Issues and Challenges in National Development

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Simple Reality of National Development Series 20
Issues and Challenges in National Development
Mohammed Swaray
May 22, 2009

This Government

For certain no one can quantify the level of challenges confronting the incumbent leadership. Even more formidable, perhaps are the challenges overlapping what we may envisage. No doubt we can outline the myriad of successful achievements made in the areas of resuscitating the image, the rehabilitation and construction of roads, development in the public and private partnership, reviews and amendment in some critical policies, establishment of some commissions and agencies, the high level manpower employment initiative under Senior Executive Service program and the rehabilitation of schools and hospital. Taxes and salaries have been reviewed and the economy is open to any meaningful investors. These outlined achievements may be inadequate to mention all that this government has achieved. However, does this mean that every agencies of government are accounting on these achievement?

National Housing Authority

Nevertheless, critical development issues that must impact profoundly on ordinary citizens still require redresses. One of the critical pillars of the PRS is Infrastructure and Basic Services. These two sectors are meant to provide immediate support to citizens in terms of livelihood and creating opportunities for the common man to seek survival. Situations confronting most Liberian tax payers are housing and dwelling places. The author feels the National Housing Authority is lackadaisical in initiating low income housing opportunities for citizens. Since the inception of this government, citizens are yet to benefit from affordable housing programs that will impact on their social and economic lives. This indicates that the National Housing Authority has not established the correlations between low-cost housing development and economic growth and development.

Perhaps this is one of the reasons why Monrovia has become unreasonably populated and all attempts to mitigate the increase have not materialized. The writer is not ignorant on issue of land availability, or constraints imposed by limited resources or direct involvement of government in subsidizing housing projects. The underscored fact remains that Monrovia has reached a point where lower income groups housing consumption have overwhelmed the city with mate and zinc houses. This is simply because their income can not afford them the opportunity to build housing units in accordance with government regulations or standards. A new phenomenon factoring in to deteriorate matter is the paradoxical, yet the irresistible demolition of these self initiated dwelling places. The writer believes that a reasonable decision would have been to harness efforts between the National Housing Authority, Ministry of Public Work, the Ministry of Lands and Mines, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Special Task Force to agree on plans that would benefit Liberia and Liberians in the run as regard to giving face left to Monrovia. On the contrary, the merciless and cruel attitude inflicted by the Special Task Force contradicts the PRS and the social-economic development of the poor masses. The invariable truth to note here is that, it is the rights of these citizens that brought the U.P. led government into being; therefore, for no reason should officials of this government be ruthless to these citizens without regard to their rights, dignity and respect. Theses citizens are demonized by the Special Task Force mercilessly daily without remorse or second taught. There are better ways of improving the system more than being brutal, ruthless and pitiless to those whose rights were significant in 2005.

A Gullible Society

Needless for any one to think that the author of Simple Reality of National Development detests this government, otherwise it will be ingratitude to the peace being enjoyed thus far and the opportunity to write freely in the media to air one’s opinions on issues of wrongs, challenges and development that are occurring in Liberia. Nevertheless, it will be a disservice to Liberia also, should we collectively allow ourselves to awfully accept or approve wrong doing in society. Before the inception of this government, civil society organizations played pivotal roles in the shaping and encouraging participatory democracy. They presented alternative perspectives on issues confronting society; committed their expertise to corrective measures and staged meaningful dialogue with communities, particularly those that are disadvantaged. Amazingly, these elements are missing in post conflict Liberia. This demonstrates absolute gullibility and submission to a system, whose representatives are abusive, arrogant and heartless to citizens in the name of presidential power. In pluralistic democratic settings, civil society organizations must not relent on issues that pervade democratic values and standards. They must not give up on writing and speaking on issues that affect of this national. Be it political, economic, and social; human rights, corruptions and development areas that concern sustainable progress. The roles of the Special Task Force must be holistically reviewed and redefined with sustainable intention. Its current roles are brutal to the citizens of the land and immaterial to the future.

Up Next-Issue of Corruption in Government
Mohammed Swaray
(Management Analyst)
swaraymas@gmail.com