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INSIDE THIS EDITION

EDITORIAL

Making Maximum Use of ArcelorMittals Scholarships


See Pg. 4

COMMENTARY
Africas Green Shoots
See Pg. 4

If You Dont Want Any Trouble


- Ex-soldiers Give Govt 15-Day Ultimatum for Benefits
By Abednego Davis
the government. We will not make an appeal against the courts ruling, but we are telling this government, that if they do not want any trouble, they should give us our benefits within 15 days or we are going to destabilize the entire country with protest, Col. Richard Boye, spokesperson of the group, declared minutes after the court denied their petition for Declaratory

www.liberianobserver.com

LOCAL NEWS
Ellen Flies to African-Arab Summit
See Pg. 3

fter losing an appeal in the Civil Law Court to declare their rights to receive pension benefits under existing Acts, soldiers of the disbanded Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) on Monday, November 19, threatened to destabilize the entire county, if the decision is not reversed by

Contd on pg. 17

EDUCATION
Leigh-Sherman College Graduates 23
See Pg. 5

Taylor Is No Longer Dahkpannah


-Chief Zanzan Karwar Clarifies

Revenue Agent Wants Govt Create Tax sensitization Program


See Pg. 16

BUSINESS

T
Former Dahkpannah Dr. Charles Ghangay Taylor

By J. Burgess Carter

he Chairman of the National Traditional Council of Liberia, Chief Zanzan Karwah , has made it clear that the former President Charles Ghankay Taylor, lost his title as Dahkpannah when he decided to relinquish the presi-

Court Orders FrontPage Africa Reopened

Ex-soldiers assemble at the Civil Law Court

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UL Students Violence Stalls Academic Activities Again


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FA CUP: BYC over Super Rollers, Oilers Triumph


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Group of UL students leaving campus following the disruption of classes (See story on Pg.17)

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DAILY OBSERVER Monday, November 18, 2013 Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Angela Merkel: Spy Claims Test US Ties With Germany

World News

It was Angela Merkels first statement to parliament about the spy claims
(BBC) - Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned that reports of US spying in Germany - including bugging her mobile phone - are straining transatlantic ties. The alleged spying by the National Security Agency (NSA) must be explained and more importantly new trust must be built up for the future, she told German MPs. The allegations dominated the news during an EU summit last month. Ms Merkel said the NSA affair was putting EU-US trade talks to the test. She also said Germanys relations with the US are of paramount importance. The German government has said it is keen to hear directly from the fugitive NSA leaker Edward Snowden about the agencys collection of phone and internet data. But Germany says it cannot offer him asylum because he would have to make his application on German soil. According to his leaks, the NSA targeted communications among Washingtons Western allies, including Ms Merkels mobile phone and EU offices. The accusations are grave, Ms Merkel said in her statement on Monday. She did not comment specifically on the alleged bugging of her phone. The Bundestag - Germanys lower house - is holding a special debate on the NSA spying allegations. The scale of NSA surveillance in Germany is not clear, and last month Germany sent some senior officials to Washington to find out more. German media report that the German secret services exchange intelligence with their US counterparts. But recently the British newspaper the Independent, citing leaks from Mr Snowden, said the UK spy agency GCHQ had tapped into communications using a listening post on the roof of the British embassy in Berlin. Mr Snowden, 30, fled to Russia in June after leaking details of far-reaching US espionage. He has temporary asylum, allowing him to live in Russia, until July 2014.

(BBC) - A passenger plane plunged vertically when it crashed onto an airport runway in the Russian city of Kazan, killing all 50 people on board, Russias transport minister says. Investigators have found both of the flight recorders, or black boxes. The Boeing 737 was arriving from Moscow and trying to land, but exploded on impact at about 19:20 local time (15:20 GMT) on Sunday, officials said. The Tatarstan Airlines jet had 44 passengers and six crew on board. A British teacher, Donna Bull, was among those killed. The 53-year-old from Bellerbys College in Cambridge was travelling with a Moscow-based colleague, Yana Baranova, who also died. Investigators are now looking at whether a technical failure or crew error may have caused the crash. Russias Lenta.ru news website says an act of terrorism has been ruled out. Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov said the plane was vertical, practically vertical, but the [video] recordings arent very high-quality because it was dark. Investigative committee

50 Died in Russias Plane Collide

Page 2
Foreign Briefs

Among the dead was Irek Minnikhanov, a son of the president of the Russian Republic of Tatarstan, as Tim Allman reports.
official Vladimir Markin told Rossiya 24 TV that experts were checking whether poor-quality fuel and weather conditions could have been contributing factors. It was raining in Kazan when the aircraft crashed. The city is by the Volga River, about 720km (450 miles) east of Moscow. Debris and bodies are scattered over a wide area and officials will start collecting DNA from relatives on Monday to help with the identification of victims, Russian media report. Among the dead was Irek Minnikhanov, a son of the president of the Russian Republic of Tatarstan, according to the official passenger list. Aleksander Antonov, who headed Tatarstans branch of the Federal Security Service, was also among the passengers. The victims also included two children. Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences to the relatives of the victims in this horrible disaster, his spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted by the news agency Interfax as saying. A government commission has been set up to investigate the cause, he said. Reports said the pilot, 47-yearold Rustem Salikhov, had already tried to land several times before crashing. The crew had said they were not ready to land because of technical problems, Russian news agencies report. A journalist who said she had flown on the same aircraft from Kazan to Moscow earlier on

Egypt Train and Bus Crash Kills 26


killed on the bus were members of an extended family returning from a wedding. Egypts roads and railways have a notoriously poor safety record. Mondays collision happened near the village of Dahshur, with reports saying the minibus and two other vehicles were involved. Local security officials told Egypts media that the crossing gates of the tracks had been closed and the trains driver was surprised to see vehicles still crossing. The crossing was closed with chains, there were warning lights, Hussein Zakaria, the head of Egypts railway

Sunday told Russias Channel One TV that there was a strong vibration during the landing in the Russian capital. When we were landing it was not clear whether there was a strong wind, although in Moscow the weather was fine, or some kind of technical trouble or problem with the flight, said Lenara Kashafutdinova. We were blown in different directions, the plane was tossed around. The man sitting next to me was white as a sheet. The plane had been in service since 1990, Russian officials are quoted as saying by the local media. The airport in Kazan - the capital of Tatarstan - has been closed since the accident and is not expected to re-open until Monday afternoon. Family members and friends of the victims are getting help by a team of psychologists. The government also promised financial compensation. The BBCs Daniel Sandford in Moscow says that although some of Russias biggest airlines now have very good reputations, frequent crashes by smaller operators mean the country has one of the worst air safety records in the world.

(BBC) - A manhunt has been launched in Paris after a gunman attacked offices of the newspaper Liberation and fired outside the HQ of the bank Societe Generale. A photographer, 27, was critically hurt at Liberation. The gunman later forced a motorist to drive him to the Champs Elysees before allowing him to go. Police are looking for the same man who broke into the Paris offices of the 24-hour news channel BFMTV on Friday. Police have now been stationed outside all the main media offices in Paris. (BBC) - Left-wing candidate Michelle Bachelet has won the first round of voting in Chiles presidential election. But with most of the votes counted, Ms Bachelet has conceded that she has failed to reach an outright majority and avoid a run-off. A second round of voting will take place on 15 December. She took nearly 47% of the vote. Her main rival, Evelyn Matthei, who was a minister in the centre-right government of Sebastian Pinera, got 25%.

France

Chile

The BBCs Orla Guerin says the wrecked minibus is now a heap of tangled metal
(BBC) - At least 26 people have been killed and 28 injured as a train crashed into a minibus and other vehicles south of Egypts capital Cairo, officials say. The freight train, travelling from the city of Beni Suef, hit the vehicles at a crossing about 40km (25 miles) from Cairo, they say. State TV says many of those

(BBC) - Indonesia is recalling its ambassador to Australia over allegations that Canberra spied on phone calls of the Indonesian president. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the first lady and Vice-President Boediono were reportedly amongst those targeted. The allegations came from documents leaked by whistleblower Edward Snowden which were published by broadcaster ABC and the Guardian newspaper. Indonesia said the ambassador was being called to Jakarta for consultations. It is the latest in a series of spying allegations that have strained relations between the two allies. On 1 November Indonesia summoned Australias ambassador amid reports that Australias Jakarta embassy was used as part of a US-led spying network in Asia. The latest leaked document showed that Australia spy agencies named Mr Yudhoyono, the first lady, Vice-President

Australia Spied on Indonesia President Yudhoyono


Boediono and other senior ministers as targets for monitoring, the reports said. The presentation from Australian spy agency the Defence Signals Directorate (now known as the Australian Signals Directorate) showed that agencies attempted to listen to Mr Yudhoyonos calls at least once, and tracked calls made to and from his mobile phone, in August 2009, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and the Guardian added. The news organisations published slides from the presentation, which appeared to show a list of Indonesian leadership targets and the handset models used by each target, as well as a diagram of voice events of the Indonesian president in August 2009. One slide entitled Indonesian President voice intercept (August 09) appeared to show an attempt to listen to the content of a phone call to Mr Yudhoyono. On Monday, Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said: This is an

authority, told state TV. Ambulances later arrived at the scene to take the injured to hospitals. There are fears that the death toll could rise further. In January, a train carrying army recruits derailed near Cairo, killing 19 people and injuring more than 100. Last November, nearly 50 children died when a train hit their school bus near Manfalut, some 350km south of Cairo, after a signal operator fell asleep. That disaster led to the resignation of the transport minister. Egypts worst train disaster was in 2002, when a train caught fire in Cairo, killing 373 people.

(BBC) - Cameroons army has repelled a cross-border raid by gunmen from the Central African Republic (CAR), killing six of the attackers and capturing one of them, the defence ministry says. A soldier and a villager were also killed in the clashes on Saturday, it said. The border area has been tense since rebels in the CAR ousted President Francois Bozize in March. Mr Bozize was briefly exiled in Cameroon before heading to France.

Cameroon

(BBC) - A retired British man has appeared in court in Uganda accused of possessing a gay sex video. Bernard Randall, originally from Faversham, Kent, denies a charge of trafficking obscene publications. Homosexual acts are illegal in Uganda and Mr Randall faces a possible two-year prison sentence if found guilty.

Uganda

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott refused to comment on the allegations


unfriendly, unbecoming act between strategic partners. This hasnt been a good day in the relationship between Indonesia and Australia. Indonesia was reviewing all of its agreements related to information exchange with Australia, Mr Natalegawa added. Djoko Suyanto, Indonesias Co-ordinating Minister for Politics, Legal and Security Affairs, told the BBC that Jakarta would summon the Australian ambassador for questioning. However, Sofyan Djalil, the former minister for state-owned enterprises whose name was also on the list of targets, told AFP news agency: Diplomatic relations always have their ups and downs. This has caused anger in the short-term, but in the long-term we are still neighbours and I think we will overcome this. Earlier on Monday, responding to questions in parliament, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said: The Australian government never comments on specific intelligence matters.

(BBC) - Qatars construction sector is rife with abuse, Amnesty International (AI) has said in a report published as work begins on Fifa World Cup 2022 stadiums. Amnesty says migrant workers are often subjected to nonpayment of wages, dangerous working conditions and squalid accommodation. The rights group said one manager had referred to workers as animals.

Qatar

(BBC) - A top Syrian rebel commander has died of wounds he sustained in an air strike on a rebel-held air base in Aleppo province on Thursday, his group says. Abdul Qadir al-Saleh, the leader of Liwa al-Tawhid, died overnight, a spokesman told the Associated Press.

Syria

Ellen Flies to African-Arab Summit


-Expected to also Pay Visits to the UAE and Belgium

DAILY OBSERVER Monday, November 18, 2013 Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Page 3

By William Q. Harmon

resident Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, heading a highlevel delegation, has departed the country for an official visit to the State of Kuwait, where she is expected to attend the African-Arab summit. She will also pay a working visit to the government and people of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) capital Dubai , after which she will head westward to participate in the 2013 European Development Days Forum in Belgium. According to the Presidents office, President Sirleafs first stop will be a four-day visit to Kuwait, where she will attend the 3rd African-Arab Summit to be held at the Bayan Palace in Kuwait City on November 19 and 20. Highlighted on the Summits agenda will be trade and investment issues that would impact positively on the peoples of the two regions. The Summit will be held under the theme: Partners in Development and Investment. At the conclusion of the summit, it is anticipated that delegates will adopt a declaration and resolutions to advance the achievement of the aims of the partnership. While in Kuwait City, President Sirleaf will hold

President Sirleaf has a full schedule ahead of her


bilateral meetings with the Emir of Kuwait, Sabah AlAhmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, and other government officials in the interest of the government and people of Liberia. The first such Summit was held in Cairo, Egypt, in March, 1977. Three decades later, the event was revived at a 2nd Summit held in October, 2010, in Sirte, Libya. Immediately after the climax of the summit, the Liberian President will begin a threeday Working Visit to Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, on Wednesday, November 21, at the invitation of Sheikh Mohamed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who is the Vice President, Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai. President Sirleaf will hold discussions with Sheikh Rashid Al Maktoum, as well as other high-ranking officials. The Liberian leaders focus at the discussion will be on infrastructure. She will visit the Dubai Port facility; the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industries; the Road and Transport Authority; and the Emirates Competitive Council.

he Liberian Cabinet has endorsed a number of recommendations in line with the ongoing reforms of the civil service. When fully implemented, the recommendations will bring an end to the practice of the dual payroll system, collapse various benefits such as gas slips and scratch cards into one compensation package for political appointees, and ensure uniformity in general allowances across the public bureaucracy. According to a release from the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism, the Cabinet, under the leadership of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, reached the decision on Friday, November 15, after hours of deliberations, during which the Minister of Finance presented a comprehensive report on the current state of the Liberian economy, and the DirectorGeneral of the Civil Service Agency informed about the extent of ongoing reforms in the civil service. The two officials confirmed that while the changes will lead to an uptick in the salaries of political appointees currently amongst the lowest in the sub-region and which have not been improved for years

Cabinet Approves Reforms

In furtherance of her journey, President Sirleaf and her delegation will arrive in Brussels, Belgium, on Sunday, November 24, to participate in the 2013 European Development Days forum. As one of three Co-Chairs of the United Nations High-Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda, President Sirleaf will address the EDD Opening Plenary, titled A Vision for the Post-2015 Agenda. Other high-level speakers are: the President of the European Commission, Jos Manuel Barroso; the President of Niger, H.E. Mahamadou Issoufou; the Prime Minister of Cape Verde, Jos Maria Neves; and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, the Executive Mansion said. President Sirleaf, who also chairs the African Unions High-Level Committee, will serve as a panelist during the closing post-2015 discussion on A New Development Agenda: The Way Forward. African Unions HighLevel Committee was set up to ensure that the African Common Position is clearly incorporated in the formulation of the next global development agenda which will succeed the Millennium Development Goals, Other panelists expected

to grace the event are the European Commissioner for Development, Andris Piebalgs; the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Jan Eliasson; the Executive Director of Oxfam International, Winnie Byanyima; the Chair of Southern Voices on Post-MDGs, Debapriya Bhattacharya; and the Director for the Centre for the Study of African Economies at The University of Oxford, Professor Paul Collier. In her capacity as Chair of the High-Level Panel on Fragile States, President Sirleaf will preside over morning and afternoon side events on the subject. The Panel is an initiative of the African Development Bank. President Sirleaf will hold a series of bilateral meetings with the President of the European Commission, Jos Manuel Barroso; the Director General of the European Investment Bank, Tamsyn Barton; the Executive Director of the International Trade Center, Arancha Gonzalez; the Deputy Executive Director, United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat), Aisa Kirabo Kacyira; the European Union Commissioner for Development, Andris Piebalgs; the President of the European Council, Herman Von Rompoy. The Liberian President will also hold a trilateral meeting with the High Representative

for Foreign Affairs and Security/VP of the European Commission, Baroness Catherine Ashton, together with the President of Malawi, Her Excellency Mrs. Joyce Banda. The European Development Days was organized by the European Commission and is Europes premier forum on international affairs and development cooperation the gathering of European development practitioners and their partners worldwide. Its aim is to win hearts and minds of all stakeholders, fostering engagement and facilitating the implementation of the agenda for greater aid effectiveness. Since it was launched in 2006, EDD has become one of the fastestgrowing international forums and a landmark event in the development calendar. It is anticipated that the Liberian leader will return home on Friday, November 29. While she is away, the Minister of Finance, Mr. Amara Konneh, will chair the Cabinet in consultation with Vice President Joseph N. Boakai, Sr. Members of the Presidents delegation have not been disclosed, but reliable sources have it that the President left with a large number of her cabinet, include two independent journalist; one from the print media and another from the electronic media.

