Obama Describes Ellen A Friend

Photo: Liberia Government

President Sirleaf being received at the U.S. Department of Defense

U.S. President Barrack Obama has described President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as a friend and ally of the United States of America and committed his government to supporting Liberia with its post-Ebola Recovery Plan.

A Dispatch from Washington, D. C., says the American President made the disclosure during a media stakeout with President Sirleaf at the White House before a private bilateral meeting at the Oval Office on Friday, February 27, 2015.

He noted that Liberia and the United States of America have an extraordinary bond of friendship.

President Obama recalled Liberia's brutal civil war that killed thousands of people and how the Sirleaf-led administration has worked to revive the once destroyed and ravished nation to an unprecedented level of progress, and that she came into office under some of the most challenging of circumstances.

He added that 2014 was a difficult year for Liberia, but that President Sirleaf's extraordinary leadership proved a difference in making the situation what it is now.

"Let express my condolences for the lives lost and the role of the leadership of Liberia, healthcare workers, community leaders, the Liberian people and international partners that have reduced the effect of the Ebola virus to about 95%," President Obama indicated, adding that the job is not done yet because Guinea and Sierra Leone still have more to do.

President Obama stressed that the courageous and extraordinary leadership of President Sirleaf averted a catastrophe that threatened the world and that the United States was proud of its overall involvement and the role of its military and other international health care workers, what could have been a devastating catastrophe has now been brought under control.

"Normal life has returned to Liberia. Children are back in school. Soccer matches are once again being played. Economic activities are resuming and businesses are reopening due to the progress made by President Sirleaf's leadership," the US President said; adding that he is proud of what Liberia has accomplished and proud of the Liberian Government and the President's leadership.

He assured President Sirleaf that he will work with her government to restart and strengthen the economy, build infrastructures and help implement previous development goals already set by the Sirleaf-led Government, He was also keen on knowing how the U.S. can be of help.

"We are looking at the return of the Peace Corps, ensure the process to reduce corruption, deliver basic services, etc. This is the kind of partnership we are concerned about," President Obama stressed.

He noted that the Liberian President has solidified democracy and worked to reduce corruption,

For her part, President Sirleaf thanked President Obama for the kind words about her and the Liberian administration and indicated that she was in the U.S. to say thanks to President Obama, the U.S. Congress and the American people and institutions on behalf of the Liberian people.

"I recalled when the United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, called for world's action at a Special Meeting, President Obama and the United States was there for us. President Obama gave a global clarion call for the world to act...http://allafrica.com/stories/201503022007.html

Obama Promises Liberia More Ebola Assistance

(Bloomberg) -- President Barack Obama told Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf that while the Ebola crisis in western Africa has receded the U.S. will continue attempts to fully supress the epidemic and help Liberia’s economy recover.

The two were meeting at the White House Friday to discuss work to keep Ebola at bay and to help Liberia rebound from the ravages of the virus, which also struck in Guinea and Sierra Leone.

“We’re very interested to hear how we can be helpful,” Obama said at the start of the meeting in the Oval Office. “We know that your job is not yet done, but it shows what can be accomplished when you’ve got strong international partners on the ground.”

Johnson Sirleaf said the medical aid and U.S. military personnel who were sent to the region sent “a strong message to the Liberian people that the United States was with us.” While the number of new Ebola cases has declined, “we all remain under threat.”

The Liberian leader visited Washington as her country recovers from an Ebola epidemic that killed more than 3,600 people there last year. In a speech Wednesday to members of Congress, she recalled making personal phone calls to lawmakers last August begging for help to stem Ebola.

By the end of April, only about 100 of the 2,800 U.S. troops that had been deployed to help with the Ebola fight will remain in western Africa.

Liberia is still emerging from the economic freeze that Ebola brought. Annual economic growth in Liberia fell to less than 1 percent last year compared with a projected 5.9 percent because of Ebola, Johnson Sirleaf has said.

On Feb. 22, she lifted the curfew she’d imposed during the epidemic and reopened international borders that had been closed.

The leaders of Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, the three countries that bore the brunt of the Ebola epidemic, this month set a target to have no infections within 60 days.

To contact the reporter on this story: Angela Greiling Keane in Washington atagreilingkea@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Craig Gordon atcgordon39@bloomberg.net Joe Sobczyk, Michael Shepard

Time to Fire More, Madam President

By Jay Nagbe Sloh aka "Son of the President"

townchief@aol.com/(231) 886-315-022

In an overdue action on Monday, President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf fired controversial Auditor-General Robert Kilby and General Services Agency Director-General Pearine Davis-Pakinson. The two very arrogant officials were fired for proven rampant corruption. At the end of her statement firing the corrupt officials, the President made this clarion call on all of us, her fellow Liberians: “Join me in our continued fight against corruption.” Adhering to this call, I offer the following thoughts:

First, I salute the President for the action. However, I humbly plead with her to go further than just the dismissal. The corrupt pair should be prosecuted and punished under Liberian law as a deterrence for others.

War on corruption

Since declaring corruption “public enemy number one” and announcing a war on the disease in her 2006 inaugural speech, President Sirleaf has created many corruption-fighting institutions and structures which, if fully utilized, will eventually curtail or totally stop corruption in Liberia.

The General Auditing Commission, the Anti-Corruption Commission, the Public Procurement and Concessions Commission, LEITI, are among excellent anti-graft traps the President has put in place. For these, I hail the Liberian leader, of whom I have maintained high respect since her days as Liberia’s Finance Minister in the late 70’s.

However, the President has not achieved much on the punishment side of her war against corruption. This is why Monday’s firings, although very belated, are heart-warming news. It is better late than never!

The actions announced by the President Monday remind and reassure Liberians and our partners in progress that the “iron” in the Madam is still alive and warm. It only needs to be made hot and extensive.

Kilby-Pearine gravy train

For some time now, the FrontPageAfrica newspaper has been unleashing strains of corrupt deals involving Kilby and Pearine (both flamboyant and arrogant), dating as far back as Pearine’s days in the President’s office as Deputy Minister of State for Administration. From media reports, it is the anti-corruption structure the President has put in place that caught this pair. Our hearts go out to the PPCC for exposing this pair. What remains to be seen now is the indictment of the pair by the Ministry of Justice.

