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EDITORIAL

If this little boy Piah can get up and insult me, by virtue of what I have done for my country and what Ive done for him, how many [of] his relatives are employed through the sale of scratch cards. And, if being a farmer is a disgrace, then its right for him to say that (former US) President (Jimmy) Carter, who was a peanut farmer in America, rose to the seat of the presidency.

UREY SLAMS LITTLE-BOY PIAH

FrontPage

The warning Signs and Writings on the Wall Were Ignored and Five People Are Dead Because of it

AVERTING TRAGEDY

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CENTRAL BANK OF LIBERIA

MARKET BUYING AND SELLING RATES LIBERIAN DOLLARS PER US DOLLAR

TUESDAY, APRIL 1, 2014

TUESDAY, APRIL 8, 2014

BUYING L$85.00/US$1 L$86.00/US$1 L$86.00/US$1

SELLING L$86.00/US$1 L$87.00/US$1 L$87.00/US$1

MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014

www.frontpageafricaonline.com

These are indicative rates based on results of daily surveys of the foreign exchange market in Monrovia and its environs. The rates are collected from the Forex Bureaux and the commercials banks. The rates are not set by the Central Bank of Liberia.
Source: Research, Policy and Planning Department, Central Bank Liberia, Monrovia, Liberia

VOL 8 NO.570

Multiple Sources have confirmed to FrontPageAfrica that Christiana Tah, who is currently under suspension from the Supreme Court, has tendered in her resignation. The minister declined comment seeking confirmation Tuesday.

JUSTICE MINISTER TAH RESIGNS?

SOURCES: LETTER OF RESIGNATION IN PRESIDENTS OFFICE

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9, 2014

PRICE L$40

LAW & ORDER pg. 5

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Monrovia -

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Wednesday, April 9, 2014

he International Monetary Fund says budget implementation through December 2013 for Liberia was constrained by revenue shortfalls. The overall fiscal deficit is still projected to reach 3.8 percent of GDP in 2014 (fiscal year), as envisaged at the time of the last review, as the authorities were able to reduce current spending. The authorities are strongly committed to preserving current expenditure savings and to implementing decisive measures to raise revenue collection in the reminder of the fiscal year, including by addressing the backlog of taxes in the concessions sector and collecting fees owed by state entities, according to a mission statement from the world monetary body. Addressing significant shortcomings that have emerged in the budget process and expenditure controls, the IMF statement said, will be critical in the coming months. In recent weeks, it has become clear that a significant number of road contracts were being implemented without corresponding budgetary allocations. The authorities are initiating external audits of the financial and technical aspects of these projects, and are working with relevant stakeholders to ensure commitments outside the budget do not occur again. FrontPageAfrica, quoting sources reported last week the IMF could be reluctant to provide additional loan facilities and the World Bank could stall funding for ongoing road projects until Liberia can provide a credible explanation as to how almost 100 million United States dollars of unplanned road work was contracted, raising a lot of unanswered questions with the banks holding the empty bag The FPA report noted the visit to Liberia last week of a team of representatives from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) who raised eyebrows and drew attention to a large number of road construction projects that have been contracted outside of the Public Financial Management (PFM) law, Public Procurement and Concession Commission (PPCC) and violated the countrys budget laws. Some estimates place the value of the road projects between 80 to 100 million US dollars. At issue is how such a large amount of public monies could be contracted to companies by the use of what is now perceived as illegal procedures and how the banks could use the documentation from such illegal transaction to loan out potentially 100 million dollars. According to sources within the Ministry of Public Works, the IMF asked pointed questions about how the procurement process for public roads could have broken down completely with junior ministers using a document called Authority to Proceed. The total value of the letters is unknown, but it is believed that the government has acknowledged at least US$80 million dollars of the projected US$100 million worth of projects underwritten by these letters. Among the primary concerns is how the government of Liberia is managing the resources, particularly several road constructions valued at more than US$80 million dollars. Were the projects duly budgeted for? What role did the Finance Ministry play? Before any contract is signed, the Ministry of finance must make sure that the payment schedule aligns with the cash plan and the Minister of Justice must attest to all contracts valued over 250,000 US dollars. As a result of the quagmire, a lot of contractors are indebted to banks because they took loans guaranteed by the documentation from the Ministry of Public Works to undertake projects in hopes that they would be reimbursed when the government pays them but that has not been the case. This has now become a classic case of Catch 22: How the government decides to pay almost 100 million dollars without proper documentation in most cases and did the government get value for money? Many in the construction industry say an investigation into the procedures could unearth irregularities as many people without any background in road works formed companies and were granted these letters routinely. What concerns the IMF is how the Ministry of Public Works could have made road works priorities that were not in the Medium Term Financing Framework (MTEF). According to sources, most of the letters and contracts in question were signed by Deputy Ministers Victor Smith and Stephen Yekerson. What is unclear is the role played by the former Minister of Public Works, Attorney Samuel Kofi Woods. What is also unclear is the role of the government of Liberia through the Ministries Economic Planning and Finance which rolled out the MTEF or a multiyear budgeting framework, which took effect in 2012. The MTEF is a 3 year rolling expenditure plan that showed a detailed budget for the current year with projected figures for the following two years and provided opportunity for Ministries and Agencies like the Ministry of Public Works and other agencies to plan for costing of the project over a medium term period. The Ministry of Public Works which has the statutory mandate to supervise construction projects in the country. The Ministry was created by an Act of the National Legislature in 1928

Rodney D. Sieh, rodney.sieh@frontpageafricaonline.com

and is mandated inter alia, to plan, draft, design supervise construction and maintenance of all public infrastructures. In its 2013-2014 objectives as indicated in the National Budget, the Ministry of Public Works stated that it will complete 600km of ongoing primary roads, 400km ongoing secondary roads, 30km ongoing urban roads and 300km ongoing feeder roads. Maintain 229km of primary paved roads, 1,030km of primary laterite roads and343km feeder roads. Rehabilitate 232km of paved primary roads, 149km paved urban roads, 89km secondary laterite road and 520km feeder roads. Design and construct 12km of new secondary, urban roads. Monitor and evaluate projects nationwide. In the current 2013-2014 national budget, the Ministry was the second highest recipient of budgetary allotment, with US$107,018,018 as allotted the Ministry next to the ministry Central Bank Governor Joseph Mills-Jones, and other highlevel government officials. The mission also held constructive discussions with members of the donor community and the private sector. At the end of the visit, Ms. Delchat issued the following statement: Liberias economic performance in 2013 was strong and the outlook for 2014 is positive. Real GDP growth is estimated at 8.7 percent in 2013 reflecting increased iron ore production and an acceleration in private and public investment. For 2014, GDP growth is projected to moderate to about 6 percent, as mining output stabilizes. The authorities have taken a number of measures to enhance Liberian dollar liquidity management to help contain exchange rate and inflationary pressures. This includes stepped up

Addressing significant shortcomings that have emerged in the budget process and expenditure controls will be critical in the coming months. In recent weeks, it has become clear that a significant number of road contracts were being implemented without corresponding budgetary allocations. The authorities are initiating external audits of the financial and technical aspects of these projects, and are working with relevant stakeholders to ensure commitments outside the budget do not occur again. The International Monetary Fund
of Health and social welfare. Donor project accounts for US$100,524,231 about 93.3% out of the total budget of the Ministry an indication of the huge support by donors including the IMF, World Bank and others to the Ministry. Grants also account for US$1,094,771 of the Ministrys budget. The entitys US$ 107,018,018 budget is a breakdown down into- road and building construction (74,467,814); rural infrastructure and community services (19,992,381); highway maintenance services (3,291,711); planning and programming services (248,099); administration and management (1,768,354) and general claims (1,094,771). With an amount of US$74,467,814 for road and building construction, the question lingering is why are there so many unfinished road projects across the country which could lead to doubts on whether the Ministry of Public Works has been receiving its funding for these projects or the Ministry of Finance is unable to provide the funding. The IMFs statement follows a mission from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), led by Ms. Corinne Delchat, visited Monrovia from March 17 to April 1, 2014 to conduct the third review of the governments economic program supported by the IMF under an Extended Credit Facility (ECF) arrangement. The mission met with Minister of Finance Amara Konneh, coordination between the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank of Liberia to better manage the issuances of T-bills and CBL bills. Program performance has improved relative to the last review. Most end-December 2013 quantitative targets were met, and the authorities continue to make good strides in the implementation of their structural reform agenda. In addition, good progress is being made towards the benchmarks for the first half of 2014. The next phase of the program focuses on actions to strengthen the budget process and improve public financial management, boost revenue collection, and enhance the monetary and exchange rate policy framework. The authorities and IMF staff will continue discussions on these issues during the IMFWorld Bank Spring Meetings in Washington next week with the objective of reaching an agreement, ad referendum, on a package of policies that would pave the way for completing the review. Once agreement is reached, and pending the regular internal review process, the IMF Executive Board consideration of the conclusion of the third review of the ECFsupported program is envisaged for end of June 2014. The mission wishes to thank the authorities for their hospitality and the quality of the policy dialogue.

FrontPage COMMENTARY EDITORIAL AFRICA: EUROPE AND AFRICA v

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

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Commentary

AVERTING CROCODILES WITH ONE STOMACH TRAGEDY

Dr Damien Helly, policy officer at the European Centre for Development Policy Management

The warning Signs and Writings on the Wall Were Ignore and Five People Are Dead Because of it

IN SEPTEMBER 2012, FRONTPAGEAFRICA REPORTER Mae Azango FrontPageAfrica highlighted the dangers associated with the method of canoe transport on the banks of the Mesurado River and how the lives of the scores of people who use that route as a means of transport were in danger amid looming threat that a canoe could capsize and lead to unforeseen tragedy. THOSE FEARS came to fruition Monday when five persons lost their lives. MANY COMMUTERS WHO use the route have been complaining over the past few years that there were no life jackets putting the lives of many at risk in the event that a canoe capsized as it did on Monday. THE FORM OF transportation became a necessity in aftermath of the collapse of the old bridge linking waterside in Monrovia to Bushrod Island. The bridges collapse in 2006 cut off access between Vai Town and Water Side, forcing commuters to use the New Bridge known as the Gabriel Tuckers bridge, which was the only bridge linking Monrovia to the Bushrod Island. With the jammed pack traffic across the bridge, many people who became routinely late for work and school were forced to turn to the canoe method of transportation to get to their respective places on time. IT IS NO SECRET that transportation has been and is still a big problem in Liberia due to the lack of roads. With the almost 1.5million people in Montserrado and its surroundings, public vehicles plying the streets are not enough to bring citizens and students to work and school in the morning and take them back to their various locations by evening hours. SO MONDAYS fatal accident was a long-time coming. An engine boat carrying almost thirty persons including students capsized leaving five dead, two in critical condition and the rest missing and already feared dead. POLICE SPOKESMAN SAM COLLINS told reporters Monday: About 10am this morning we received a shocking news from the West Point Community that operates under zone II of the Liberia National Police, that a standard boat/Canoe; you know the boat with the engine, was conveying 28 persons this morning with the following items; three bags of cement, five pieces of zinc, pots, tomatoes, water, plastic and other items, Police spokesperson Sam Collins told journalists at the police headquarters on Monday afternoon. WHAT HAPPENED Monday should never have been allowed to happen and must never take place again, especially in this day and age. AUTHORITIES MUST do all in their powers to ensure that boats are not allowed to sail those waters without life-saving vests for passengers. THE LIBERIA MARITIME Authority must now do what is should have been doing all along, policing these waters and ensure safety for students and resident who commute to the city using the Du River. AUTHORITIES MUST SET their priorities in order and ensure that those who died Monday will not die in vain and no other innocent Liberia would have to suffer similar fate.

