Lofa County’s district #4 Representative and Chair on Rules and Order, Mariamu B. Fofana, has introduced a Bill, “An Act To Decentralize July 26 (Independence Day) Celebration”, in order for the celebration to be decentralized to every county of the Republic of Liberia.
According to Representative Fofana, cognizant of Chapter 11, Article 7 of the 1986 Constitution, which states that the Republic shall, consistent with the principle of individual freedom and social justice, enshrined in the Constitution, manage the national economy and the natural resources of Liberia.
Speaking at her Capitol Building office on Thursday, February 25, 2021, Representative Fofana noted that, as it is indicated in the Patriotic Observance Law, Title 26, Liberian Code of Laws of 1956, the 26th day of July each year is set aside as a public holiday, to be known as Independence Day, and to be appropriately celebrated within the Republic.
The Chair on Rules and Order at the House of Representatives stated that the 26th day of July each year is a historic event, which is celebrated through allocation of budgetary funding of the country’s resources, but without the consideration of a decentralized mechanism. According to her, this has deprived majority of the counties, especially those in the southeast. She said this is because the government is not adhering to the concept of the equitable distribution of the nation’s resources, in order to ensure a more holistic process of development and democratic governance.
“If this bill is passed into law, it will eliminate the arbitrary selection of county as venue of the July 26 Independence Day celebration,” Representative Fofana asserted.