Public Works Ministry’s Victor Smith

The President also suspended, “pending an investigation,” the Deputy Minister of Public Works for Operations, Mr. Victor Smith, for “failure to adhere to the public procurement and financial rules of the Government as relates to the awarding of construction contracts.”

I think Mr. Smith should also be fired, with immediate effect, because the President, by her statement, is convinced that Smith awarded contract(s) in clear “violation of the public procurement and financial rules of the Government as it relates to the awarding of construction contracts.” With this statement, I see nothing to investigate in the Smith case. He, too, must go.

The burdens of corruption

This Government has made several strides in economic development, attracting some US$16 billion foreign investment to Liberia in the past six years. However, corruption remains a national burden.

Interestingly, poor Liberians bear a considerable and disproportionate share of the corruption burden. Poor Liberians face outright exclusion when access to public goods and services require a bribe. Given their lack of voice or political influence, the poor – in most instances – are even required to pay more than people with higher incomes.

Although richer Liberians and foreigners are more likely to pay bribes, the burden of corruption—measured as the fraction of income paid in bribes—is much greater for the poor. Moreover, when corruption results in shoddy public services, the p

oor have no options and cannot turn to the private sector (e.g., private schools, hospitals, transportation, etc).

Corruption in Liberia hurts poor Liberians disproportionately and increases income inequality because it allows particular individuals or groups to take advantage of state activities at the cost of the rest of us. This is why we applaud the “Iron Lady” and urge her to do more – name, shame, arrest, and prosecute the corrupt!

Corruption in Liberia is deeply entrenched and many citizens believe it is uncontrollable. That’s why Liberians must accept the President’s invitation to help her advance the fight against corruption. Liberians with expertise on how to effectively investigate and prosecute allegations of public corruption and on how to pursue the recovery of the proceeds of corruption should step up to the plate and holf the President’s feet to the fire on her call for our participation.

The effects of corruption

The billions and millions we lose to corruption every year are not only measured in terms of squandered or stolen government resources, but in the lack of public funding for critical needs. Imagine the hospitals and schools that could be built with those stolen dollars. Corruption and its social costs limit the Government's ability to undertake political, social, and economic development.

The President is fully aware that pervasive corruption is a severe impediment to our national development and security objectives. That’s why she continues to challenge Liberians to join her in bringing greater transparency and accountability to our government, thus making it harder for officials to steal from state coffers -- and to strengthen the efforts of citizens to hold their government accountable.

Role of our prosecutors and investigators

Our prosecutors and investigators have a critical role to play in the fight against corruption. They must provide forums for the promotion of anti-corruption activities, exchange of corruption information, and they must prosecute suspected corrupt officials. The President and her corruption-figting team must pursue corruption across the board, not just the little ones. Currently, we have no confidence in our criminal justice system because we do not see successful convictions of corruption cases.

OTHER OFFICIALS TO FIRE

The Minister of Health & Social Welfare must go. This is long, long overdue. This old man has got absolutely nothing to show for the hundreds of millions of United States dollars pumped into the Health Ministry by the Liberian Government and donors over the years. Our hospitals and clinics remain death traps. Dr. Walter Gwenigale remains indicted for wrong-doing by an audit of the Ministry, conducted by the General Auditing Commission.

Besides the Jackson F. Doe Memorial Referral Hospital in Nimba County, which is surviving strictly on the exceptional administrative skills of Dr. Francis Kateh and his team, all other public hospitals and clinics remain death traps for poor Liberians while millions of dollars are pumped into the Health Ministry under this man’s watch. What we are doing with this very old man in these modern days is, in the first place, the US$64 million question.

By the way, where are the results of the “performance contract” that this minister signed with the President last year? It was publicized. We need to know the results.

The Minister of Education must go and go now if our educational system should improve from the “complete mess” nomenclature that President Sirleaf rightly ascribed to it recently. Few months ago, President Sirleaf referred to the Education system as a “complete mess.” As a corrective measure, the President fired all Deputy Ministers of Education. Interestingly, she did not touch the “captain” (minister) of the failed ship, Ms. Edmonia Tarpeh. Therefore, the education system remains a complete mess. Majority of our college graduates cannot write a simple love letter. Now, for a Ministry that receives over US$50 million annually in Government and donor funding to perform this dismally beats my understanding. The departure of Minister Tarpeh is long, long, long overdue, and can no longer continue being on hold. The President should wear her “iron lady” jacket and retire the Minister. She must go now! This lady has shown absolutely nothing for the hundreds of millions of United States dollars pumped into the Education Ministry by the Liberian Government and donors. We see no achievement and no new idea at the Ministry. One wonders where all of the dollars pumped into the education sector is going. What we are doing with this very old woman in these modern days is, in the first place, the US$64 million question. The green light is lit. She must retire now, and give way to fresh ideas and productive skills.

By the way, where are the results of the “performance contract” that this minister signed with the President last year? It was publicized. We need the results.

The Minister of Justice is another excess baggage of the president that must be off-loaded without any further delay. As corruption sucks out millions and billions of dollars from public service, the Minister who should be the frontline commander in the President’s war on corruption is apparently sleeping. The Justice Ministry is missing in action in the President’s war on corruption. As a result, there has been no casualty or prisoner of this war.

Besides her office, cars, and bodyguards, Minister Christiana Harmon-Tarr has shown nothing else to prove she is THE Minister of Justice, attorney-general, and frontline commander in the President’s war on corruption.

Many audit reports from various ministries and agencies provide probable causes for indebt investigations and possible prosecution. But the Minister has all of the legal justifications in the world not to go after anyone. Either this lady does not know what to do or she lacks the will to do what is right. In either case, Liberia does not need a sleeping justice Minister in the wake of rampant corruption. As such, the President should wear her “iron lady” jacket and fire the Minister. She must go now! This lady has shown absolutely nothing for the hundreds of millions of United States dollars pumped into the criminal justice system by the Liberian Government and donors. We see no achievement and no new idea at the Ministry. One wonders where all of the dollars pumped into the education sector is going. What we are doing with this sleeping minister in these hot days is, in the first place, the US$64 million question. The green light is lit. She must go now, and give way to fresh ideas and productive skills.

