Add this to your age. The future of Liberians was and is being stolen every day. Open your eyes – Part 1
This is called generational theft of our natural resources. It’s happening in realtime. Can this broad-day exploitation happen anywhere besides Liberia?
Fellow Liberians, please pay attention. No one should deceive you that you have a future. That’s a gimmick. Unless we stand up and act now, our collective future is already gone. It was and has been mortgaged by a handful of greedy and corrupt politicians.
We will start with 6 concession companies.
1) Golden Veroleum Liberia (GVL)
Contract: From 2010 to 2075
65 years
Note: 50 more years to go. A child who’s born today will be 50 years before GVL’s contract ends. Sinoe still remains POOR and dark like almost all counties, and it will remain like that until 2075 if we do not act.
2) Sime Darby / Mano Palm Oil Industries (MPOI)
Contract: From 2009 to 2072
63 years
Note: Only 16 years gone. Remaining 47 years. Add this to your age. Sadly, Bomi is still underdeveloped with huts almost everywhere.
3) Cavalla Rubber Corporation (CRC)
Contract: From 2011 to 2061
50 years
Note: Only 14 years gone. 35 more years to go. Add it to your age. Maryland is still POOR and lack access to basic social services. Our people there still drink from creeks.
4) Liberian Agricultural Company (LAC)
Contract: From 1959 to 2032
70 years
Note: A child who was born between 1959-1989 lost his entire future. Seven (7) more years for it to end. Grand Bassa is still underdeveloped. Not even safe drinking is accessible.
5) Salala Rubber Corporation
Contract: From 1959 to 2030
70 years
Note: After 66 years, our people in Kakata, Margibi, still live in shacks and cannot even boast of safe drinking water or quality education.
6) Firestone Liberia
First Contract: From 1926 to 2025
Amended (New Contract): From 2008 to 2041
A Total of 115 years.
Note: Margibi County is still dark. Has anything changed in Harbel after 99 years of rubber production and export? Not even a rubber bucket or a rubber slipper has been manufactured since 1926. Young people are still massively unemployed.
Resource Curse?
Our resources are not only be exploited on an industrial scale, but our people are being abused, suppressed, and humiliated across mines and plantations in Liberia. This entrenched abuse has been going on for decades. It has to change. But who will change this? Successive regimes have miserably failed on natural resource governance and management amid kickbacks, greed, and corruption. Sad.
Recommendation:
Our recommendation since January 2024 is simple: Thoroughly review ALL concession agreements, shift towards profit sharing, compel all companies to pay for long-term compliance breaches/violations, review ‘unjustified’ tax holidays and credits which is allowing us to lose over US$300 million every year, amend the revenue code, and impartially enforce all MDAs, EITI regulations, and MM and Natural Resource Laws to ensure full compliance and public interest.
The suffering in Liberia is artificial. It is man-made. We will stop here for today. To be continued.
About The Author: Martin K. N. Kollie is a Liberian activist in exile and a former student leader in Liberia.
