Liberty Party's (LP) official response to the President's State of the Nation address contains more laudations with some lashes on the government's failure to address the issue of poverty, Liberianization policy, health care, introduction of new policy to address the educational and agricultural sectors, among others.Presenting the official position of Liberty Party on the President's annual message at a program marking the Party official response and re-Launch of the Party's political awareness forum at the national headquarter of LP on February 4, 2013, the National Chairman, Cllr. J. Fonati Koffa asserted that though the President's message was based on a litany of accomplishments. Indeed, there are some very important points in the message that worth considering.
He indicated that the volume of work that seems to be going on at the Executive level reflects the commitment to transforming government, something which has not been experienced for a long time in this century.
The LP Chairman observed that the return of Liberianization policy to the policy agenda is the only sustainable path to economic development, adding, Liberianization policy is a laudable transformative approach.
He added that effort to look at the composition of constitutional reform is also laudable, and the additional resources earmarked for Constitutional Reform Committee serious work, and to sustain a debate in the organic law met the value to legislate the future of Liberia.
Further, the LP Chairman lauded the government for continual commitment to press freedom, stating “we have not known the time when the press was freer to the neutral referee of democracy space,” he accentuated.
Commenting on the Land Right and access to land, the LP Chairman said his party is proud that the President recognized the special task force on women and land right as an integrated part of the system of land reform in administration.
He said continual commitment to better fiscal governance, balance budget, moderate borrowing, introduction of revenue and expenditure such as steel bill, and decentralization with some measures of resources sharing in the local government continue to be the haul mark of this government.
However, the president, the LP Chairman asserted that in as much as the President highlights many noteworthy accomplishments, her message was equally noteworthy of disappointments in crystallizing and articulating the broader national vision and laying a road map in specific areas.
He added that the rural poor and unemployed and the plight of youth was not adequately addressed as poverty level remains alarmingly high. At seven percent annual reduction, it will take 27 to 30 years to bring poverty level below 1percent.
He recommended that accelerating poverty reduction should be a key on the agenda on transformation.
The LP Chairman seriously discouraged the President from considering price control regime as price control according to him does not work, “It will create shortage, scarcity and black market.”
Giving LP position on what needs to be done in order to boost the agricultural sector in Liberia, LP Chairman suggested that LPMC should be shut down and be replaced with qualify structure under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, and Agriculture.
He maintained that the government should open farmer produce to competitive buying and accelerate the development of value change for price with comparative advantages to get more money in the farmer hand.
The LP Chairman said the government owed it to the people to keep them abreast with the progress of any major concession, adding that the intent of the government to remain silent on the more talk about oil sector raises concerns in every quarter.
On legislative agenda, he said the Legislative caucus of LP is to craft a bill implementing the constitutional mandate against nepotism and corruption, a bill to reform the petroleum law, a bill to institute national vocational and training system, a bill to reform the electoral laws and system.
The LP Chairman averred that the Party has begun 53 million dollars of five years rehabilitation training center for development; copy of that plan has been submitted to the Government of Liberia
He further suggested that the Ministry of Youth and Sport should present a proposal for the development of national football academy in next year's budget so that the youth devoted to football cannot leave their talent to chance.
