At Year End Mansion Press Breifing, President Sirleaf Speaks of Progress and Challenges

Monrovia, Liberia - President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf says the challenge facing government still remains awesome in all areas of its development pillars. The President said although progress has been made in a number of areas, there is still a long way to go to achieve the country’s development goals. “It will take the collective efforts of all Liberians doing their part,” the President pointed out.

Speaking Monday during the last session of an Executive Mansion Press briefing for 2007, the President said “2007 has been a good year for us; not only have we seen peace among ourselves as a nation, but we have seen the development process start.” The President said there have been delays in programs because implementation still remains one of her Government's challenges. “National capacity, the procedures and processes of our partners that have to be met, cause us to sometimes get a little but frustrated that implementation is slow, but at least we are beginning... Normally as capacity improves, implementation will be accelerated and we hope that’s what's going to happen in the next few months,” the President emphasized.

On job creation, the President acknowledged that unemployment continues to remain a major challenge for Government. “Although we made a lot of impact,’ the President said, ‘we still have an unemployment problem.” The unemployment scourge will only be mitigated with the cooperation of all Liberians. President Johnson Sirleaf said Government wants “to make sure our people can take the jobs that are created with the opening of the mines and the forestry sector…to make sure that our people have the ability and willingness to be able to go to work.”

Touching on security, the Liberian President said armed robbery continues to remain a big challenge.  She attributed the level of armed robbery to a number of factors including the lack of capacity within the country’s security forces.

The President also attributed part of the problem to the country’s judicial system.
The Ministry of Justice, with the National Police, the Chief Executive said, is collaborating with United Nations Police to beef up security.  The President noted that the collaboration has witnessed a slight decrease in incidences of armed robbery and expressed the hope that more progress will continue to be recorded with the measures now being enforced.

President Johnson Sirleaf has meanwhile appealed to violators of the country’s zoning laws to cooperate as government begins the enforcement of the policy.   The President said with the commencement of the current road construction and rehabilitation exercise, citizens must now prepare themselves for action government must take to ensure the smooth implementation of its development projects.

The President acknowledged that enforcement against street peddling was relaxed by government, but pointed out “that too will also have to come to an end.”  The President disclosed that Government is exploring the designation of a site for street peddlers to ensure that those engaged in the trade have somewhere to sell.

“We cannot allow people to block the movement of vehicles, pathways to buildings, banks and other business centers,” she cautioned,  adding, “don’t let us take harsh action against you, please cooperate and everything will be good for everybody.”

Wishing members of the media a happy and prosperous New Year, the President thanked members of the press for their contribution to national recovery, reconstruction and development.  “All that you assessed, reported on, we still appreciate that.  Sometimes, it is not what we like to see or hear; but that’s all right; that’s all part of the environment of democracy and freedom which we all have wanted for so long and we all must protect.”

Meanwhile, President Johnson Sirleaf has disclosed that the Minister of Justice has been asked to gather all the facts surrounding a recent incident involving Auditor-General John Morlu at the Roberts International Airport. “We have asked the Justice Minister to get all the reports of all the parties concerned, so that we can know the true facts of the matter. Let the investigation show the true facts and then we can go from there,” the President added.