All countries like Liberia must have a database system for their citizens and foreign nationals residing within their territorial boundaries. This is important, because it helps the country to know exactly the total population with preceding classifications, which is essential for decision-making. It helps the government in its budgetary projections and appropriations to address social, health, security and political issues affecting the people.
However, the issuance of this Executive Order by the President, H. E. Joseph Boakai, can be construed as an ill-advised decision.
Significance of the Liberian Passports:
The most powerful document any citizen can carry to access public and private services nationally and internationally, is a country’s passport. In fact, it’s so authentic that it cannot be disrespected anywhere in the world.
Here in Liberia, the Executive Order issued by the President indirectly dishonored, and reduced the pride and dignity associated with our Liberian passport by allowing a common and domestic Citizen Identification Card to be of great significance over our passport.
WHERE IN THIS WORLD HAVE YOU SEEN OR HEARD THAT A NATIONAL IDENTIFICATION CARD OR RESIDENT CARD HAS PROMINENCE OVER A COUNTRY’S PASSPORT?
It sent a wrong signal and further discredit our global nationality identification document – passport.
A few years ago, Liberia was at the centre of controversy, because it was alleged that our diplomatic, service and ordinary passports got in the wrong hands. The government did extremely well to restore that lost confidence and added values to our passports by cancelling a significant number of the missing ones believed to be in the wrong hands.
While this process of total cleansing is ongoing within the diplomatic circles of the world, the President comes up with an Executive Order to make a common Citizen Identification Card to be the ONLY form of legal identification instrument to access public and private services in the country.
Mr. President, you have injured your citizens so badly and this decision should be reversed or revised. There are several legitimate documents all countries approve to allow their citizens to use in order to access domestic services at private and public institutions. The passport is one of them in the absence of a Citizen Identification Card.
The Executive Order should be accommodating and not discretionary Mr. President. We have Driver’s Licence, Citizens Identification Card and Passport that are considered government’s legal instruments to access public and private services in the country and this has gone for decades.
Therefore, the Executive Order should have stated clearly that public and private services can only be accessed by Liberians and foreign nationals if they present any of the following:
-Liberian Passports
-Foreign Passports – for non- Liberians
-Citizens Identification Card
-Driver’s Licence
But, considering one of the above-mentioned as the most important documents when all are considered legal under our laws and even approved, is counterproductive.
The Whooping Contract to Print the Citizens Identification Cards
This is what the President doesn’t know. Someone within the President’s circle managed to cleverly convince the President’s inner circle that issuing this Executive Order would be a good deal ONLY because they wanted secure the contract to print the Citizens Identification Card contract. Liberia’s current population stands at 5.493 million (2023).
Assuming 3 Million people get the Citizens Identification Cards. This person, who secured the contract to print the Citizens Identification Card, will be walking away with $15 Million ($5.00 X 3 Million).
The Executive Order has a monetary value attached and it is not driven by conviction as explained in the Executive Order. Nothing else, but da so so money business!
Additionally, the Executive Order will cause most of our citizens, especially those in the interior parts of the country, to suffer severe consequences. So, when they are sick and go to the hospital, they won’t be treated due to the absence of the Citizen Identification Card. If someone goes to the bank for money, present their passport, or driver’s licence, which are significantly legit, they will also be denied until a Citizens Identification Card is presented. Lol .
One can clearly see that the Executive Order is meant to enrich a single individual that had been awarded the contract to print out Citizens Identification Cards. Mandating your citizens to get Citizens Identification Cards to access public and private services is not a health emergency. There are already approved documents (passport and a driver’s licence) under our laws that citizens and foreign nationals can use to access public and private services.
The Liberian Constitution forbids public and private institutions in Liberia from engaging in acts of discrimination.
It’s clear the Executive Order is discriminatory, because citizens that are in possession of constitutionally approved documents like Liberian passport ana drivers licences are being denied public and private services only because they don’t have Citizens Identification Cards.
This is unfair, and we think the Office of the President was misinformed based on selfishness.This decision was only meant for someone to get a whooping contract to print the Citizens Identification Cards for the country at the detriment of poor Liberians.
Finally, the printing of the Citizens Identification Cards is not fully decentralized. How do you expect the citizens to obey this directive? This is another predicament the Executive Order didn’t consider.
We know the order is good, but its execution is discriminatory and unjustified. It should be revised Mr. President.