wo heads, one stomach? This is how a former minister described Africa-Europe relations last month, using the West African metaphor of anAdinkra crocodile to say both continents are dependent on one another. As the European Union-African Union summit begins in Brussels on Wednesday, the two continents are at a crossroads, raising the question: will the summit breathe a new spirit into the beast and bring it new life? Or put another way: will the crocodile swim and run faster or perhaps even fly? To achieve a coherent partnership, heads of state and government have three opportunities to seize in Brussels. First, there is an opportunity for all states of each continent to appear united in front of another global partner. In other words, the summit is an opportunity for leaders of both sides to think strategically about their collective continental interests and values. On the African side, pan-Africanism is a strong force for unity. Of course there are many forms of pan-Africanism. Pan-Africanism, no matter whether through the lenses of Nkrumah, Senghor, Mandela, Mbeki, Nasser or Gaddafi, is now anchored in a variety of strategic decisions and unprecedentedly ambitious continental initiatives in the name of the AU. Although it is still a young organisation facing challenges, the AU has one single face thanks to the strong chairperson of the AU Commission, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. It has plans for itself with its 2063 agenda, its continental infrastructure programme (PIDA), its agriculture and food strategy (CAADP) and its regional integration schemes. However, one also has to recognise that a number of strong African leaders are keen to retain their leading role in handling international affairs and may therefore view increased African unity with suspicion. On the European side, unity is slowly consolidating four years after the Lisbon Treaty, the latest treaty ruling the EU, came into force. Yet, while Africa is quite clearly defined by its geography, the question of Europe's borders remains largely open, as demonstrated by the crisis over Ukraine. Hence the question arises: can Europe with its numerous faces - the heads of powerful states, the President of the European Commission (EC), the High Representative for Foreign Policy and the various commissioners for trade or development - be united in front of Africa? For Africa and Europe, the summit could help each continent reassert its unity as a power bloc in a world marked by a shift of power to the East. The second opportunity the summit offers is a chance to refresh and possibly upgrade each continent's international strategy. The African Union and the European Union are each now working to shape their own distinctive, consistent and sustainable continental positions internationally. They have no choice but to do it together on global

matters such as economic growth, trade and climate change. In the last decades, the strategies driving relations between the two continents have become much more sophisticated. In the field of peace and security, both sides have worked jointly to make the African peace and security architecture (APSA) a reality. Today, the African peace support operation in Somalia (AMISOM) and international efforts to consolidate peace in Somalia are clear examples of sharpened African and European strategies to address common threats. In the Sahel, the EU and the AU have designed tailored regional strategies in coordination with the United Nations, ECOWAS and other international organisations dealing with security and development. Recent stock tacking exercises have demonstrated that both sides are acting more strategically with one another in a number of other areas too, such as research, space and satellite and cultural cooperation. This does not mean that there are no disagreements, but at least each side is becoming clearer about what it wants and what it does not want. They also are both committed, at least on paper, to strengthen their own continental normative frameworks to pursue their fundamental values and principles through a number of treaties (Lisbon Treaty), charters (the African Charter on Human and People's Rights, the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights) and constitutive acts (the AU constitutive act). Both sides need to get back to what unites them internally and see if it matches the other continent's interests. All the contentious issues currently being discussed on the eve of the summit - homosexual rights, Economic Partnership Agreements, declarations on migration, agriculture, implementing structure and a document on the way forward - will undermine internal integration efforts on both continents if they are not addressed with the unity imperative in mind, and in a strategic and long-term perspective. The third opportunity the Brussels summit offers to heads of state and government is to seek agreement on principles that bring both sides closer: faith in trust-building, peace and security, alignment with existing African and European growth strategies, available funding, and, above all, commitment to deeper dialogue and concrete action with earmarked funding on sensitive issues. The implementation of technicalities and day-to-day relations won't be in the gift of heads of state and government, but they are the ones who can set the tone and the mood of the relations for the next decade. Also, as a high-level official recently said, summits are not an end in themselves, and it would be a mistake to try to address all irritants simultaneously. This is not the way diplomacy works, and it would surely make the crocodile sick. Dr Damien Helly is a policy officer at the European Centre for Development Policy Management.

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WHAT READERS ARE SAYING ABOUT OUR STORIES ON THE WORLDWIDE WEB

Send your letters and comments to: editor@frontpageafricaonline.com

The Reader's Page

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

COMMENTS FROM FPA ONLINE

FINANCE MINISTER TAKES RESPONSIBILITY FOR BUDGET SHORTFALL

The Editor,

SELTUE R KARWEAYE SR. UPPSALA UNIVERSITY This Dude since taking over at the Ministry of Finance keep accepting responsibilities for budget shortfalls. This is called inefficiency! One would have expected that the over-hyped One Year Performance Contract signed between President Sirleaf and her Ministers would lead to the weeding out of non performing Ministers, or the Directors General of Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDA) that fall short on performance and implementation, but in spite of the dismal 2012/13 figures, they have all mostly retained their positions. So I am not surprised at the new budget short fall in the tune of US 47 Million in the 2013/2014 budget. Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is Insanity."Albert Albert Einstein JAY WION WORKS AT NPRC "Foh me par, my mouth full ya Liberian people." Like his boss, Ma Ellen, they both "GRADUATED?" from Havard University. One admitted to failing economics and the other got an IT certificate, and you put all of that together and you get VOODOO economics, or what I call "Ellenomics." So wipe your tears and say your prayers for the 12 nightmare years aren't over yet; and then the Old Ma will hand the Throne over to him come 2017 or to another flunkie crook. Jerry Wehtee Wion, Washington DC USA MICHAEL PAYE GONQUOI MANAGER AT SELFEMPLOYED There will always be budget shortfall, and the reason is known. This is the third consecutive repetition in budget shortfall with long explanation, and the long explanation has not yet solved the problem in three consecutive fiscal years. JOHNSON WAH ST. FRANCIS HIGH SCHOOL, MARYLAND COUNTY, LIBERIA I think the minister was wrong politically, to say he takes the blame for budget short fall, given the explanation he puts forward as being reason for the shortfall. But If he admits that he made a mistake for making a major financial projection that caused the economy of a whole Nation to hit "red", then the honorable thing to do is to resign, as a public official. GEORGE RAMBO BUDGET ASSISTANT AT UNITED NATIONS MISSION IN LIBERIA (UNMIL) There is a need to increase revenue collection especially on luxury goods. Also, the collection of real estate tax should be enforced across the country. MASSA MAGNIFICENT CRAYTON COUNTRY REPRESENTATIVE AT OSIWA Apply the income tax law across the board for ALL income; cash (US$ and L$) and kind, as stipulated n that will also help in the revenue collection.

LIBERIANS IN ITALY DISAPPOINTED IN AMBASSADOR

YOU WRITE; WE PUBLISH; THEY READ!

LIBERIA LEGISLATURE APPROVES KUWAITI PETROLEUM DEAL

MOSES HARRIS TOP COMMENTER WORKS AT RETIRED I pray that there are additional funds for this project because, with all that is mentioned to be undertaken with the US$14 million, I say, this amount is inadequate. NPA, just the cost of the purchase of the marine equipment and the removal of the shipwreck will consume most, if not all, of the loan amount. Please make all efforts to make this port fully operational in order to repay this loan at it's maturity as most lenders will, in the future, will think of waving our loans; after all the bad publicity (corruption) we are receiving nationally as well as internationally.
The comments expressed here are those of our online readers and bloggers and do no represent the views of FrontPageAfrica

he Organization of the Liberian Community in Italy wish to state that the Liberian Community in Italy is disheartened over enormous difficulties Liberians continue to face at the Embassy in Rome in getting services rendered, despite numerous complains we have made, and at the same time greatly disappointed over how affairs were conducted by Ambassador Mohammed S. Sheriff, Liberias Ambassador in Italy during the just ended visit to Italy of the President of Liberia, Her Excellency Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, from April 5 6, 2014. The Liberian Community was officially informed by the Ambassador that during the visit of the President, she would like to meet with members of the Liberian Community at the Embassy on Saturday, April 6. Liberians from all parts of Italy traveled hundreds of miles, asking excuse from their bosses as well as leaving behind pressing issues in order to honor this great invitation. Members of the Liberian Community were present at the Embassy at 11 am, most of them dressed in traditional Liberian outfits and waving flags of different sizes of our dear Country in front of the building the houses the Embassy. At about 6.30 pm, the Ambassador informed us through an employee of the Embassy that the President had changed her earlier decision of meeting members of the Community. Later did we discovered that the Ambassador had selected few of his kinsmen and secretly taken them into the hotel to meet the Madam under the disguise that these persons were leaders of the Liberian Community in Italy. Firstly, we wish to state that the nine individuals who met the president are not members of the Liberian Community and had never been seen at any of its functions. Secondly, this behavior of the Ambassador to avoid the Community members from meeting Her Excellency come as no surprise as he is doing all he can to stop our case from being heard. Yes, our case! Our case of keeping us at the Embassy for hours, even if we have earlier on booked an appointment, as has been the case since Dr. Sheriff became Ambassador in 2011. For those Liberians who traveled from far away cities to the Embassy in Rome for different services, they sometimes stayed for days, resulting in the lost of their jobs after they over stayed the days permitted by their bosses. Dr. Mohammed Sheriff also initiates altercations with Liberians visiting the Embassy if these individuals refused to recharge his mobile phones, under the pretext of calling the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Monrovia to request the Ministers consent before he can issue the document these individuals stands in need. And if someone fails to recharge the Ambassadors phones in addition to the 200 euro (260 US dollars) fees charged, the said document will never be issued. Times without number, the Ambassador becomes profusely abusive, using libelous expressions and sometimes calling the police to get individual out of the Embassy, because they

openly complained about the delays and difficulties they faced in getting a service rendered. It is because of these and other reasons the Ambassador refused us audience with Her Excellency. After it was disclosed that the Ambassador had selected his nine persons and had taken them into the hotel to meet the President, we the members of the Community walked to the Luxury Hilton Hotel, just 200 miters from the Embassy, where the President and her people were lodged. An hour later, the Ambassador instructed Security officers to move us from the premises of the hotel as our presence post a serious risk to the President. While we walked alone consoling ourselves for the waste of time, energy, finance, we also reasoned on a comment the Ambassador often makes: I am the Presidents favorite and I enjoy full powers as Ambassador and nothing any of you can do to stop me, after all, the Liberian people noise often last for two weeks. All things considered during the 8 or 9 hour episode, we saw some level of truthfulness in Dr. Mohammed Sheriffs comment. Silently, we thought to ourselves that all the messages we constantly hear of a Liberia that is being built in the atmosphere of Social Justice, Economic Progress, and the Rule of Law, Liberia still had Supermen with full powers who did what they wanted and how they wanted it with impunity, even if the violated our basic rights of ordinary Liberians. As we went away, occasionally turning back to gazed at the Luxury hill-top Hilton Hotel where the Ambassador with full powers and Her Excellency presumably sit drinking expensive Italian wine and overlooking the beautiful scenery of the ancient city, most of us were overwhelmed by the weird sensation of the recent mayhem we experienced as a people and a nation, a mayhem that came upon us for 14 years, mostly as a result of the behaviors of these supermen with full powers. These extraordinary men with full powers stand willfully above the Rule of Law depriving their Countrymen of their basic humanities. These big men drives posh vehicles (The Ambassador in Rome has 3 official cars, Mercedes E Class 280 with number plate PD 028 CD, a Jaguar X-Type marked PD 029 CD and a Lexus IS200 with registration number PD 031 CD) and live in expensive villas all at the expense of poor tax payers, and yet these ordinary people are treated with injustice and view as the inferior class. We assure the Ambassador that our noise, the Liberian people noise will outlive the two weeks life span and our voices will surely be heard. We will continue to use every peaceful endeavor to make public our ordeal and the effects Dr. Mohammed S. Sheriffs full powers is having on the lives of ordinary Liberians in Italy. Mr. Festus Nagbe Secretary General The Organization of the Liberian Community Rome, Italy

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Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Monrovia ources within the Executive Mansion confirmed to FrontPageAfrica Tuesday that Liberias Minister of Justice Christiana Tah has tendered in her resignation from the Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf government with immediate effect. It is unclear whether the President has accepted the resignation of the minister, who is also her legal advisor. Minister Tah, since October, has not been performing her duties as Attorney General and legal advisor based on a suspension by the Supreme Court of Liberia, something that is creating lack of clarity in leadership at the Ministry of Justice as acknowledged by United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon in his twenty-seventh progress report to the United Nations Security Council on the United Nations Mission in Liberia. On 18 February 2014, Secretary General Moon told the Security Council that recommendations from a September 2013, baseline assessment conducted by the Liberia National Police with UNMIL which provided a comprehensive assessment of police capacity, including integrity and effectiveness are currently stalled due to lack of clarity about leadership at the Ministry of Justice, suggesting that Tahs absence has created a vacuum and posing problems for the security sector. Stated Secretary General Moon Recommendations included reviewing the organizational structure of the police, improving conditions of service, decentralizing training, management and administration, strengthening a public complaints mechanism and expediting a legal framework to address senior appointments, promotions and rank structure. Feedback from the Ministry of Justice and police leadership has been positive. A joint steering committee, comprising the police, UNMIL and UNDP, was established to prepare a new strategic plan and development framework for the police. A draft of a new legal framework for the police was finalized in August 2013 and submitted to the Ministry of Justice, but remains stalled owing to a lack of clarity about Ministry leadership. Last October Supreme Court

JUSTICE MINISTER TAH RESIGNS?

