continue a business
to support the child, not to
return to the street.
The idea to participate in the
Street Child World was born
and experimented in the last
World Cup in South Africa.
Street Child of Liberia
decided
to
apply
for
participation, which was
accepted with Street Child
UK, Putu Mining Company,
AquaLife
and
NOCAL
throwing their financial and
moral support behind the idea.
With funds from Putu Mining
Company and NOCAL and
with free provision of safe

The Liberian heroes visited the city of Rio Favela,

Brazil
drinking water during the
preparation, Liberia was able
to send a team, as the only
West African representative,
to Brazil.
Reports say the nine Liberian

want to commend Putu Mining

Company,
NOCAL
and
AquaLife for their tremendous
support towards such a lifechanging endeavor.

Liberian Tennis Star Meets Biggest Names in the Game

By Nicole Mulvaney/The
Times of Trenton

RENTON When
Liberian
NuKermeni
Kermah
came to Trenton
in 2003 to escape Liberias
second civil war and live with
her grandmother, shed never
picked up a tennis racket,
bounced a neon yellow ball or
watched a match.
But Kermah, then 8, saw
children playing the game on
the Cadwalader Park tennis
courts and eventually decided
to join in, she said.
We live right across the
street from the tennis courts,
so when it started to get warm
outside, Id just walk over,
said Kermah, now Trenton
Central High Schools senior
class president and girls tennis
captain.Tennis gives you
power when you dont really
feel like you have power. Its a
sport that makes you feel like

From Left to Right: Dave Haggerty- USTA CEO, President and Chairman, Trenton
Central High Schools Nu-Kermeni Q Kermah, Andy Murray- 2013 Mens
Wimbledon Champion, Norwalk Grassroots Tennis Participant, Bob & Mike Bryan
-No.1 Doubles team, Jean Laurent Bonnafe- CEO of BNP Paribas, Jerry SolomonCEO of Star Games, Novak Djokovic- Second ranked mens player, NYNJTL
participant, Harlem Junior Tennis participant, Gordon Smith- USTA Executive
Director. (Courtesy of Rob Howland)
youre the boss.
The 18-year-old, nicknamed
Q, is a member of the National
Junior Tennis and Learning of
Trenton. When its executive
director,
Rob
Howland,
learned the nonprofit was
going to be one of four
beneficiaries of the United

States Tennis Associations

fundraising event in New
York City on March 2, he
chose Kermah to attend and
represent the organization, he
said.
Ive known Q for about
seven years, and I couldnt
think of someone more

deserving, Howland said.

Shes a leader for us as a
member of our junior staff.
On March 3, World Tennis
Day, the event raised money
to support USTAs scholarship
funding and programming
grants to NJTL chapters,
Howland said. During the

reception,
Kermah
met
top-ranked tennis players,
including Novak Djokovic,
Andy Murray and brothers
Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan, all
of whom competed at a recent
BNP Paribas Showdown at
Madison Square Garden.
Brothers John McEnroe, a
Hall-of-Famer, and Patrick
McEnroe, ESPN analyst
and USTA director of
player development, also
participated, Howland said.
Kermah said she was excited
to her meet her big-name role
models on center court.
Djokovic lived up to my
expectations even more. It
was like normal, and I had
conversations with them
and took pictures, Kermah
said. The experience was
overwhelming. I never thought
that this would happen to me.
It was a big deal.
Howland will not know how
much money the NJTL of
Trenton will receive until he

is notified by the organization,

but the proceeds will be split
among the four recipients, he
said.
Kermah, who is being
recruited by 30 colleges and
universities nationwide, is
in the NJTL of Trentons
ASHE program designed
for those who exhibit the
four values of the NJTL
of Trenton: acceptance of
others, responsible behavior,
healthy lifestyle and academic
performance, and who express
a strong interest in becoming
an advanced tennis player,
according to the organizations
website.
She said all of the players
in the program maintain As
and Bs in school, including
herself. Kermah hopes to
attend High Point University
in North Carolina, study
broadcast journalism and play
tennis, she said.

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What Did Dr. Owl Say?

Take time better than

beg pardon.

VOL. 16. NO. 114

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9, 2014

PRICE: LD 40

US Ready to Fight Any Pandemic

Ambassador Malac Assures
in Liberia

By C.Y. Kwanue

n an attempt to fight
the deadly Ebola disease that would threaten post-war Liberia,
the Government of the
United States of America through its Embassy in
Monrovia, has pledged its continued support to the country.
In her opening remarks, U.S.
Ambassador to Liberia, Deborah Malac, gave the assurance
to delegates at the opening of
the High-Level Preparedness
Disaster and Response meeting
hosted Tuesday, April 8, at a resort in Monrovia.
Tuesdays meeting was hosted by the Government of Libe-

rian (GOL), and organized by

the United States Africa Command (USAFRICOM) with
support from the Center for
Disaster and Humanitarian Assistance Medicine (CDHAM).
USAFRICOM and its implementing partner---such as the
CDHAM, the Ambassador
said---are sponsoring the event
to enable all of the participants
to gain a deeper understanding
of the challenges that are likely
to arise during a disaster. It
should serve as well as to identify gaps and assess the need
for modifying Liberias disaster management plans, policies,
and procedures.
She disclosed among other
things that an innovative col-

Top table participants at Tuesdays High-Level Disaster Response meeting pose for
photo shot
laboration between the United
States Agency of International
Development (USAID) and
AFRICOM helped lay the
foundation for Tuesdays event.
As you have seen over the
past weeks, the United States
and other donors and international organizations are coming

to the aid of Liberia and other

West African countries to manage the Ebola outbreak.
According to the U.S. Envoy, the United States and
Liberias other partners are
ready and willing to ensure the
country is prepared to meet any
natural disaster or pandemic.