By the way, where are the results of the “performance contract” that this minister signed with the President last year? It was publicized. We need the results.

The departure of the Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Florence Chenowealth, is long, long overdue. She must go now! This lady has shown absolutely nothing for the hundreds of millions of United States dollars pumped into the Agriculture Ministry by the Liberian Government and donors over the years. We see no achievement and no new idea at the Agriculture Ministry. We continue to depend on imported food for our survival. One wonders where all of the dollars pumped into the Agriculture sector is going. Also, Dr. Chenowealth co-signed the controversial PUPs that led to the firing of then FDA managing director Moses Wogbeh and others. Why she is still keeping her job is the US$100 million question everyone seeks answer for. What we are doing with this very old woman in these modern days is, in the first place, the US$64 million question. The greenlight is lit. She must retire now, and give way to fresh ideas and productive skills.

By the way, where are the results of the “performance contract” that this minister signed with the President last year? It was publicized. We need the results.

More on other non-performing ministers and heads of agencies in our next article. Keep tuned!

LPP Members in America Endorse Wilson Tarpeh for Liberian Senate

... Montserrado by-election to cost US$1.2 million

by Jay Nagbe Sloh
Managing Editor

Philadelphia, 10/13/09 (SIS) - The United States branch of the opposition Liberian People's Party (LPP) has unanimously endorsed Professor Wilson Kargioh Tarpeh, the candidate jointly being fielded by LPP and the United People's Party (UPP), in the ensuing Montserrado County senatorial by-election, slated for November 10, 2009. Tarpeh faces 11 other candidates, including former presidential contender Alhaji Gohee Vamuyan Kromah.

The branch says it will work closely with its mother party in Liberia and Professor Tarpeh's campaign committee - within the confines of the Elections Law and Constitution of Liberia - to ensure victory for the candidate.

U.S.-based LPP partisans have been holding meetings and plotting strategies to ensure victory for Tarpeh, who finished 4th for the same Monstserrado senatorial election in 2005. LPP-USA spokesman George Hina Willie Kpator says another LPP teleconference meeting is scheduled for this Friday, October 17, 2009, to put finishing touches to their action plan in support of Professor Tarpeh.

The National Elections Commission (NEC), working with key international partners, will conducting a by-election to fill the vacancy created in the Liberian Senate by the death of junior senator Hannah G. Brent.
Montserrado, currently Liberia's most populous county, has a territorial area of 737 square miles (1,909 square kilometers). It has 14 electoral districts, 496,508 registered voters, 280 voting precincts, and 989 polling places.
NEC say's the ensuing Montserrado by-election will cost 1.2 million United States dollars.
NEC has two magisterial areas in Montserrado. Messrs. Vopea Gongloe and James Cordor are the Elections Magistrates the county.

Since 2005, NEC has conducted five by-elections to fill in vacancies in the House of Representatives and two senatorial by-elections. This is the third senatorial by-election since 2005.

Fussing Over Morlu-Obama Meeting

By Jay Nagbe Sloh
Managing Editor
Sloh Information Service

Introduction
On Monday, July 13, 2009, the United States Embassy near Monrovia issued a press release in which it "categorically denied" that the head of the Forum for the Establishment of a War Crimes Court in Liberia, Mr. Mulbah Morlu, met with President Barack Obama in Accra, Ghana, last Saturday as Morlu claimed. The Embassy said: “There was no such meeting or conversation between the two men”.

Before the Embassy’s clarification, FrontPageAfrica, an online media outlet, reported on July 12, 2009 that Mr. Morlu and the Executive Mansion were "embroiled in exchanges" over Morlu's claim he met with President Obama in Accra, Ghana, on Saturday, July 11, 2009. It quoted Morlu as saying he held20a six-minute discussion with Obama who was in Ghana on his first visit to sub-saharan Africa as President of America. However, Liberian President Ellen Sirleaf, shun by the Obama Administration since Obama took office last January, jumped into disputing Morlu's claim of meeting with Obama. FrontPageAfrica quoted her spokesman, Cyrus Badio, as describing Morlu’s claim of the meeting as false. Dr. Abdullah Dukule and other Liberians, either paid and/or sympathetic to the Sirleaf Government, also joined the President's chorus refuting Morlu's claim.

Before and after the Embassy’s clarification, the exchanges between Morlu (on one side) and the Mansion and its agents (on the other hand) had raised more concerns and questions than answers: Did Morlu meet with Obama? Who arranged the meeting? Where - exactly - in Accra was it held? Why would the President of Liberia abandon burning national issues, such as her current indictment by the TRC, to worry about a Liberian citizen's meeting with the head of a foreign government?

Reputation of Morlu and his organization
Credibility is the first requirement in the human rights business. As such, we hold human righ ts organizations and their officers, such as Morlu and his group, responsible for what they write, say, and/or publish. The Embassy's refutation of Morlu's claim dwarfs any ounce of reputation he and his group may have built locally and internationally. It questions the legitimacy of its past activities and public statements while seriously eroding public trust in the group and its officers for the future.

Morlu's statement really sounded so believable that the denial from the American Government now reminds me about one kind of liar Bishop Marwiah once spoke about on Liberian television. He said this kind of liar (I have forgotten the exact name) works so smartly that even his/her victims would believe him/her. Morlu did not only claiming a meeting, he also attached a timeline to his "meeting" with Obama - claiming it took six minutes. Listen to him: "I can tell you for sure, I met President Obama on Saturday in Accra, Ghana, the purpose for which we flew to that country. People who are saying that we did not meet Obama are ashamed because you can remember sometime ago Madam Sirleaf left this country and stayed over a month in America lobbying to see Obama but to no avail. They are ashamed that a little advocate like me was able to meet Obama” (FrontPageAfrica.com, July 12, 2009)."

Although I had no information to conclude that this guy was telling the truth, he came across truthful (and the American Government was still mute on his claim) that I told a friend it would take more than expression of mere "doubts" by the President and her agents to block him out of believability. On one hand, Morlu had made his claim, and he appeared not to care whether or not anyone - the Liberian Government in particular - believed his claim. After all, he was representing his organization, not anyone else (especially those doubting him). On the other hand, the Liberian Government was accusing him of lying.

