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New Deal's Chair Identifies False Start - Advances Remedy

The NEWS (Monrovia)
NEWS
December 15, 2004
Posted to the web December 15, 2004
Monrovia
Liberia's democraticization and economic renewal processes have been viewed to
be trailing on false start. According to the National Chairman of the New DEAL
Movement, T.Wilson Gaye, misuse of state administrative resources by public
officials for partisan electoral purposes and persistent failures of government
to formulate sound economic policy for renewal are some of the major indicators
for the false start.
The New DEAL Movement's Chairman indicated that some heads of public
corporations who he did not name have turned their offices into meeting places
of their political institutions during official working period and that this
unproductive practice, if not checked, would continue to undermine corporate
efficiency and productivity.
Gaye mentioned that already many public corporations have performed poorly
during the fiscal year 2004 but the public has been made to believe that they
have performed remarkably. This, he said brings to questioning the efficiency
of some corporate boards of directors.
On the economy, the New DEAL's Chairman said as a result of the failure of
government to remain focused, the cost of living in the country continues to
remain unbearable, noting, "the complaints of ordinary Liberians about their
inability to fend for themselves are clearly justified when their earning power
is juxtaposed against the prices of goods and services on the market".
The New DEAL's Chairman alleged that the Commerce Ministry, either consciously
or subconsciously, continues to advance unrealistic and inapplicable policy
measures to addressing economic problems that require fundamental redress.
"How can one use transitory approach to tackle an economy whose socio-economic
structures are in fundamental disequilibria that discourage large incentives to
price responses", Gaye questioned and described such as a, "phenomenon of mere
display of managerial and intellectual incompetence".
The New DEAL Movement's Chairman therefore underscored the need for government
to take bold steps that would encourage a flexible economy wherein ends and
means are readily adjusted to changing constraints and opportunities.
He however said for any adaptive measures to have maximum effect, government's
policies must remain credible for market participants to be convinced of its
determination to move the economy forward.
He also admonished that the budget and public expenditure monitoring system be
strengthened to ensure that the expenditures of Ministries and agencies of
government are kept within approved limits to ensure fiscal discipline.
Gaye spoke with The NEWS upon arrival Sunday, from Accra, Ghana where he and
three others represented the registered political parties during Ghana's
presidential and parliamentary elections.
He lauded the efforts of Independent Republican Institute for sponsoring
Liberia's political leaders not only to observe and monitor the elections but
also to broaden their expertise on the conduct of elections.
Gaye described the elections in Ghana as free, open, transparent and peaceful.
He expressed the hope that the National Elections Commission of Liberia would
take cue from the Ghanaian elections to conduct the pending electoral exercise
fairly and peacefully.

   

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