PHOTO: Eddie Jarwolo, NAYMOTE Executive Director
Naymote Partners for Democratic Development, the implementer of the President Meter Project tracking the President’s promises to the people and citizens of Liberia has tracked 32 new promises during the president’s recent nationwide tours, a NAYMOTE statement said in Monrovia on Tuesday..
This brings the total promises to 145 including those promises made before and after taking office in 2018. Cumulatively tracked promises before now amounted to 9 promises fully completed of the 113 promises.
During his tour, the President promised the citizens of Bomi County, the construction of 50 annexes to the Bomi Community College and 200 pro-poor housing units; 100 pro-poor housing units for the citizens of Gbarpolu; the construction of the Gompa City Hall in Nimba County; the construction of a district administrative building in Karloken district, Maryland; the construction of a market building in Cotton Tree Community, an office space for the disabled community, a resource center in Kakata, and the construct a youth center and a town hall in Weala, Margibi County.
Additionally, President Weah promised citizens of Grand Bassa and Rivercess counties the construction of a research center in Gorblee City, 100 housing units in Gorblee City, a resource center in Buchanan City, 150-bedroom hospital in Buchanan City, and a market hall for the women of Cestos City, among others.
These additional promises show the president’s positive intention to improve infrastructural development for the country. However, a major challenge lies in the government’s determination for increased budgetary allotment, healthy revenue collection and improved fiscal policy which is needed to fund all these projects.
The government is already constrained with time, funding and resource mobilization added to the Covid-19 pandemics. Joint efforts by the three branches of government to ensure that these projects are implemented successfully with the Presidency and the Cabinet taking the most responsibility for timely, sustainable implementation of the promises is needed as urgently as possible.
The institution’s Executive Director Eddie D. Jarwolo thanked the president for the nationwide tours and the hosting of town hall meetings where citizens directly interacted with their president. Eddie said for the government to be accountable, the people must be aware of what is happening in the country, citizens should be able to get information about what decisions are being made, by whom and why and these meetings between the President and citizens could become a national culture to optimize opportunities for citizens to hear from their leaders.
The aim of the President Meter Project is to inform citizens on the performance of President Weah on promises made and to improve communication between the governed and the government in a sustained manner. The project promotes democratic accountability, improving government performance and inclusive service delivery and seeks to instill confidence in the governance system of the country.
Reports from the president meter set the basis for open discussions ensuring that voters have a voice in reviewing the social contract keeping the attention of citizens fixed on the cycle of governance from election to end-of-tenure. The President Meter Project is funded by the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA).