Decision by the City Council of Monrovia headed by acting City Mayor Mary Brown continues to be a source of acrimonies dispute in the country, leading to court action against the municipal government.
Central Monrovia has taken a fresh new shape following the refurbishments of streets by an expatriate company and the design of the streets with traffic signs by the Monrovia City Government.
It was not long with the controversial head of the city government, Mary Broh, passed around flyers announcing a change in traffic movement and payment of fees for parking in central city.
The edict of the City Hall and its effect came like rebels from the north. It commenced around the commercial enclave of Randall Street on which banks and expatriate merchandise moguls are centralized.
As street attendants hired by the City Hall served tickets of L$50 per hour to car owners around the heavily commercialized street, there were no loud alarms heard at this initial stage because, as Liberians treated their compatriots during the civil war, the effect was not directly affecting them.
Then the fees collection hit Carey, Gurley and Ashmun Streets and eventually every other street, like a town-trap or slow poison.
The alarms came--the loudest--and never ceased since.
Supporters of the ordinance argue that Liberia as the oldest country in Africa and Monrovia therefore the oldest city cannot be exempted from best practices found in even younger counties and cities.
The supporters say parking fees are collected in cities in the United States and parts of Africa and help to bolster municipal budget and help keep cities clean and beautiful.
According to the supporters of the city parking fees ordinance, Central Monrovia is becoming unsightly and chaotic because all kinds of vehicles enter the city and take to street corners in haphazard and hazardous way.
It is to sanitize things in the country’s commercial and political capital that the parking fees are imposed, they argue.
They say those who criticize the fees charged by the City Government are ironically the same people to criticize the Government for maintaining a dirty city and who praise cities of other countries for their beauty.
There are three categories of Liberians who oppose the parking fees--those who contend that the country’s economy is not ripe for such an exercise and that it should not be encouraged after all; those who think the exercise is necessary but the fee of L$50 per hour is exorbitant; and those who believe the exercise is illegal and fraudulent and must therefore be stopped.
Some Liberians say justification for the car parking fees in Monrovia by comparing Liberia and other countries is faulty and indefensible because the economies are incomparable.
Liberia is just emerging from long years of war and the citizens are strenuously endeavoring to cope, unlike the USA and other economies that have been steady, peaceful and prosperous for long.
As one pundit contended, even many of those owning cars get them from loans which viciously slash their incomes and disable them to be able to cope with several other demands, including an L$50 per hour parking fee.
Some Liberians agree with the parking fee ordinance but say the amount charged is excruciatingly exorbitant for most of the people who own cars.
“Parking your car for L$50 per hours means car owner working or doing business in Central Monrovia pays at least L$400 per day, L$2000 per week or L$8000, over US$100 per month,” James Mayson-Gboor, a businessman down Water Side who leaves his vehicle on Ashmun/Randall Street every day.
“This is totally absurd, particularly for us who don’t generate a profit of that amount in a month,” he said. “If they mean well, they should reduce the amount to at least $20 per house or $1000 per month. We need some order in Monrovia and imposing such fees will do, but we cannot afford an exploitation of the situation by Mary Broh.”
There are other Liberians who also believe that collection of parking fees by the City Government is beyond the scope of Acting City Mayor Mary Broh and is illegal.
Leading these Liberians is human rights defender T. Dempster Brown, who has taken Madam Broh to the Supreme Court in question of her decision and its constitutional implications.
The human rights lawyer objects that Acting City Mayoress does not have the right to arbitrarily impose taxes.
He pointed to Article 34, Section (d) of the Liberian Constitution which states that “The Legislature shall have the power to levy taxes, duties, impose, excise and other revenues…,” this provision of the Liberian Constitution forbids non-judicial officer or entity to exceed its jurisdiction.
He objected Broh’s role as an Acting City Mayor, operating under Executive law, to erect parking lots and to impose taxes without taking into consideration Article 34 of the Liberian Constitution which forbids her from doing so. He said the Executive Law gives her one year to act as Mayor.
According to Brown, Broh is in total disregard of the Liberian Constitution by collecting fifty Liberian Dollars per hour for parking on the parking lots erected by her.
The writ he issued to the Supreme Court states that the fees being charged by Broh are exorbitant and unconstitutional and that they are not even going into the Government’s revenue but into her personal accounts.
He therefore prayed that the Supreme Court of Liberia grant his petition and restrain and prohibit Broh from further collecting and imposing taxes and from violating the Liberian Constitution.
Credit: Africa News
August 2011
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