F NEWS EXTRA SOURCES: LETTER OF RESIGNATION IN PRESIDENTS OFFICE

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suspended Minister Tah -from practicing law for six months after finding her in contempt of court. The court ordered Tah to explain why she should not be held in contempt for releasing FrontPageAfrica managing editor Rodney Sieh from prison. The court had jailed Sieh for failing to pay a $1.5 million libel fine to former agriculture minister J. Chris Toe. Tah said then that her decision to release Sieh on compassionate grounds was part of her duties as attorney-general. As Liberias chief prosecutor and legal advisor to President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, her suspension raises questions for the government. Following her suspension, President Sirleaf has been mute on the issue with Information Minister Lewis Brown acknowledging that the President is aware of the courts decision and is consulting with legal experts on the governments options and rights. The executive is aware of this ruling; the executive has received it," said Brown. "The executive recognizes its duty to enforce it. But, it is working in a way to find out what are its rights as well and, in the face of such action, what are the options available to it. The information minister at the time said the fundamental principle of the government is to continue to build

and strengthen Liberias democracy around the rule of law. Severe blow President? to the

The Supreme Courts suspension of Tah marked only the second time in Liberias history that a sitting Minister of Justice, who also doubles as Dean of the high court and chief legal advisor to the President, had been dealt a severe professional blow.

The only other time that this has happened was during the administration of the late President Samuel Kanyon Doe, when the late Chief Justice Emmanuel Gbalazeh suspended then Justice Minister Jenkins K.Z.B. Scott for reportedly referring to judges as unprofessional. A FrontPageAfrica investigation gathered that , Doe prevailed on Gbalazeh to reverse his decision and pointed out that the courts ruling to revoke Scotts license amounted to removing him

from office, and that only the Head of State could remove government Ministers." Minister Brown would not comment when asked if Sirleaf would ask the Supreme Court to withdraw its decision to suspend Tahs license except to say that Sirleaf will continue to deepen the progress that has been made. One thing you can be sure is that this president, as has been done in the past, will continue to respect the line of demarcation of the court, the independence of the various branches and the duty of the court to say what the law is, Brown said. He said he was not sure whether Sirleaf can go for six months or even a week without a justice minister. That is why she has availed herself to a wide range of consultations, including with legal scholars and luminaries in the country, those who have greater depth about what our constitution says. "You know, the court can make a decision, but it requires the executive to enforce the decision, Brown said. Tah Faces Brohs Scenario Tahs resignation if confirmed could be similar to that of Mary Broh who while serving as Mayor of Monrovia was suspended by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf after the House of Representatives passed a

vote of no confidence in Brohs ability to continue to serve in government accusing her of obstructing legislative functions. The lawmakers accused Broh of preventing from going to jail former Montserrrado County Superintendent, Madam Grace T. Kpan, who the lawmakers held for contempt and ordered her imprisonment at the Monrovia Central prison. While the Sergeant At-Arm at the House of Representatives was taking Madam Kpan to jail, a group of women led by Broh emerged and allegedly prevented Kpan from going to jail. The lawmakers than turned on Broh and ordered that she is arrested and sent to jail but Broh escaped arrest and was in hiding for weeks before her suspension by President Sirleaf from office in February 2013. Broh later submitted her resignation to the president while facing suspension and her letter of suspension was accepted by the President. Less than a month later, Broh was appointed by President Sirleaf as head of the Project Implementation Unit of a special presidential project, the Omega Village Project and Broh has now landed at the General Services Agency as Director General. Perhaps when her letter of resignation is accepted, Tah could find herself appointed in another position soon.

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UREY SLAMS LITTLE-BOY PIAH

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POLITICS

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

M
Monrovia

If this little boy Piah can get up and insult me, by virtue of what I have done for my country and what Ive done for him, how many [of] his relatives are employed through the sale of scratch cards. And, if being a farmer is a disgrace, then its right for him to say that (former US) President (Jimmy) Carter, who was a peanut farmer in America, rose to the seat of the presidency. Mr. Benoni Urey, Potential Presidential Candidate, 2017 elections

r. Benoni Urey, a potential candidate for the Liberian presidency in 2017 says he stands by his call for Sirleaf to cut short her overseas trip to deal with the Ebola crisis. Mr. Urey reiterated his call to the Voice of America Tuesday that President Sirleaf has made too many overseas trips and could have sent the foreign minister or the vice president to represent her on her current trip. Said Urey: You know, the Ebola situation in Liberia is no small situation. In fact, there are four cases of it reported about two miles from where I live. And, its only right for me as a human being to be alarmed about. And, we all believe that in such an emergency that the president should have forfeited all other obligations and concentrated on the lives of Liberians. And, we hope that she will see reason to cut her trip short and come back to Liberia. Pride and Dignity in Labor Urey took exception to comments from Presidential Press Secretary Jerolinmek Piah who labeled Urey as a criminal and crash-card salesman. Said Piah: Of interest to us is the suggestion also made by Mr. Urey that other well-meaning

citizens of our country who are providing services to the government are Americans and should be according to him voted out of office so that they park their things and return to America. What an agent of divisiveness, is this the Mr. Urey who wants to be president? What kind of president will he be when he has started to his own accord to draw dichotomies amongst our people. He wants to be president for murderers and criminals, let me quickly remind you that Liberia does not need a murderer in chief nor a criminal in chief but a commander in chief who

Liberias Foreign Missions in US Open New Account

MATTER RESOLVE T
in New York has its new bank account at Abacus Federal Savings Bank. It can be recalled, the Foreign Ministry in a statement last week said it was working with the US State Department, the Liberian Missions in DC and New York, US Embassy near Monrovia, as well as the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank of Liberia to resolve the problem in the shortest possible time and is pleased to report the restoration of banking activities for its missions in the United States. Liberian Missions in the United States were among over 80 other missions in the United Sates that were confronted with a serious banking crisis recently as a result of a decision by US Commercial Banks to terminate banking relationship with the missions.

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GOVERNMENT NEWS

transforms even the murderers and criminals to be productive citizens. If there are people who by their deeds and actions has made others to be murderers and criminals and see themselves as president for those people, than that is a zone of comfort that they could remain in, rather than seeking the presidency which they demonstrated that they have no understanding about. Urey, who says he owns a large percentage of the biggest GSM service provider in Liberia, says his farming and cell phone businesses provide jobs for many Liberians. The fact of the matter

is that we do have a crisis in Liberia. Whether Im a farmer today, or I sell scratch cards, its irrelevant. A major factor here is that I am a Liberian and theres pride in the dignity in labor. Continued Urey: If this little boy Piah can get up and insult me, by virtue of what I have done for my country and what Ive done for him, how many [of] his relatives are employed through the sale of scratch cards. And, if being a farmer is a disgrace, then its right for him to say that (former US) President (Jimmy) Carter, who was a peanut farmer in America, rose to the seat of the

presidency. Urey said he felt insulted by Piahs comments and called on Sirleaf to take action against her press secretary, or he will take legal action. What is most disappointing in this whole issue is for the president to allow a little boy like Piah to come and insult somebody like me. But, we expect that the president will do something about it. If she doesnt, we have to take legal action, Urey said. Not being political Urey, who said he plans to contest the 2017 presidential election, denied he was being

political by criticizing Sirleaf. I am going to run for the presidency of Liberia and, come 2017, at the end of 2017, I believe you will hear that I am the next president of Liberia. Youve known me for almost 20 years, and I have not gone out to say anything negative about the government. But, when the lives of Liberians are threatened, I will speak, Urey said. He called on government officials and other opposition politicians who care about Liberia to speak out and, if they dont, they will be judged by history. More than 100 people have died in an outbreak of Ebola in West Africa, where the disease may have infected as many as 175 people. The outbreak of Ebola, which causes internal and external bleeding and is almost always fatal, began last month. There are 151 suspected and confirmed cases of the disease in the country, and 98 people have died. The World Health Organization says Liberia has recorded 10 deaths and 21 cases. But there are also signs officials are beginning to slow Ebola's spread. Ghana reported tests on a suspected case were negative. The WHO says Sierra Leone has ruled out Ebola in its two suspected cases, and two of Mali's six suspected cases have been cleared.

Monrovia he Ministry of Foreign Affairs says the banking situation involving Liberias diplomatic missions near Washington DC and New York have been resolved with the opening of new bank

accounts. According to a Foreign Ministry release, the Embassy of Liberia in Washington, D.C. and the Liberian Mission at the United Nations now have their new bank accounts at Capital One Bank, while the Consulate General Office

Monrovia he President of the Republic of Liberia, Her Excellency Mrs. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has by Proclamation declared the Second Friday in April 2014 (Friday, April 11, 2014) as a Fast and Prayer Day to be observed throughout Liberia as a National Holiday. The Day is set aside as a Day of Supplication, Prayer, Fasting and Meditation in order that the blessings of the Almighty God may rest upon the high and noble duty which He has laid upon Liberia, to the end that its efforts as a nation, may be crowned with great achievements to the common cause of the State and its common humanity. The Proclamation is in consonance with the Act of The National legislature, which was passed into law in 1883 declaring the Second Friday in April of each year as a National Fast and Prayer Day for the prosperity of Liberia and in grateful appreciation of Gods deliverance of the nation from external aggression. The Proclamation Further calls on all Prelates, Priests, Elders, Deacons, Evangelists, Imams as well as citizens and foreign residents of Liberia regardless of religious creed, to gather with one accord, in their respective places of worship within the territorial confines of Liberia in simple and non-costly apparel to Fast, Pray and to Intercede for the country commencing at 8 Oclock ante meridian. The Proclamation further orders all Public Offices, Business Houses and market places closed during the observance ,while citizens and foreign residents will cease from where usual daily occupations in further recognition of Gods love and guidance for the nation, Liberia. The Proclamation recalled when the country had no standing army, in those formative years of its existence; the Almighty God delivered Liberia and its People from external threats and attempts to control its territory. While recounting Gods continued blessings for Liberia, the Proclamation Indicated that since 1847, Liberia has existed as a Sovereign and Independent State by the grace, mercy and faithfulness of the Almighty God. The release stated there is a strong national need for remembrance in prayers and other forms of concentrations and solicitude by the People of Liberia who made the supreme sacrifices of their lives willingly or unwillingly through the ages and woeful events. The Proclamation maintains that the future of Liberia should continue to promote and strengthen more and more the peace, brotherhood and indivisible unity amongst the Liberian people, especially within the foreseeable future, embracing all human and spiritual means to attain these objectives.

