The Collaborating Political Parties (CPP), headed by Alexander B. Cummings, has sharply reacted to President Joseph N. Boakai’s first State-of-the-Nation Address, noting that the address falls short of a “rescue” proposal, leaving much more to be desired.
In a three-page response to Ambassador Boakai’s address, the CPP, through its Co-Chairman, Atty. Lafayette E.O. Gould, said, “While we agree, as he put it, ‘that the state of our nation is in distress,’ and commend the agenda laid forth for the coming year, we must say it has left much more to be desired.”
According to the CPP response, “Our nation is evidently weakened, lumbering under an over US$2 billion public debt stock, US$80 million budget deficit, double-digit inflation, sluggish growth, high unemployment, and increasing poverty. The primary focus should be the economy, both rescuing and transforming it. While we commend efforts in the agenda laid forth in that direction, namely empowering Liberian entrepreneurship (Made In Liberia), leveraging Information Communication Technology (ICT) in creating jobs, and the National Tourism Authority to name a few, yet a clear direction of how this new government will set out to alleviate these economic ills was missing and no answer given to the ‘bread and butter’ questions.”
The CPP recommended that the President issues executive orders to require all presidential appointees to comply with asset, liability, and income declaration requirements without any preconditions prior to taking office, led by the President and Vice President publicly declaring their assets; review concessions and licensing of natural resources; review port operation fees, tariffs, and charges to streamline import and export cost, a major factor in reducing inflation and the high cost of living; review of all tax waivers and exemptions, and revisit the tax code for simplification, towards enhancing revenues; freeze all taxes and regulations at current levels to review and optimize for a more business-friendly (tax and regulatory) environment; freeze all non-essential government travel, except those related to economic development objectives with all approved travel restricted to economy class; and reduce by 50% until further review all allowances for government officials’ perks (gasoline, scratch card, etc.).
The party emphasized that revitalizing the economy is also dependent on improving the rule of law. “The current drug epidemic is a national emergency and a national security issue; we commend the President for recognizing it as such. The inherent toll on the young people of our country, furthers the need to invest in our youth. In that vein, we call on the President to go a step further and launch an aggressive war on drugs campaign, targeting interdiction of drugs and legislating against drug smuggling/trafficking and related charges as non-bailable (potentially rising to capital) offenses.
On the other end of this effort, the CPP underscored the need to launch decentralized youth rehabilitation programs addressing the issues faced by these youths-at-risk, and going further to establishing a National Youth Service to place Liberian youths in community service positions (example rehabilitating social infrastructure in their communities, including schools, community health centers, and sanitation facilities) and the accompanying creation of job opportunities via its National Internship Program to provide short-term work experience to qualify young Liberians.
“Finally, we had asked for a number of other commitments from any government emerging from the recent elections, and would like the call on the President to champion same, namely: establishment of war and economic crimes court, which was somewhat conspicuously absent from the President’s agenda for the year; gender equality empowerment with at least 40% inclusion of women in the cabinet; and passage of the 30% minimum women legislative participation/membership; decentralize public administration, which we commend the President on pushing both the Local Government and Revenue Sharing legislations; and other systemic structural reforms toward strengthening democratic governance and unity of the Liberian people, including law enforcement reforms particularly police reforms; judicial reforms; and Liberian Constitution review with a view towards Electoral Reform to avoid the repeat of numerous electoral fraud complaints.
“Well, Mr. President, leadership matters, especially presidential leadership on these critical issues. You have been entrusted by our people to lead the nation, for the next six years. Our people should not be left with just hopes, but equal access to participate in what our nation has been endowed with and the benefits of their rights as citizens accrued therefrom. They will need their pay regularized and maybe even upped to a living wage to pay rent and school fees, buy food, and settle healthcare bills. We must move our people away from needing to ask for help, we are not a beggar nation. We need to spur the economy, mobilizing investments that in turn create jobs, and investing in Liberian farmers, entrepreneurs, and businesses to lead the Building of Liberia. Above All Else, Liberia First,” the CPP response added.