Africa-Press – Liberia. It appears that former Montserrado County district # 16 Representative Dr. Edward S. Forh has fallen out of favor with the Standard Bearer of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) President George Manneh Weah and other executives of the party, as evidenced by his latest pronouncement to contest the 2023 legislative elections as an independent candidate and a call for budgetary appropriations for developments in the various districts, instead of putting huge sum of monies into the pockets of members of the 54th National Legislature for legislative engagement.
Dr. Forh is a founding member of the Congress for Democratic Change-one of the political parties that make up the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) which brought President Weah to power in 2018.
The remaining parties that are part of the CDC include: the Liberian People Democratic Party (LPDP), and the former ruling National Patriotic Party (NPP).
He contested on the CDC ticket and won two successive elections in 2005 and 2011 respectively. He previously served as Chairman of the House of Representatives Committees on Rules, Order and Administration, Public Works, among others.
Residents of the Borough of New Kru Town have considered Dr. Forh as the best lawmaker who represented them, pointing to several developmental initiatives including construction of two town halls, a police station, library, public schools, pavement of major roads in the district, construction of a college, among others.
Speaking in an interview with Bana FM over the weekend, Dr. Forh disclosed that though he did not win the elections when he contested against the CDC candidate in 2017, he has not yet resign from politics.
He disclosed that he has resolved to make a comeback for the Representative seat of the Borough following numerous meetings and consultations held with his supporters.
“I did not win the election, but it does not mean that I have retired from politics. As a matter of fact, I am still active at my own level. 2023 elections-I hope to contest at the level of the Representative for District 16. I am contemplating on going independent for now; but politics is the game of a possible and so, lots of things can happened. You can consider this as breaking news”.
He clarified that his decision to contest as an independent candidate may change depending on his alignment or realignment with any political party beginning 2023, but for now, he remains resolute to contest as an independent candidate.
Discouraging development
Dr. Forh expressed dismay over the lack of developments in not only district # 16, but other districts across the country. He recalled that over the years, residents of the Borough immensely benefitted from their share of both the County Development Funds (CDF) and the Legislative Support Programs (LSP) which were executed by the Liberia Agency for Community Empowerment (LACE).
He used the medium to urge members of the 54th National Legislature to “do what colleagues before them” have done to help address some of the mountainous challenges confronting their various constituents.
“The budget is their (lawmakers) budget; they should include those things as per their engagement with their constituencies”.
Dr. Forh added that though the CDFs which was forthcoming during the 52nd and 53rd National Legislatures were not sufficient, constituents of all electoral districts benefitted some tangibles that are visible up to present.
He observed that current members of the 54th National Legislature have not muster the courage and political will to ensure that the revenue and expenditure components of the budget, which is currently before that august body, benefit their respective constituents.
“The people of New Kru Town have benefitted from the CDF. When you look around, you will see the New Kru Town and St. Paul Bridge town halls. From the LSP we instituted a project which was facilitated by LACE; we built the Duala market road from St. Mary to Central New Kru Town. Why now since I have left, nothing is happening? There seems to be no money in the budget”?
“The Representatives and Senators have the prerogative to put money in the budget or to align or realign funds that have been proposed by the Executive. Unfortunately, nothing has happened in district # 16. The district stills remain the same”.
Dr. Forh maintained that the current situation and lack of funding to undertake initiatives at the district level is also paralyzing normal and smooth operations of the offices of various Superintendents and other local officials’ offices across the country.
He noted that no district or county is holding meeting to make a determination on the expenditure of funds allocated to it in the national budget under the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) led-government of President George Manneh Weah, adding that, “New Kru Town and Montserrado are worst”.
“Legislative engagement” is strange
For sometimes now, the Weah led-government has been dishing out US$30,000 each to Representatives and Senators to carry out engagements in their respective districts.
The government’s action has been heavily criticized by civil society actors and others on grounds that lawmakers are already making huge sum of monies as salaries and benefits and as such, the monies being given under the captioned “Legislative Engagement Fund” should be redirected to projects in the respective districts to benefit the citizens.
Though few lawmakers including Senator Nyonblee Karnga Lawrence and Representative Frank Saah Foko of district # 9 in Montserrado County, among others have expressed opposition to receive the money, bulk continue to rapaciously receive theirs without showing any remorse or regret for their decisions and actions.
