Can the Liberian Government Protect Citizen Rights in the Dark?

Jul 4, 2016 | Ali Kaba
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Recently, the Liberian government arrested senior officials caught in a scandal: the Speaker of the House of Representatives Alex Tyler; Senator Varney Sherman; and a former minister at the Ministry of Lands, Mines, and Energy. According to the indictments, the UK-based Sable Mining Company bribed these officials to insert a loophole into procurement legislation so that the company could obtain the rights to an iron ore deposit.

Public statements by lawmakers indicate that changes in the draft law may affect communities’ rights to get a fair price if they elect to sell their lands, and allow local elites to sell community lands without the consent of the rest of the community. The new draft law might expand government land and threaten communities’ abilities to use their resources and protect their forests.

The legislature should pass the July 2014 version of the Act, the most comprehensive law to protect community land rights. The original draft was produced through a consultative process, by a national commission that examined land related issues for more than six years. President Sirleaf should lead the charge and not wait for others to move the country forward.