131 Communities to Benefit from Actionaid Program By 2017


ctionAid Liberia has launched a five-year program aimed at benefiting 131 communities across the country. The title of the program is, People Engaging Power for Transformative Development. ActionAid Country Director, Mrs. Korto Williams, said the program would focus on strategic objectives in implementing the five-year plan for Liberians, with primary focus being women and girls. According to Director Williams, the programs strategic planning for women and girls would focus on promotion, recognition, realization, and protection of their rights throughout the country. Mrs. Williams explained, 7,050 women and girls at the local and national levels would be equipped to face the challenges of rejecting genderbased violence and demanding women friendly policies and environments in the country. The organization has worked in many parts of Liberia over the years, garnering such achievements as the building

By Alvin worzi

Members of Ellens Cabinet Ministers


the exercise will also reduce the increasing recurrent costs of operating the government, including costs of vehicle repairs and maintenance, scratch cards and gas slips which will be collapsed into a single compensation by which the political appointees, rather than the government, will assume these costs. The recommendations, which will be fully implemented by the end of January next year, could see Cabinet Ministers earn US$6,000 monthly; Deputy Ministers and Ambassadors, US$4,500; and Assistant Ministers, US$3,000 and all would pay directly for their scratch cards, gas slips and vehicle repairs and maintenance. The full implementation will also see the end of disparities in the disbursements of general allowances. The projected increase is also tied to the scrupulous implementation of the performance contracts signed between political appointees and the President. In welcoming the decision, President Sirleaf reminded the Cabinet of the urgent need to lower the recurrent expenditure of the government so as to invest the savings in much-needed Public Sector Investments Projects (PSIPs). These projects, which include roads, ICT, power and ports, the President said, will have multiplying effects in expanding the economy, lowering the costs of living and doing business in the country, and will provide new opportunities for employment for all Liberians. According to MICAT, the President directed the Cabinet to cooperate with and assist in accelerating ongoing efforts to clean up the payroll of the government, as well as increase the salaries of civil servants and service personnel, including teachers and health workers, whom she referred to as the unsung heroes and heroines of the ongoing transformation of the country. Meanwhile, the Government of Liberia has included over two thousand health workers on its payroll. The health workers were previously paid by a number of international non-governmental organizations.

of schools, increased advocacy for women, and strengthening communities capacity to keep girls in schools just to name a few. According to Mrs. Williams, ActionAid Liberias strategic objective would also support the urban poor and their various communities, especially youths and children; in order to reduce their vulnerability and achieve the attainment of conflict free environments, she noted. Mrs. Williams said ActionAid Liberia was looking forward to working with media institutions, the government, and civil society organizations in achieving the goals of the five-year development program. ActionAid is committed to supporting the increase in advocacy for the development of gender-related laws and the formulation of policies against harmful traditional practices, she concluded assertively. ActionAid is a global federation working to end poverty and injustice within thousands of communities and millions of people across the planet by engaging the poor and marginalized in society to insure every person enjoys their right to a life of dignity.

Tuesday, 5,19, 2013 DAILY OBSERVER Tuesday, November 19, 2013 Tuesday,November November 2013

Page 4

Published by Liberian Observer Corporation P.O. Box 1858, Monrovia

Liberias First Independent Daily 0886812888, 0886472772 www.liberianobserver.com

No way to climb de stairs, so one of yor will have to help me.

Making Maximum Use of Arcelor Mittals Scholarships


Yesterdays editorial spoke of the flaws in early iron ore mining concessions agreements in Liberia, notably those of the Liberia Mining Company, LAMCO and the Bong Mining Company. For the reasons stated in that editorial, Liberia got little or nothing out of those agreements, and left the iron ore-producing communities underdeveloped and destitute, while the American and European owners of these enterprises walked away will billions of United States dollars. It is to the credit of the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf government that the new concessions agreements governing iron ore and other mining in Liberia today show marked improvement. For one thing, each concession is required pay taxes and royalties to government, enabling the GOL to exercise its sovereignty as a tax collector. Secondly, each of these concessions is now required to pay a Social Development Fund to the tone of over a million United States dollars. This money is supposed to go directly to the local communities, in the case of Arcelor Mittal, to Nimba, Bong and Grand Bassa Counties; in the case of China Union, to Bong County; and in the case of the Western Cluster, to Bomi, Grand Cape Mount and Gbarpolu counties. The only problem here is the transparency and effectiveness in which these funds reach the local people, whose economic and social transformation the funds are designed to achieve. We saw how in the case of several counties, especially Montserrado and River Cess, some lawmakers unashamedly threw both hands into the tilt and stole hundreds of thousands of these funds. We pray that the government has now found ways to fix that. We have repeatedly called on the President to remove the lawmakers from the County Development Funds, and make these funds the exclusive function of the Executive branch of government. Last week another highly positive development in iron ore mining was announced. Arcelor Mittal was giving scholarships worth over US$200,000 to the Liberian students to study Geology, Mining and Mechanical Engineering and related fields, to empower them to return and serve in the mining sector. This leads us to make three strong appeals: first, that these scholarships will be awarded strictly on a competitive and meritorious basis, NOT on the basis of who knows you or who is a relative or acquaintance of those responsible for choosing the beneficiaries. We hope, secondly, that the beneficiaries will be assigned to top-notch institutions of higher learning for their courses. Thirdly, we hope that all of the students take the fullest advantage of these great opportunities and return home ready and willing to serve their country in this vital mining sector that is expected to reap the country handsome profit to be used for national development. The students must follow the example of the first few individuals to whom the administration of President W.V.S. Tubman awarded scholarships to study in the mining sectorArthur Sherman, who studied Mining Engineering and returned to set up the Bureau of Mines and Geology, now Ministry of Lands, Mines and Energy; Joe Richards, who became the second head of that office; Cletus Wotorson, who studied Geology and Geophysics, Eugene Shannon, who studied Geology, Geochemistry and Petrology (the study of rocks), and Jonathan Mason, a mining engineer, all three of whom also headed the LME. Today the Ministry is headed by a very young outstanding lawyer, Mr. Patrick Sendolo, who is on record a saying that while the Ministry is dominated by scientists, mostly in the mining, geology, cartographic, surveying, hydrological and related areas, the office is chiefly a BUSINESS environment. By that he means that it is very important that while its officials have tended to be scientists, they should possess and demonstrate GOOD BUSINESS SENSE, for they MUST be able to negotiate successfully with the mining prospectors and entrepreneurs, most of whom are first, BUSINESS PEOPLE. Even so, we hope that Minister Sendolo and his team at LME will continue its longstanding policy and practice of recruiting some of the brightest minds in our high schools and colleges and send them for training in these highly technical areas. At the same time, now that Minister Sendolo has recognized the immense BUSINESS potential of that Ministry, he and his team should ensure that the trainees, especially in the various mining fields, also become versed in the BUSINESS side of mining operations. This will equip them with business sense and empower them to negotiate effectively on behalf of government. Business training will help them to travel far from the ill-fated negotiations of the 1940s, 50s and 60s that led the country astray and permitted the Europeans and Americans to walk away with billions of United States dollars reaped from our mines, leaving the country and its people outsmarted, cheated, impoverished and underdeveloped.

And who will help me??

GORMEN SKOO L

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

Africas Green Shoots


By Donald Kaberuka (Courtesy of project-syndicate.org)

Typhoon Haiyan, which has so ravaged the Philippines, reminds us how vulnerable parts of the world are to the vagaries of weather. Although climate change is not believed to have caused the typhoon, similar levels of devastation will become commonplace if nothing is done to slow the warming of the planet. Time is running out. In September, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) confirmed that the warming of the global climate system is unequivocal, and that the influence of human activity is clear. At current rates of change, the world is unlikely to be able to prevent global temperatures rising by more than the IPCCs target of 2C by the end of this century. Decision-makers at the United Nations Warsaw Climate Change Conference this month must therefore send a clear signal to governments around the world that future growth must be environmentally sustainable. They should also affirm that financing this transformation is best achieved by bringing together public- and private-sector investors. The changes the world needs will cost no more in the long run than if we carry on as usual and may save our planet. If a sign of things to come were needed, one would do well to look at Africa, which is already highly vulnerable to climate variability. Further volatility could be ruinous. Two-thirds of the continent is desert or drylands, and three-quarters of its agricultural drylands are significantly degraded. The Sahara Desert is expanding: Lake Chad, for example, is now one-tenth of its size a halfcentury ago. The worst conditions

are in the Horn of Africa and the Sahel, where drought and famine have left more than one million children at risk of severe malnutrition. Africa emits a mere 4% of the worlds CO2, but it suffers most from its ill effects. That said, Africans bear some of the blame, too: for example, four million hectares of African forest disappear annually twice the global rate of deforestation. Few would argue that Africas priority must be to meet the most basic needs of a population that is set to double by 2050, reaching two billion. Despite enjoying roughly 5% average annual GDP growth for many years the continent-wide economy has tripled in size, to more than $2 trillion, since 2000 Africa still has some 600 million people living on less than two dollars a day. As a result, it is a long way from meeting the UN Millennium Development Goals in health and education. But Africas growth imperative should not exclude an environmentally friendly approach. Indeed, several countries including Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, Rwanda, and Sierra Leone have put green growth at the heart of their national development policies. That is a wise move: Africans live close to the land, and their natural resources can help strengthen their human capital. With half the population under the age of 25, governments must take care in managing this enormous economic potential. Recent research suggests that up to a half-million green jobs could be created in South Africa alone more than in the countrys entire mining sector. Nevertheless, renewable energy is still viewed in some quarters as being too expensive more an act of faith than a commercial decision.

I was part of the UN Secretary-Generals advisory group that in 2010 estimated that $100 billion annually would be required for ten years to support effective climate policies in developing countries. But, while most of the money will come from government, Africas experience shows that it is possible to attract private funding, too. Last year, the African Development Bank (AfDB) raised $2.2 billion to address climate change, 50% more than in 2011. It can leverage $4 for every $1 entrusted to it. In 2012, more than 90% of the newly approved energy projects funded by this money were green. Public-sector funding then paved the way for private capital at, for example, the worlds largest solar facility in Ouarzazate, Morocco, and the pioneering geothermal project in Menengai, Kenya. The Menengai project increases Kenyas generation capacity by one-fifth (enough to supply energy to 500,000 households) and reduces CO2 emissions by two million tons (equivalent to a years emissions from a half-million cars). The most forward-thinking private investors are now on the hunt for any green investment that offers a reasonable yield. In October, the AfDB launched its inaugural green bond, which raised $550 million from around the world within 24 hours. Investing in a green future can clearly be a commercial venture as much as a social or moral obligation. And that means there is no reason not to forge ahead. About the Author Donald Kaberuka is President of the African Development Bank.

