Hmmm

Liberia: Booted Out, Not "Dressed"
Festus Poquie

13 May 2009


Monrovia — Deputy Finance Minister for Revenue, Mrs. Alfreda Tamba, caused uproar at the House of Representatives Tuesday when she was stopped from taking oath and asked out of the Chambers due to "improper dress code."

She was in readiness to raise her hands when the Sergeant-At-Arms noticed the exposed parts of some of her body and approached the Deputy Speaker who was presiding.

New Democrat

Deputy Minister Tamba seated at the National Legislature

It was then ruled that the Minister should leave and return properly dressed.

"Madam Minister, it has been brought to the attention of the Chair that you are not properly dressed. We ask that you come back in the next 30 minutes properly dress," said Deputy Speaker Togbah Mulbah.

But Minister Tamba rejected the decision and said she would not return, insisting that she was properly dressed.

However, some legislators disagreed with the dress code decision after the Minister's departure, but the majority said the decision was right. Minister Tamba was at The House to explain the payment of real estate taxes for additional revenue

Aye mehn....it was just a "wardrobe malfunction." Is this for real???

i don't think they like to see under people's arms...hair or not! look, i give up, bro!

LOL!!!!!!!!!!! And "wrong parking" is acceptable?? It look lek people don't have work to to do!

say what????

Dat real stupayness!

at the same time, an embarrassing situation occurred yesterday at the capitol building when deputy minister of finance for revenue, alfreda tamba was disgracefully thrown thrown out of the chamber of the house of representatives for what that body referred to as immoral dress code of ethics...Vol.18 no. 78 Inquirer May 13, 2009

I guess they want to take away a woman's "right to bare arms."

the part i do not understand...most of these men who make these rules are statutory rapists...but that is has less gravity than exposing a bare arm. the women who support these rules and have not thought about changing them...they know that there are more important stuff to deal with in this country. was at rotary meeting and one of the associate judges, supreme court mentioned that alfreda tamba was silly. did she not know she was going to the capitol building....i give up

krazzy wrote:

................did she not know she was going to the capitol building....i give up

I actually think this is partly sexism but also partly a holdover from far gone days when the Masonic craft ran everything in Liberia. In the craft we pay quite a bit of attention to being "properly attired." Since most GOL officials in yesteryear were members of the craft, it was not uncommon for them to observe craft rules while transacting government business. In fact, I took notice of Speaker Snowe properly wearing his hat during the EJS inaugural ceremonies. So it is in part Afro-Saxon TWP BS but it also has links to the Masonic order. Either way, it is a dumb practice and Tamba should NOT have had to endure such indignity. That being said, in other matters she is just as bad as Mary Broh!

T, i don't know about the masonic craft but agree that they and the church still have strong influence on the governance structure in liberia. i wanted to post something i read this morning about tamba..see below

Opinion: Replace Deputy Finance Minister Elfreda Tamba
Wednesday, 13 May 2009 18:29 By Tokpah A. Dennis
President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf should by now know that the time has arrived to reverse the “abject poverty” trend reported in the population census. How to do it is simple, replace Madam Elfreda Stewart-Tamba from the position of Deputy Minister of Finance for Revenue with someone who understands the dynamics of microeconomics/contemporary political variables backed by many years of formulating and administering tax policies.

Yes, this government’s excuse of inheriting a high tariff code was initially justified but with nearly three years of existence, there seems to be no significant changes in an instrument acknowledged to be unreasonable. The reason this problem continues to persist is that, the so-called panel constituted to initiate reforms is not up to the task because it comprises of individuals selected on the basis of accommodation, not predicated upon knowledge and experience.

What she succeeded in doing instead at the revenue department is, prematurely retired seasoned revenue staffs and functionally redundant or misplaced those spared by her unwarranted exercise. Judging from this assertion, one can deduce that leadership is wanting in the revenue department rather than continue with the dictatorial style of leadership obtaining as a result of Madam Tamba’s presence in this sensitive position.

Why I am not targeting any other person rather Madam Stewart-Tamba? To answer this simple question requires an introspective analysis of how her actions or inactions have over the years disoriented the tax regime to reflect an upward movement of the tax rates on key economic goods and services.