But Dr. Forh questioned the rationale behind the move by the CDC led-government to dish out cash to lawmakers under “legislative engagement” which has not been clearly explained.
“The Legislature allocates and the Executive implement. But strangely, there is something called legislative engagement and the Executive is giving physical cash to lawmakers. It never happened before. It is wrong and it is against the financial code and the constitution of our country for one person in the Legislature to be executing projects meant for another branch”.
He emphasized that it is quite unfortunate and astonishing for the executive branch headed by President Weah to “knowingly” give individual lawmakers monies to carry on developments, instead of the executive, through the office of the Superintendents.
“If President Weah is not aware of this, I calling it to his attention that this is wrong”.
Redemption hospital
Dr. Forh termed as a “mess” the current status of the Redemption Hospital. The hospital, which is located in the Borough of New Kru Town, is the second largest referral hospital in Liberia, next to the John F. Kennedy Medical Hospital. According to him, the hospital is currently in a deplorable condition due to the deep slash in its budgetary allotment.
Dr. Forh recalled that during his tenures at the National Legislature, the hospital budget which was at zero at the time rose from that status to US$2M under the Unity Party (UP) led government of former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. The hospital budget has not crossed US$250,000 since the inception of the CDC led government in 2018. “We are losing Redemption hospital”, he stated.
Not representing district correctly
He condemned CDC lawmaker Dixon Seeboe for miserably failing to maintain or advocate for the increment of the hospital’s previous budgetary allotment.
“If there are reasons why Redemption hospital budget should be reduced, the people of the district should know because, Redemption Hospital is in a deplorable condition. I heard Representative Seeboe saying that ‘the number of Redemption they all agreed that it was wrong and he’s making efforts to correct it’. How can you correct US$250,000 to US$300,000 when in fact, it supposed to be US$2M? How come it left from US$2M to US$250,000 that you now want to carry to US$300,000? What’s the outturn? Was the money remitted to the hospital? No, it was not remitted to the hospital as far as we are concerned”.
Not preserving old things
“Representative Seeboe is not representing the district correctly. He may not have the capacity to do new things; but it is incumbent upon him to preserve the old things that are good. He’s not preserving the old things that are good. We had an agreement with the Monrovia City Hall for our municipal tax collection; he met it there but now, it has gone back. He met Redemption at US$2M, not it has gone back to US$250,000. If he cannot make a good case for Redemption, let him pray for Redemption to remain to where he met it. Redemption should not be destroyed”.
Dr. Forh further expressed regret over the management of the US$20,000 given to each lawmaker, including Representative Dixon Seeboe by China Union. The money was given to each lawmaker in the concession areas of the company as Social Development Fund (SDF).
Residents of the Borough of New Kru Town have persistently complained that the money was not adequately utilized by Representative Seeboe as evidenced by the alleged handpicking of the contractor by the CDC lawmaker and initiating projects without calling for a district sitting.
But Representative Seeboe claimed that the money was used for the renovation of the dry rice market in St. Paul Bridge and a foot path bridge in the Monbo Town community that has not been completed up to date.
According to him, the projects were undertaken with the China Union money in the various communities due to promises he made to the residents during the campaign period.
But Dr. Forh contended that the China Union money should have been given to the office of the various Superintendents in the concession areas for the citizens to identify the specific projects needed to be undertaken following the holding of their district sittings.
“Legislators should not be taking monies. Monies are no longer going to LACE, but individual lawmakers pockets”.
Falling out?
This is the second time Dr. Forh has openly spoken in a harsh manner since the inception of the CDC led government. He’s on record for blasting at the Deputy Education Minister, Latim Da-Thong, for recent comments made contending that the government, through the ministry does not have the prerogative to regulate private schools operating in the country.
Nearly three years ago, Dr. Forh was tipped and named to be the Deputy Minister for Administration at the Ministry of Education. Minutes after his name reportedly surfaced, the pronouncement was overturned following opposing views proffered by CDC Representative Acarous Gray, the Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, Nathaniel McGill, and Monrovia City Mayor Jefferson Koijee.
Since then, nothing has been heard about his appointment into the government. It appears that the once die-hard executive of the CDC is getting impatient for his prolong “stay on the substitute bench” as President Weah seems not to be looking in his direction even though he has been “warming up to replace” those performing poorly in the public sector. Dr. Forh is currently running his Bushrod Foundation Technical College in the Borough of New Kru Town, outside Monrovia.
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