Tuesday, November November 5, 2013 DAILY OBSERVER Monday, November 18, 2013 Tuesday, 19, 2013

Page5 4 Page

0886554882/0777544882

Leigh-Sherman College Graduates 23


-Introduces Hotel Management Program

The graduates celebrate prior to the commencement of the ceremony


without Labor. The graduation ceremony on Sunday became necessary after the students had completed the colleges prescribed courses in disciplines such as Secretarial Science, Accounting, Business Management, Computer Science, etc. Three students including Ms. Ruth Y. McCritty, Jartu B. Johnson and Dorothy B. Darming received the Charles Dunbar Sherman (highest academic) Award, Best T.W. Duphingy Deportment Award, and Regular Attendance Award, respectively amidst jubilation from their colleagues and well-wishers. Earlier in her annual message, the president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the institution, Mrs. Theresa Leigh-Sherman informed the audience that after 38 years of existence of the college and the executive secretarial school, the institution now has new academic programs. The programs, which will be included in the curriculum, next academic year, are in Hotel Management and Hospitality. At the same time also, the college has established a sister-relationship with a United States-based Sinclair Community College. Both colleges are expected to be engage in faculty and exchange program. In another development, Mrs. Leigh-Sherman disclosed that after 38 years, the college administration feels it is time for it to also move to its own campus and permanent home on Somalia Drive in Paynesville. At present, the college operates in its rented campus in the Fiama Community in Sinkor, Monrovia. The construction of the new campus was made possible with assistance from our many friends and supporters and also from a fund-raising program we hosted. This enabled us to reach at least 80 percent of the construction work, Mrs.

he Leigh-Sherman Community College and Executive Secretarial School on Sunday, November 17, graduated 23 students in a grand style at the Monrovia City Hall. The 39th graduation ceremony of the schools executive secretarial science coincided with the 28th commencement Convocation of the college. The college was founded some years ago, and named in honor of one of Liberias finest educators and administrators, Mrs. Theresa Leigh-Sherman. Each of the 23 graduates on Sunday received an Associate of Arts (AA) degree in various academic disciplines, a diploma in secretarial and computer sciences respectively. By that, they have also been prepared to take on the challenges of seeking for jobs in the Liberian society and other parts of the world. The institution runs on the motto, There is no Excellence

Leigh-Sherman explained. Not too long ago, the college was granted accreditation by the University of Liberia, the University of Ghana, Legon, and the United Methodist University (UMU) in Monrovia. The accreditation exercise, she said, was done to upgrade most of the existence academic programs. Additionally, the president disclosed among other things that from its inception 38 years ago, the college and the Executive Secretarial School have been grounded in a vision of excellence, where the motto, There is no Excellence without Labor, became necessary. Mrs. Leigh-Sherman: As a pioneering institution in the field of Secretarial Science, we have successfully trained and placed over 5,500 administrative professionals in positions with government, public and private corporations, international organizations and the Liberian diplomatic missions. According to her, in the years since Liberias civil conflict, Leigh-Sherman has emerged with a renewed sense of pur

pose and responsibility in her academic programs. She disclosed that because Liberia has entered a period of tremendous revitalization and progress in which education and professional training are imperative, Our economic progress and political stability have been driven by our ability to train and prepare our young people to take advantage of opportunities that are already here, as well as those that are on the horizon. The colleges task, which is a must, the president declared, is to help the younger generation with the tools necessary for success and upgrade their skills professionally. In her mind, the prepared young people, who are the future leaders, need to be trained in an environment that is conducive to achieve their goals. Today, at Leigh-Sherman, she said, they have a staff of highly qualified professionals, who have dedicated their time and efforts to educating and monitoring the progress of our future leaders. Encouragingly, the college offers a free-job placement for her graduates, where at present; some of them (graduates) work with government, public and private corporations and also in all sections of the United Nations agencies in the country and abroad. So true, some of them, too, are being assigned to Liberian embassies and private businesses, while others who gained the needed opportunities are also studying in the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States of America pursuing their Masters and Doctorate degrees. We are indeed proud of our students and graduates as they continue to be a beacon of light to youths of our country and graduates of LeighSherman, Ma Theresa LeighSherman declared to a round of applause. Inspirational Message In her keynote address, Sierra Leonean Ambassador to Liberia, Rev. Dr. Marie Barnett, challenged the graduates to keep pressing and remain

fearless in their pursuit of academic advancement. The astute female diplomat spoke on the theme, Fear Not, because, according to her, Jesus Christ inspires His disciples to do likewise since He promised to be with them to the end of this system of things. As such, she inspired the 23 graduates (all females) to build up their individual career, because, being an executive secretary places one in the position of the being the backbone of any functional institutions including the banks, diplomatic missions, as well as the three coordinating branches of government and private institutions. The female envoy then referred to the graduates as the custodians of Liberias transformation drives and or the countrys moving forward arms. Therefore, she added, you must keep pressing forward, because the days of using typewriters and or old time inventions are over, but rather, we are in the days of modern technology where digital system is in use. Do not only become computer literates/operators, but be aspired to become one of the inventors too According to Ambassador Barnett, a good and efficient secretary is an asset to any institution. Therefore, she cautioned the graduates to maintain confidentially, this is the charge. Be trustworthy, dependable, by that you will armed yourselves with dignity, integrity and efficiency. She also implored each one of the graduates to be dedicated and love their country and dedicated to it. Other speakers included a member of the school board, Rev. Dr. Olu Q. Menjay and the Maternal and Reproductive Health Goodwill Ambassador, Miatta Fahnbulleh. They also urged each of the graduates to press forward as they dedicate themselves to the profession.

The keynote speaker, Sierra Leonean Ambassador, Rev. Dr. Barnett with the College President, Theresa Leigh-Sherman at the occasion

A cross-view of the instructional staff at the occasion

DAILY OBSERVER

Boom Time for Chinese Involvement in Africas Tanzania

CHINA & AFRICA


Sponsored by the Embassy of the Peoples Republic of China

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Page 6

(China Daily)

ast Africa nations infrastructure will be greatly improved after important deals were sealed Chinese companies and their Tanzanian counterparts signed seven cooperative agreements and memorandums of understanding (MOUs) valued at billions of dollars in Guangzhou late last week. The agreements mainly involved energy, mineral resources, power supply, housing and other infrastructure industries. The signing ceremonies were witnessed by Mizengo Pinda, the prime minister of the United Republic of Tanzania, and Lu Youqing, the Chinese ambassador to Tanzania, at the first TanzaniaChina Business Forum in the capital of Guangdong province on October 24. The forum was jointly organized by the Tanzania Investment Centre and the China Africa Business Council. Officials from Chinese and Tanzanian enterprises and business executives at the one-day forum also discussed investment and trade in a bid to expand the two nations economic ties. Pinda praised the role played by the Tanzania-China Business Forum in helping to improve economic ties between the countries. Pinda, who led a big trade delegation, arrived in Guangzhou after attending the 14th Western China International Fair in Beijing, where he also met Chinese Premier Li Keqiang to discuss the expansion of economic ties. Pindas delegation comprised ministers, regional commissioners, members of parliament, executives from private sector institutions, officials from the Tanzania Investment Center and other senior government officials and businesspeople. Chinese people will continue to provide assistance to Tanzania as capacity allows. Also we hope the Tanzanian side will provide the necessary support for the Chinese enterprises involved in development there, Li told Pinda. Noting that next year China and Tanzania will mark the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic ties, Li said China is to cooperate with Tanzania on major projects. According to Pinda, his government is also in talks with China Merchant Holdings International about the construction of Bagamoyo Port, which will turn Tanza-

Shanghai Electric Power Co and Tanzania Electric Supply Co Ltd will invest about $400 million in Kinyerezi Power Project in Tanzania.

nia into an international trade hub for East and Central Africa. With China and Tanzania about to mark the golden jubilee of their close relations, it is a good time to take our investment partnerships to a higher level, Pinda said. He urged his Tanzanian delegates to capitalize on the investment opportunities at the forum, and added that he was keen to hear the views of Chinese investors regarding the Tanzanian business environment. Pinda said Tanzania, which is on the east coast of Africa, is a peaceful and politically stable country, and these are critical assets for investors. He also said the Tanzanian government will fully support every investment initiative. Private investments in Tanzania are guaranteed by government policy and law against nationalization and expropriation. Investors can repatriate their profits and dividends without hindrance, Pinda said. I encourage Chinese companies to utilize the opportunities here and turn them into profitable ventures in a way that will bring about sustainable benefits to the Tanzanian economy and the local communities. Pinda also urged Tanzanian companies to use their visit to China to gain market knowledge and experience and to develop partnerships with Chinese companies and their international partners, thereby connecting themselves with the global economy. Many Chinese companies regard Africa as a prime destination for their overseas investments and trade. Xu Zhiming, chairman of Zhejiang-based China Yuemei Group, says his company is enjoying 10 percent annual growth in profits in Africa. Xu said his group, a nongovernment transnational company mainly in the textiles and dye industries, is already planning to set up more companies and joint ventures

in Africa. Xu is also vice-chairman of the China Africa Business Council, which has more than 500 member companies. The council was established in 2006. According to Xu, his group plans to invest about $150 million to restructure the Tanzania-China Friendship Textile Co Ltd to import new technology and equipment to help build it into the largest modern textile company in Africa. The company is expected to form a complete industrial chain for cotton purchasing, processing, spinning, weaving and dyeing, Xu said. Also, Xu said his group plans to invest about $500 million in the construction of an industrial and trade park in Tanzania, which would serve as a platform for Chinese companies investing in Africa and create more job opportunities and revenue for local Tanzania people. Xu said his group, which started investing in Africa in 2000, has now set up 16 companies there, including three in Tanzania, with a total investment of more than $370 million. The investment in Africa accounts for about 30 percent of my groups total assets, he said. Despite the poor technological conditions and low work efficiency, the vast market on the African continent, cheap labor and abundant natural resources are the major attractions for Chinese companies, particularly labor-intensive enterprises, Xu said. And manufacturing, mineral exploitation, finance, machinery, infrastructure, trade, textiles and dyeing are the main industries that attract Chinese companies and investors. Xu said the Tanzania-China Business Forum will play an active role in promoting Sino-African investment and trade. Among the major deals signed at the first Tanzania-

China Business Forum in Guangzhou included the following: Shanghai Electric Power Company and Tanzania Electric Supply Co Ltd will invest about $400 million to construct the third phase of Kinyerezi Power Project in Tanzania. China Gezhouba Group Corp signed an MOU with the Tanzania company to jointly build Tanzanias Rumakali Hydropower Project. Sino Hydro Resources Ltd and Mkonge Energy Systems Co Ltd signed an agreement with Tanzania Electric Supply to jointly construct the Masigira Hydropower Project in the East African nation. Construction of the project will cost $136 million. China Railway Jianchang Engineering Co Ltd and the National Housing Corp (NHC) of Tanzania signed an MOU to finance some NHCselected projects valued at

The signing ceremonies were witnessed by senior Tanzanian officials. Zou Zhongpin / China Daily
more than $500 million. Poly Technologies Inc Ltd signed an MOU with NHC to invest $200 million in housing projects in Tanzania. China Dalian International Economic and Technical Cooperation Group Ltd, HydroChina Kunming Engineering Corp and Tanzanias National Development Corp agreed to establish a $136-million center of excellence on renewable energy in Tanzania to support the Singida Wind Power Project there. Chinas Tebiau Electric Apparatus Stock Co Ltd and the Tanzania Electric Supply Co Ltd agreed to construct a 400kV transmission line from Dar es Salaam to Arusha. Construction of the project will cost $693 million.

Mooring by Maple Bridge at Night


By Zhang Ji
At moonset cry the crows, streaking the frosty sky; Dimly-lit fishing boats neath maples sadly lie. Beyond the city walls, from Temple of Cold Hill Bells break the ship-borne roamers dream and midnight still.

Classical Chinese Poems

Explanation

hang Ji, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, whose dates of birth and death are unknown, was a native of Xiangzhou (present days Xiangyang in Hubei Province). His courtesy name was Yisun. He earned the title of jinshi. He was once secretary of Hongzhou (Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province), and administered finances of the area. The language of Zhang Jis poem is plain and easyto-understand without ornate words. Most of his poetic works are landscape descriptions or responses and presentations to his friends, and some concern about peoples life or describe the disasters during the An-Shi Turmoil. This is one of the most famous poems by Zhang Ji among his extant 40-odd poems. It was composed in the Tang Dynasty and was engraved on a stone tablet early in the Northern Song Dynasty. The unknown Temple of Cold Hill outside the Gusu

City has become world-famous due to the popularity of this poem. People of later generations have explored and argued about whether the Temple of Cold Hill struck bells at midnight and whether the bell rings could be heard around the Maple Bridge. All these show the far-reaching influence of this poem. Actually the poem is clear, simple, easy to understand and not over-wrought. The reason why its so famous is that it flawlessly mixes many things in a very small space such as the moon, the bird, the trees, the boat, the autumn frost and the fishing lights. And with the temple in the hill that cant be seen and the bell rings that can be heard, it forms a moving scene of a mooring guest boat at autumn night, which is like a delicate watercolor picture depicting the South in picturesque disorder. Look up at the sky, and we can see the autumn frost is vast and the moon is setting. Look down at the surface of the river, and we can see the wave light is

clear and the fishing lights are shining. The maples by the river, whose frosty leaves are red, are trembling in the autumn wind, against the fishing lights across the river. The berthing guest boat is still, while the guests in it are homesick and feel melancholy. In the deep night, the indistinct temple is invisible but the continuous bell rings can be heard reverberating in the sky. The scene combines harmoniously the sky and the river, the trees and the boat, people and things, motion and stillness and sound and soundlessness. Nevertheless the enchanting scenery cant dispel the boundless homesickness from his heart. It is the homesickness that makes him have a sleepless night, see the beautiful landscape at midnight and hear the light bell rings. In other words, the continuous bell rings make the midnight appear more silent and add homesickness. It is the bell rings that bring the poem to life and make it profound and meaningful.

Sponsored by the Embassy of the Peoples Republic of China. Please send your comments to the following email: chinaemb_lr@mfa.gov.cn

DAILY OBSERVER

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Page 7

FUNERAL ANNOUNCEMENT

FUNERAL ANNOUNCEMENT

Hon. Theophilus Totee Bettie DEPUTY GOVERNOR FOR ECONOMIC POLICY CENTRAL BANK OF LIBERIA REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA

PROTOCOL ARRANGEMENTS FOR HIS REMOVAL, WAKE-KEEPING AND BURIAL

he Board of Governors, Management and Staff of the Central Bank of Liberia announce with profound regrets, the sudden, tragic and grief stricken Death of Deputy Governor for Economic Policy, Hon. Theophilus Totee Bettie, which occurred on Friday, NOVEMBER 8, 2013, AT THE Saint Nicholas Hospital in Lagos, Nigeria, while attending the Bi-annum Conference of the West African Institute for Financial and Economic Management, (Waifen).

Hon. Theophilus Totee Bettie DEPUTY GOVERNOR FOR ECONOMIC POLICY CENTRAL BANK OF LIBERIA REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA

he Bettie, Richards, Innis, Mason, Maximore, Darby and Clarke families regret to announce the death of Mr. Theophilus Totee Bettie, Deputy Governor for Economic Policy of the Central Bank of Liberia. This sad event occurred on November 8, 2013 at St. Nicholas Hospital in Lagos, Nigeria while on official business. He leaves to mourn his loving wife of twenty five years Mrs. Enid Darby Bettie and his only child Ms. Masaweh M. Bettie, Sisters: Evelyn Bettie, Queenette Moore Willie, and Cynthia Bettie Benson (deceased), Brothers: John Bettie (deceased), Mack Bettie, Joe Lewis Bettie Jr. (deceased), Paye C. Bettie (deceased), Harrison Bettie, Ynonjay Bettie, Roland Bettie, Yarvogar Bettie, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins and a host of other Relatives and Friends in Liberia, the United States of America and Abroad. Services will be held at the Saint Simon Baptist Church, Horton Avenue, Capital By Pass, Monrovia, Liberia.

Book of condolence will be opened at the Central Bank of Liberia on Wednesday, November 20, 2013, at 2 O Clock post meridian.

