Mills Jones 2017 Presidential Ambition In Trouble

The 2017 general and presidential elections in Liberia is a little over two years away, but politicians weighing their political options for the process are busy working frantically to block possible opponents from contesting the process. One Liberian who is making early in rows, using the Central Bank of Liberia loan scheme program to gain popularity and the support of people from the rural counties, Governor J. Mills Jones appears to be the main target from would be contenders and with the formation of the People Unification Party (PUP) with mostly lawmakers in the leadership of the new party, with the ambition of putting forth up a candidate, Jones has been on the heavy end of decisions of the Legislature in recent months.

Governor Jones trouble seems to be deepening as the lawmakers, after the amendment to the CBL act, appear to be eyeing other means of entrapping the CBL Governor. While the 52nd and 53rd National Legislature have not been audited in 10 years, the House of Representatives Tuesday voted unanimously to mandate the General Auditing Commission of Liberia to conduct an audit of the Central Bank.

In 2013, the National Legislature passed into law, an amended provision of the March 18, 1999 Act authorizing the Establishment of the Central Bank of Liberia, a decision that aims to prohibit the Executive Governor of the Central Bank of Liberia and members of the Board of Governors from contesting political office(s) while serving in their respective offices.

The amendment provides that these officials shall not be qualified to contest any elected office within three years consecutively after the expiration of their tenure with the CBL. The passage of the bill was a result of a report submitted to plenary by a special committee established by the Plenary of the Liberian Senate and in further decisions the committee was mandated to investigate the CBL on its Micro Credit Loan.

Governor Jones, according to many political observers, may be one of the key targets of the amendment to the CBL act. Relations between the governor and key actors in government have diminished over the past months with reports that the Executive Mansion is pressuring him to resign his post.

Jones and the Executive Branch have been at loggerheads over the micro-financing program, but the issue is said to have come up again recently during what insiders say was a “very contentious meeting” between the President and the CBL Board including Governor Jones.

The Plenary of House of Representatives voted to endorse a communication from Representative Edwin M. Snowe (IND-District #6 Montserrado County) calling for a financial and procurement audit of the CBL In his communication to the Plenary of the House of Representatives the District 6 Montserrado County lawmaker stated that it has come to the attention of that body that over the last few months, the Central Bank of Liberia (CBL) has been involved with moving into various counties and giving direct financial assistance/loan outside of the National Budget and commercial Banks.

Lawmaker Snowe Communication stated: “As helpful as this could be to our tour citizens, it is however important to ensure that these activities are carried out within the confines of the law and statues and to make certain that public fund is not used for political motive or as a way to buying future votes.

“Against this background, I write seeking the endorsement of this plenary to mandate the General Auditing Commission (GAC) and the Public procurement and concession commission (PPCC) to conduct a comprehensive financial and procurement Audit of the Central Bank of Liberia (CBL) to enable us have an informed and independent knowledge of its undertakings as per the law.”

Following the reading of the communication, the letter was opened for discussion with a majority of the lawmakers in favor of an audit with the exception Representative Julius Berrien (CDC District# 10 Montserrado County) who requested his colleagues to allow the Banking and currency committee which he chairs to take charge of the matter but that request was objected by his colleagues.

Representative Berrien said, by virtue of the act creating the GAC it already has the mandate to audit government entities and such process should not be done through legislative mandate. Unlike other colleagues, Representative Sarah Fofi Bemba (UP-District # 3 Lofa County) supported the idea of an audit, but cautioned his colleagues to take into account value for money.

In 2014 the House of Representatives passed a bill preventing officials of the executive branch of government from contesting for elected offices and if they have the desire to do so they should resign two years before election. The bill was passed and sent to the Liberian Senate and within a week the Senate concurred with the house and the bill was subsequently signed into law by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

The law according to many political commentators was intended to get at the CBL governor Jones, who is perceived to be harboring an ambition of contesting for the presidency. Lawmakers who have earlier expressed dissatisfaction over the manner in which Central Bank Governor Jones is dishing out thousands of United States Dollars through loans to locals voted unanimously to amend part of the act creating the Central Bank of Liberia (CBL).

The Lawmakers assertions have been that the loans scheme initiated by Governor Jones was not only intended to help the locals, but a clever attempt by the CBL Governor to rally support for his presidential bid come 2017, though Governor Jones had made no public comment about his presidential ambition as has been rumored.

Several Liberians expressed dissatisfaction over the amendment, arguing that it is unconstitutional. Cllr. Tiawan Gongloe, a human rights lawyer, at the time said that the CBL amended act was discriminatory. Gongloe added that when Lawmakers breach the constitution, the citizens have the right to take the issue to court. He threatened to join the bandwagon in defense of the CBL Governor if called upon, but added that it will not be on the basis of politics.

Dr. Amos Sawyer, who heads the Governance Commission of Liberia, described the CBL amendment as an apartheid law. Said Sawyer “Also in the news last week it was reported that the legislature passed into law, at lightning speed, a bill amending the Act establishing the Central Bank of Liberia.

"This development of many aspects of the bill seems reminiscent of the Mandela laws of the Apartheid era in South Africa, where the laws of exclusion were individually targeted to control the actions of a single individual”. “Such laws are typically designed to be retroactive in their effects and with grave implications for the function of governance institutions and creating uncertainties for office holders even after the expiration of their tenures", said Dr. Sawyer.

With the mandate from the lawmakers for the GAC to audit the Central Bank of Liberia, it now appears that Jones continues to back the lashes for his massive initiative, which is gaining his high level of popularity, a major factor in any politics. Speaking in Sinoe County recently when he had gone on one of his tours, Governor Jones said there is no crime in giving back the Liberian people their money.

Addressing a mammoth crowd in Greenville, Governor Jones rebuffed claims that he is wasting state resources arguing that his endeavor is empowering many Liberians. According to the governor some Liberians are claiming that he is wasting the Liberian people money by giving out a micro loan to empower Liberians. “Whose money am I wasting? The Liberian people own money? If building a strong private sector is a waste of money, I say no to that”, said Jones. Governor Jones continued that there is a need for other parts of the country to have access to small money to build up their lives and that Monrovia is not Liberia adding that Liberians have to change the way they do things.