Under the law, I thought (rightly so) that the burden of proof lied on the shoulders of the accusers, the Liberian Government and its agents thought, and I still believe, that the Liberian Government had a responsibility to convince us, through the preponderance of evidence, that the "meeting" was a hoax. The U.S. Embassy has done the accuser's job for them. So, now that the cat is out of the bag, the honorable thing for Morlu and his group to do is to immediately apologize to the U.S. Government publicly and shut down their operations because no one would trust and/or believe them anymore. A lesser way out is for Morlu to resign or be fired, unless he is the sole owner as is the case with many brief-case organizations.

Meeting arrangement
I was not really concerned about who arranged the meeting. Firstly, the name of the person who arranged the "meeting" and the channel of the arrangement were, in my view, irrelevant than whether it actually took place. I cared les s because if a meeting took place between two parties, any of them could have arranged it directly with the other or through third parties. Interestingly, the U.S. Government - whose current Ambassador is a proven expert on current events - had not refuted Morlu's claim.

When FrontPageAfrica asked Morlu who arranged the meeting, he told them that he wrote President Obama in January this year, requesting a meeting with him to justify his request for the United States to support the establishment of a war crimes court in Liberia. “We have people in Washington who are members of the Forum for the Establishment for War Crimes Court in Liberia. So when I wrote President Obama, they have been following up on the letter and our meeting with President Obama, but for their security, I will not call names now,” Morlu continued.

He claimed he received confirmation to meet with President Obama before Obama made the trip to Africa. For me, that was enough information to answer this question. In addition to how Morlu claims his meeting was arranged, I also know that there could have been other sources who arranged the meeting. U.S. diplomacy works in many ways and manners that, sometimes, only those associated with particular events/issues know about them.

The current U.S. Ambassador in Liberia is very, very friendly and sympathetic to private organizations like the one Mulbah heads. She COULD (key word) and may have arranged a private meeting between Mulbah and Obama directly or through the State Department, the White House itself, or her counterpart (American Ambassador in Ghana)? You bet!

Did Charles Taylor actually break jail in these United States where I have lived for 12 years now? No way! American diplomacy released him and unleashed him onto Liberia. Also, the Doe Government alleged, and it is widely believed, that American diplomacy surreptitiously took Quiwonkpa out of Liberia in a "suitcase" and safely landed his entire family in America before he returned in 1985 with his failed "patriotic forces."

Additionally, it is widely believed that American diplomacy split Prince Johnson and Taylor in the bushes and "gave" Johnson intelligence and communication equipment linked to the U.S. embassy. I am sure we still remember "Tango" cutting Samuel Doe's ears on September 9, 1990 and he calling "sunshine" to "speak with Mr. Porter or the Ambassador" for instruction on what to do with Doe. Mr. Porter was then the political officer at the U.S. Embassy.

As Morlu rightly said, the Sirleaf Government has not entered the Obama Government's radar of friendship. President Sirleaf, who visited George Bush's White House and met with Bush several times in a short period, has reportedly made several unsuccessful attempts to see Obama. In fact, Bush visited Monrovia before leaving office. His wife, Laura, and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice earlier attended Sirleaf's inauguration in January, 2006. When the White House announced the President was planning a visit to Africa, the Sirleaf Government unsuccessfully tried to pull him into Monrovia.

I mention these to make the point that the same reasons that keep Ellen and Barrack apart could be the very same reasons that could (key word) inform and engineer Barrack's friendship with a so-called anti-Ellen figure like Morlu, Jay Nagbe Sloh, or Dennis Jah. In fact, Barrack is a human who has feelings that can be hurt. In the early stage of the last American presidential race, Ellen came to Washington, and publicly endorsed Hilary Clinton over six other democrats, claiming women made better leaders than men. I wonder where she drew that untested opinion.

Even George Bush, I am sure, was surprised by the endorsement. I am sure, considering his loose friendship with Ellen, that he expected her to either be neutral or quiet (as diplomacy requires) or endorse Bush's choice (which he had not made at the time). To help Obama make his case of not wanting to meet with Ellen, his Government has a policy of not doing any business with a corrupt and brutal Government. Ellen's Government is guilty of both. Rampant corruption is the order of the day in Liberia. Morlu was still nursing wounds of police brutality when he "met" with Obama.

With all of these, anyone could have arranged the meeting, and Obama would have been expected to be open to such meeting. Meeting venueI had very little interest in knowing the exact location of the meeting because: (1) If they actually met, the meeting could have been held anywhere in Accra where Obama was; (2) More so, not every activity of Obama in Ghana was public; (3) Obama's arrival and departure were both in the night hours, and the meeting could have taken place during those hours; (4) Obama spent some time at his Embassy in Ghana and slept in some structure in Ghana. They could have met at any of these places. Above all, I believed, and I still think, that it is the right of both parties to keep the details of their meeting private.

Liberian President's involvement
FrontPageAfrica reported (July 12, 2009): "Presidential Press Secretary Cyrus Baddio Sunday phoned FrontPageAfrica to ascertain the source of the information regarding Morlu’s meeting with Obama going as far as to doubt the authenticity of the information. Pressed as to what sources the government was relying on to disprove Morlu's claims, Badio de clined to offer a response. But said the Executive Mansion ha d information that Morlu's meeting with Obama never took place. Another figure closed to the Executive Mansion media circle, Abdoulaye Dukule, emailed an article to FPA in which he declared that Morlu is not saying the truth concerning his pronounced meeting with President Obama."

Although the U.S. Government has now refuted Morlu's claim and we know he lied, I still do not understand the Liberian Government's involvement in this "you say, I say." Let's agree that Morlu was "blowing his own air "about meeting with the U.S. President as the truth has revealed. Or, better still, let us assume that the meeting actually took place. What makes either case the Liberian Government's business that its officials, paid with tax payer dollars, spend sleepless nights and government funds fighting to disprove it? Did Morlu use Government resources on the trip? Was Morlu a functionary of the Government when he "met" with Obama?

Why would the President of Liberia abandon burning national issues, such as her current indictment by the TRC, to worry about a Liberian citizen's private meeting with the head of a foreign government? Why would the President of Liberia abandon burning national issues, such as rampant corruption and escalating armed robbery, to worry about a Liberian citizen's private meeting with the head of a foreign government? Why would the President of Liberia abandon burning national issues, such as the lack of electricity and safe drinking water, to worry about a Liberian citizen's private meeting with the head of a foreign government?