PRESIDENT SIRLEAF DECLARES FRIDAY NATIONAL FAST & PRAYER DAY

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Here's How Africa's Unprecedented Ebola Outbreak Started

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

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I DIDN'T BELIEVE I WOULD RECOVER MY HEALTH AGAIN

GUECKEDOU, Guinea, April 8 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) iccups, say doctors in this remote corner of Guinea, are the final tell-tale sign of infection by the Ebola virus that has killed more than 100 people since an outbreak began this year. Then come profuse bleeding, circulatory shock and death. But for Rose Komano, the hiccups never came. On Saturday, the 18-year-old mother of three became the first victim to have beaten the disease in the region of Gueckedou, epicenter of the Ebola outbreak in this impoverished West African nation. In total, 98 people are thought to have died from the disease in Guinea and 10 more in neighboring Liberia, according to aid workers and governments. A market town of 220,000 people near the Liberia and Sierra Leone borders, Gueckedou's makeshift clinic is on the front line of Guinea's battle to contain its first outbreak of the hemorrhagic fever, normally found in Central Africa. Medecins sans Frontires (MSF), a medical charity working to contain the virus, has set up two tin-roofed tents in the courtyard of the local health centre. One is for suspected Ebola cases and the other is for confirmed cases. Now, to the delight of the overworked medical staff, they are building a third tent - for survivors. "When I first saw the medical staff around me in yellow and black, I was scared. I thought I was going to die," said Komano, who buried her mother and grandmother days earlier after they died from the disease. A scientist separates blood cells from plasma cells to isolate any Ebola RNA in order to test for th

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Guinea's first Ebola survivors return to family, stigma remains

Image Credit: BBC

he ongoing Ebola outbreak continues to ravage West Africa, fueling fear and paranoia as authorities try to educate the panic-stricken public on what's going on. Aid workers are now describing the situation as an "unprecedented epidemic" with the potential to spread far beyond the region. How did the outbreak begin? Guinea's ministry of health first reported 86 cases of Ebola on March 24. All of the cases were from four southeastern districts: Guekedou, Macenta, Nzerekore and Kissidougou. By Mar. 27, four confirmed cases were found in Conakry, the capital of Guinea. Since then, the virus has crossed borders to spread to other countries. The definitive cause of the outbreak has yet to be confirmed, although authorities suspect that it may have initially started by people eating bats. Fruit bats are considered a delicacy in Guinea despite the fact that they are the natural hosts of the Ebola virus. The government has now banned eating bats to prevent the disease from spreading further. What is Ebola? The Ebola virus spreads through contact with infected people or animals, mostly through bodily fluids such as blood, saliva and sweat. Nearly 90% of people who contract Ebola die. The virus causes viral hemorrhagic fever, which affects multiple organ systems and is accompanied by external and internal bleeding. Currently, there is no known cure or vaccine for the virus; health care workers can only isolate the patients and treat their complications. Since its discovery in 1976, Ebola has been mostly limited to Central and West Africa. The last major outbreak took place in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2012, killing 29 people. Around the world, Ebola is estimated to have affected 1,800 people and killed 1,300. How bad is this outbreak? More than 90 people have died already in Guinea and Liberia. A young girl in Ghana has also died of viral hemorrhagic fever, although authorities are waiting on lab results to confirm whether she had Ebola. A case of the virus has also been reported in Mali, and there have been two suspected deaths in Sierra Leone as well. The current outbreak is also believed to be that of the Zaire strain, considered the most deadly strain of five Ebola strains. But as of now, the most pressing issue may be the public reaction. In Guinea, fear and misinformation have incited a riot against international aid workers in the area. Believing that foreigners brought the disease, locals in the rural town of Macenta attacked a Mdecins Sans Frontires (Doctors Without Borders) treatment center last week. "We have evacuated all our staff and closed the treatment centre," MSF spokesperson Sam Taylor said. "We're working with the authorities to try and resolve this problem as quickly as possible so we can start treating people again." What measures are being taken? In order to contain the outbreak, countries are enforcing more strict travel restrictions and screenings. Senegal has closed its border with Guinea, while Morocco has stepped up border control. Anyone flying out of Guinea also has to fill out a health form and have their temperature taken; those with a fever will be tested for Ebola. Will the epidemic grow bigger? Because Ebola requires close contact with body fluids, authorities believe that it won't spread too far if those with the virus are quickly isolated. Despite the worrying size of the epidemic, the UN maintains that "this outbreak isn't different from previous outbreaks," and that traditional methods to combat Ebola quarantine, protective gear, public health education are effective.

"I didn't believe I would recover my health again. I was scared that I would orphan my children - like my mother did me - but now I can hold them in my arms again," she said. Eight people have now recovered from the Ebola virus, according to medical tests. The virulent Zaire strain of the disease in Guinea has a fatality rate of up to 90 percent. Lucky genes and intensive medical care helped Komano become one of the handful to escape death. Other patients were cleared to go home from the Donko hospital in Conakry last week in what the World Health Organization (WHO) dubbed "Lazarus" cases - after the Biblical figure restored to life by Jesus. Komano's 12-year-old niece and her sister are also recovering as the levels of virus in their blood fall. But for this family, living in a remote part of Guinea where traditional beliefs are held in high regard, the real battle may

have only just begun. CHOCOLATE, NESCAFE AND RAW ONIONS In past outbreaks, the sick were abandoned by their families or just dropped off at the isolation wards. If you survived, nobody would talk to you or touch you, said Ella Watson-Stryker, in charge of health promotion for MSF in Gueckedou. "Ebola disease transmission is not understood at a biological level in remote villages across Africa where people believe in witchcraft and traditional medicine," she said. "It's sad because people really do want some sort of magic potion or cure but unfortunately all we can tell them to do is wash their hands," Watson-Stryker said. SMS messages circulating in the country claimed that a Guinean medical researcher in Senegal has found the cure for Ebola hot chocolate, Nescafe, milk, sugar and raw onions taken once a day for three days. In nearby Macenta, an angry mob attacked an MSF clinic, accusing

the Organization of bringing the deadly virus to their town, forcing it to shut down. The MSF team has been helping to educate people on how the disease spreads and how it can be prevented. The team is starting to reintegrate patients who have survived the virus. "We try to make sure that everyone understands once someone is no longer sick, they really cannot continue to spread the disease," said WatsonStryker, noting fewer people were asking their staff about witchcraft than at the start of the outbreak. For Komano, the initial signs are good. When she returns to her village, her family and friends cheer loudly and come out to hug her, a considerable leap of faith in a country where many people are now too afraid to shake hands. "I feel much better and I'm ready to go home. There's laundry to be done and I need to clean the house," she said.

NUMBER OF 'EBOLA' DEATHS HITS 10 IN LIBERIA

Monrovia he deadly Ebola virus has continued to spread in Liberia, where a further three people died from the disease, bringing the total number of suspected deaths to 10, the health ministry said Monday. The total number of people

infected with Ebola in the West African nation rose to 21 from 14 last week. "Of the ten victims, eight died in Lofa, one in Nimba and one in Montserrado [districts]," Health Minister Walter Gwenigale told journalists. According to the minister, two health workers from northern

Foya district were among the latest victims. Family members of the third victim took him to the deep Lofa forest so that he would not be quarantined by health workers. He was pronounced dead after several days of severe illness. The United States Department of Defense agreed to set up two

Ebola testing centres in Liberia to help control the outbreak. Ebola entered Liberia from neighbouring Guinea, where 84 people have died of the virus since February and 134 further cases have been confirmed. The virus, for which there is neither vaccination nor cure, has also spread to Sierra Leone and Mali. Ebola is one of the most contagious viral diseases known, has a fatality rate of up to 90%, according to WHO, and is transmitted through blood, bodily fluids or close contact with infected people. Ebola's symptoms are extraordinarily painful and include severe vomiting, diarrhoea, fever, impaired kidney and liver function as well as internal and external bleeding. Ebola was first detected in 1976 in two simultaneous outbreaks in Nzara, Sudan, and Yambuku, Democratic Republic of Congo, near the Ebola River, from which the disease gets its name.

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number of patients have been discharged from Ebola treatment centres in Guinea after successfully beating the Ebola virus, said the international medical organisation Mdecins Sans Frontires (Doctors Without Borders) At the same time, Mdecins Sans Frontires ' emergency teams are facing challenges in tackling the epidemic, with work currently suspended in one of its three Ebola treatment centres. Ebola is associated with high mortality rates and there is no specific treatment for the virus. However, patients' chances of survival increase if they receive proper care, including staying hydrated and receiving treatment for secondary infections. "When the first patient came out from the treatment centre, I was so happy and the whole team was cheering," said Marie-Claire Lamah, a Guinean doctor working in Mdecins Sans Frontires' Ebola treatment centre in Donka hospital in the capital Conakry. Mdecins Sans Frontires is supporting the Ministry of Health in its attempts to stem the outbreak, which has seen 151 suspected cases and 95 deaths to date, according to Guinean health officials. Mdecins Sans Frontires activities suspended in Macenta In Macenta, in southeast Guinea, Mdecins Sans Frontires activities have been suspended following an incident where local people threw stones at buildings and vehicles, under the mistaken impression that the disease had been brought into the country by Mdecins Sans Frontires. None of the Mdecins Sans Frontires team was injured in the incident. The two Ebola patients who were in the treatment centre in Macenta remain there under

GUINEA EBOLA PATIENTS DISCHARGED

Mdecins Sans Frontires says number of people sent home after treatment for virus that has killed 95 people in Guinea

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EBOLA

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

THE VIRUS KILLER THEY DON'T WANT YOU TO KNOW ABOUT

the care of a Ministry of Health doctor, who has received training from the Mdecins Sans Frontires team over the past 10 days in caring for Ebola victims. "Of course we understand that the local population is concerned," said Mdecins Sans Frontires emergency coordinator Henry Gray. "We have seen similar reactions in other countries in the past. In these situations, ensuring that local populations have a good understanding of the disease and its associated risks is key. In Macenta, we had patient awareness teams in place, but it is very difficult to try and inform people in their own language about the virus, and at the same time do everything that is needed to stop the outbreak." Negotiations with local authorities are ongoing, and Mdecins Sans Frontires plans to restart its activities in Macenta as soon as possible. Mdecins Sans Frontires' activities continue in Guckdou, another town in

southeast Guinea, where the organisation has set up an isolation unit. In Conakry, the Ebola treatment centre set up by Mdecins Sans Frontires has been increased from 10 beds to 30, for both high-risk and low-risk patients. "We currently have eight patients in the facility in Conakry, and we wanted to increase capacity to ensure we have the space if we need it," said Henry Gray. In Conakry and elsewhere, Mdecins Sans Frontires and other health organisations are sending teams into the community to trace the contacts of existing Ebola patients to try and track the spread of the disease. Mdecins Sans Frontires is also working with local communities to ensure that discharged patients who have beaten the virus can return home safely, and that everyone understands they are no longer contagious. "We know that stigma can be difficult to deal with for patients that have recovered,"

said Mdecins Sans Frontires' health promoter Ella WatsonStryker. "We explain to the families and neighbours that the patient is now negative and doesn't present any risks here's an invincible weapon against disease and to anyone - they can be kissed, infection, "a cure it all remedy" that kills any touched and hugged without any risk of contagion." virus it comes in contact with. That includes Mdecins Sans Frontires has the most feared biological agents like anthrax, some 60 international staff Ebola, and H5N1 (the infamous bird flu virus). currently working in Guinea, No known germ has ever managed to develop a resistance to and has flown in more than 40 it. It is proven to wipe out cancer cells without harming healthy tons of supplies to tackle the cells, and it clears plaque clogged arteries like a charm. epidemic.

Support in Liberia After Ebola cases were reported in neighbouring Liberia, Mdecins Sans Frontires sent an Ebola specialist to provide training and improve the small isolation unit set up by Liberia's Ministry of Health. On 6 April, Mdecins Sans Frontires flew in medical supplies and isolation materials from Brussels to the capital, Monrovia, while a Mdecins Sans Frontires team will be on the ground on 7 April to provide further support.

Why haven't you heard about this wonder drug? Because it's not a drug. It's a food, and its name is garlic. Garlic cloves, to be exact, emphasizes health journalist Bill Sardi on lewrockwell.com. Garlic pills, while being a staple in health food stores, do not contain or produce allicin, the healing component found in fresh garlic cloves, despite saying so on the label. The garlic powder in the pills, explains Sardi, releases allicin in water, but stomach acid destroys the enzyme aliinase that is necessary to make allicin. Most garlic pills have acid resistant shells that are supposed to keep them intact until they reach the upper intestine. But often the resilient shell doesn't dissolve in time, and the pill passes through the entire digestive system without benefit to the body. What it boils down to: Eat the garlic raw (not cooked) or find a supplement like AGE (aged garlic extract) whose components are uncompromised.

