-Recommend Ways To Reduce Hardship On The People
By Augustine Octavius, augustineoctavius@gmail.com
Thirteen opposition political parties have advanced a ten-count recommendation aimed at reducing the hardship among the ordinary people, in the wake of the implementation of the State of Emergency announced by President Goerge Weah.
Among other things, the 13 opposition parties believe that the starting of the imposition of the state of emergency on Friday, April 10, 2020 did not give the citizens of the country enough time to adjust themselves for the lockdown.
The political parties are the All Liberian Party, the Movement for Economic Empowerment, and the grand old True Wing Party,. Others are People’s Unification Party, the Liberia Restoration Party and the New Liberian Party. .
Others are Movement for Progressive Change, Change Democratic Action, the Victory for Change and the Redemption Democratic Congress. The rest are Grass Root Democratic Party of Liberia, the Democratic Justice Party and the Vision for Liberia Transformation Party.
The opposition community is encouraging the president and the National Legislature to extend the period for the imposition of the state of emergency from Wednesday, April 15, 2020.
“This will enable ordinary Liberians form various religious backgrounds during this Easter break to go into prayer and supplication for God’s blessings at the this crucial time,” the statement said.
According to them, the Liberian government should provide the economic incentives to help Liberians to weather the storm during this emergency period.
The opposition political parties want the government to provide at least two months salaries to civil servants and employees of autonomous agencies.
“We also encourage the private sectors to provide reasonable economic benefits to their employees during the period of the state of emergency.”
They suggested that the government relax for a period of three months on essential commodities imported into the country, especially rice, gasoline, and fuel because this measure will help reduce the retail cost to the consumers.
The opposition politicians informed that government to work with the cell phone companies to relax the tax on the 3-day call bundle for period of 90 days because it will ease the financial burden of Liberians wishing to keep in touch with loved ones during this period.
According to the opposition political parties, the government should also reduce the cost of electricity and water, in order to ensure that these utilities are regular and uninterrupted for the next three months.
Importantly, the statement went on, the government should vigorously discourage hoarding of commodities and price hike by unscrupulous traders and business entities.
They pointed out that stringent fines and jail terms should be imposed on anyone found hoarding goods or profiting at the expense of the ordinary people during the period.
The opposition political parties encouraged the president to allow all media institutions and community radio stations throughout the country to be accredited in order to operate freely with the appropriate staff.
The press statement urged the government to also strengthen border patrols and localize contact tracing strategies to curtail the spread of the corona virus.
The called on the government and international partners to pay particular attention to doctors, nurses and health workers who are on the front line of the fight against the corona virus to provide adequate transportation marks, personal protection equipment and other benefit to enable them carry out their work.
The opposition political block want the president to unveil some form of economic stimulus package to assist Liberians across the country maintain some form of livelihood as they cooperate with all measures under the state of emergency.
They committed themselves to work with the government to encourage their various constituencies across the country to cooperate with all measures that the president in undertaking to contain and defeat the corona virus.
“We hope that all will be done by the government to respect civil liberties during this period, especially when our nation is not threatened by war or civil disorder.