Why would the President of Liberia abandon burning national issues, such as death traps sitting around Liberia calling themselves health care facilities, to worry about a Liberian citizen's private meeting with the head of a foreign government? I want to know why the President of Liberia would abandon burning national issues, such as mountains of dirt in and around Monrovia, to worry about a Liberian citizen's private meeting with the head of a foreign government. Instead of President Sirleaf and her mouth-pieces abandoning burning national issues, such as lack of quality education, to worry about a Liberian citizen's private meeting with the head of a foreign government, some of us want to know where the Liberian Government spends the millions of U.S. and Liberian dollars it gets from taxes and grants that Liberia now has to rely upon the goodwill of the Chinese Government to pave our roads and build other infrastructure.

Involvement of Ellen's surrogates
One of the Liberian Government's surrogates, Dr. Abdoulaye W. Dukulé, who is said to be one of the Government's highly paid agents abroad, refuting Morlu's claim of the meeting, said : “We will not go as far asking about Mr. Morlu’s commitment to his cause. It seems to be the only thing he does, day in day out. Just like a few people in Liberia have turned “Standard Bearer and Presidential Candidate” into a profession, Mr. Morlu seems to have no other job but to call attention to his cause: the institution of a war crime tribunal in Liberia. How far will he go to be taken seriously? He has been arrested on numerous occasions and released, just as people get arrested and released in Washington, DC, on a daily basis when protesting for cause. Some time back in 2008, he was arrested by calling President Sirleaf a rebel and asking for her resignation and prosecution. The President, out of the country at the time, ordered that his release as soon as she returned home... On the day foreign dignitaries were coming to Liberia for the International Women Colloquium, he called for a demonstration against Mrs. Sirleaf. He has been relentless. Meeting US President Obama would have been the icing on the cake” (FrontPageAfrica, July 12, 2009).

What is the connection between Morlu's claim he met with Obama and this tirade? Of all the irrelevant questions Dukule asked in his article, published by the Liberian Journal, this one is funny: "To what extend would some people go in our current fragile situation to make a name for themselves and a few bucks?" How many "bucks" has he not made from the Liberian Government for public relations campaigns that have generated no positive result for a Government buried under rampant corruption? Or he wants us to believe that he is the only one for whom "few bucks" are justified. Dr. Dukule sits in his "glass house" and wants to throw stones. We are told that John Morlu's audit reports contain his name for heavy payments for public relations. Can the same be said about Mulbah Morlu? I hope so.

Conclusion
I believe the Liberian Government should shut up about Morlu's "meeting" with Obama and concentrate on the work for which it was "elected." After all, meetings between private Liberian citizens and foreign governments are not the Liberian Government's business. There are many pressing national issues that the Government needs to address instead of wasting our money on who private Liberians dine with. As I said earlier, the time has come for Morlu to the honorable thing: Resign or dissolve the group and find place to sit down since you no longer have any credibility.About the author: Jay Nagbe Sloh is a Lierian journalist who has worked for several Liberian and foreign media organizations. He can be reached at townchief@aol.com, slohinfoservice@aol.com, or 267 679 4455.

Harry Greaves Compares Two LPRC Contracts

COMPARISON OF MEG CONTRACT AND ZAKHEM CONTRACT

On October 13, 2005, then-Managing Director Edwin M. Snowe Jr. signed a US$12 million contract with Mechanical Engineering Group for certain renovation work to the Bushrod Island Product Storage Terminal (the MEG contract).
On April 18, 2006, Managing Director Harry A. Greaves Jr. notified MEG that the LPRC Board of Directors, having reviewed the matter, had declared the MEG contract to be null and void because the contract had never been approved by the LPRC Board and the contract had numerous substantive and procedural deficiencies.

On May 1, 2009, following a two-year international competitive bidding process, LPRC entered into a US$24.8 million contract with Zakhem International Construction Ltd for the renovation of the Product Storage Terminal (the Zakhem contract). MEG was one of five companies pre-qualified to bid but withdrew at the last minute because they were unable to meet our stringent “stipulated terms and conditions and in particular those pertaining to advance payment, performance security, bid bond and timing of (contract) payment terms” (direct quote from September 10, 2008 email message from MEG general manager).

The Zakhem contract price tag of US$24.8 million includes US$13.7 million of improve-ments over the MEG contract necessary to bring the terminal up to international standards. When inflation is factored in for cost changes between 2005 and 2009, the Zakhem contract is actually US$1.9 million cheaper than the MEG contract on an “apples-to-apples” basis.
Mr. Snowe's public statements that the two contracts cover the same amount of work are not true. This report compares the most significant differences between the MEG contract and the Zakhem contract.

Concrete foundations Of Existing tanks
The concrete foundations on which the existing tanks sit are all in severely deteriorated condition and need to be replaced. This is a major part of the terminal renovations.
Under the Zakhem contract the existing tanks will be jacked up, the existing foundations will be removed, and new concrete foundations will be installed. The MEG contract provided for only partial repairs, without using a lifting procedure for the tanks to be rehabilitated, including Texaco tanks 5, 6 and 8, and Mobil tanks 402, 403, 404, 405, 406, 407 and 408.
Under the MEG contract, no repairs were prescribed for the foundations of tank numbers 1, 2, 7 and 401.

No quantification of the magnitude of repair work is specified in the MEG contract. But it is clear that the very small amounts budgeted by MEG indicate that the intent was to perform superficial patch work only.
This difference alone rendered the MEG specification unacceptable for LPRC’s needs. In contrast, the Zakhem contract provides for a full replacement of all the foundations.

API TESTING OF TANKS:
The repair procedures on existing tanks and the construction of new tanks require a testing procedure according to American Petroleum Institute (API) standards. These tests include filling the tanks completely with water and inspecting and testing them to insure structural integrity and to prevent leakage.
The MEG contract did not provide for these tests to be performed on any of the tanks. Under the Zakhem contract, each tank will be API tested.

Bottom Material Disposal
The rehabilitation work to be conducted on existing tanks, including the repair or renewal of tank bottoms, will require the removal of accumulations of scale, water and oily material. The removal and disposal of this material and other debris represents a costly procedure.
The MEG contract did not include costs to perform this operation on any tank. The Zakhem contract provides for this work.

