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Headlines
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Written by Nathaniel Mcclain-0886581624
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Tuesday, 08 January 2013 23:59 |
A group of employees of the Forestry Development Authority (FDA) has expressed dismay over the failure of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to dismiss the Chairman of the Board of Directors of FDA, Agriculture Minister Florence Chenoweth in connection with the PUPs’ saga.
The employees said it was unfair for the President to release four senior staff of FDA from their positions for the misuse of the Private Use Permits, while the chief administrative arm of the PUPs still holds onto her position at the Ministry of Agriculture.
The group noted that if the President does not release Minister Chenoweth from her position in keeping with her recent order given to all government officials linked to the misuse of the PUPs, it will be considered as a “cosmetic statement to dismiss native men and keep Americo-Liberians in power.”
Speaking to the In Profile Daily yesterday, the head of the group, Gabriel Thompson observed that the FDA Board’s decision to suspend Minister Chenoweth for one month contradicts the President’s decision to dismiss all those linked to the PUPs’ saga.
The FDA employees argued that based on the UN Panel reports, there is a need for tougher actions, rather than selective actions which they said do not sure any justification.
The UN Panel of experts’ findings in its report submitted to the Security Council on December 4, 2012, indicated an upsurge in the issuance of the Private Use Permits by the FDA , including 17 PUPs covering 1,091,694 hectares of land on 6 October, 2011.
This single day allocation is said to account for 47 percent of the total amount of the land allocated under the PUPs.
In the Panel reports it was stated that the Minister of Agriculture Chenoweth did not sign any of these PUPs’ contracts instead, the Deputy Minister for Technical Affairs, SisiSubah, signed as Procurtionem (“PP”) for the Minister of Agriculture, while FDA Managing Director Moses Wogbeh signed for authority of the state.
Some of the actions of the FDA indicated culpability by some of its officials in cohort with individuals working in logging companies and communities in Liberia.
On these bases, the worker of FDA claimed that the Chairman of the Board of Directors was aware of the misuse of the PUPs and therefore she should be dismissed.
According to the UN Panel reports, the Liberian Government has sustained a financial loss of over 12 million United States dollars, while community leaders also sustained social losses.
Agriculture Minister Chenoweth, when contacted, refused to comment on the matter, but referred In Profile reporter to the President Sirleaf. |
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 08 January 2013 23:49 |