GUINEA, LIBERIA INVESTIGATE MORE EBOLA CASES

southeastern forested districts, 6 more confirmed or suspected Ebola virus disease (EVD) cases have been reported, bringing the case total to 143, with the number of deaths remaining at 86, the WHO said in an Apr 5 update. The totals put the case-fatality rate at 60%. So far 54 of the cases have been confirmed by lab tests. None of the new cases in Guinea involve health workers, keeping the number of confirmed or suspected illnesses in that group to 14. Contact tracing activities have identified 74 more people who were potentially exposed to the virus, and 49 others were released from observation after they passed the 21-day incubation period for EVD. Six new Liberian cases In Liberia, the health ministry has reported 6 more suspected or confirmed EVD cases, boosting the total to 20, according to the WHO. Eighteen of the cases are suspected, and 2 are confirmed. Of four clinically compatible cases reported on Apr 4, one is in a healthcare worker. One of the other suspected case-patients is a hunter who died shortly after he sought care at a hospital in Tapita, a town in Nimba County, located in the eastern part of Liberia. He has no known history of contact with EVD case-patients in Liberia or Guinea, and authorities are investigating if he was exposed to bush meat or other transmission source. Another of the suspected cases is in a 3-year-old boy who had traveled from Guinea.

he number of suspected and confirmed Ebola virus infections has risen in Guinea and Liberia, but the number of deaths held steady, according to the latest update from the World Health Organization (WHO). In Guinea, where the outbreak began in the country's

Only two patients in Liberia are still in isolation, and the health ministry is observing 46 contacts. Hemorrhagic fever cases in Mali Elsewhere, Mali's health ministry has reported four patients who have suspected viral hemorrhagic fever, the WHO said. The number is one more than reported by media sources on Apr 4. All of the suspected illnesses are in people who sought medical care in Sibiribougou, in Mali's Koulikoro region, located in the western part of the country in an area borders Guinea. The patients are in isolation, pending test results. Their samples have been sent to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In other outbreak developments, a crowd attacked an Ebola treatment center run by Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres, or MSF) on Apr 4, accusing the staff of bringing the disease to Guinea, Reuters reported on Apr 4. Sam Taylor, an MSF spokesman, told Reuters that the group evacuated its staff and closed the center, which is located in Macenta. The town is located in the southeast part of Guinea and has so far registered 27 confirmed or suspected cases, including 14 deaths. Taylor said MSF has the support of local leaders and is working with authorities to reopen the treatment center, according to the report. He did not say if any MSF staffers had been hurt in the attack.

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

DAKAR, Senegal virus that causes people to bleed from their ears and pops open blood vessels has spread from remote tropical forests in Guinea to the West African country's teeming capital. It has hopped the border to Liberia and is suspected in more than 90 deaths in an outbreak Doctors Without Borders has called "unprecedented." It is almost always deadly, and there is no vaccine or treatment. Is it time to panic? The answer from health workers responding to an Ebola outbreak in West Africa that began last month is a qualified "No." Transmission requires such close contact that the chance of a widespread epidemic is unlikely. So although health officials try to avoid creating hysteria, they are also trying to make sure that people living in affected areas watch for symptoms in themselves or others, avoid contact with people who are ill and suspend burial practices that involve touching the dead. "You probably couldn't get Ebola if you went to Conakry now if you tried," said Daniel Bausch, director of virology at the U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit in Lima, Peru, referring to the capital of Guinea. Ebola is passed through bodily fluids blood, saliva, sweat of people showing symptoms. That's important: The disease can incubate in people for up to 21 days before

AS EBOLA SPREADS IN AFRICA, HOW WORRIED SHOULD WEST BE?

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EBOLA SPREADING IN GUINEA, LIBERIA; OTHER COUNTRIES SPARED

they show symptoms, but the infected person cannot pass on the disease during that period. Medical experts point out that because the symptoms are so severe (internal and external bleeding, high fever, muscle pain, vomiting) very few people are likely to keep in contact with someone who exhibits them. As is typical with Ebola, many of the people who get infected are health workers caring for

the sick. Elvis N'Daw, a law student in Conakry, said that while people were taking precautions, there was little panic in the city. N'Daw says he is washing his hands more frequently; others are rinsing their children off with a bleach solution before and after school. But people are still out and about, he said. "Everybody is going about their business," said Alpha Ba, a taxi driver in the capital,

noting he was weaving through normal traffic as he spoke on the phone. Yet the number of cases has been steadily rising, and with it the reminders in the news media of the horrific symptoms of Ebola and that it kills up to 90% of the people it infects. As of Saturday, medical tests had confirmed 54 cases of Ebola in Guinea and two in Liberia, according to World Health Organization. There are

another 107 suspected cases, the vast majority of those in Guinea. Eighty-six people have died in Guinea and seven in Liberia; another two people who may have contracted the virus in Guinea have been buried in Sierra Leone. Residents of the Mali capital of Bamako took to the streets in anger over reports that several people suspected of having the disease were being held in isolation in their neighborhood.

Anger also flared in southern Guinea, where people attacked a health center that was treating patients with Ebola. Senegal has closed its border with Guinea. Morocco has stepped up border controls, and France is asking doctors and hospitals to be on alert for signs of the disease. On Friday morning, emergency medical personnel met an Air France plane arriving in Paris from Conakry after flight attendants found vomit in one of the plane's bathrooms. Airline spokesman Cedric Landais said passengers and crew were released after none showed signs of fever. While some of this panicked reaction may be unavoidable, health officials say much of it is unnecessary. The World Health Organization, for instance, is not recommending any travel restrictions because they tend to be ineffective. Gregory Hartl, a spokesman with the U.N. organization in Geneva, insisted the outbreak was not particularly unusual when compared to others. Doctors Without Borders maintains that the disease is rarely found in a wide area. The international community has gotten fairly good at containing such outbreaks, bringing in protective gear for health workers, isolating the sick and tracking down every person those infected have come into contact with, says John O'Connor of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, which has a team in Guinea. "This outbreak isn't different from previous outbreaks," Hartl said.

Conakry, Guinea -fficials say more than 100 people have died in an outbreak of Ebola in West Africa, where the disease may have infected as many as 175 people. The outbreak of Ebola, which causes internal and external bleeding and is almost always fatal, began last month. Sakoba Keita of Guinea's Health Ministry said Tuesday that there are

151 suspected and confirmed cases of the disease in the country, and 98 people have died. The World Health Organization says Liberia has recorded 10 deaths and 21 cases. But there are also signs officials are beginning to slow Ebola's spread. Ghana reported tests on a suspected case were negative. The WHO says Sierra Leone has ruled out Ebola in its two suspected cases, and two of Mali's six suspected cases have been cleared.

CONAKRY, Guinea (AP) fficials say more than 100 people have died in an outbreak of Ebola in West Africa, where the disease may have infected as many as 175 people. The outbreak of Ebola, which causes internal and external bleeding and is almost always fatal, began last month. Sakoba Keita of Guinea's Health Ministry said Tuesday that there are 151 suspected and confirmed cases of the disease in the country, and 98 people have died. The World Health Organization says Liberia has recorded 10 deaths and 21 cases. But there are also signs officials are beginning to slow Ebola's spread. Ghana reported tests on a suspected case were negative. The WHO says Sierra Leone has ruled out Ebola in its two suspected cases, and two of Mali's six suspected cases have been cleared.

EBOLA-LINKED DEATHS IN WEST AFRICA OVER 100

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Buchanan, Grand Bassa County t was a very Sunny Friday afternoon; the Atlantic Ocean appeared calm but it still posed some difficulties to fishermen as they try pulling their Blessing from God on the shore of the Fantee Town beach, a very famous fishing hub in Buchanan City, Grand Bassa County. The Blessing from God, a five year old local handmade canoe, is a primary source of survival for these men and their families, so exerting all efforts to manage it properly is their ultimate daily responsibility. They were about twelve men exclusive of the kids - who consciously and willingly aided their folks who muscled the resistance of the ocean waves to ensure their days catch is showcase for possible purchase by local buyers who too were anxiously waiting on shore. This place is Big Fantee Town, one young man who introduced himself as Smith said. For a moment everything about the place became visible; zinc shacks, makeshift structures, and probably a terrible unhygienic environment. Interestingly, Fantee Town is one of two Towns bearing the same last name where vast majority of local fishing activities in Grand Bassa County are carry on. In fact, it has been said that the place is as old as Grand Bassa County itself, which means its existence can be track back to the colonial days. People come here to buy fish and it is our responsibility to make sure we catch enough fish to sell to them, but some time it is not easy, Smith said, while trying to avoid distraction as he assemble a tub full of fishes just brought in from the canoe. In Fantee Town, wither its the big one, which is about 5 kilometers from the Buchanan Port or the Small Fantee Town, couple of kilometers away; life here is identical. There are Kru Canoes, Fantee canoes and few Bassa canoes; there are Fantees and Liberians fishermen, they go on sea in the morning and are expected back by the afternoon or evening. Their female customers long for their return while they too the fishermen - lament about the complexities of fishing on the sea. Its obvious and precedential to have a bad day on sea, according to the fishermen; this happens mainly because the season for catching fish varies and appears frustrating at times. Fishing is like a season, some time you are lucky you catch good fish, sometimes nothing good, Kofi, a 42 year-old Ghanaian fisherman who started fishing as a boy, explained. Kofi further said that most of the problems they encountered months ago have subsided. His disclosure corroborated with David Afforsons, Secretary of a local fishing group. Afforson said, We dont have problem like before, the absence of the foreign fishing vessels has made things better for us. Foreign fishing vessels have often caused dissatisfaction amongst artisanal fishermen in the country when they blamed the fishing companies for bad business. In 2013, Buchanan fishermen complained during a FrontPage Africas inquiry that

ONLY WAY TO SURVIVE THE STORY OF BUCHANAN FISHERMEN

ALPHA DAFFAE SENKPENI, BUCHANAN

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COUNTY NEWS

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Arcelol- Mittels transshipment of iron ore was posing serious threat to their fishing activities. Now, it looks like these problems are obsolete. But obsolete is a rare word for slum communities like these, especially with the overwhelming socio-economic impediments Liberians at the bottom of the social ladder endure. As the physical appearance of the place contradicts its economic significance, many people in the county are unaware of its economic potential too. Even the county administration has acknowledged the contribution the sector makes to the local economy. Fishing and selling-fish in Buchanan feed thousands of mouths, so this means families rely on it for their daily bread be them fishermen or fish sellers. We come here every day to buy fish. We go home, dry it and sell it sometimes we sell it fresh, thats how we feed our families, Ma Bee Krahyou, a widow and a mother of three said. Ma Bee said as difficult as it is to be a single parent and cater for three children; she had to recently relocate due to an eviction and

demolition exercise because of the coastal defense project for the county. With over 10 years of plying this trade, Ma Bee works with a lot of other women who are also dedicated to supplying the local markets with fish amidst the daily hardship their job brings. A woman in her mid thirties, Annie David stressed that theres no way she can leave the business even though sometimes it doesnt yield a favorable profit. Struggling to represent her case, Annie said: We na have any other way to go, we na have no other place to look. Our husband den making small money, so we cant just sit down, we need to do something too. The County Coordinator of the Liberia Fishery and Artisanal Association, Ben Sieh recently vaunted about the Buchanan fishery sector, claiming it is one of the largest in the country and has the potential of attracting buyers from outside the county thus impacting the local economy. There are over 23 fishing communities along the Buchanan beaches and these communities dwellers say they heavily depend on the sea for

their livelihood. In as much as Grand Bassa administration continues to boast about its enormous investment potential, these communities dwellers are arguing that their only hope is to fetch fishes from the Atlantic Ocean. Look my Brother! a man with a bold-sweaty face demanded attention. We are very much tired of all the lies government gives us, we dont care what kind of job they talk about, and we cant see it. Our hope is the fishing business, Obediah Willie, spoke bluntly with vigor as he turned back to his net which he mended skillfully. The grass rooters disappointment in the systems inability to impact their life amplifies the need for government to transform these grass root sectors and make it expedient so that they can experience some positive impact, a source, who is a prominent figure requesting anonymity said. You cannot have sectors like the fishery people sorting out their own problems, Source continues. The government must attract investor or create a system that will enhance the

crude efforts of these people. The people have a way to survive, just compliment their efforts and the economy will get better, the source suggested. Meanwhile, the slum community has had its own share of the sea erosion problem, not in a way that everyone may expect the erosion sweeping down their homes - but as a result of decisions taken by local authorities to evict and demolish almost 100 dwelling structures. Right now there is a huge pile of stones on the site which was occupied by makeshift-dwelling places just few yards away from the rest of the dilapidated zinc shacks. The residents claim their rights have been infringed. They argue that it was unrealistic to evict them because they were never been threaten by the sea for as long as theyve stay there. Once the issue was raised by a resident of the town, it prompted a euphoric reaction with everyone expressing that they have been marginalized by the authorities. The County authority through its spokesman, Eddie Williams revealed that a relocation plan was instituted but the residents

rejected it, suggesting that they will sort out their own problems mainly because they depend on the water for survival. We clear a place for them and asked them to relocate but they insisted they were going nowhere, the loquacious Williams said in a telephone interview. Mr. Williams said these fishermen towns at the coastline are vulnerable to sea erosion too, while arguing that claims by the affected residents are fault. The residents say the area where homes were demolished has and will only be use as a pile-up spot for the stones intended for the coastal defense project. Many of these community residents say they are yet to understand how the coastal defense project will affect them, but relocating will be a puzzling option. It will be a serious tension if anyone, wither government or who that will come here to move us from here, a man appear to be in his late forties spoke with rage as he walked away while hugging his child on his chest. He could not even respond to an inquiry requesting further comments.