BOOK OF CONDOLENCE

REMOVAL

On Friday, 22nd November 2013, at 5: O Clock post meridian, the Body of the late Honorable Theophilus Totee Bettie will be removed from the Samuel A. Stryker funeral parlors in Sinkor, Monrovia, Montserrado County, Republic of Liberia and conveyed to the Saint Simon Baptist Church, Horton Avenue, Capitol Bye Pass, Monrovia, Montserrado County.

WAKE-KEEPING

Wake-keeping over his mortal remains will commence at 6 O Clock to 9 O Clock post meridian.

FUNERAL SERVICES

On Saturday, 23rd of November, 2013, at the hour of ten O Clock ante meridian, funeral rites over his remains will be held at the Saint Simon Baptist Church.

INTERMENT

Interment follows thereafter at the Johnsonville Public Cemetery, Montserrado County, Republic of Liberia

ORDER OF PROGRAM Wake Keeping Friday, November 22, 2013 at 6:00 PM, Saint Simon Baptist Church Funeral Services Saturday, November 23, 2013 at 10:00 AM, Saint Simon Baptist Church

Tuesday, November 5, 2013 DAILY OBSERVER Monday, November 18, 2013 Monday, November 19, 2013

Page 8 4 Page

Liberia Joins Others to Make Available Reproductive Health Commodities and Services

By Alaskai Moore Johnson, Observer Health Correspondent

iberia is on the course of recovery in all sectors including maternal and newborn health. However, there exists a crucial need for the availability of data against which the success could be measured. According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the availability of affordable medicines, contraceptives and other health supplies is an essential part of a well-functioning health system that can serve people in an equitable manner. In this regard, the Government of Liberia and UNFPA on Friday November 15 launched the first-ever survey to assess the availability of modern contraceptives and essential lifesaving maternal and reproductive health medicines in service delivery points in Liberia. Access to contraceptives empowers women and can save lives. Ensuring access to voluntary family planning can reduce maternal deaths by a third and child deaths by 20 per cent. It can reduce poverty, slow population growth and ease the pressure on the environment; UNFPA maintains. The survey is covering 128

You Played a Critical Role


-CRC Boss Hails Political Parties

primary, secondary and tertiary health centers across the country. In addition to assessing the availability of these services, the survey will also gauge the perception of people who use or attempt to access the services at the facilities on the availability and the timeliness of receipt of services. Speaking Friday at the launch of the survey, Assistant Health Minister for Preventive Services, Mr. Tolbert Nyenswah said There is nothing more critical in reducing maternal and newborn mortality, and infant mortality than ensuring that reproductive commodities are always everywhere; accessible and affordable at all times. Minister Nyenswah added: Investing in reproductive health including maternal and child health can accelerate economic growth and development and the wellbeing of citizens. Voluntary family planning can lower fertility and reduce maternal mortality. He called on the enumerators and supervisors trained to conduct the survey to be professional and meticulous noting; tangible and concrete information is needed in order to intervene to make the right decision. According to the UNFPA, the survey is under the Glob-

al Program on Reproductive Health Commodity Security, commonly referred to as the GPRHCS. In her remarks, UNFPA Resident Representative, Ms. Ratidzai Ndhlovu, said the GPRHCS program gives comprehensive support to governments to enhance procurement of contraceptives and essential maternal and reproductive health lifesaving medicines; strengthen the procurement and supply chain management systems including support to the electronic Logistics Management Information System (e-LMIS); enhance advocacy and demand generation for family planning services and strengthen national capacity for the provision of family planning information and services at health centers and also in communities. She said the 2013 RHCS survey would serve as a benchmark; providing Liberia with baseline data against which to measure results. Ms. Ndhlovu further outlined that the focus of the RHCS survey is on three outcome indicators in the GPRHCS monitoring and evaluation framework and they include Percentage of Service Delivery Points offering at least five modern methods of contraceptives; Percentage of Service

Asst. Health Minister Nyenswah and UNFPA Resident Rep., Madam Ndhlovu
Delivery Points with seven lifesaving maternal and reproductive health medicines; and Percentage of Service Delivery Points with no stock-out of contraceptives within the last six months before the survey. Liberia is joining 45 countries around the world to conduct the annual review of Reproductive Health Commodity Security. The results of the 2013 GPRHCS survey will be an excellent complement for the 2013 LDHS and both of these surveys, heavily supported by UNFPA, are two very significant sources of data on Family planning, mapresents the platform for you to consider and perform your role as technicians in the political arena that will help to produce leadership and direction for our nation, she said lavishing praise when she addressed the opening of the exercise. According to Cllr. Scott, political parties-- along with other democratic institutions--- stand as the first line of defense and maintenance of the constitution and the free society that flows from citizens adhering to the constitution. Giving an overview about the establishment of the Committee, Cllr. Scott narrated that, In the first statement of the CRC when we began the implementation of our mandate in October 2012, we substantially made the declaration that the participation of the registered political parties is critical to the successful review of the 1986 constitution of Liberia. At that time, she pointed out, various political parties accepted the declaration and wrote the CRC informing us that they would present their views if the constitution review process were to start. Views of individual political ternal health and Reproductive Health commodity security. This data will be very useful in determining high impact interventions to ensure reproductive health commodity security thereby contributing to increasing utilization of Family Planning Services and subsequent reduction of maternal mortality. Ms. Ndhlovu noted. She promised UNFPAs commitment to ensuring the provision of family planning services to the people of Liberia as a strategy to reduce maternal mortality. We know that there is a lot more to be done in order to define the parties were requested with the consensus that such analyses would be the basis for the forum, which would initiate the discussions and debate amongst them (parties). She added, Your respective memberships on the provisions of the constitution, your rights, duties, and structures of your political parties will all be enshrined in the new constitution. She, however, admonished the parties, especially those parties she considered as legitimately registered to look critically at the 1986 constitution, to avoid future embarrassments. Cllr. Scott did not specifically name the legitimately registered parties; rather she said there are 31 existing political parties, according to the National Elections Commission recent report. Move beyond the surface and peripheral (unimportant) and begin to think deeply about the future of Liberia and its people, she acknowledge executives of political parties. Play your role well in the review process of the 1986 Constitution of Liberia. Madam Karin Landgren, the special representative of the Secretary General and coor-

right package of interventions to achieve our common goal that is to improve the quality of life of the Liberian population by enhancing provision of Family Planning services and ensuring that no woman dies while giving life. She said. She praised the partnership among line ministries and agencies of Government, NGOs and UNFPA in making sure that women who want to limit or space births get the opportunity to do so and in making sure that sexually active teenagers who want to prevent pregnancy are given an opportunity to do so. dinator of the United Nations in Liberia, used the occasion to caution heads of political parties that the review process is the time for all Liberians to discuss whether the 1986 constitution meets the needs of 2013 as well as a forwardlooking, post conflict Liberia. According to her, there are many initiatives underway to build a stronger Liberia, which she said, including land reform, decentrazation, and reconciliation efforts. Reform initiatives are important for all Liberians, which are the pathways to enjoy equitable access to this countrys resources, and to take a more active part in the countrys governance, the UN envoy disclosed. The constitution, madam Landgren said, Is the supreme law of the land as well as the heart of all Liberians. It is also where public participation would help to rebuild trust among communities. This review offers all Liberians, whoever they are, the opportunity to say what they think about the relationship between the government and its citizens. She said.

Participants at one of the sessions of the reviews process

By David A. Yates
he Chairperson of the Constitution Review Committee (CRC), Cllr. Gloria

Musu Scott, on Tuesday, November 12, described political parties as critical role players, following the parties representation at the end of a three-day forum on the review

process of the 1986 Constitution of Liberia, in Buchanan City, Grand Bassa County. This is the duty and responsibility of each political party in the review process, which

DAILY OBSERVER Monday, November 18, 2013 Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Page 9

s a panelist at a recent career fair held at the Executive Pavilion, I urged the audience to stop thinking local, and begin thinking global in their search for jobs. I told them that it was time Liberians divorce themselves from the notion that their only option for seeking employment is local, and start leveraging modern technology to seek another option; GLOBAL EMPLOMENT. We are in a time of the Internet where all geographic barriers and boundaries have been broken; where possibilities have become many; and where anyone with the right skills and qualifications can garner employment in any nation. As I told one of the participants, if a Nigerian can leave his country and come to Liberia to be a manager, then why cannot a Liberia

By: Darren Wilkins |0886703789/0777129092| DWilkins@ saharatechnology.com

Stop Thinking Local, Think Global: How Social Networks, Especially Linkedin, Can Help Liberians Gain International Employment
leave his country and go to Nigeria to be a manager. I then recommended to the audience, Linkedin, a professional social network that houses employers, recruiters and other information and groups that can help an individual in his/her career pursuits. According to the literature, Linkedin is a social networking website for people in professional occupations. Founded in December 2002 and launched on May 5, 2003, it is mainly used for professional networking. As of June 2013, Linkedin reports more than 225 million acquired users in more than 200 countries and territories. Linkedin is not as popular in Liberia as is Facebook, Youtube, etc. In view of this, I will use the subsequent paragraph to detail some of the benefits of Linkedin. Note that apart from placing my profile on Linkedin, I have ABSOLUTLEY no connection with the company and this article is only being written for informational purposes. international employers and find jobs in foreign countries through this social network. You can also set email alerts to receive notifications of recommended jobs. This will enable you to see notifications of job vacancy on your homepage as soon as you log into your Linkedin account. You can use Linkedin to connect with other professionals because Linkedin provides a huge repository of professionals, who choose to connect with others as well. These professionals include your friends, co-workers, colleagues, classmates and family members. When looking for a job, you will need to do some research on the company or entity at which you are applying. Linkedin allows you to do this as well. Linkedin offers the opportunity to view the pages of targeted employers. By visiting the companys pages, you can conduct a research on the whereabouts of the company, the hiring process and what people have

To begin, Linkedin allows companies to find you when you post your professional profile on the network. Today, a large number of organizations look for talented candidates on social networking platforms like Linkedin. Hence, if you have created a good and detailed professional profile,

chances are you will attract employers attention. With a professional profile posted on Linkedin, your chances of landing international jobs are great. Linkedin is a global networking platform that gives you access to both local and international recruiters. You can connect with all the major

to say about it. This kind of research can always help you stay ahead of your competition and increase your chances of gaining employment. There are many other places to go to seek international and local employment. Devnet. com, for example was reported recently to have posted 1500 NGO jobs, while ODESK. com offers the opportunity to work as a freelancer. Theres absolutely nothing wrong with looking for jobs in the local dailies and other traditional media. Theres also absolutely nothing wrong with seeking employment on the global spectrum. Finally, college students and other Liberians should focus on garnering and building the skills necessary to give them a better chance for global employment. It is time to stop focusing on getting a degree just for the sake of getting a degree, and focus on obtaining the skills that can help them compete globally, and not just locally.

Automate Your Human Resource Management Processes with OrangeHRM Software: Its Free and Its Open Source
few weeks ago, I wrote an article questioning the purpose of having an IT department when none of your entitys business processes are automated. I referred to an IT department that doesnt administer any automated processes or mission-critical applications as a large Internet Caf. Sometime last week, I met with a friend, who is also a government official. He asked about process automation and pointed out that he would like to start with the personnel department which falls under his purview. And just as I expected, he wasted no time in telling me that their budget is tight hence, he was not looking for a costly solution but something reasonable and of quality.

By: Darren Wilkins | 0886703789\0777129092 |DWilkins@ saharatechnology.com

Before suggesting a solution to him, I lectured him on open source software and the value it adds to an organization. I then tried to dispel the myth that is being propagated about open source software and made him to understand that if the United States Government, the British Government, the French Government, the German Government, the South African Government and even the Ghanaian Government can use open source software, then I see no reason why we (Liberia) should continue spending money on prohibitive proprietary software. After that lecture, I suggested we implement a globally-used open source human resource management software known as OrangeHRM. He embraced the idea and said hed need to find the money for the hardware (server, backup, etc). OrangeHRM is free and open source human resource management software with rich features and easy to

use interface. It has users worldwide enjoying a free, stable and highly usable Human Resource Management solution. The system is backed by professional support and services as well as a fast growing, receptive and knowledgeable worldwide open source community. OrangeHRM is the worlds most popular Open Source Human Resource Management Software (HRMS) with over 1,000,000 users globally. OrangeHRM offers a complete suite of human capital management human resource management tools. This includes employee information management, employee absence management, employee holiday management or employee leave management, recruitment management, employee performance evaluation and many other HR management tools. OrangeHRM offers a flexible and easy to use Human

Resource Information System (HRIS) solution for small and medium sized companies free of charge. By providing modules for personnel information management, employee self service, leave, time & attendance, benefits and recruitment, companies are able to manage the crucial organization asset - people. The combination of these modules into one application assures the perfect platform for re-engineering and aligning your HR processes along with the organizational goals. The software is developed by OrangeHRM Inc. It is a software company based in Secaucus, New Jersey. OrangeHRM is available both as an open source and an advanced hosted application (SaaS). It is released under the GNU General Public License. OrangeHRM is being used by more than 1 million users and the company has partners in the US, Europe, Asia and Africa.

This is where business meets customer.

Call NoW: 0777472772 to ADVertise

DAILY OBSERVER

Cellcom Launch Konobo Gran


Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Page 10 10

A view of the site The Superintendent and digmataroes cut the ribbon to the site.

