-As Lawmakers and citizens gear up for 2019/2020 County Sitting
By Moses M. Tokpah,mosesmtokpah@gmail.com
KAKATA, Liberia- Margibi County is gearing up for the 2018/2019 County Sitting to enable citizens decide on the usage of money allocated in the national budget and the controversial China Union US$750,000.00 Social Development Fund.
In the past, administrations decided on the usage of funds intended for the County or conducted County sitting at will to the extent that it did not conduct sitting for more than three years, something that resulted into immense criticicisms from citizens.
But political observers in Margibi County say the current administration of Margibi County has started on a good note, in terms of regularization County sitting which is meant to allow selected delegates to decide on the usage of funding allocated in the national budget for the County.
It is not clear whether the regularization of County sitting in Margibi is as the result of the criticism or it is based on the practice of good governance on the part of the County leadership.
It can be recalled that in November of 2018, each of the five electoral Districts conducted a District sitting followed by a County Sitting on the usage of monies that were allocated in the 2018/2019 national budget.
The County is now preparing to go to another County sitting one year after, to decide on how money sent to the County can be used and which development can be implemented.
With this, the County Administration along with the County Legislative Caucus has had series of meetings in the County to decide the date for the holding of a County sitting with the latest being held over the weekend in Kakata.
Speaking to www.newspublictrust.com in County’s capital, Kakata following the meeting, the Secretary of the Margibi Legislative Caucus and District #2 Representative Ivar Kokulo Jones said the 2019/2020 County sitting is expected to be held on November 15, 2019.
“Sure, we have decided as Caucus that in keeping with the budget Law that calls for wide publicity of the date of the County sitting we can safely say that as per a decision reached today we expect the County sitting to be not later than the 15 of November 2019,” he stated.
Rep. Jones stated that the holding of the County sitting is based on the Law of the Republic of Liberia which states that when the national budget is being passed there should be a County sitting.
“So with the passage of the budget couple with other financial issues that are been on hold we believe that it is necessary to hold County sitting to be able to discuss lot of administrative issues, lot of social issue, lot of developmental issues and lot of other issues that our people are face with and be able to project solution or way forward to some of the lot of trending issues within and around the County and Country” he says.
According to Rep. Jones, Margibians will be making a determination on the usage of whatever amount that has been allotted to the County by the government or what they have in their coffer.
The Margibi Lawmaker said during the County sitting the citizens will be making decision on funding that was allocated in the 2018/2019 national budget that was not utilized, as well as the amount allocated in the 2019/2020 national budget and the China Union Social Development Fund in the tone of seven hundred and fifty thousand United States dollars (US$750,000.00).
In a related development, District #2 is expected to conduct its District sitting ahead of the November 15, 2019 County Sitting.
Rep. Jones indicated that it is by practice that there should be a district sitting in which the citizens of the district will come up with an agenda for development.
The Sitting is expected to be held Saturday, November 9, 2019 following a massive publicity which is in compliance with the Constitution of the District Development Council.
At the same time, the Chairman of the Margibi Legislative Caucus and District #4 Representative, Ben A. Fofana has confirmed plans for the conduct of the County sitting but said that will only be done if the County Administration makes a comprehensive report for the sake of transparency and accountability.
“In fact in our meeting the issue of reporting came out because we want transparency, accountability, that’s one of the issues we discussed in this gone meeting that we want a comprehensive report the PMC regarding all those funds,” Rep. Fofana said.
What has not been forthcoming is for the County Administration to make report regularly on funding intended for the County such as the fifty two thousand five hundred United States dollars (US$52500) used by the County to pay players who participated in the 2018/2019 national County meet and other past arrears, the Margibi Distriict #4 Representative noted.
Rep. Fofana then added that the Caucus wants to go the upcoming County sitting with transparency as it relates to money used, the purpose it was used and the amount in coffer.
The District #4 Lawmaker has also said the regularization of the County sitting is based on the immerse criticism in the past, but most importantly for the sake of transparency and accountability.
Citizens in District #4 have been assured that there will be a District sitting ahead of the County Sitting to be able to derive at an agenda to be taken to the biggest event (County Sitting).