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

TEMPORARILY OFF THE HOOK Indicted Ex- FDA Boss Wogbeh,

Others Admitted To Bail
Kennedy L. Yangian kennedylyangian@frontpageafricaonline.com

TAKE DRUG FIGHT TO LIBERIAS BORDERS

US OFFICIAL URGES DEA; CALLS ON AUTHORITIES TO MAKE IT HARDER FOR DRUG TRAFFICKERS
Al-varney Rogerss alrogers2008@gmail.com 0886304498

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LAW&ORDER

Frontpage

Page 11

T
Monrovia-

ormer Managing Director of the Forestry Development Authority Moses Wogbeh and other defendants facing several multiple charges including economic sabotage have been admitted to bail. The decision to admit the defendants to bail was reached by the presiding judge of the Criminal Court C at the Temple of Justice Blamo Dixon Tuesday when the court ruled and denied the motion by state lawyers who filed to excerpt to the bail bond filed by the defendants to release them from further detention at the Monrovia Central Prison. In view of the foregoing and the laws controlling as found in Section 53.6 of the Civil Procedure Law and section 13.4 of the Criminal Procedure Law, the court is constrained to allow the bail bond of the defendants said Judge Blamo. In the motion the state lawyers told the court that the US$1.5m bail bond filed by the defendants should have been doubled to commensurate with the US$ 6m which the defendants are held to account for, though the defense counsel headed by Atty. Arthur T. Johnson rejected the claim and argued that the amount in question is sufficient to release the defendants as required by law. However, in his ruling on Tuesday Presiding Blamo Dixon told the court that when the indictment was served on the defendants and brought under the jurisdiction of the court they were ordered detained at the Monrovia Central Prison pending the filing of a bond and accordingly the defendants tendered in a bond and was approved by the court. Judge Blamo continued that the 1966 Constitution as found in Article 21, Section (d), sub-section 1 and 2 provide that all excused persons shall be bailable or by sufficient sureties depending on the gravity of the charge and that at the time the bond was presented certification proceedings were conducted by the court and two of the sureties for the defendants appeared in court in person of Varney Gray of the Insurance Company of Africa and Togba I. Wesseh of the Medicare Insurance. Barely a year after his dismissal as Managing Director of the Forestry Development Authority (FDA) by the President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf , ex-FDA boss Moses Wogbeh, John Kantor former Technical Manager, Jangar Kamara former Manager for Commercial Forestry (FDA) Cllr. Benedict Sagbeh, former InHouse legal counsel, others include Augustine B.M. Johnson, former GIS Manager&Expert, Torwan Yantay, former acting GIS Manager, David Blayee former County Grand Bassa County, Ministry of Lands and Mines and Maxwell Gwee former Director of Cartography were all charged. The crimes include: economic sabotage, criminal conspiracy, forgery or counterfeiting, obtaining and issuing deceptive writings and obstructing of government function by public servant, The Grand Jury of Montserrado County in its indictment alleged that between April 2010 up to and including December 2011 the defendants recklessly and purposefully conspired and facilitated the issuance of and caused to be issued up to 56 Private Use Permits over community deeded forest lands which are indicative of community forest land that by definition are governed and regulated by the Community Rights Law (2009). According to Grand Jury because of the defendants alleged blatant abuse of their offices and violation of several provisions of the National Forestry Reform Law (NFRL)(2006) the government of Liberia suffered the loss of revenue of over US$6m. In his ruling Judge Blamo Dixon added The bonds of the defendant shall stand or same shall be retained pending further notice of assignment said Judge Dixon

he Drug Enforcement Agency on Tuesday received support from the U.S. government in cash and equipment worth US$ 14,000.00, just a day after the government of Liberia won a drug trafficking case brought by the state against a Ugandan Woman, Shirat Nawadda. It is the first time the Liberian government has gone to court and won a heroine case and it is because of the professional training we have been receiving, DEA Director Anthony Suoh said. The donation includes drug test kits, 24 caps, 13 vests, 13 handcuffs, and 13 flashlights. The United States Deputy Assistant Secretary for international Narcotic and Law Enforcement Todd Robinson said, the support to the DEA is meant to make Liberia harder for drug traffickers. Training and capacity building is what we do around the world, he said. We want to make it harder for those who want to corrupt your government officials. Robinson continues: The equipment donated worth USD 4,000.00 and we have also given USD 10,000.00 as grant. My job is to fight for the resources and your job is to use it wisely. He urged, the DEA to take the fight against drug beyond

I WAS NOT PRESENT WHEN MICHAEL BRUNO WAS KILLED

State Witness Testifies In LAC Murder Case

Liberias border adding: Think about working regionally and globally. DEA Boss Suoh said the fight against drug trafficking is not a street fight adding that it is about intelligence gathering. To fight drug is not a street battle it involves proper intelligence gathering, we took this institution when capacity was a problem but gradually things are changing, Suoh added. He said the DEA made 142 arrests in 2013 and all of the cases were sent to court. Today as I stand here, for the first time the Liberian

government has won a drug case against a Ugandan citizen, said the DEA boss. Several other nationals amongst them Nigerians have been arrested at the airport and jailed pending prosecution. The drug law will also be a pillar for us to fight drug trafficking and it is 90% completed, Suoh added. Suoh said all of the arrests made in Liberia, sum up to five tons of marijuana and five kilograms of heroin and cocaine adding that such news is scaring. Guilty Verdict boost drug fight On Monday jurors returning

from a long hours of closed door deliberation found the Ugandan woman guilty of unlawful possession, trafficking and distribution of narcotic drug a crime of first degree felony in Liberia. Shirat Nawadda 24 is the first foreign national to go on trail and convicted since the country began to experience drug trafficking along its ports of entry. On Tuesday the U.S. government in an attempt to boost the capacity of DEA donated several items through its partner UNODC to the Agency.

Kennedy L. Yangian kennedylyangian@frontpageafricaonline.com 077296781

the team continues to cut through the bush until they reached a young rubber bush, it was where they saw a group that was headed by one of the defendants he identified as Crusoe. He continued that at the time they met Crusoe he told them that they were informed that LAC was going to conduct a survey and that is why they have made the day holiday and that LAC has been fooling them but will not happen this time as he was going to inform the government about the survey. State witness Moses following his testimony was cross examined by the defense lawyer Atty Swahilo Sesay and later discharged. Michael Bruno a Belgian national and former Manager of the rubber plantation (LAC) was gunned down by unknown person on November 17 while carrying out an extension exercise in the area. Twelve defendants all from District #3 in Grand Bassa County where the company is operating were arrested in the aftermath of the killing and are on trial but have all denied any involvement in the killing of the former manager.

he murder trial of Michael Bruno former Manager at the Liberia Agriculture Company (LAC) continues Tuesday at the Criminal Court A with the third state witness admitting that he was not present when the victim was killed. In continuation of the trial on Tuesday Moses H. Kermue who worked with the Plant Protection Division of LAC told the court and jury that at the time the former manager was gunned down by unknown men at the rubber plantation November 17, 2010 he was not present because it was his day off job. I heard from a reliable source that that on November 17 by information that the late Michael Bruno was shot and killed around the 3.3 extension, witness Kermue said in court. When asked as to who were the people that were arrested in the aftermath of the killing Kermue added that he never went on the scene to know who were the killers of his former chief but he got the news through information. The state witness told the court that at the time they were surveying

Page 12 | Frontpage

LIBERIAN LAWMAKERS PASS DECENT WORK BILL INTO LAW

Henry Karmo (0886522495)

PAGE RONT

NEWS EXTRA

WITH BARE HANDS

VILLAGERS IN BONG COUNTY CONSTRUCT ROAD
Selma Lomax, selma.lomax@frontpageafricaonline.com
District, Bong

PAGE RONT

COUNTY NEWS

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

V
Yellequelleh County-

fter several years of lingering into committee rooms at the National Legislature Liberian lawmakers have finally passed into law Decent Work Bill setting the threshold at US$6 and US$4 per day as minimum wage for workers. The House of Representatives on Tuesday voted for the passage of the bill as a result of a meeting held by the Conference Committee of both houses where it was agreed that the amount be set as minimum wage for skilled and domestic workers. Presenting the report to plenary on behalf of the Committees on Labor and Judiciary, Representative Christian Chea, (UP-District #2 River Gee County) said, the joint Conference Committee agreed that Domestic workers which include House maids, receive $US4 dollars a day and others who are skilled receive $US6 per day. Representative Chea said: Mr. Speaker and colleagues of the National Legislature with the consent of others on the conference committee and with the history we have made in passing the code of conduct and other bills and being cognizant of the demand by the Countrys workforce for increment in salary as the cost of living is getting harder on a daily basis we feel that prosperity will sing a song of our praise if we pass this long awaited decent work bill. In this regards, I appeal to my colleagues to consider the passage of this bill. At the end of Cheas committee report it was opened for discussion among lawmakers. During the discussion several lawmakers including Representative Bhofal Chambers (CDC-District#2 Maryland County) supported the passage of the bill on grounds that it will bring back dignity to workers of Liberia while others supported the passage but opposed the setting of a minimum wage. Making remarks, Representative Chambers alleged that despite the gross austerity architectural being designed by people who he claimed are managing the monetary side of the countrys economy there is a need to equilibrate the issue. Chambers said: It could be prudent if indeed we concur with our colleagues knowing the totality of our circumstances because if we are to accept anything other than what has come out of the committee could result into an economic chaos. I believe that we have reached a point where there should be a compromise between reality and wherever we are thinking. Unlike Representative Chambers, Representative Eugene Fallah Kpakar (LP-District#1 Lofa County) argued that despite the committees finding there is a need to leave the issue of Minimum wage with the Minimum Wage Board. Representative Kpakar argued that the minimum wage is being set in the absence of what he called the economic analysis of the country. Do we have statistics of the GDP of the country for which we are making this decision on the minimum wage of 4 and 6 dollars? That is the reason why plenary decided that there should be a minimum wage board to make the determination, he said. The Lofa County lawmaker said he maintains his position on the issue and promised not to vote for any of the stipulated figure recommended by the conference committee. For his part Representative Edwin Snowe (IND-District#6 Montserrado County) called for the de-politicization of the Minimum wage issue. We should not politicize the wellbeing of our people, we have legislated a minimum wage board, if you read the report from the committee it is requesting that the legislature legislate a minimum wage to be reviewed by the minimum wage board two years after which is total contradiction, Snowe said. After several minutes of discussions plenary took a vote where 28 lawmakers present voted in favor of the passage of the bill two were against and none abstaining from the process. After the vote Representative Edwin Snowe took the advantage of the slightest error by the motion which did not include calling for the immediate trial of any motion for reconsideration to file a motion for reconsideration to be tried after their Easter break. As per the rules governing the National Legislature any member of the Legislature has the right to file a motion for reconsideration on any issues he or she feels disenchanted about.

illagers of Boas town in Yellequelleh District have decided to take matters into their own hands by building a farm-to-market road with their bare hands, after their pleas fell on deaf ears, a FrontPageAfrica tour of the town shows. Neither the local authority nor humanitarian organizations have heeded to the villagers request for a farm road. The construction of fivekilometer road began on Sunday with each household in the village, FrontPageAfrica gathered, contributing LD 200 for the construction. There are more than 100 households in the town. Residents speaking to FrontPageAfrica Sunday said if need be, they are willing to contribute more. The town chief of Boas town, Peter Thompson, said they agreed to contribute and construct the road by themselves through a general consensus. The superintendent had assured us of helping us but to no avail. Governments budget is small and we felt we should understand their situation, Thompson told FPA. A villager, Gorma Fangalow, said they have raised the issue in the county development meetings several times but to no avail. Though it was reflected in the plan, there is no budget. Even our Superintendent, Selena Polson-Mappy, during meetings with us said the same, said Fangalow. The way no road, life is hard for us, we have to walk three hours from the nearest road to reach our village. By last November, we had decided we should build our own road. In the meantime, many of the villagers are losing part of their land and more importantly, rice, their main cash crop. But

NIGERIAN IN LIBERIA STAGE PROTEST DEMANDING AMBASSADOR RECALL

Henry Karmo (0886522495) henrykarmo47@gmail.com
reason to recall their Ambassador. The group said in their statement: Ambassador Chigozie F. ObiNnadozie continuous stay in Liberia is not only inimical to the welfare of all the people of Nigeria in Liberia, but also injurious to the supreme interest of the Federal Republic of Liberia as a state. All attempts to get comments from the Ambassador did not materialize as reporters were informed by private security officers protecting the embassy that that the Embassy staff were in meeting. We want the ambassador to leave she has been tormenting us, she has called us all types of names so we are here to tell Liberians that we are neither criminals nor Boko-Haram, one of the aggrieved Protesters said.

the sacrifice, they say, is an investment for the future. We are not worrying about our land and crop that is spoiling due to the road construction. We will get the reward in the future, one resident told FrontPageAfrica. Fangalow said there are places still with no road and people have to walk for four to five hours. So the government has greater task of constructing roads to such places. She said their village is just

about five kilometers away from the nearest road head. We took as citizens responsibility to build the road. The village elder, Arthur Diggs, lives at the top and farthest part of Boas town. He is already looking forward to completion of the road. The hiring charge for carrying a bag of rice from the road to my place costs LD 400. We have done this for a very long time and it becoming expensive for us.