Country Director of Cellcoms partner organization Tiyatien Health (TH) Mr. Josh Albert makes remarks

Cellcoms Communications Strategist Dr. Kimmie Weeks talks about the importance of the tower

Dignataries tour the newly launched site

Hon Solo making remarks

Snapshot (53)

The Chairlady of the Women of Konobo declares Cellcom the number 1 GSM company because of its decision to bring telecommunications to Konobo
(Continued on page 11

hes Tower of Justice nd Gedeh County


DAILY OBSERVER
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Paramount Chief Joseph Tarlue hails the Cellcom and TH initiative

Page 11 11

Mr. Patrick G. Bowah Statutory Supt. makes remarks

Cross section of guests

TH Country Director Josh Albert talks about how the new site will save lives

Cross section of guests

Hon. Peter L. Solo County Superintendent speaks to journalists after the program

Cross section of the audience

VIPs touring the facility

---No Good, if Not Put to Use, It Says to Residents, about the Law

Govt Challenges Public to Make Use of FOI


By William Q. Harmon
and the Ministrys Acting Information Officer, on the FOI procedures on requesting information from public entities such as ministries and agencies that fall under the FOI Act, Minister Tweh said that requests can be received by e-mail, letter, in person and by phone. Minister Tweh indicated that when a request is received(via E-mail, letter) by an Information Officer at any entity, it should be dated and stamped and the information requested will be process in a period of 30 days, including the date of receipt. He noted that information that maybe requested and denied by any Information Officer has four procedures through, which appeals could be taken. When your request is being denied by an Information Officer, you have four steps you can take to have that decision overturned depending on its legitimacy. The first step is to seek redress through an internal review body in that entity to which your request was sent. If you are not satisfied by the decision taken by that body, you may take your case to the Information Commission and from there to

DAILY OBSERVER Monday, November 18, 2013 Tuesday, November 19, 2013
the governance process of the state. Also quoting the Preamble of the Liberian Freedom of Information Act, the Information Commissioner boss said access to information is indispensable to a genuine democracy and good governance and no limitation shall be placed on the publics right to be informed about the government and its functionaries. A participant wanted to know whether Information Officers are selected or appointed by the minister or by the president---and whether such an appointment by one or the either might not produce a compromising situation. Meanwhile, Liberias FOI Act was signed into law on September 16, 2010, provides all persons the right of access to public information. The right of access to information is a fundamental human right guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples rights, as well as the constitution of the country (Liberia). FOI laws or regulations have been passed in over 90 countries around the world, with an even greater number enjoying a constitutional right to information. Liberia is the first country in West Africa to establish a comprehensive right to information law and the sixth in Africa. the resources to develop our country, he said. Also making remarks, Margibi County Senator Oscar Cooper praised the House for

Liberia to Benefit from EU-Funded Small Arms Project

Page 12

he Government of Liberia, through the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs, and Tourism (MICAT), has challenged the Liberian public and foreigners alike to take advantage of the Freedom of Information law by making use of its contents, in an effort to make this government and others to come, more transparent and accountable to the people. The Deputy Minister for Administration at MICAT, Norris Tweh, said the FOI Law will only be effective when Liberians get to fully hear about and understand it through publicity and awareness programs. Speaking at a FOI Education and Awareness program organized by the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Minister Tweh said that everyone (Liberian and nonLiberian) has the right to seek, receive, and impart information as stipulation in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Briefing workshop participants that included the media, employees of MOH&SW, medical entities

the Civil Law Court with the option to go even further: to the Supreme Court, Minister Tweh said. He said: We as Liberians can use the FOI Law to make our Ministries and Agencies more efficient and effective and this may subsequently lead to the expansion of our economy. Giving an overview of the FOI law, Information Commissioner Cllr. Mark Bedor-Wla Freeman, said that advancing the right of access to information is a jointresponsibility between the government and its citizens. Cllr Freeman said while the government must assure full and effective implementation and enforcement of the FOI Act, it is up to the citizens to monitor governments efforts and to use the law; ultimately, the value of the FOI law rests in its implementation and use, and it is only by seeking and making requests for formation, that the benefits of access to information can fully be enjoyed. This is why government decided to prioritize this document and had it passed into law about three years ago. The government thinks the people should have a say in

Chairman Fromayan- We work within the legal framework to control the flow of small arms

Disables Frown on Exclusion

In Ongoing Oil Consultations

Disable Community Representative George Flomo

House Speaker J. Alex Tyler discussing revenue flow from the oil sector
Sengbew welcomed their inputs, adding that most of the work involving the sector requires able-body people. However, NOCAL assured the disables of doing everything possible to include qualified disables in the working of the sector. Speaking at the start of the program, House Speaker Alex J. Tyler lauded the efforts of the county and people, stressing the importance of the forum to the development and sustainability of Liberias peace. We are here to discuss about what we going to do to make oil a blessing and not a curse. We need the peoples participation so that when we find oil, we can be placed in a better position to manage an initiative to take the draft legislation to the people. The wider participation of the people in this process is welcoming and I promise to do the same on my legislative tour across the county. This oil thing will not just affect this generation now but our unborn children will also benefit. Its important that we Liberians are prepared in order to manage the industry when full operations start, Senator Cooper indicated. The draft legislation seeks to replace the Ministry of Land, Mines and Energy as lead ministry to the Ministry of Petroleum (MoP). According to the document, all revenue collected from the oil and gas sector before oil is

By Keith Morris

iberian disable c o m m u n i t y wants inclusive participation in the emerging oil and gas sector, George K. Flomo has said. Mr. Flomo represented disables of Margibi County at ongoing Nationwide Public Engagement on the Draft Petroleum Law spearheaded by the House of Representatives and the National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL). The program was hosted in Kakata City, Margibi County with representatives from various districts in attendance. Highlighting the plights of disables yesterday Mr. Flomo who is also a disable frowned on their continue exclusion from the oil and gas process,

stressing, We also have the potential and need to be part of this process. There has been no time that persons with disability have been appointed or called to participate in these processes. Talking about scholarship for advanced education to work in the sector, disables have been neglected. Taking about the draft law to govern the sector, there is nothing spelled out about persons with disability. We think that should be corrected immediately as the lawmakers solicit the inputs of the people, he said. Mr. Flomo was amongst over two hundred delegates invited to discuss and make personal inputs on the draft legislation. Responding to the quest of the disables, the NOCAL delegation including Jonathan

uthorities at the Liberian National Commission on Small Arms (LINCSA), a civil society network organization focusing on gun control, have disclosed that the country is to shortly benefit from a two-year European Union funded small arms project. The project, according to LINCSA Chairman, James Fromayan, begins next year. He disclosed that the project is part of a broader initiative by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The objective is to maintain peace and security in the Mano River basin, which includes: La Cote dIvoire, Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia. The exercise would also support community-led development projects in exchange for arms. Several border communities, particularly in the Southeastern counties of Grand Gedeh, River Gee, and Maryland, are expected to benefit from the project, Mr. Fromayan was quoted as saying through a release. The modalities of the project, he explained in the release, were concluded during a recent ECOWASUnited Nations Development Program (UNDP) joint assessment and validation mission hosted in Monrovia. Chairman Fromayan disclosed in the release that the mission held a series of consultations with high level government officials, diplomatic missions, security sector agencies, and civil society organizations (CSOs). found will be deposited in the Governments Consolidated Fund in accordance with the Public Financial Management law. All contractors, their subcontractors and respective employees shall be subject to taxes, user fees and custom duties in accordance with the Revenue Code. Liberians are to have the first priority on employment opportunities. The companies must

By C.Y. Kwanue

The mission, he continued in the release, held specific meetings with the ministers of Justice and Internal Affairs, the UNDP Country office in Liberia, the EU delegation in Monrovia, the ECOWAS Liaison Office in Monrovia, and his fellow representatives of the Liberia Action Network on Small Arms. Several security sector agencies including the Liberia National Police (LNP), Ministry of National Defense (MOD), Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization (BIN), Drugs Enforcement Agency (DEA), the Executive Protection Service (EPS) and the Customs Bureau at the Ministry of Finance also met with the mission. According to Chairman Fromayan, the consultations focused on variety of pertinent issues including management and specific operational requirements for the project roll-out, confirmation of the target communities, and specific training and capacity needs for security sector and agencies, civil society and the national small arms commission. He said that the project implementation is expected to address the problem of armed violence and related crimes through the collection of hidden arms in the target communities, effective border management mechanisms, community monitoring systems for illicit arms trafficking, and enhancement of the legal frameworks for the control of small arms and light weapons in the country. provide training programs in various aspects of petroleum operations for Liberians, the draft legislation maintained. Meanwhile, Deputy Speaker Hans Barchue disclosed that Rivercess and Grand Bassa counties are the next venues for the consultations and at the same time encouraged citizens of both counties to form part of the discussions in the coming days.

DAILY OBSERVER

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Page 12 13

The National Elections Commission


9th / 10th Streets, Sinkor Monrovia, Liberia

SURVEY NOTICE
The land is situated on the United Nations Drive, Between Mechlin and Randall Streets, Monrovia, Montserrado County. The announcement should claim the attention of the following: Nancy E. Cooper Estate Ebue C. King Etmonia L. King Olubanke King Akerele And other Person having interest in the above mentioned survey that is not mentioned All those having interest in the said survey should please be present on the day of the survey with your deeds, diagrams and any relevant document to substantiate their claims. This survey was previous scheduled for November 16, 2013 but was not conducted due

IFB No./NEC/NCB/004/2013/2014 INVITATION FOR BIDS (MACHINERY & OTHER EQUIPMENT)


1. The Government of Liberia through the National Elections Commission (NEC), intends to apportion funds toward the cost of procuring Machinery & Other Equipment for its project-Special Senatorial Election, IFB No./NEC/NCB/004/2013/2014. 2. The Commission now invites qualified and eligible bidders to submit sealed bids for the provision of Machinery & Other procedures as specified in the Amended and Restated Public Procurement and Concessions Act. 3. Description and quantities

he public is hereby notified that the survey that was previously scheduled for November 16, 2013, at the request of Madam Matidae E. King Simpson has been rescheduled for Saturday, November 23, 2013 at 9:30 AM

Signed:
Generated by CamScanner from intsig.com

Item

Dry cell rechargeable batteries Solar Power pack Batteries Printer Ink

Description

To be used in digital camera

Quantity

1800 pcs

4. Interested bidders should have the capacity to retain the supply of Machinery & Other Equipment valid for the period of the project- Senatorial Elections. Must also be able to respond to NECS schedule of supply. All bids prices should be quoted in United States Dollars (USD). 5. Qualifications requirements include the follow: CURRENT BUSINESS REGISTRATION CERTIFICATE CURRENT TAX CLEARANCE PAST PERFORMANCE HISTORY WITH AT LEAST THREE (3) REFERENCES AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENT FOR ATLEAST ONE (1) OF THE LAST TWO YEARS. AVAILABILITY OF SUPPLY AT ALL TIME CAPACITY TO DO AT LEAST (30) THIRTY DAYS PRE-FINANCE OF SUPPLY

To be used on 1400pcs solar Power pack To be used for 1590 boxes digital camera printer (3Inks contain in a box)

Delivery Schedule As per the Contact As per the Contract As per the Contract

MISSING PASSPORT
his is to inform the public that a passport belonging to a Tanzanian national, LILIAN NELSON MUSHI was stolen when some unknown persons burglarized her house in Yekepa, Nimba County. The passport # is AB285537 and was issued by the PCO in Dar es Salaam. Anyone having any information about the burglary or the missing passport should please contact the nearest police station.

6. Complete set bidding documents in English and other pertinent information may be obtained from the office of the Director of Procurement, National Elections Commission Ground Floor Room 73 for a non-refundable fee of One Hundred United States Dollars (U.S. $100.00). 7. Submissions must be clearly marked, signed and sealed in an envelope, including other requested information as follows: CONFIDENTIAL BID provision for supply of Equipment, Nationals Elections Commission for fiscal 2013/2014 Project and addressed to: THE DIRECTOR OF PROCUREMENT National Elections Commission 9th / 10th Street Sinkor 1000 MONROVIA 10, LIBERIA 8. Deadline for Bids submission is on December 24, 2013 at 1:00P.M. Bids will be opened in the presence of bidders who chose to attend or their representatives in the Conference Room of the National Elections Commission, on December 24, 2013 at 1:00 P.M. Late bids will be rejected and returned unopened. Electronic Bidding will not be permitted. 9. The National Elections Commission reserves the right to reject or accept any bid submitted and to annul the process at any time without incurring any liability and without assigning any reason thereof.

THIS IS TO INFORM TH E GENERAL THE LIBERI PUBLIC THA A VISUAL A T RTS (LIVART HAS REOPEN S) ACADEMY ED AND RECR U BEGINS MO ITMENT OF NDAY, 11TH STUDENTS NOVEMBER 2013. RECR TO THURSD UITMENT W AY 14, ILL TAKE PL ACADEMYS ACE AT THE NEW LOCAT ION ON 15T PAYNE AVEN H STREET, UE, SINKOR IN THE COM ALLIANCE FR POUND OF ANCAISE. LIVARTS PR OGRAMS ARE DESIGNED FO INDIVIDUA LS BETWEE R N THE AGES THE ACADEM OF 10 - 25. Y OFFERS LE SSONS IN PAINTING, DRAW PHO UNDER-PRIVI TOGRAPHY, CARTOONIN ING, G FOR LGED CHILD REN FREE-O F-CHARGE. PARENTS IN TERESTED IN CHILDREN A ENROLLING T LIVARTS THEIR CAN ACCOM THE DATES PANY THEM MENTIONED ON A IN SINKOR. BOVE AT TH E ACADEMY
Signed: Musulyn Mye rs Administrato r

ANNOUNCEMENT

LIVARTS

Approved: A. Leslie Lumeh Executive Direct or

FOR MORE IN FORMATION CALL: +231 (0 ) 0886 739 44 4

Livarts Is A Community-Based Specilaized Training Program With Supports From The U. S. And French Embassies In Monrovia

In Partnership with the


Poster designed by the Liberia Visual Arts Academy 2013

DAILY OBSERVER

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Page 14 8

African Methodist Episcopal University (AMEU)

