A prominent Grand Gedean based in the United States, Othello Brown, has cautioned against members of the National Legislature and other politicians interfering with the management, coordination and utilization of the road construction equipment, brought into the country by government.
Speaking Monday via mobile phone from the state of Massachusetts, USA, Brown, an independent politician and legal practitioner, hailed President Joseph Nyuma Boakai for what he termed as a significant step towards addressing Liberia’s age-old problem of lack of road connectivity, which several past governments have endeavored to tackle in many different approaches and programs.
This situation, Brown revealed, has grossly impeded the country’s development and has entrenched poverty for decades.
Brown, an independent legislative aspirant for 2029, said for too long Liberians have longed for practical approaches in tackling the debilitating problem of deplorable roads, a major challenge to agriculture, trade and security, particularly in the larger rural parts of the country.
He also lauded some past administrations, including that of his kinsman, Samuel Kanyon Doe, and those of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and George Manneh Weah for the many strides made in improving road connectivity.
The coming of these machines, he added, must be a blessing, not a curse, underscoring that politicians, particularly lawmakers, irrespective of party affiliation and geographical orientation, must not be allowed to play what he calls the usual game of falsely claiming national projects and initiatives in their counties and constituencies.
“For too long, government’s projects have failed to yield the needed and intended results for our poor people because our politicians, especially legislators, have always interfered with, and politicized, these initiatives in their quest to claim political glory, a practice that must be avoided in the management, operation and utilization of these machines—if they must deliver the desired and expected results,” Brown emphasized.
He recalled how millions of dollars during the administration of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf had allegedly been mismanaged and wasted through the county social development funds and other massively funded development initiatives, and failed to adequately achieve their goals due to politicization and legislative interferences in programing and implementation.
Brown urged President Boakai to prevent a repeat of this by ensuring that the Yellow Machine Board and the Coordinating Committee are given a clearly-defined-and-drastically-implemented role, in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Works and other relevant institutions of government.
Brown called on Liberians from across the political spectrum to own the equipment bought with their country’s resources, and keep the government’s feet to the fire by fearlessly but lawfully demanding transparency and accountability in the management and operation of the machines.
He particularly urged citizens and residents of his native Grand Gedeh, one of the critically challenged counties in terms of road connectivity, to lawfully stand up to any legislator or politician who would attempt to, through manipulation, seek personal political advantage by applying what he described as the old tricks of arm-twisting decision-making processes in their constituencies and counties.
“As an independent person, I belong to no political party, so my views are not influenced or controlled by party sentiment, but rather patriotic considerations that take into account the development, safety and security of the people of district #1, Grand Gedeh County, and Liberia at large. So, I criticize when I should, and I recognize the good when the need be,” Brown asserted.
It can be recalled that President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, recently announced the establishment of the Yellow Machines Board of Authority (YMBOA), appointing former Defense Minister, Brownie J. Samukai, as Executive Chairperson of its Coordinating Committee.
The establishment of the Board, according to the Executive Mansion, came in advance of the arrival in Liberia of the first batch of the much-talked-about 285 yellow machines secured by the Government of Liberia (GOL) in China for massive road and other infrastructure developments in Liberia.