Once the road is completed, Diggs said, they could always ask those who own vehicles to help them carry their loads. Some of the villagers said they are optimistic about the economic benefits the road would bring about. Once the road reaches our doorstep, we can cultivate vegetables and we will have vehicles to take it to the market, said another villager, Martha Bedell.

igerian Nationals residing in Liberia under the Banner Nigerian Community and Descendent Union in Liberia took into protest Tuesday in demand of the recall of their Ambassador accredited to Liberia Ambassador Chigozie F. Obi-Nnadozie. The aggrieved Nigerian in a statement accused their ambassador of always referring to them as thieves and criminals and not serving in their best interest. The statement which they said meets the consensus of the executive and council of elders of the Nigerian community and descendent Union in Liberia, calls for all Nigerian in Liberia to embark on a one week fast and prayer for the government of Nigeria to see

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

aetu Smith could be a familiar or an unfamiliar person in Liberian football depending on who you are and your views of things. And Smith has been in the media for all the wrong or right reasons since his appointment as national team head coach in May 2012. The manner and form or fashion and style in which Smith was selected or recruited may have sharpened the criticisms on him. His buddy Henry Brown, fresh from the United States of America (USA), was recruited in February 2012 as technical director of the Liberia Football Association (LFA). And with the national team coaching job having been made vacant following the sacking of Italian coach Roberto Landi in February 2012, Brown thought of Kaetu as a perfect replacement and deputy coach Thomas Kojo was placed in an interim role. Kojo guided Liberia to a gusty 1-0 win over Namibia in the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers at the Antoinette Tubman Stadium (ATS) on February 28, 2012 and Smith took over days later following his return from the USA where he spent more than 10 years. Although the position was advertised, connection became a key criterion for selection as the chairman of the technical committee Bishop Allen Klayee and Brown recommended Smith and team to the executive committee without conducting any interview. And former Liberia technical director and Captain George Weah was the first to criticize Smiths covert selection. "I don't know [Smith], but I know Thomas Kojo well and I don't [know] why they took him off the team. The first game (against Namibia) he brought victory and now he's out of the team - that is wrong. I think the person who made that decision didn't make a good decision," Weah told the BBC on May 27, 2012. Smiths first competitive game was a 3-1 defeat to Senegal in a 2014 World Cup qualifier in Dakar on June 2, 2012. With draws against Angola, Namibia and Nigeria and defeats to Nigeria and Mauritania (home and away), Smith was sacked on December 28, 2012 despite securing wins against Ghana and Malawi in international

NOT AN IMPOSTER
Commission on Higher Education Director General long Corruption tale

Sports REGULATOR STILL IN LACC DRAGNET

Under-pressured Kaetu Smith fires back at critics; says he has proven record of success
Danesius Marteh, danesius.marteh@frontpageafricaonline.com

Frontpage

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Kaetu Smith
friendlies respectively. But Smith returned to the international scene by guiding a hurriedly-assembled Liberian squad that drew goalless with Sierra Leone in Freetown, Sierra Leone on March 8. The match was organized by Sierra Leone Football Association to mark the International Womens Day. With Liberia having agreed to participate in the preliminaries of the 2015 African under-20 championship, Smith was named coach with Brown as guilty as charge for his appointment. And Wleh Bedell, a former assistant secretary-general of the former Sports Writers Association of Liberia (Swal) branded Smiths reappointment as astonishing, discouraging and absurd. Bedell, who organized and heads the Liberia Football Players Union, wondered why the LFA didnt prefer young and ambitious coaches like Barrack Young Controllers supremo Robert Lartey. Having trained for less than a week to the match on April 6, Smith was less than optimistic about victory ahead of the first leg at the ATS. .This late preparation that we are presently carrying on is going to be a disadvantage for the players because they will have to take the race of over training. And during the time for the game, they all will be tired and will not be able to produce the necessary result you need from them, he said on April 2. It appears that his interview may have been taken out of context. And Smith used his post-match interview with FrontPageAfrica to respond to his critics, who since branded him as a Johnny just come (JJC). You cant be training [for an international competition] and then use the game as a learning curve. That was the crashed program I was alluding to before the game but people couldnt understand. When you come-up with a crashed program, the tendency is that you will end-up over training or under training the

team depending on how you will frame your course. And so, who feels the pinch? It is not me; it is the players because the period of assimilation, for some people, varies from players to players. So thats what [I was talking about]. And it is so regrettable about this whole

George Weah

thing but people couldnt understand. They thought I was downplaying our teams chances. That is not the case, he explained. Smith last coached in Liberia in the 1990s, with stint at Fulani FC, NPA Anchors, Club Ohiyesa, Baccus Marines, Mighty Barrolle and LPRC Oilers and Obanta United in Nigeria before his departure to the USA. The 60-year-old, who never played for Liberia, guided Oilers to the runners-up spot in the 1998/1999 and league and super cup medals in the 1999/2000 seasons respectively. Oilers were crowned knockout champions and were runnersup in the league during the 2000/2001 season with Smith in the dugout. Smith also guided Fulani to the runners-up spot in the 1990/91 season and divisions two and three championships with NPA in the 1989/90 season and Ohiyesa in the LFA/ Paynesville sub-committee league in 1987. Smith and Brown led Liberia (under-13, 14 and 15) to prestigious titles in Sweden (Gothia Cup) and Denmark (Dana Cup) in 1997, 1998 and 1999. He has admitted that his return to Monrovia may have been met with hostile reception with the level of opposition to his preferment. But the American-trained tactician was quick to add that hes back in Liberia with a proven record of success. I know a lot of people are disappointed about me but they got to understand one thing. I am no ones fool when it comes to coaching. I am nobodys fool. I am not the type of coach that goes around boasting about his prowess, his accomplishment and things like that. And infact, some people have even gone far to start presenting me as an outsider and imposter. I am not an imposter here in this country. I worked here from 1981 to 2001 before I left this country to go the states. And I know exactly what I did. So I am not a [Johnny] just come. Maybe, they have their reasons for doing all this hostility about me. And it is not just unnecessary but it is unfair that such should be happening. I want them to know that I have a proven record of success in this country, Smith declared. It remains to be seen how Smiths critics will take his response.

Page 14 | Frontpage ITALY PM RENZI SAYS AIMS TO GET JOBLESS RATE UNDER 10 PERCENT

IN BRIEF

LONDON (Reuters) - Italy can get its unemployment below 10 percent in the medium term with signs of improvement beginning to show through in the economy, Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said on Tuesday, after the jobless rate hit its highest level since at least 1977. "We want to get under 10 percent in the coming months, the coming years," he told a joint news conference in London with British Prime Minister David Cameron. Earlier on Tuesday, statistics agency ISTAT reported headline unemployment running at 13 percent, the highest level since the current records began 37 years ago.

WHY ANDERSON COOPER WON'T RECEIVE AN INHERITANCE FROM MOM

Anderson Cooper may come from a family with money, but he won't be seeing a dime of it. Though his mother, Gloria Vanderbilt, inherited a fortune before making her own millions, Cooper will not receive an inheritance. "My mom's made clear to me that there's no trust fund. There's none of that," he told Howard Stern. "[And] I don't believe in inheriting money." Anderson Cooper Reveals He's Gay Cooper, 46, said that inherited money is an "initiative sucker" and a "curse." Because of that, he's grateful that his mother always gave him an incentive to work. "Who's inherited a lot of money that has gone on to do things in their own life?" he asked. "From the time I was growing up, if I felt that there was some pot of gold waiting for me, I don't know that I would've been so motivated."

PRETORIA, South Africa scar Pistorius' voice started breaking on his words. "I looked in [the toilet] then I sat over Reeva and I cried. I don't know how long. I don't know how long I was there for. She she wasn't breathing " He faltered into silence, chest heaving on the witness stand inside Courtroom GD, until his sobs became uncontrollable. Head in his hands, he wailed openly, wildly, his body shaking, shoulders racked with short, frantic breaths. The Paralympian's despairing howls were met with stonyfaced incredulity on half of the gallery's front bench, as Reeva Steenkamp's family and friends watched his emotional breakdown impassively. As court was briefly adjourned, a tearful Aimee and Carl Pistorius ran to their brother, embracing him and leading him away from the witness stand. "My client's shirt is wet. He is very emotional," defense attorney Barry Roux told the judge when proceedings resumed. "I can't responsibly ask the court to carry on." The judge agreed, ending Tuesday's testimony 30 minutes early. It was the first time Oscar Pistorius has spoken in a courtroom of the morning he shot and killed his girlfriend. The athlete insists he believed her to be an intruder, hiding in his toilet. The prosecution says it was pre-meditated murder. His account of events revealed Tuesday was the most detailed yet, with several crucial additions to the previous written statements read to the court during his bail hearing last year, and in his plea explanation at the beginning of his trial. Roux led him through the predawn hours of Valentine's Day last year, painting a visual narrative of Pistorius' fears in the darkness. The Paralympian's lawyers

'I SAT OVER REEVA AND I CRIED' Oscar Pistorius Breaks Down at Trial

PAGE RONT

WORLD NEWS

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

DECADES AFTER GENOCIDE, CONGO STRUGGLES

800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus in Rwanda in 1994, the FDLR's ranks have dwindled over the last decade to less than 2,000 rag-tag fighters. But its presence in eastern Congo remains an irritant to Rwanda's Tutsi leadership, which has held power since the genocide, and has prompted years of meddling by Kigali in its larger neighbor, fuelling instability and bloodshed. Experts say removing the FDLR is essential for peace in the Great Lakes region. Now Congo's army, supported by a tough new U.N. Intervention Brigade and emboldened by its defeat of a rival Tutsi-led rebellion, has pledged to finally eradicate the Hutu group. Backed by artillery from the U.N. brigade, the army in February started pounding positions held by the FDLR on the roads climbing into the steep hills of Congo's North Kivu province, driving the militia from roadblocks used to extort money from locals. When the guns fell silent, it became clear the rebels had not gone far from the main town of Tongo, retreating less than five km (three miles) from army lines. Unconcerned by the army's efforts, FDLR troops in camouflage uniforms lounged near clearings where their wives tended plots of coffee and beans. "There's nothing to fear here," said Bosco, commander of the group of fighters, using the Kinyarwanda language of Rwanda. One of his fighters, too young to have held a gun when the

appear to be building a case around "putative self defense," a principle in South African law which allows for a murderaccused to be found guilty of the "culpable homicide" the equivalent of manslaughter if he believed his life to be in danger, even though an objective observer might not agree. The emphasis in Pistorius' testimony so far has been on his disability and vulnerability. Seemingly having been made all the more exposed after being asked to publicly remove his prosthetic legs in court, showing his height in front of the toilet door through which he shot and killed his girlfriend, he spoke of the shooting. It was a detailed account. "Can't you sleep, my baba?" Pistorius says Steenkamp asked, as he woke in the early hours of Feb. 14 last year. "I said, 'No,' " he told the court, saying he got up on his stumps, holding onto the bed as he walked over to move inside the fans whirring in his balcony doorway. Pistorius says he then closed and locked the sliding doors, fully drawing the blackout curtains and covering with a pair of jeans the glowing LED