TANK FLOOR RENEWAL OF EXISTING TANKS
It is expected that all the existing tank floors will require full renewal of the floor plates due to the age of the terminal and occasional inspections of several tanks in the past.
This is provided for in the Zakhem contract. The MEG contract only covered costs for sand blasting and coating of the tank floors.

FLOATING INTERIOR COVERS FOR GASOLINE TANKS
Floating covers are required on the existing gasoline tanks to reduce ongoing costly evaporation losses. Installations of these covers are included in the Zakhem contract. The MEG contract does not include floating covers for gasoline tanks 403, 404 and 407.

NEW ROOFS FOR EXISTING TANKS
All of the existing tank roofs require full renewal due to the age of the terminal and occasional past inspections of several tanks. The Zakhem contract provides for full roof replacement. The MEG contract included costs for only partial replacement of individual damaged roof plates, without quantifying the extent of plate replacement.

NEW STORAGE TANKS
Three new tanks with a total capacity of 25,400 cubic meters are required to insure security of supply for the country, as demand increases over the years.
The Zakhem contract budgeted for this necessary extra capacity. The MEG contract included costs for only two new storage tanks (nos 3 and 4), with a total capacity of only 15, 400 cubic meters.

Tank field PIPES, VALVES AND ACCESSORIES
A full renewal of the entire piping network is required in both the Mobil and the Texaco tank fields, due to damaged conditions and inefficient operational procedures. The Zakhem contract provides for this new piping. The MEG contract has included costs for only partial refurbishment.”
The quantity discrepancies are as follows:
q 4 inch lines: 350 meters by MEG versus 700 meters by Zakhem
q 6 inch lines: 1250 meters by MEG versus 1000 meters by Zakhem
q 8 inch lines: 450 meters by MEG versus 800 meters by Zakhem
Further, unlike the Zakhem contract, the MEG contract did not include any costs for the required pipe racks, gate valves and flanges or the essential pressure testing procedures for the piping. The MEG contract also failed to include necessary sand blasting and epoxy coatings of the pipes.

SUPPLY PIPELINES FROM THE JETTY
Three separate 700 meter long pipelines with 8, 10 and 12 inch diameters are needed to carry jet/kerosene, gasoline and diesel products, respectively, from the end of the jetty into the terminal. The MEG contract covered the costs for 4500 meters of 8 inch pipe for three pipelines running from the tank farm to the jetty platform, including the length of lines on the jetty itself. This is greater in scope than is required. The 2,100 meters of 8, 10, and 12 inch pipe included in the Zakhem contract is roughly equivalent in installed cost to 2,400 meters of 8 inch pipe.
Extra costs for 4,500 meters minus 2,100m = 2,400m of 8 inch line at an average cost of $420 per meter (calculated in accordance to MEG bid cost) were estimated. MEG has also included pipeline walkway protection amounting to $ 270,000, together with $55,000 for marine hoses.

Adjustments for unnecessary costs in the MEG contract were estimated at $1,498,000 and are deducted from the total MEG bid value for comparison purposes. Supplemental costs for larger pipe diameter in the Zakhem contract were added to the extra cost associated with the 2008 scope of work.

FIRE PROTECTION
A completely new fire water distribution piping network equivalent to 1300 meters is required, accompanied by a fire water tank and adequate pumping capacity.
The MEG contract included a fire water tank capacity of 1,400 cubic meters, compared to a required capacity of 2,158 cubic meters, as is provided for in the Zakhem contract.
The Zakhem contract provides for a 1600 meter 8 inch fire water line to the jetty platform. The MEG contract provided nothing for this.

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
Environmental protection measures were never considered in the MEG contract.
The Zakhem contract responds fully to important soil and water environmental considerations, providing for concrete pads, concrete dykes around tanks, soil preparation and protection within the tank dyke areas, and an API oil-water separator.
None of these protections were in the MEG contract.

SECURITY AND SAFETY
Security and safety devices and equipment were not provided for in the MEG contract.
The Zakhem contract provides extensive floodlighting, including all the electricals and cabling for these, as well as extensive remote surveillance cameras and monitors.

TESTING LABORATORY BUILDING
A new product testing laboratory building is not provided for in the MEG contract. Only the cost of testing equipment is covered.
In contrast, the Zakhem contract provides for the construction of a new 1,000 sq ft laboratory building.

DAMAGES FOR DELAY IN COMPLETION
Notwithstanding the consensus that time is important to this work, the MEG contract provision covering liquidated damages in the event of delay by the contractor in completing the work provided very little protection to LPRC. The MEG contract specified that the liquidated damages to be imposed against the contractor would be at a flat rate of $500 per day: Using a six-day work week, this would have limited the maximum liquidated damages to $3,000 per week. Consequently, under the MEG contract, even a delay as long as an entire year would have entitled LPRC to liquidated damages from MEG of only $156,000.

In contrast, the Zakhem contract creates a strong incentive for the contractor to stay on the completion schedule, with a penalty of US$10,000 per tank for each day of delay.
PAYMENT SCHEDULE AND WORK PROGRESS
The payment terms under the two contracts are very different.

The Zakhem contract provides for a series of progress payments based upon work completed and invoices submitted to and certified as acceptable by LPRC.

In contrast, the MEG contract required LPRC to make a 10% down payment to MEG followed by thirty-three (33) equal monthly installments of US$ 290,779.37 to MEG irrespective of the amount of work completed at each installment due date.

PAYMENT LIEN
The MEG contract established an elaborate mechanism to guarantee payments to MEG that essentially placed payments to MEG as LPRC’s highest priority, ahead of all other creditors and LPRC’s essential operations requirements. Under the MEG contract, anticipated income from LPRC’s top two importers would have been diverted to a special account dedicated for payments to MEG.

The MEG contract required that LPRC issue instructions to West Oil Incorporated and Mobil Oil Liberia Limited (now TOTAL), to deposit into a restricted account at Ecobank Liberia 60% of all sums due to LPRC for maintenance and storage fees for the period of the contract. This restricted account was to be automatically debited in favor of a MEG account at Ecobank for the monthly installments due to MEG under the MEG contract.

