Liberia: Senate Committee’s $1.8 Million Proposal for Fire-Damaged Capitol Rehabilitation Sparks Mixed Reactions

Monrovia — MONROVIA -Thousands of Liberian and foreign tax payers would be constrained to shoulder the cost for the rehabilitation of damaged portion of the Capitol Building if the US$1.8million proposed in the draft National Budget for Fiscal Year 2025 is passed by the National Legislature and subsequently signed into law by President Joseph Nyuma Boakai.

The Capitol Building is the official seat of the National Legislature.

It can be recalled that early Wednesday morning, Liberians woke up to news that fire engulfed the building, completely destroying the bottom and top of the rotunda, the joint legislative chamber which is regularly used for the deliverance of the State of the Nation Address (SONA) by the President and for other legislative activities, including public hearings, amongst others.

Firefighters from the Liberia National Fire Service and officers of the Liberia National Building Police assessed the Capitol Building after thick smoke engulfed its House Wing.

While the source of the smoke has yet to be identified, firefighters have advised everyone to stay clear of the premises as investigations continue.

Staffers were forced to evacuate after the smoke was detected this evening in the section of the building housing the offices of Deputy Speaker Fonati Koffa and Representative Richard Koon, the self-declared Speaker of the Majority Bloc.

Emergency responders remain on the scene as they work to determine the cause of the incident and ensure the building’s safety.

President Joseph Nyuma Boakai has ordered a probe into the incident.

However, the Liberian Senate, through its Committee on Ways, Means, Finance and Budget, headed by Bong County Senator Prince Moye is wasting no time to ensure that monies are allocated towards the rehabilitation of the destroyed Capitol Building.

Providing a briefing on the scrutiny of the draft National Budget to the Plenary of the Liberian Senate during regular session on Thursday, December 18, Senator Moye disclosed that the committee took a decision to allocate the amount at the time technical works on the draft budget are being finalized.

According to him, the US$1.8M is a proposal intended to show that the government is committed to jumpstart rehabilitation before the intervention of its international partners.

As a Legislature we always endeavor to ensure that we look at critical issues that confront our country. The seat of this Legislature was yesterday gutted by fire at the time the budget was about to be passed. So, we can’t sit and say look we have to ask partners; we have to start doing something on our own. The committee thought to project US$1.8million as the initial to ensuring that work begins immediately upon the passage of this budget to restore the seat of the first branch of government.” – Senator Prince Moye, Chairman, Senate Committee on Ways, Means, Finance and Budget

He clarified that despite the proposal, the committee does not have the full “restoration cost” of the damage that has been done to the Capitol Building as a result of the fire incident.

Senator Moye, however, expressed the hope that renovation works at the Capitol Building would commence immediately after the passage of the budget.

Members of the National Legislature are expected to pass the draft National Budget for Fiscal Year 2025 this week.

“As a Legislature we always endeavor to ensure that we look at critical issues that confront our country. The seat of this Legislature was yesterday gutted by fire at the time the budget was about to be passed. So, we can’t sit and say look, we have to ask partners; we have to start doing something on our own. The committee thought to project US$1.8million as the initial budget to ensure that work begins immediately upon the passage of this budget to restore the seat of the first branch of government.”

According to him, the proposed allocation towards the Capitol Building is an additional space created by the committee ahead of the passage of the draft national budget.

Reactions

But the decision taken by the Senate, through its relevant committee to propose US$1.8M for the renovation of a portion of the Capitol Building after it was gutted by fire has sparked mixed reactions among Liberians.

Many citizens believe that salaries of lawmakers, especially members of the House of Representatives should be slashed and dedicated portions go towards the renovation works because the ongoing leadership crisis at the House was one of the root causes for the mysterious fire at the Capitol Building.

They questioned how the Senate Committee on Ways, Means, Finance and Budget derived the initial US$1.8M for the renovation of the damaged portion of the Capitol Building.

Adolphus McCritty, President of the Liberia Institute of Architects stated: “How in the world can you attach a budget for repairs if the damage has not been assessed, and a dollar value attached to the cost of repairs? Something smells fishy here.”

“1.8Million to reconstruct a chamber while students of the state-run university are out of school for a semester now. Are we serious about the future of this country?”, Newon Geepea stated.

Orson G. Gonsahn noted: “Let their salaries be deducted for the rehabilitation.”

“That money should be paid by those noisemakers, not taxpayers’ money,” Elijah M. Dabor, Jr stated.

Momodu Pascal Balo Parker believed that as a result of the proposal from the committee, the ongoing investigation launched into the fire incident by the government, through joint security would not yield fruitful results.

He questioned the failure of authorities of the National Legislature to ensure the mounting of Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) at the grounds of the Capitol Building in Monrovia.

“Hmmm! The whole investigation is a complete vlah [for nothing talk]. Allocation of US$1.8M is what exactly? I’m not surprised as everything will yield no fruit because the GOL can’t provide footage of anything that happened before and after the incident. Imagine the Capitol Building has no CCTV camera.”

Amelia Cooper writes: ” I wonder if they knew about the fire to have included that amount so!! Could they be the first suspect?”

“How was the proposed renovation cost determined in less than 48 hours after the fire incident when no assessment of the damage had been done? Vita Ishmael Tue inquired.

Aloysius Namue stated: “The National Budget has become a cash cow for a very few handful of individuals. Another avenue is being created for them to siphon.

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On the other hand, few other citizens hailed the move made by the committee to allocate taxpayers’ monies to carry out developmental projects, instead of those monies ending up in the pockets of few public officials.

“All the money they’ve been stealing is all taxpayers money so what are you people talking about? The corruption that is going on in Liberia is your tax money they are stealing. It is better to use your tax money for renovation of the Capitol Building than for them to be stealing your tax money and putting it in their pockets and you think is not your tax money they are stealing-you are lying my brothers-that is your tax money those people are stealing in that Capitol Building. So if you don’t know, you know now,” Joseph Joetoe stated.

Vatorma Zakpa noted: “If we the taxpayers can take care of Joe Boakai and his family, why not this?”

“So where do you think the money should come from,” Jeremiah Tarnue Kpadeh inquired.

Though the proposal from the Senate Committee would be made in good faith ahead of President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s second State of the Nation Address (SONA), citizens are expressing concerns over accountability and transparency in the execution of the project.

They do not want the Capitol Building renovation project to be a replica of the Executive Mansion project where millions of dollars were allocated for its renovation after it gutted fire on July 26, 2006, but the project remains uncompleted or enriches a selective few in the legislative and executive branches of the Liberian governments.

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