light on his amplifier. Then, he heard a noise. "It sounded like the [bathroom] window sliding open, I heard the window open all the way, it hit against the frame," he told the court. "That was the moment that everything changed. "I thought there was a burglar trying to gain entry into my home. Initially I just froze," he said. Pistorius says he thought someone was climbing into the bathroom, as he stood in the door-less bedroom passage. "I immediately thought they could be there at any moment. The first thing that ran through my mind, I needed to arm myself, I needed to protect Reeva and I, that I needed to get my gun," he told the court. It was dark, he said, so he couldn't see anything, and ran with his arms outstretched in front of him, feeling his way along the side of the bed. The athlete then retrieved and unholstered his 9mm Taurus pistol. "I wanted to get back to where the passage was, put myself between the person who had gained access to my house and Reeva," he testified. Then, he added, "Just as I left

the bed, I whispered to Reeva to get down and phone the police," a detail not included in his previous accounts of the shooting. Pistorius said he slowed as he approached the passage without his prostheses his firearm extended in his right hand. "It was at that point I was overcome with fear and I started to shout and scream for the person to get out of my house. I shouted for Reeva to get down on the floor. I screamed for them to get out," he told Courtroom GD. As he approached the bathroom entrance, the athlete said, he realized he could get shot as he went around the corner. And then another crucial, previously omitted detail he heard a door slam. "It could have only been the toilet door," Pistorius said. "It confirmed there was people or a person in the toilet at the time." As the defense prepared to show the court photographs of the bathroom passage, more photographs of Steenkamp's body flickered across the monitors. Oblivious to the angry murmurs of his family, as an early lunch adjournment was called, Pistorius leaned over and

began retching. Composed after the lunch break, Pistorius returned to his testimony. He mimed pointing the pistol into his bathroom, pictured on the court monitors, and seemingly changed his story. "There was no light in the bathroom; I could see that the window was open," Pistorius said. So, he testified, he leaned back against the left wall. "I wasn't sure if there were people, the intruders, where they were, if they were on the toilet, or on the ladder coming in the window, or around the corner," he said, despite having already told the court he had heard the toilet door slam. When he rounded the corner, his left hand on the wall for balance, he said he started screaming again for Steenkamp to call the police. "My eyes were going between the window and the toilet. I stood there for some time, I'm not sure how long," he continued, his voice rising several pitches. "I wasn't sure if someone was going to come out of the toilet and attack me, or come up the ladder and fire their firearm. I was screaming." Pistorius voice broke into sobs. "I heard a voice from inside the toilet that I perceived to be someone coming out of the toilet, and I fired four shots." The voice in the toilet is another critical addition to his previous accounts of that morning. Then, Pistorius said, he searched for Steenkamp in the dark, believing that there could still be intruders in the house, and when he could not find her in his bedroom neither in bed, nor on the floor he went back to the bathroom. "I didn't know, I didn't want to believe it was Reeva in the toilet," he told the court. "I still thought there might be someone coming in to attack me, or us."

US BOY SCOUTS BOOT OPENLY GAY SCOUT LEADER

An openly gay Boy Scouts troop leader in Washington state was abruptly removed from his post for "deliberately injecting" his sexuality into the job, the Boy Scouts of America announced on Monday. Geoff McGrath, scoutmaster of Seattle's Troop 98, was being profiled by NBC News when the organization said it was severing ties with him. Our policy is that we do not ask people about their sexual orientation," Boy Scouts spokesman Deron Smith said in a statement to NBC. "And its not an issue until they deliberately inject it into Scouting in an inappropriate fashion.

TONGO, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) - Twenty years after the genocide in Rwanda, a rebel group founded by ethnic extremists who took part in that slaughter still prowls the lush hills of neighboring eastern Congo, defying a renewed threat by the army and U.N. peacekeepers to dislodge it.

The Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) sits at the heart of two decades of war and instability in Democratic Republic of Congo, in which millions of people have died from violence, hunger and disease. Founded by members of the Interahamwe Hutu militia that organized the slaughter of

1994 genocide took place, agreed: "Whatever happens, we will stay." The stuttering campaign against the FDLR underscores how complex a task it will be to defeat it. Speaking the same language as villagers, inter-married with them and forming part of the local economy, FDLR fighters have woven themselves into the fabric of life in eastern Congo and use the population as its human shield. "The challenge is to isolate these people and allow the Congolese army to continue its operations," said Brigadier General Anil Kumar Samantara, commander of U.N. operations in North Kivu. AMNESTY FOR LEADERS? Colonel Olivier Hamuli, spokesman for Congo's army, said that a full offensive against the FDLR had not yet begun. Reuters witnesses saw Congolese army trucks carrying troops down the winding, hairpin road as they pulled back toward the provincial capital Goma. Congo's last war officially ended in 2003 but its mineral-rich east has seen no peace since then. The local population has been preyed upon by the FDLR, a series of Tutsi-led rebel groups backed by Rwanda, and the ill-disciplined and rapacious army. The army scored a rare success in November by defeating the M23 rebels, the latest incarnation of the Tutsi-commanded insurgency, a year

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

SWEET VICTORY FOR LASAN

Sports

Frontpage

Page 15

Son of Liberian woman helps Uconn to US Collegiate Triumph

GARETH BALE WILL EARN $4 MILLION BY NOT GOING TO THE WORLD CUP

SPORT BRIEF

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) asan Kromah helped Uconn to an impressive Final Four victory Monday night. Kromah, a standout out of the Eleanor Roosevelt High School was born in Queens, N.Y but is the son ofLiberian lineage. His mother, Shewan hails from Liberia. Kromah, a 6-foot-6 combo guard, graduated from George Washington earning his degree in criminal justice but was eligible to play for UConn after he entered Connecticuts masters degree, having only played three years at GW. He had missed his entire sophomore year with a serious foot injury, a lisfranc sprain of the left foot. Shabazz Napier turned in another all-court masterpiece Monday night to lift the Huskies to a 6054 win over Kentucky's freshmen and bring home a championship hardly anyone saw coming. "You're looking at the hungry Huskies," Napier told the crowd and TV audience as confetti rained down. "Ladies and gentlemen, this is what happens when you banned us." The senior guard had 22 points, six rebounds and three assists, and his partner in defensive lockdown, Ryan Boatright, finished with 14 points. Kromah had four points, six rebounds and a steal in the win. The victory comes only a short year after the Huskies were barred from March Madness because of grades problems. That stoked a fire no one could put out in 2014. Napier kneeled down and put his forehead to the court for a long while after the buzzer sounded. He was wiping back tears when he cut down the net. "I see my guys enjoying it," Napier said. "That's the most special feeling ever." UConn (32-8) never trailed in the final. The Huskies led by as many as 15 in the first half and watched the Wildcats (29-11) trim the deficit to one with 8:13 left. But Aaron Harrison, who pulled out wins with clutch 3-pointers in Kentucky's last three games, missed a 3 from the left corner that would've given the Cats the lead. Kentucky never got that close again. One key difference in a six-point loss: Kentucky's 11 missed free throws a flashback of sorts for coach John Calipari, whose Memphis team blew a late lead against Kansas after missing multiple free throws in the 2008 final. The Wildcats went 13 for 24. UConn went 10 for 10, including Lasan Kromah's two to seal the game with 25.1 seconds left. "We had our chances to win," Calipari said. "We're missing shots, we're missing free throws. We just didn't have enough." Calipari said he decided not to foul at the end "because they're not missing." In all, Calipari's One and Doners got outdone by a more fundamentally sound, moreseasoned group that came into this tournament a seventh-seeded afterthought but walked away

G
with the program's fourth national title since 1999. They were the highest seed to win it all since Rollie Massimino's eighth-seeded Villanova squad in 1985. Napier and Boatright now go down with Kemba Walker, Emeka Okafor, Rip Hamilton, Ray Allen and all those other UConn greats. This adds to the school's titles in 1999, 2004 and 2011. "When they say Ray, Rip, Ben, Emeka, Kemba they'll soon say Shabazz," said their former coach, Jim Calhoun, who was in the crowd along with former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and a father-and-son team whose dance to the "Happy" song got huge applause when played on the big screen at AT&T Stadium. The crowd was cheering for UConn at the end. A short year ago, the Huskies were preparing for their first season in the new American Athletic Conference after the Big East Catholic schools decided to move on and none of the so-called power conferences wanted them. Calhoun, who built the program, left because of health problems. And most damaging the NCAA ban triggered an exodus of five key players to the NBA or other schools. Napier stuck around. So did Boatright. And Calhoun's replacement, Kevin Ollie, figured out how to make their grit, court sense and loyalty pay off. "It's not about going to the next level, it's not about going to the pros, but playing for your university, playing for your teammates," Niels Giffey said. "And I'm so proud of all the guys on this team that stuck with this team." They were one step ahead of Kentucky all night, holding off furious rally after furious rally. Kentucky's biggest push started when James Young (20 points, seven rebounds) posterized Amida Brimah with a monster dunk to start a three-point play and trigger an 8-0 run. In the middle of that, Boatright, who shut down Harrison's twin brother, Andrew, most of the night, twisted his left ankle while receiving an innocuous-looking pass from Napier. He called a timeout. Got it worked on and came back out. "I've got a lot of heart and I wasn't coming out," Boatright said. "We put in too much work all year for me to give up on an ankle sprain." Napier and Giffey made 3s on UConn's two possessions after the timeout, and that one-point lead was back up to five fairly comfortable by this tight, taut, buzzer-beating tournament's standards. The big question in Kentucky is what will happen to all those freshmen. Julius Randle (10 points, six rebounds) is a lottery pick if he leaves for the NBA. Young and the Harrison brothers could be first-rounders. The big question is whether they'll want to leave on this note. "I think all these kids are coming back, so I think we should be good," Calipari deadpanned, getting big laughs. He called his group the most coachable bunch he's ever had. They were preseason No. 1, a huge disappointment through much of this season. They were seeded an uninspiring eighth for the tournament and came on strong in time for a run to the final. But they got outdone by a team on a different sort of mission a team led by Napier, who stuck with the program even though he knew the 2012-13 season was for nothing but fun. But what fun 2013-14 turned out to be. Napier was named the Final Four's Most Outstanding Player and he earned it on both ends of the court, keeping a hand in Aaron Harrison's face most of the night and holding him to a 3-for-7, seven-point, nodamage night. He could also shoot it a bit including a 3-pointer in the first half when UConn was having trouble dissecting the Kentucky zone. The shot came from about 30 feet, right in front of the edge of the Final Four logo at Center Court, or, as Dick Vitale put it: "He shot that one from Fort Worth." They felt it back in Storrs, where they could be celebrating another title shortly. The UConn women play for the national title Tuesday. If they win, it will be the first sweep of the titles since 2004. The last school to do it: UConn, of course.

areth Bale could have played for England, but the Cardiff-born Real Madrid superstar opted to represent Wales instead. So, instead of having a career's worth of disappointing performances at major summer tournaments, Bale will probably never get to play in one of those tournaments. But failing to go to the World Cup has its advantages. Not only do the extra summer breaks mean that Bale can play until he is 96 years old like Ryan Giggs, but he can earn a stupendous amount of money going on promotional tours instead. According to The Daily Mail, Bale will be paid 2.5m (just over $4m) to spend a week in Asia doing a promotional tour at the end of the season. The Welshman will visit Indonesia and Singapore, attending a football festival, a charity event and a coaching clinic. Which sounds like a fairly easy way to earn over half a million dollars a day. Suddenly, being the only Real Madrid player not going to Brazil doesn't seem so bad. Someone ought to tell him to cheer up...

CALIPARI NOT GOING TO 'DIGNIFY' LAKERS RUMORS

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) -entucky coach John Calipari refused to ''dignify that stuff'' when he was asked after Monday night's championship game about his rumored interest in coaching the Los Angeles Lakers. The rumors were floated by former Kentucky star Rex Chapman on Twitter shortly before the Wildcat's 60-54 loss to Connecticut at AT&T Stadium. He called Calipari's departure a ''done deal.'' ''The Lakers have a basketball coach,'' Calipari said, referring to coach Mike D'Antoni, whose team is fighting to stay out of last place in the Western Conference.

XAVI HITS OUT AT 'UNJUST' BARCELONA TRANSFER BAN

avi has hit out at FIFA for its "disproportionate and unjust" transfer ban against Barcelona. Soccer's governing body slapped the Blaugrana with a suspension from activity in the next two transfer windows after identifying irregularities in the signings of 10 young players in recent seasons. "It's disproportionate and unjust. We'll try to oppose it," he said during a press conference Monday. "La Masia does a more than adequate job, it's part of our philosophy. Barca spends many years working properly with youngsters, we look after them.