There was no cap on the amount of the deposits into this restricted account and thus, it would have been impossible to determine if the sums deposited were proportional to the sums that became due under the MEG Contract.

The MEG contract even provided that Ecobank could create an “overdraft” in the restricted account to insure monthly payments to MEG.

No such provisions are in the Zakhem contract. LPRC will pay Zakhem upon receipt and approval of invoices for work completed.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST
As part of its review of the MEG contract, the new LPRC management discovered that when the MEG contract was signed, 70% of the shares of MEG were owned by Jamal and Ghassan Basma of West Oil, then LPRC’s largest importer of petroleum products. As is noted above, the owners of West Oil were to in effect guarantee to themselves (as owners of MEG) payments on the MEG contract by obtaining a lien against LRPC’s future storage and handling fees from West Oil.

This conflict of interest was never disclosed to LPRC’s Board of Directors, nor to the technical and financial committees established by LPRC to evaluate the bids, nor to the Contracts & Monopolies Commission.

PROFIT GUARANTEE
The MEG contract added a substantial guaranteed contractor’s profit in the event of termination of the contract by LPRC. The MEG contract stated:

“13.5 In the event that the Agreement is terminated by the Contractor because of the default of the Owner, the Contractor shall be entitled to damages that equal the amount outstanding for the cost and value of all works completed and the materials and workmanship furnished plus lost profit of at least 10% of the total Contract price.”

No such provision exists in the Zakhem contract.

AFFORDABILITY OF CONTRACT
The MEG contract was for US$12 million, payable in equal monthly installments over three years after an initial downpayment of US$1.2 million. Before the contract was signed by the then-Managing Director, no cash flow projections were performed to determine whether LPRC could afford such a payment schedule, in addition to paying salaries and operating expenses and meeting its obligations to the government,

A few days before the current Liberian government took office, two payments totaling US$550,000.00 were made by LPRC to MEG. These payment left only US$50,000 in LPRC’s bank account. As consequence of these payments, LPRC was left with insufficient funds to meet its January 2006 payroll. LPRC was required to obtain advances on storage fees from importers in order to fund the January 2006 payroll.

It is abundantly clear that LPRC could not afford the MEG contract when it was signed by the then-Managing Director. Perhaps that is why the MEG contract was never approved by the LPRC Board of Directors.

Since coming into office, the current administration of LPRC has put LPRC on a sound financial footing. Additionally, LPRC has developed a precise plan for funding the Zakhem contract. On March 20, 2009, LPRC’s funding plan was approved by the Minister of Commerce & Industry.

PERMITS
The Zakhem contract provides that the contractor is responsible for obtaining all necessary permits for completing the contracted work. On the other hand, the MEG contract provides that LPRC is responsible for obtaining such permits.

PERFORMANCE SECURITY
The Zakhem contract requires the contractor to secure a performance security equal to 25% of the total contract price (i.e. approximately US$6,000,000).

The MEG contract only required the contractor to secure a performance security equal to 10% of the total contract price (i.e. approximately US$1,200,000). Additionally, this performance bond was discharged upon presentation by MEG and acceptance by LPRC of an invoice in an amount of at least 10% of the contract price, at which point in time there would be no performance security.

COST COMPARISON
The following table summarizes the comparison of costs between the two contracts. Extra costs associated with items covered by the Zakhem contract, but not included under the MEG contract, amount to US$13.758 million in 2009 dollars. Put another way, if the scope of work in the Zakhem contract had been the same as the scope of work in the MEG contract, the cost of the Zakhem contract would have amounted to US$11.058 million in 2009 dollars.

Adjusting this US$11.058 million for the effects of inflation, using construction material cost indices averaging a 29% escalation from mid-2005 to late 2008, results in an estimated cost of US$8.572 million in 2005 dollars for the Zakhem work. Further, adjusting for items covered in the MEG contract but not covered by Zakhem (comprising the jetty/supply pipelines) increases the hypothetical Zakhem contract amount to some US$10.947 million in 2005 dollars or US$1.924 million lower than MEG’s contract amount of US$11.995 million in 2005 dollars.
The bottom line on price is that 1) for the items included in the MEG contract, Zakhem’s price is US$1,924,000 lower than the MEG price for those items and 2) the Zakhem contract provides an additional US$13,757,547 of necessary improvements that were not covered under the MEG contract.

Prepared by Harry A. Greaves, Managing Director, with assistance from legal counsel and technical consultants --- June 15, 2009

My Body Gone, My Soul Remains With You

A farewell note from Michael Jackson aka Jay Nagbe Sloh

My dearest fans worldwide:

After an exciting and memorable stint with this troublesome world, I write to inform you that yesterday was my last day at work. I have left my position as King of Pop Music at Hollywood International, a "company" you and I formed and faiuthfully served over the past 45 years. I bid adieu to you - my children, my brothers, my sisters, other relatives, and - above all - my esteemed fans accross the world. But, before leaving, I wanted to take this opportunity to let you know what a great and distinct pleasure it has been to sing and dance for you throughout my life. For nearly as long as I have worked here, I knew I would leave this company one day, somehow. And, now that this dream has become a reality, please know that I could not have reached this goal without your unending support. No amount of words can express my gratitude for the support expressed in many ways.

Why now?
My body needed rest, and so it is gone to where there is no more sweat, no more tears, no more painful medical drugs, no more suffering. I wanted to do my best in completing my existing responsibilities and then ensuring a smooth transition, but when the Heavenly Father calls, we must answer. He has called, and I must abandon everyone and everything to respond. This decision was not an easy one, and it took a lot of consideration. I really wanted to continue working with this wonderful "company" of ours, including a planned trip to Europe next week. However, He knows best, and I must obey His orders. I think His decision is in the best interest of all of us. Yes, my body is gone from you, but my soul and spirit remain. I have enjoyed the wonderful opportunity of working with you all. During the last 45 years, you all have provided me unflinching support and, through your encouragement and guidance, I have been able to excel easily. With many of you, I have shared a unique camaraderie which I hope will continue in the years to come, eventhough I will not be here with you anymore. I thank God for giving me such a wonderful army of supporters.