VACANCY ANNOUCEMENT
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is seeking qualified individual for the position of Human Resource Management t Specialist. VACANCY#: VA-669-14-000001 OPEN: All interested candidates. Current employees serving a probationary period with the mission are not eligible to apply. POSITION: Human Resource Management Specialist OPENING DATE: November 13, 2013 CLOSING DATE: November 26, 2013 WORKING HOURS: Full-time, 40 hours/week SALARY & BENEFITS: Ranging from US$19,443.00 to US$33,660.00 p.a. depending on full performance standard. NOTE: ALL ORDINARY RESIDENT APPLICANTS MUST HAVE THE REQURIED WORK AND/OR RESIDENT PERMITS ALLOWING WORK IN LIBERIA BEFORE BEING ELIGIBLE TO APPLY. BASIC FUNCTION This position is located in the Executive Office. The position serves as the principal assistant to the Supervisory Executive Officer at USAID/Liberia and assists in the planning, implementation and directing of policies and procedures relating to personnel administration of all USAID staff including USDH, USPSC, TCN and FSNs and manages all Mission-sponsored training events and activities. MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT (50%) 1. Responsible for all recruitment action of FSN staff. Drafts Vacancy announcements, reviews applications, arranges for interview of short listed applicants, negotiates salary and processes recruitment of selected applicant, and provides orientation to incoming personnel on USAID employment conditions and benefits package. 2. Prepares requisite personnel actions cables for promotions, step increases, resignation, retirement, etc. 3. Maintains contract files for all FSNs. Prepares new contracts or extends existing contracts for all FSNs. Amend contracts when necessary, this may be due to change in work schedule, promotion etc. Coordinates with OFM regarding obligation of funds. Obtains necessary signatures and distributes signed contracts. 4. Coordinates FSN evaluations as well as work objectives for the following year for entire mission. 5. Maintains and updates personnel files for USDH and USPSC personnel 6. Drafts USPSC contracts pursuant with AIDAR, Appendix J & D and FAAR clauses and provisions. Develops entitlement budget and salary & benefits after negotiation have been completed with EXO. 7. Prepares arrival and departure notices for new arrivals and establishes staffing departing for and returning from home leave. Mission Training Activities (30%) 1. The incumbent manages all training for USAID/Liberia staff. In addition, he/she manages all Mission-sponsored training events and activities. POSITION CLASSIFICATION/EVALUATION (15%) 1. Checks and updates position description to make sure that accurate and current position description are in file for all employees and periodically updates and maintains current USAID/Liberia Organizational Chart and Staffing patterns. 2. Works closely with supervisors and employee to develop/review job descriptions and prepares position classifications (CAJE) to reflect accurate and current duties and organizational relationships. Such positions include all grade levels and all types of local positions. 3. Discusses classification decisions informally with supervisors and employees to explain the basis of the decisions for the Executive Officers clearance. 4. Classifies new USPSC positions to determine GS grade based on responsibilities. OTHER DUTIES (5%) 1. Participates in FSN Salary survey with US Embassy HR office. 2. Coordinates the annual awards program- including announcements of awards nominations for approval, preparation of awards certificate, calculating amounts due to award winners and participates in the scheduling of the ceremony. 3. Monitors USDH arrivals and departures in connection with the FS Open Assignment system by ensuring that concerning employees receive updated cables, communicates with the arriving employees by sending the USAID/Liberia welcome cable. 4. Coordinates with Embassy/Liberia and manages FSN medical claims, updating and maintaining staff medical account records. 5. Prepares period and non-recurring personnel reports for the Mission as well as AID/W. 6. Performs any other duties that may be assigned from time to time. QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED FOR EFFECTIVE PERFORMANCE a. Education: A degree in Personnel Administration or related field is highly required. b. Prior Work Experience: Five to seven years of progressively responsible experience in the field of personnel administration is required. c. Post Entry training: FSN position classification. On the job training in the STATE/USAID policies and personnel administration. d. Language Proficiency: Level IV English ability. e. Job Knowledge: Thorough knowledge of host country labor and social security laws and practices as they apply to compensation and employment, US government ADS, 3 FAM and FSN Handbook. f. Skill and Abilities: Ability to counsel employees and supervisors on work related problems. Good judgment, outgoing personality, good working relationship with all assigned personnel. Good computer skills. Additional Selection Criteria Management will consider nepotism/conflict of interest and budget in determining a successful candidacy. Selection Process After an initial screening of applications, qualified applicants will be invited for an interview. Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted. How to Apply Interested candidates for this position should submit the following: 1. A clearly typed application letter which briefly summarizes why you believe you are qualified for this position. 2. Resume 3. The names and contact details of three references that can attest for your professional qualifications and/or work experience. 4. Documentation (e.g. copied of certificates, awards, degrees) that address the minimum requirements of the position. Submit application to: HRM Specialist, USAID/Liberia, C/O American Embassy, Service Entrance, Gibson Street, Mamba Point, Monrovia Attention: Phillip Cherry; USAID/EXO Or by e-mail to: Monrovia-hr@usaid.gov

Vacancy Announcement
Class/Title : IT Assistant (Web Associate) Division : IT (Administration) Reports to : Executive Director for ICT and ISP Closing dates : Open until filled Submit document to : online at www.ame.edu.Ir or email to jobs@ame.edu.Ir The IT Assistant (Web Associate) will be responsible for the designing and maintenance of the African Methodist Episcopal University website, from day to day site management to working with stake holders to design long-term goals; and will also provide coordination and quality monitoring on web related issues for AMEU. The incumbent must have an undergraduate degree or above with focus on a field related to technology; must have a five years of experience in website content management, web application development, and general graphic design. etc. A web graphic designer certificate is an added advantage; must also have adequate experience in website design, website usability and tracking. To maintain the AMEU web site under the supervision of a Executive ICT Director.

Position Requirements:

Job Purpose:

Main Job Description

Repurposes and formats content received in a variety of formats from content experts to align with AMEUs communication strategy and publish the materials online; Ensures that site content and design complies with African Methodist Episcopal University web policies and regulations; Follows evolving industry best practices in web and internet technology, content management, and usability; proposes improvements to AMEU websites accordingly; Pro-actively ensures integrity, accessibility, and optimum performance of web sites, through mechanisms such as regular web site audits; Develops and enforces metadata, such as descriptions and keywords to aid in site indexing and improved search ability; Functions in a help-desk system by interpreting and addressing user requests and troubleshooting users technical web-related problems; Analyze the usage of web sites and interpreting web site impact on users and users needs Extends the reach of online resources through various media tools and making those available to staff, partners, and clients; Provides web coordination in the absence of ICT Director.

DAILY OBSERVER
Republic of Liberia Civil Service Reform and Capacituy Building Project

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Page 15 9

Civil Service Agency


OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR GENERAL

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST (REOI) (Communication Specialist)


EOI NO: CSA/SG/CS/12/13 IDA GRANT ID: FT 010792

Assignment Title: Request for expression of interest-: Drafting the Civil Service Communication (information and Dissemination) Strategy

he Government of Liberia (GoL) through the Civil Service Agency (CSA) has received a grant from the International Development Association (IDA) for Strengthening Governance-Civil Service Reforms and Capacity Building Project (CSRCBP). The Civil Service Agency intends to apply part of the proceeds of this grant to eligible payments under the contract for hiring a Communications Specialist to draft the Civil Service Reform Communication (Information and Dissemination) Strategy.

The objectives of the assignment are as follows: Conduct a communication analysis of the Civil Service Reform Project from its inception and cataloguing various reform initiatives and achievements; Develop a five-year communication (information and dissemination) strategy; Build into the strategy, sensitization and public awareness initiatives. The duration of the assignment: The timescale of the assignment is for a period of three (3) staff months (90 working days) over three (3) calendar months and should start upon the signing of the contract. The duty station shall be Civil Service Agency Monrovia, Liberia. However, a portion of this assignment could be undertaken away from Monrovia. The Civil Service Agency now invites eligible Individual Consultants to indicate their interest in providing the services. Interested consultants must provide information indicating that they are qualified to perform the services by submitting their detailed information (CV, brochures, past performance records, references of similar assignments executed in the recent past). They must also provide description of work experience both general and on similar assignments. Specific experience on World Bank funded project will be an added advantage. Selection will be based on qualifications and experience stipulated below. Consulting firms are allowed to propose individuals for this assignment. However, only the experience and qualifications of individuals shall be used in the selection process, and corporate experience shall not be taken into account and the contract would be signed with the proposed individual. Qualifications and Experience: Masters Degree in Mass Communication/Public Relations/Advertising/Communication Analysis & Planning/Marketing; He/she must have minimum of ten (10) years relevant work experience; The consultant must have experience in conducting communications needs analysis and strategic design as well as in managing communication campaigns; Must have experience conducting communication for large reform programs, especially related to the public sector; Must have practical work experience with new media platforms, including twitter, facebook and other online applications; Must demonstrate practical and relevant experience dealing with difficult constituencies such as unions, legislatures, consumer groups and other stakeholders. The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to paragraph 1.9 of the World Banks Guidelines: Selection and Employment of Consultants under IBRD Loans and IDA Credits & Grants by World Bank Borrowers (January 2011). (Consultant Guidelines), setting forth the World Banks policy on conflict of interest. An Individual Consultant will be selected in accordance with the procedures set out in the World Banks Guidelines: Selection and Employment of Consultants under IBRD Loans and IDA Credits and Grants by World Bank Borrowers dates January 2011. Interested Individual Consultants may obtained further information at the address below during office hours from 09:00 and 17:00hours, Mondays to Fridays. Expressions of interest must be delivered in a written from clearly marked: Ref: Communication Specialist of the CSRCBP, at the address below in person or by mail or by email) on or before Monday, December 2, 2013 at 16:00hours. The Consultant/Project Coordinator Civil Service Reform and Capacity Building Project Civil Service Agency 63 Carey Street, Monrovia, Liberia Email: yaidooshy11@gmail.com Attention: The Consultant/Project Coordinator-CSRCBP

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

his to inform all companies operating in the mining, oil, forestry and agriculture sectors of Liberia and related ministries and agencies of government that the Liberia Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (LEITI) is in the process of reconciling payments made by extractive companies and revenues received by agencies of government covering the period July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2012.

Instructions Copies of reporting templates, supporting schedules, and instructions can be picked up from the LEITI Secretariat at the Old Bureau of the Budget Building,, adjacent the Executive Mansion, Redemption Road, Monrovia, Liberia Monday through Friday between 8:30 AM and 5:00 PM daily, or online at www.leiti.org.lr. All reporting companies are required to address their sealed templates with the supporting schedule to: LEITI Administrator/Reconciler C/O LEITI Secretariat Old Bureau of the Budget Building Redemption Road, Capitol Hill Monrovia, Liberia. Line ministries and agencies of government including the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Lands, Mines and Energy, Forestry Development Authority, National Oil Company of Liberia, Environmental Protection Agency, National Port Authority, Liberia Maritime Authority and the Liberia Civil Aviation Authority, must submit their templates to the LEITI Audit Unit, 1st Floor, at the General Auditing Commission for attestation. All concerned parties are advised that the deadline to submit reporting templates with the supporting schedules is Friday, November 22, 2013 at 4:00 pm. Please let this claim the attention of all concerned line ministries and agencies of government, and all mining, oil, forestry and agriculture companies operating in Liberia as it is a legal requirement to submit reporting templates. Failure on the part of any reporting entity to submit their template(s) by the due date constitutes non-compliance and the LEITI-MSG Regulations of 2009 will be strictly applied.

Signed :

DAILY OBSERVER Monday, November 18, 2013 Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Page 16

Revenue Agent Wants Govt Create Tax Sensitization Program


senior revenue agent assigned at the Buchanan-Rivercess collectorate of the Ministry of Finance, Florence Gofan, has called on the government to put into a robust sensitization and tax awareness campaign that would stimulate rural dwellers and citizens to pay their taxes. According to the government tax collector, the government of Liberia relies largely on money raised through taxes to produce revenue to finance national development projects across the country. So in order for us to get revenue from rural areas, Government needs to create serious awareness encouraging informal business people to see the importance of paying their taxes, Ms. Gofan intoned. She spoke recently in an exclusive interview with our

By David A. Yates

Florence Gofan, senior revenue agent assigned at the Buchanan-Rivercess collectorate of the Ministry of Finance
business desk in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County. This reporter had gone to the Port City to cover the consultative meeting between the Constitution Review Committee (CRC) and the political parties. The senior revenue agent further explained that tax revenue is money so the government should put

necessary mechanisms into place that will encourage rural dwellers to pay their taxes in buttressing the effort of the government. When you pay tax, your contributions are invested in the community and it benefits everyone. She asserted. Meanwhile, the Buchanan and Rivercess collectorate agent has told this paper that tax money also pays for the daily operating expenses of government, such as the salaries of government employees and interest owed on government debt, she indicated. She, however, insisted that rural dwellers needed to pay their taxes so that the government would be able to provide important services to their county. In addition, Ms. Gofan reiterated that taxes benefits include access to hospitals, schools, roads and national parks, amongst many others.

(Credit: Jane Hahn for FORBES)

How Americas Richest People Are Bringing Hope to the EighthPoorest Nation in the World
seems sadly predictable, even inevitable. But Liberia is also unique. A peace movement of women ended the civil war, and the country boasts Africas first female democratically elected head of state, Nobel Peace Prize winner Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who has embraced entrepreneurship as a longterm fix to her nations many woes. The countrys leaders, from government to privatesector to nonprofit, recognize that sustainable self-reliance ultimately requires marketbased solutions. We are not poor, says Axel Addy, Liberias commerce minister. We just havent tapped our potential to get beyond begging. And for Americans, helping Liberia carries the same kind of moral responsibility as one might feel caring for a troubled family member. The country was founded by freed American slaves, part of an ill-conceived plan in the 1820s to solve the slavery issue by sending blacks (most of whom had been born in the U.S.) back to Africa. The capital, Monrovia, bears the name of then president James Monroe. Their red-whiteand-blue flag sports the star and stripes, their currency is called the dollar, and their map is speckled with names like Virginia, Maryland and Bunker Hill. Armed with these justifications for both the heart and the head, for the past six months FORBES has engaged in an experiment: Can focusing some of the worlds greatest entrepreneurial and philanthropic minds on the problems of one specific country make a tangible difference? With that in mind, we made Liberia the centerpiece of the second annual Forbes 400 Summit on Philanthropy, attended in June by more than 150 billionaires and nearbillionaires. President Sirleaf and several of the countrys top social entrepreneurs addressed the participants, who then broke into groups to see how they could help them. In October FORBES followed up, leading a delegation of a dozen top philanthropists and private sector altruists to Liberia on a three-day mission to see their how their ideas worked in action. IF THERE IS HOPE FOR THE NEXT GENERATION of Rosesand their kidsit comes from people like 32-yearold Raj Panjabi. A Liberian native, faculty member at Harvard Medical School and protg of Paul Farmer of Mountains Beyond Mountains fame, Panjabi has returned to his homeland knowing that the solution to health care in places like Zeagbay is neither aid, which buys time but does nothing systemic to change the reality of a 22-hour walk for help, nor medical breakthroughs, since the tools to treat Blessing, who likely died of malaria, have existed for decades and cost a few dollars. Its jobs. Medical care is scarce

tanding beneath the canopy of the largest rain forest in western Africa, a young woman named Rose recalled a recent trip along the dirt path that runs through Zeagbay, the remote Liberian village where she lives. Her daughter, Blessing, had developed a fever, so Rose slung the five-month-old onto her back and began the hike to the nearest health clinic22 hours away. Five hours in, Blessing died. While she described her lost baby as a hole in her heart, Rose maintained a detached calm as she recounted the nightmare in her native Krahn, a language spoken by only 139,000 people worldwide. Death is no stranger in Zeagbay: In a town of fewer than 250, 10 children under 5 have died over the past two years. Life expectancy here is 29, the same as in medieval Europe during the plague. According to the IMF, Liberia is the eighth-poorest country in the world and one that only a decade ago was engulfed in a 14-year-long civil war that featured the full set of subSaharan Africas gruesome horrors: child soldiers, endless rapes, beheadings via machete. About 250,000 of Liberias 4 million citizens perished in the conflict, and the war devastated the countrys economy and infrastructure. Against this backdrop Roses tragedy