In that connection, the U.S.

Diplomat encouraged all stakeholders at the meeting to take
advantage of Tuesdays gathering to build on the progress
already made, further provide
guidance to the future organizations, and structure of the
National Disaster Relief Com-

Court Rejects Accused FDA Managers Re-arrest Order

By Abednego Davis

request
by
state lawyers
to
re-arrest
and ignore a
US$1.5 million bail bond
secured on behalf of several
former managers of the Forestry Development Authority
(FDA), on Tuesday, April 8,
was denied by Criminal Court
C. That action by the Court
allowed the accused to walk
free pending final determination of the trial.
Prosecution asked the court
to set aside the US$1.5 million
bail bond tendered by Medicare
Insurance Company and the Insurance Company of Africa.
They argued that the bond
was insufficient considering
the over US$13 million allegedly stolen by the defendants
from government, requesting
them to double the amount they
have sued at the Court.
However, defense lawyers for

their part, argued that the prosecution teams request should

be denied and the insurance
company only be compelled to
justify their criminal appearance bond that was tendered to
release the men from detention
at the Monrovia Central Prison.
But, in the court ruling, Judge
Blamo Dixon declared, The
defendants bonds are hereby
allowed and permitted, since
their sureties had justified said
bail bond. The bonds of the
defendants shall stand or same
shall be retained pending notice from the Court. It is hereby
ordered.
Judge Dixon further declared,

the two companies Insurance Company of Africa and

Medicare Insurance Company serving as sureties for the
defendants promised that they
will guarantee their day-to-day
appearance in court pending final determination of the case.
Quoting Article 21, Section
(8), sub-sections one and two
of the 1986 Constitution of
Liberia, the Criminal Court
Judge said it provides that All
persons shall be bailable upon
their personal recognizance or
by sufficient sureties, depending upon the gravity of the
charge.
Interestingly Judge Dixon

said, Prosecution also states

excessive shall not be required.
He further ruled, In view of
the law controlling as found in
Section 53.6 of the Civil Procedure Law and Section 13.4 of
the Criminal Procedure Law,
the court is constrained to allow the bail bond of the defendants.
Surprisingly, none of the
government lawyers were visibly seen in Court on Tuesday,
when the Courts ruled against
their request.
The former managers of the
Forestry Development Authority (FDA), including its main

former managing director,

Moses Wogbeh, were jointly
indicted with multiple crimes,
including economy sabotage,
criminal conspiracy, forgery
or counterfeiting obtaining and
deceptive writings obstruction of government by public
servant in connection with the
much publicized Private Use
Permits (PUPs) saga.
Following that, the indictment was served on them
(defendants) and they were
brought under the jurisdiction
of the court, and subsequently
detained at the Monrovia Central Prison pending the filing of
the bail bond.

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mission and future Disaster

Management Agency (NDRCMA).
She urged consideration of
how government ministries,
agencies, and other stakeholders can work together to coordinate the governments response to a major disaster, and
then identify what further action or steps could be taken to
improve the ability of the GOL
to effectively manage disasters.
Ambassador Malac then
urged stakeholders in attendance to continue using such a
meeting agenda to build closer
regional ties within the Economic Community of West
African States (ECOWAS),
especially with their colleagues
from Ghana and Nigeria.
Tuesdays disaster response
meeting examined the issues
associated with governance,
organizational structures, and
capacities of disaster management in Liberia.
It also reviewed the GOL
national disaster capacities and
authority to respond to a major
national, regional or global disaster event, etc.
Participants included an array of senior Liberian officials,
among them, Vice President Joseph Nyumah Boakai, Sr., and
soldiers of the Armed Forces
of Liberia (AFL) headed by
Defense Minister Brownie J.
Samukai, Jr.
At the end of the meeting, a
close-door review and discussion session was conducted to
summarize the recommendations and suggested improvements to enhance the disaster
management capacities of Liberia.

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Published by the Liberian Observer Corporation (LOC), 23 McDonald Street, P.O. Box 1858, Monrovia, Liberia; Tel: 06 812-888; 06 578476; and 06 472772;
Printed by the Observer Printing Press;
Bai S. Best, Marketing Manager; Lindiw Khumalo Yasiah, Business Strategist;
Publisher & Managing Director, Kenneth Y. Best.

April 9, 2014-edition.indd 2

4/10/14 12:30 AM