Prior notice
I could not give you prior notice of my departure because I, too, did not know His call was coming. But that's how our Father designed it. I am sure He planned it this way because He did not want all of us to suffer cardiac arrest and go together. I believe He wants to meet and greet each of us at different intervals and different times set by Him.

Place for you
I am going to prepare a place where you and I will sing and dance together again sooner than you can imagine. As I move on, I would like to take a moment to remember and cherish our times together. It has been great interacting with each of you in so many ways.

New career
Even though I will miss you all, I beg that you worry not, for I am going to start a new phase of my career - the new challenge of singing and dancing before a bigger and happier audience, which includes our Father who is in Heaven. My new assignment brings forth new challenges and adds more diverse experience to my career.

I am sorry
I admit I was not perfect as a mortal being. As such, I did somethings that anger some people. It was difficult for me to please all. Even Christ, our Savior, could not. But now that I am out of the way, I ask those who held things against me to forgive me and let go their anger. For you, too, I am going to work for a reunion that knows no anger.

Gates of Heaven
I love you all, but I must go now for our Father awaits me at the Gates of Heaven. Please don't bother responding as, at this very moment, I am in my shuttle doing a million miles per hour with the windows down.

See you, not good-bye
Remember, this is not a goodbye. It is only "hasta luego" or "see you later."




BIOGRAPHY of Michael Jackson
Culled from http://www.allmichaeljackson.com/biography.html

The Bio History of Michael Joseph Jackson began when he was born on the 29th of August 1958 in Gary, Indiana. He was the 7th of nine children. (brothers: Sigmund "Jackie", Toriano "Tito", Jermaine, Marlon, Steven "Randy", and sisters Rebbie, Janet and La-Toya JacksonMichael began his musical career at the age of 5 as the lead singer of the Jackson 5 who formed in 1964. In these early years the Jackson 5, Jackie, Jermaine,Tito,Marlon and lead singer Michael played local clubs and bars in Gary Indiana and moving further afield as there talents grew and they could compete in bigger competitions. From these early days Michael would be at the same clubs as big talented stars of there days, such as Jackie Wilson and would be learning from them even back then. In 1968 the Bobby Taylor and The Vancouvers discovered the Jackson five and from there they got an audition for Berry Gordy of Motown Records. The Jackson 5 signed for Motown and moved to California. Their first 4 singles, "I Want You Back", "ABC", "The Love You Save", and "I'll Be There" all made US No1 hits. The Jackson 5 recorded 14 albums and Michael recorded 4 solo albums with Motown. The Jackson 5 stayed with Motown until 1976, wanting more artistic freedom they felt they had to move on and signed up with Epic. The group name Jackson 5 had to be changed as it was owned by Motown, so they reverted to The Jacksons as they had be known in the early days. Brother Jermaine married Berry Gordy's daughter and stayed with Motown. Youngest brother Randy joined in his place. The Jacksons had a number of hit recordsand in total made 6 albums between the years of 1976 and 1984. In 1977 Michael made his first film debut when he starred in the musical 'The Wiz' playing Scarecrow with Diana Ross in the lead role of Dorothy. It was at this time Michael met Quincy Jones who was doing the score for the film. Michael teamed up with Quincey Jones as his producer for his first solo album with Epic Records. The album titled "Off The Wall" was a big success around the world and the first ever album to release a record breaking 4 No1 singles in the US. In 1982 Michael Jackson released the world's largest selling album of all time, 'Thriller'. This album produced 7 hit singles, breaking yet again more records, and went on to sell over 50 million copies worldwide. Michael was keen to use music video or short films as he called them to promote his singles from the album. He worked with the best directors and producers, using the latest technology and special effects.for the hit song 'Billie Jean' The short film 'Thriller' used the latest make-up artists technolgy combined with fantastic dancing and cherography, to produce a 14 minute video, with a start, a middle and an ending. So successful was this video that 'The Making Of Michael Jackson's Thriller' became the world's largest selling home video combined with soaring album sales. In 1983 Michael performed the now legendary moonwalk for the first time on the 'Motown 25 years' anniversary show. This performance alone set Michael undoubtable into the realm of a superstar.
In 1984 Michael won a record breaking 8 Grammy awards in one night. The awards were for his work on the 'Thriller' album and his work on the narrative for the 'ET Storybook'.
On December 9th 1984 at the last concert of the Jackson's Victory Tour, Michael announced he was splitting from the group and going solo.
In 1987 Michael released his much awaited third solo album, titled 'Bad', and lauched his record breaking first solo world tour. 1988, Michael wrote his first autobiography talking for the first time on his childhood and his career. At the end of the 1980s Michael was named 'Artist Of The Decade' for his success off of his 'Thriller' and 'Bad' albums. In 1991 Michael signed with Sony Music the largest ever recording contract and released his fourth solo album, 'Dangerous'. He toured world again in 1992, taking his concerts to countries that had never before been visited by a pop/rock artist. Also Michael founded the 'Heal the World Foundation' to help improve the lives of children across the world. In 1994 Michael married Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of rock legend Elvis Presley. The marriage only lasted for 19 months, as they divorced in 1996. 1995 saw Michael release a fifth solo album, 'HIStory', which was a double album, first half new material and second half half greatest hits. Michael toured again over a legs covering a 2 year period. In between legs of the tour on November 14th 1996, Michael married for his second time to Debbie Rowe who was a nurse that Michael had met in the treatment of his skin pigment disorder. Together they had their first child Prince Michael Joseph Jackson jr born on February 13 1997 and a daughter Paris Michael Katherine Jackson born on April 3rd 1998. In 1997 Michael released the remix album 'Blood On The Dance Floor' which also contained 5 new song linked with a 38min film "Ghosts". This film Michael played 5 roles using the latest special effects and make-up artistry, combined with his dance and music.In September, 2001 Michael celebrated his 30th anniversary as a solo artist with two concerts to be held in New York, USA. Many artists such as Whitney Houston, Usher, Destinys Child, Shaggy and many more performed there own and Michael Jacksons past songs. Michael then reunited with all of his brothers performed there biggest hits. Michael then went onto perform solo some of his biggest hits. In October 2001 Michael released the album 'Invincible' so far releasing only 2 singles including the big hit "You Rock My World". Since the release of this first single the album has been surrounded by rumours of a rift with Sony Music and a clear lack of promotion of the album.