even in urban Liberiawhen the civil war ended, just 51 doctors remained in the entire country. So Panjabis nonprofit, Last Mile Health, recruits, trains and hires bright local villagers to serve as frontline health workers, who provide basic immunizations, diagnoses and medicines for 30,000 patients in the Liberian rainforest. In a region with 85% unemployment, Last Mile pays workers $60 a month and then incentivizes them based on completing immunizations, prenatal treatments and the like. In the 41 current Last Mile villages, the child mortality rate has decreased by over 33% while the number of women receiving prenatal care soared from 15% to 97%. Says a smiling Markson Tarley, a 34-year-old frontline worker teeing up the Last Mile program in Zeagbay: People call me doctor. Related: Last Mile Health: Training Rural Liberians to Save Lives The villagers, meanwhile, well understand that Panjabis jobs initiative can mean the difference between life and death for their children. The FORBES delegation, there to support Panjabis plans to expand into Zeagbays region, received a heros welcome, complete with the highest honor: the village elder presenting his peerwhom he quickly identified as 59-yearold former Morgan Stanley Smith Barney president Charlie Johnstonwith a live chicken. The helicopter flight back to Monrovia displayed the abundant resources available for Liberia. As we flew closer to the ocean, massive iron ore excavations, led by ArcelorMittal, filled up the landscape. The coastline, meanwhile, conjures what Floridas Gold Coast must have looked like to a seagull 200 years agounspoiled green paradise brushed against thick white beaches, which roll on, untouched, for dozens of miles until the approach of Monrovia. For all its beachfront charm, though, Liberias capital proves a textbook case study in the issues confounding urban Africa. Specifically, West Point, Monrovias largest slum, where 75,000 people cram up against the South Atlantic in an endless maze of wooden shacks that lack electricity and running water, much less sanitation. Commerce here plays out at a subsistence level, from those selling a key source of protein bony dried fish, possibly plucked from the same water that the sewage runs intofor a few pennies to the $1 prostitutes, some as young as 10. But at the elbow of one alley (West Points pathways are nameless), something more ambitious is going on. A pilot trash-to-cash program, seeded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (and 10% co-funded by the Liberian government, ensuring buy-in), generates $128,000 in revenueand 300 jobs, which in turn provide for over 2,000 dependentsby collecting and repurposing West Points waste, which is otherwise destined to litter their neighborhood or clog the water supply. A wooden door swings open

to reveal the programs most innovative aspect: 15 single mothers, the first of two shifts, crammed into a space no bigger than a backyard shed, vintage sewing machines in front of them all. Since June they have been taking plastic containers and turning them into stylish hats, backpacks and coats that, if tagged with a designer name, would surely run hundreds of dollars in New York boutiquesa huge opportunity, since the cost to produce each item is minuscule. Thats part of what makes Liberia so intriguing. The ROI in terms of helping people, or in potential financial returns, is exponential. Frontier markets like Liberia appear to be uncorrelated to both developed and emerging markets, says Robert Hain, the chairman of City Financial, who joined the FORBES Liberia delegation. This can provide investors with important diversity and performancebecause frontier markets are underdeveloped, the potential for growth is high. Thats also why the FORBES delegation ended its trip with a larger-scale attempt to reach Liberias startups. Almost 400 people showed up at Monrovias city hall for what was billed as Liberias first entrepreneurial exchange. For all its issues corruption remains a particular concernthe World Bank now ranks Liberia among the five easiest countries in Africa to start a company. Liberia is readyand ready nowfor business, Addy, the commerce minister, told attendees. We, as the government, are banking on you, the entrepreneur. The exchangesome of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world, talking with civil war survivors trying to forge a new kind of livingwas telling. Sometimes, the groups were speaking different languages solid advice in the U.S. about setting up advisory boards or avoiding dilution were met with blank stares from a woman who in buying a single, used copy machine is trying to fashion herself as Liberias Xerox. When Jennifer King, whose family recently pledged $150 million to Stanford to nurture entrepreneurs in Africa, asked how many people in the audience had more than $150,000 in revenues (the current threshold, she told them, for the Stanford program), less than a half-dozen raise their hands. But ultimately the language of entrepreneurship proves even more universal than English. After panels on raising capital and growing a business, an informal meet-and-greet turned

into a networking frenzy, with dozens of business cards pressed into every open hand. Rather than chat, one local designer quickly charged Francine LeFrak, whose family has made more than $5 billion in New York real estate, $30 for two colorful hats, each proudly stamped Made in Liberia. A nascent e-entrepreneur, stymied by the fact that PayPal operates in 191 countries but not Liberia, wrangled an introduction to the U.S. ambassador, who in turn said shed see if she could solve the bottleneck. For the final session, Building Markets, a nonprofit that helps the most promising Liberian entrepreneurs get access to capital and contracts, handselected nine for a West African version of Shark Tank. Competitors included a group that makes flour from plantains, a concern that wants to consolidate local rice growers so that they have enough scale to sell countrywide and two different electricity companies no small idea in a country that doesnt have power outside its capital. City Financials Hain was particularly smitten by a proposal for Liberias first fleet of container trucks to service those burgeoning iron ore discoveries: Thats a highly investable idea. Hain hopes to get the chance to put these ideas into practice soon. In partnership with Building Markets, hes in the midst of putting together a frontier market fund of between $50 million and $75 million, which will invest heavily in Liberia. LeFrak and King each committed to fund a village for Last Mile Health, and King also promised to expand her familys $150 million Stanford program here. Perhaps most dramatically, Raj Panjabi closed in on a major commitment that could, in one stroke, bring health care to 1 million Liberians. Related: Building Markets: Meet The Start-Up Bringing Investors To The FastestGrowing Economies in the World In a country with a GDP of just $1.75 billion, this is progress, which well be keeping tabs on. As Mother Mary Brownell, who started the Liberia Women Initiative in 1994 and proved instrumental in stopping the civil war, put it: When I was on mission, we used to sing a song: We dont know where were going. But were going.

DAILY OBSERVER Tuesday, November 19, 2013


Judgment. They were seeking the Courts intervention to declare their legitimacy to claim pension benefits for over 15,000 ex-soldiers and widows under Section 1, Title 23, Chapter 10 of the Liberian Code of Law, 1956, known as the National Defense Act, for pension and procedures.

If You Dont Want

Page 17
late husbands. Therefore, the petition for declaratory judgment is hereby denied and the motion to dismiss filed by government is hereby sustained, the Civil Law Court Judge further ruled. Col. Boye continued his threat by saying, We are trained soldiers and we will put up stiff resistance by protesting around the country. Encouraging his colleagues to join the campaign, the disthey set, Mr. Allen declared. He said he had already informed Liberias traditional chiefs and elders including the bordeos, zoes, Mende Mel, the Gbor and the poros, that their Dahkpannah had been incarcerated and that the conditions under which he is held is against what the Sierra Leone Special Court had approved. Mr. Allen further reminded Great Britain that Liberians, too, respect and protect their Dahkpannah just as the Britons protect their monarchy, warning that the traditional leaders will in no way accept any disrespect to the zoes, elders and chiefs of Liberia. server in a brief interview on the Fendall Campus, the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, Dr. Wede Elliott-Brownell, said as far as record is concerned; over 29,000 students have completed registration and have been attending classes. She said those carrying on the disturbances are just a few students who do not want to take the mid-term. Madam Brownell noted that the mid-term stands and there is no change despite violent actions by students. She said if there were to be any change it would come from ULs President, Dr. Emmet A. Dennis, when he rebanded soldiers spokesman stressed, If you still have your zeakays (war juju, voodoos) get them prepared, because we are ready to get our benefits by force. Since this court cannot help us, we will do it ourselves. This case has been so long and you can see the result for yourselves. Besides being the former President of Liberia, Chief Allen continued, Charles Taylor is the Dahkpannah of the major five traditional societies of Liberia, and they should not think that they are going to be going around vacillating in our interiors and exploiting our natural resources and treating our traditional leaders with disrespect. As a former President of Liberia, he said Charles Taylor must be treated with respect regardless of his incarceration; the same way they would treat their monarchs (kings or queens) if they were in the same situation. turns to the country a day or two from now. Other students, who have been attending classes saw this as violation of their rights. According to many students interviewed during the latest disruption on Fendall Campus, they have paid their money and have the right to learn, yet their learning process is constantly being disrupted by their violent classmates. Should their (non-violent students) interest be above the interest of the university or should aggrieved students decision rule the universitys policy? some argued as they dispersed.
and other security in fighting crimes that is what we are here today to meet with you. Work together with the security in ensuring peace security in Liberia by report all crimes to the police or other security immediately; it is better to be proactive than to be reactive, he stresses. In a meeting held in Behwalay in April this year, the citizens of Kparblee requested the UNHCR to relocate the Ivorian Refugees from their community to avoid cross border insecurity. According Paramount Chief Sonyah and some permanent citizens in the meeting put the insecurity in the district on the refugees of which they believed were supporters of former deposed Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo but it appears like more refugees are still residing within the communities of Kparblee. In late March this year, some group of Ivorian armed men with the help of the refugee who were residing Liberia entered with armed after fighting bitterly in Ivory Coast and later when back after the community watch forum moved in. Meanwhile, Police Nimba Supt. Tito Loden is appealing to government and other well wishes for logistical supports so as to maintain the patrol regularly.

They further argued that the Defense Act was signed in 2004 by then Chairman of the National Transitional Government, Charles Gyude Bryant. The soldiers alleged that the Acts were passed by both members of the Interim National Assembly, comprising the Senate and House of Representatives, and printed into

Taylor
dency and go into exile in Nigeria. Immediately following the departure of ex-President Taylor, Chief Karwar said the traditional zoes and chiefs elected Chief Jallah Lone (who was then deputy Dahkpannah to President Taylor) as the new Dahkpannah. The traditional chiefs were once again called into action following the demise of Chief Lone. He said Paramount Chief Flomo Bawuo was unanimously elected by traditional chiefs from the 15 counties as Dahkpannah, and has since been enjoying the title. Chief Karwar said the National Traditional Council is yet to receive any communication from the family of now imprisoned former President Taylor about his maltreatment in the British prison. Besides, Chief Karwar explained, the Council considers the issue surrounding former President Taylor as a political and international matter, which he said is outside the mandate of traditional leaders. However, as a citizen of Liberia and former President,

hand bills by the government through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Presiding Judge Boima Kontoe in the Courts ruling declared that the Defense Acts, which the soldiers were claiming rights do not exist, meaning that they have not been printed into hand bills, neither signed by Chairman Bryant. The instrument has never been printed into handbill or signed by government, thereChief Karwar said the Councils involvement with the incarceration of the former Dahkpannah is restricted to offering prayers to God to have mercy on him and hope that those responsible for his incarceration see reason to show him due respect as a human being. Chief Karwah said the zoes and traditional chiefs take action when the traditional values of the country are violated, and refused to be drawn into the hypotheses as to what action the zoes and chiefs would have taken if Taylor was still the Dahkpannah of Liberia. Chief Karwars comments Government Acting President, Anthony Williams, alleged in a live broadcast following the violent disruption of classes by students this October that the administration was in error to schedule mid-term exams right after students have completed their Add and Drop, and that they cannot honor the scheduled examination. Add and Drop period is a time where students, who want to increase or decrease their credit hours audit classes they want to add by sitting in those classes during their lectures and stop attending those classes they prefer to drop, getting them off of their control sheet in the Electronic Data Process-

fore, this court will not rely on non-existent legislation to declare anybody or any groups rights, Judge Kontoe openly insisted. On the issue of benefits for widows, Judge Kontoe explained those claiming for benefits for their husbands lack the legal ramification to do so, because, they fail to present letter of administration, authorizing them to administer the intestates of their Monday, November 18, are in reaction to recent statements by one of former President Taylors closet allies, Chief Cyril Allen, who claimed that a traditional response was in the making towards the maltreatment of his friend in the London prison where he is serving the remainder of his 50-year prison term. The Chairman-emeritus of the National Patriotic Party said the former President was the Dahkpannah or Chief Zoe for several traditional leaders. If they (Britons) begin to disregard our traditional values, we will begin to disregard the international standards that ing (EDP) room. Following the disruption of classes last October for not completing registration in a given time, the UL Administration gave a grace period of one-week beginning November 2 to the 9th for registration process to come to an end. Administration, in a release, also notified the student that mid-term was to commence on the 18th to the 22nd. The Acting Student Governments President said it was not fair for the administration to begin the test when students were just completing their process and some still had yet to complete it (the process). Speaking to the Daily Ob-

ollowing the violent disruption of classes by students sometime last October, there were a few weeks of normal activities on the campus of the University of Liberia; much to the chagrin (disappointment) of many, the past repeated itself Monday, November 18, when some students once again disrupted classes on the Fendall campus causing all activities to come to a standstill.

UL Students

By Joaquin Sendolo

The violent disruption came on the day the University was to commence its mid-term examination after two months of teaching. The group of students, who roamed the campus from building to building insulting the Vice president for Academic Affairs & Provost and the rest of the administrative staff, became violent on the grounds that they had just completed their registration process and the institution was administering mid-term exams. The controversial Student

Court Orders
claims, the court will not waive it court charges, instead, Mr. Sieh, managing editor of the news outlets is mandated to pay the amount of US$350, as charges within 48 hours into government revenue. Judge Kontoe also released Sieh from further detention at the Monrovia Central Prison. Minutes after the ruling, one of Siehs lawyers, Atty Samuel Kofi Woods, told journalists that the matter has just begun. We thank God for the courts settlement, but, it is now left with the reconciliation. It is after that, we can finally say all is now over, Atty Woods disclosed. The news outlet was ordered closed, after the Supreme Court upheld the lower courts judgment in the amount of US$1.5 million in damages to former Agriculture Minister Toe.