As things stand, Madam Stewart-Tamba, instead of focusing primarily on policy issues, and leaving the day to day operations of the various revenue sections to their relevant heads, is rampaging around the place, usurping functions here and there, wasting time on trivial issues like staff movements, locating office space for handpicked staffs, single-handedly allocating and distributing logistics to sections and personnel in a discriminatory fashion, nominating those she favors to make endless foreign trips in spite of the fact that their job description is totally unrelated to the theme of the conference and to further compound the administrative excesses and or malfeasance, also abrogated unto herself the task of apportioning allowances for each staff, on and on we go.

In order to put everything into proper perspective, Madam Stewart-Tamba is single handedly running that very significant arm of government. The Assistant Minister for Revenue, her principal deputy is actually performing the role of secretary. Sadly, even when the Madam is absent from the country, the poor chap cannot take decision without it being dictated vie telephone or email connection. The problem associated with the above synopsis is the “know-all-mentality” which is actually the ghost hunting Madam Stewart-Tamba.

Madam President, as a concerned citizen, I mean if your administration wants to be remembered for building the cornerstone of good governance and at the same time observing its tenets in totality, then you will have my support for a second term. But, the writing on the walls at the Ministry of Finance suggests that more needs to be done in this direction. The time for unilateral administrative actions should by now be history and any official of your government attempting to reinvent the wheels of history must not be permitted to reverse the gains made thus far.

Probably, the undemocratic characteristics of the past are still hunting us today, which are making people not to openly discuss these issues even when they pose potential embarrassment to the political establishment of the day. Madam President, this campaign is not about individual but one that is in the interest of those you serve. From my vantage position, most of the inflation occurring in the commerce of Liberia today is the direct reciprocal of the insensitivity of Stewart-Tamba to realize that anything that resembles the application of high tariff on the importation of goods and services will have collateral effect on the consuming public.

There are those that will try to mislead you and the population into believing that the “Global Economic Melt Down” is responsible for the rise of the “abject poverty” reported in the population census. I say no to this assertion because, even though the productive sectors of the economy like logging, mining, etc. are at a standstill, planning and properly managing our import and export sectors which by extension are the major sources of revenue generation can significantly impact the galloping effect of poverty.

It therefore behooves you Madam President, to act now since you don’t have time in your favor. I urge you to resist the temptation of letting family ties or mere sympathy or connections of various kinds exceed your long term political interest. Madam President, this voice should not be ignored for it represents the view and aspiration of the silent majority.

Actually, the issue of poverty for a country like Liberia should be regarded as a national tragedy. Amidst the vast resources this land possesses, how then majority of its population remains destitute? I think Madam President, if the human resource base is properly harnessed and deployed using economics of scale as a benchmark; whereas connections and or family ties ignored, then and only then will we achieve any meaningful national objective.

Madam President, let me also inform you that official gossips in the corridors of the Ministry of Finance indicate that you regard Madam Stewart-Tamba above the proper Minister, thus enabling her to ascribe unto herself pseudo administrative autonomy. According to reliable sources, you have instructed everyone including the Minister and other deputies to allow Madam Stewart-Tamba run her department. Now, Madam President, I say to you, the time has come to disengage and call a spade a spade. Anything short of that will not augur well for the kind of legacy the young generation expects of you since you are a role model for African women and women in leadership everywhere.

In the coming days, I will intensify this campaign as a way of helping you make informed decisions not limited to this subject matter. I rest my case for now.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Tokpah A. Dennis is a junior student reading Economics and Public Administration at the United Methodist University (UMU). E-mail: tadennis1982@yahoo.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it / Tel. 00231-5652657 .

hmm for true.. as for our capitol building folks.. thats just more than stupidity.
on this piece by Tokpah.. its his opinion so i'll take it at that. some points may be valid but replace her with who? can it truthfully be said that if she' does not "understands the dynamics of microeconomics/contemporary political variables backed by many years of formulating and administering tax policiess" according to tokpah she cant get the job done?

So.. as long as you dress appropriately you can steal money, take advantage of poor people's children, and be as incompetent as you want?

DSP wrote:

So.. as long as you dress appropriately you can steal money, take advantage of poor people's children, and be as incompetent as you want?

i swear, DSP...dats what dey saying right there!