By Abednego Davis

f t e r several months of closure due to inability to settle US$1.5million in damages to former Agriculture Minister Dr. Christopher Toe, the Civil Law Court, at the Temple of Justice, on Monday, November 18, announced their decision to reopen the FrontPageAfrica newspaper and its on online services. Given the courts decision, Judge Boima Kontoe declare: Following Dr. Chris Toes bill of information to this court, agreeing to waive all claims, to set the pace for reconciliation, and Mr. Rodney Siehs acceptance, the court has hereby ordered the newspaper and online service reopened. He further ruled, Since the plaintiff waives his

espite chiefs and elders of both Liberia and La Cte dIvoire memorandum of understanding to bring peace and security along the borders of the two sisterly countries, things seemed not to be too good for citizens in the Kparblee District in Nimba County over the alleged movement and intrusion of Ivorian soldiers onto Liberian soil. Kparblee District in Nimba is along with border with La Cte dIvoire. Speaking at the confidentbuilding border patrol meeting held in Behwalay on the 17th of November 2013, the spokesman of the youth of Behwalay, Jefferson Gee, told the team of security officers including UNMIL that a month ago, a group of Ivorian soldiers under the command of one Zarbra; an Ivorian militia commander in Touleplue, entered Liberia through Kaylay crossing point and terrorized the citizens. The youth leader, who was very angry in his speech said the soldiers were well armed and after they entered Liberia, they

By Ishmael F. Menkor

Movement of Ivorian Soldiers Causes Panic in Kparblee


set an ambush to prevent people from moving closer to them. He said the manner in which they entered the country was very frightening causing panic in the entire community. We the youth are capable of disarming these men but we dont want to take law into our hands so let the government deploy armed security in this area to avoid embarrassment, he said. He didnt give the exact date in which the incident occurred but stressed that on many occasions Ivorian soldiers under FRC are in the habit of intimidating peaceful citizens of Kparblee. He said due to the lack of armed Liberian officers at the borderline, some group of Ivorian entered Behwalay and besieged the Immigration Check Point in demand of an Ivorian canoe man, who was allegedly arrested by BIN for using an unknown /unrecognized bypass. We the citizens came to the rescue of our officers and overpowered the Ivorian, he added. Early an elder of Behwalay, Emmanuel Soa requested the government to construct a police station of build military

barrack in the Kparblee District to maintain law and orders and also maintained border security. Our lives are not safe in this area, we need police station and for soldiers to be stationed in Kparblee, he said. With funding from Tetra Tech DPK, on 16 to 17th November 2013, a team of Liberian Security headed by Nimba County Police Superintendent Tito Loden, the Bureau of Immigration Naturalization,Police Support Unit and backed by UN Head of Field Office in Nimba Mr. Gibrel Turay carried out border patrol to assess and acquaint themselves with issue pertaining to security along the borderline. UN Head of Field Office said the confident building border patrol was intended to ensure security along the border so as to enhance coordination and collaboration with the citizens in fighting crimes. He said UNMIL is gradually wanning down its forces in Liberia and leaving all security with Liberians and therefore urged Liberians to remain steadfast in maintaining the peace. Tito Loden, we want you to have confidence in the police

DAILY OBSERVER Tuesday, November 19, 2013

The Other Page

WORD SEARCH

SUDOKU
Place a number from 1 to 9 in every empty cell so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box containing all the numbers from 1 to 9. No number can appear twice in a row, column or 3x3 box. Do not guess you can work it out by process of elimination. GOOD LUCK!

ALMOND JOY BABY RUTH BAZOOKA GUM BOTTLECAPS BUBBLE YUM BUTTERFINGERS CANDY NECKLACE CHICLETS CHUCKLES CLARK BAR COFFEE CRISP CRACKER JACK DUBBLE BUBBLE GOOBERS GUMMI BEARS HERSHEY KISSES HUBBA BUBBA GUM JAW BREAKERS JUJUBES KIT KAT LEMON DROPS LICORICE PIPE

Candy

LIFESAVERS LOLLIPOPS MILK DUDS MILKY WAY MOUNDS NECCO WAFERS OH HENRY PEPPERMINT PATTY PEZ POP ROCKS PUMPKIN SEEDS RED HOTS SEN-SEN SLO-POKES SMARTIES SOUR BALLS SPEARMINT LEAVES SWEETARTS TOOTSIE ROLLS TWIX TWIZZLERS WAX LIPS

With Fumbah Kromah & BSG

Blessed are those who make space in their hearts (and in their cars) for the big people in our community.

Last weeks results:

POLITICALLY X-P-DIENT
With A. Leslie Lumeh

2014 our papay coming back to run!

Circle the 10 differences between the two illustrations below:

BRAIN GAME

Aaaaay mehn, The papay enjoying his retirement. Besides, he cant even walk how he will run?
WITH Fumbah Kromah

But the man seh wan give it. Da jeh the pepodem suffering him so. Last weeks results:

Tuesday, November 5, 19, 2013 DAILY OBSERVER Monday, November 18, 2013 Tuesday, November 2013

Page 4 Page 19

Fo r ad qu ve ick rt ise bu in sine th ss is re sp su ac lts e ,

FA CUP: BYC over Super Rollers, LNOC Wants Ministry Takeover Olympic Village Oilers Triumph
--Muscat, Breweries today
Nimba United FC on penalties, after a one-all draw (5-4). Also playing at home, LPRCOilers humiliated Small Town FC 4-0 at the Antoinette Tubman Stadium. Sime Darby, however lost 0-1 at home to FC Fassell and Aries FC also lost 1-0 at home to Coach Kennedy Musus ELWA United FC. The last match between Muscat FC that was playing away to Monrovia Club Breweries at the D. Twe sports pitch could not come on due to a force majeure meaning unexpected reasons and the game is meanwhile rescheduled today at the Blue Field at 4p.m. The first round has not witnessed any development bordering on any of the smaller teams cutting down any of the giant teams. Most of the second division clubs have all lost and many are wondering if Muscat FC could make a difference. However, Oilers have been on top form since the league and have made teams unhappy in their encounters. But with soccer being the way it is, expect anything to happen.

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

LNOC boss Philipbert Brown and Acting Olympic Village Director Ahmed Tukpah

Muscat FC danger striker Sonnii


match that was one-sided. Spurred on by a Cheering Squad, a singing group, BYC rose to their gain and pumped in four goals as against none by their opponents. LISCR FC also playing at home defeated Darious FC 1-0 and as reported in yesterdays issue of this paper, Ganta Black Star managed to beat

he first round of the FA Cup produced more surprises last Sunday in matches in eight centers where Liberia Football Association matches are held. At the Blue Field, BYC received Super Rollers and after several misses, exploded in the second half to score 4-0, in a

By Leroy M. Sonpon, III

Mission Impossible for Egypt against Ghana Today

gypt faces a daunting task against Ghana today Tuesday (November 19) in the 2014 FIFA World Cup playoffs 2nd leg, at the Air Defense Stadium in Cairo. The Pharaohs will be hoping to mastermind one of the biggest comebacks the globular leather has ever seen, with a 6-1 defeat from the first leg in Kumasi last month. Despite the herculean task, the Egyptians have refused to give up, still hanging unto the slimmest of hopes as far as overturning the result is concerned. Head coach Bob Bradley and his charges reckon the fact that the job is no easy one though not beyond them. The Pharaohs have been buoyed by the stunning perfor-

mance of local side, Al-Ahly, which retained the Orange CAF Champions League title after beating South Africas Orlando Pirates 2-0 in the final two weeks ago in Cairo. Whilst Ahly supplies the chunk of the players for the Egypt team, the performance of playmaker Mohamed Aboutrika and his peers in the continental club final has given the fans some cause to expect a positive outing against the Black Stars. In-form Mohamed Salah, Hossam Ghaly, Amr Zaki and Wael Gomaa will be hoping to discover the Midas Touch that eluded them in the previous fixture in Kumasi, and saw them tasting one of their biggest defeats in recent times. Last week, Bradley and his

team downed Zambia 2-0 in a friendly in the build-up to the game and the American is hoping for an improved outing against the Ghanaians to achieve the unthinkable. Im satisfied with our preparations. We know the mission is extremely difficult, but I have told the players our goal is to restore our pride and defend our name. We will fight till the last moment and play to win, Bradley told reporters after the Zambia friendly. After initial concerns regarding security in Cairo, the Ghana team breezed into Cairo to a thunderous reception at the airport on the eve of the game from Istanbul (Turkey), where they held a training camp. The Stars are not resting on their oars despite the huge win from the first leg and are keen on completing a double over their guests and reach their third successive World Cup. German-based midfielder Prince Kevin Boateng is back in the team after missing out on the first leg through injury whilst Esperance right-back Harrison Afful returns from suspension. For Ghana coach, Kwasi Appiah, the journey is far from over and he intends to approach the game with the Pharaohs tactfully.

he passing-on of the management of the countrys largest conglomeration of training facilities, the OlymAfrique Village, to the government is in its peak, LNOC President Philipbert Brown has said. He told the Daily Observer over the weekend that it has been the LNOCs aspiration for the government to control the village since its construction six years ago. Mr. Brown said a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to authorize the Ministry of Youth and Sports to take over the administration will reach

the Ministry of Youth and Sports. The OlymAfrique Village is located in Kemah Town, Soul Clinic Community, outside Monrovia. The sports village was primarily constructed (in 2007) to develop the physical abilities and skills of athletes as well as their minds. The Liberian government contributed 20% in the amount of US$35,000 to the construction of the village, while the LNOC provided US$115,000, equivalent to 80%. The tennis and basketball courts at the village are crumbling and in disrepair. There is no fence separating the Olympics Village from the road that

many have described as health hazard. In a telephone interview yesterday, Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports Dionysius Sebwe admitted that the government will officially take over the administration after the MOU is signed. The Acting Director of the Village, Ahmed Tukpah said the village houses approximately 2,500 athletes during a program. Four major programs have been held at the village. They are the Samsung Football, Samsung Athletics, IAAF 1315 Youths Athletics and the Futvolnet (the Spanish word for football).

Table Tennis Elections November 30

Partial view of expected voters for the November 30 elections


named Mr. Charles Collins, as head of Table Tennis Ad-hoc Elections Commission. Other members include Jerry Freeman and Douglas Nimely. Contested positions include: President, Vice President, Secretary General, Financial Secretary, Treasurer and Chaplain. Contestants are: President, Vice President for Administration, Vice President for Technical Affairs, Treasurer and Financial Secretary and the elections will be conducted on a secret ballot without a proxy vote. Mr. Korvah indicated that elections will be held at the table tennis offices at Sports Commission on Broad Street, and only active and eligible members will be allowed to vote and votes will be done in secret. He is expected to contest for the Presidency; other candidates for various positions are yet to be known.

he Acting President of the Liberia National Table Tennis Association (LNTTA), Amos Korvah has announced that the LNTTA will go to the polls on Saturday, November 30, 2013, to elect new leadership. Mr. Korvah, constitutionally, as Vice President was swornin as the president in 2010, owing to the death of President Lord Brownell in 2010. In an interview yesterday, he

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Behave Well or Else


-GSA Boss, Mary Broh, Warns GOL Vehicle Users
vehicles, except the ones being used in special cases, to park by 6:00 post-meridiem (p.m.) daily, especially after working hours. Most government offices close at 4:00 p.m. daily, but, for decades now, public officials have been accustomed to using GOL vehicles as if those vehicles were their personal properties.

VOL. 16. NO. 20

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2013

PRICE: LD 40
officially retired by the Company on Saturday. I have come to join other government officials to thank Mrs. Parker and Mrs. Saytumah because these two women are distinct in their characters and humbled in their service to their country and people, Madam Broh stated. She added they have done their best and have worked hard.

By George D. Kennedy

he General Services Agency (GSA) has warned government fleet users to stick to the rules in order to avoid any embarrassment from the agency. The Director General, Madam Mary T. Broh, told the Daily Observer in an exclusive interview over the weekend, that the GSA will not tolerate misbehavior on the part of anyone using the government of Liberias (GOL) fleet of vehicles. She said one of the primary responsibilities of the GSA is to ensure the proper management of GOL fleet. Madam Broh has been criticized in some quarters of using a hard hand to enforce the law since she took over as GSA Director. Some of her critics, who beg for anonymity, said the GSA boss has been chasing them to

pack their vehicles after working hours. Madam Broh is a hard working woman, but she is going too far, one critic added. But the GSA boss has insisted that she will not bend the law. We will not compromise our responsibility to protect GOL properties because we know that the government spends millions of the taxpayers money every year to acquire them, she said. According to the GSA boss, No one is above the law when it comes to the maintenance of GOL fleet. The former Monrovia City Mayor vowed to take the plate numbers of any GOL vehicles caught violating the rules. The Act creating the GSA gives the institution the power to manage and maintain GOL properties including vehicles. The Act also requires all GOL vehicles to be serviced by the GSA. Interestingly, the Act requires all government

Court Denies Motion -PUL under Burden of Proof


By Abednego Davis
the PULs election after lawyers representing, Mr. J. Cholo Brooks and Mr. W. Omecee Johnson (respondents), presidential and vice presidential candidates respectively, filed a petition for Declaratory Judgment, arguing that they were disqualified by the Unions election Commission without any investigations. In response, the Union, through its legal team, filed a motion to lift the injunction and dismiss the petition. They --among others-- argued that Mr. Brooks was disqualified after he failed to measure up to Article 8, Section 1 of the Unions Constitution, and that Mr. Johnson served as Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Leymah Gbowee Peace Foundation, which violates Article 4, Section 1 (iv) of PULs constitution. Article 8, Section 1 of the Unions Constitution states that, A journalist or member of the Union aspiring for the position of president shall satisfy the following requirements: holding of at least a Bachelors degree in any field of study, having served in the media for more than 10 years and above and having risen to the rank of editor, program director, senior program producer and being responsible. Article 4, Section 1 (iv) also states that Public Relations Officer/Managers, who were full members of the Union as of the coming into force of this constitution, shall continue to remain full members of the Union, they shall vote, but

We need to change this behavior, Broh said as she beamed with a smile at the Executive Pavilion Saturday evening where she had gone to pay homage to retired National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL) officials Mrs. Marie Leigh-Parker and Mrs. Ophelia Hoff-Saytumah. The pair had served NOCAL in senior positions for many years, but they were

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he motion to lift the Civil Law Courts preliminary injunction placed on the Press Union of Liberias (PUL) election of a new corps of officers will still remain in force, following the Courts action to deny that request. Given the Courts ruling on Monday, November 18, Judge Boima Kontoe declared that, This Court observed that in the motion to dismiss, there is no evidence to the effect that the respondents do not have the capacity or standing to maintain the current action. He further ruled, It is the considered judgment of this court that the motion to dismiss on ground the respondents do not have the legal capacity and standing to bring the current action be, and the same is hereby denied and the case ordered proceeded within the interest of justice and far play. The injunction was placed on

shall not be voted. Continuing with the Courts ruling, Judge Kontoe said The motion to dismiss presents issue of facts, which must be passed upon by this court, rather than dismissing it. He further stated: The resistance that the respondents did not meet the requirement of the elections commission is the matter of facts and must be established. He added, The burden of establishing that the respondents do not meet the requirement to participate in the election is on the Union to prove.

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.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, VOL, No.20.indd 1

11/19/13 12:03 AM

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