By Bedeskoe Nyumah Tumbay
President George Manneh Weah is set to deliver his final State of the Nation Address (SONA) of his first term today, Monday, January 30th.
In 2018, Weah gave his first State of the Nation Address, outlining how he met the State of affairs he was about to lead for the next six years.
Many pundits predict that this year’s SONA is expected to showcase most of his achievements for the last five years in contrast to reporting for only the year under review.
It is also expected that, like in his 2022 SONA, the Liberian leader, amid other things, will announce that the country is safe, peaceful, and strong under his administration.
The Liberian Constitution mandates the SONA. According to Article 58, the President is obliged to present updates on development to the Liberian people through a joint session of the Liberian Legislature.
“The President shall, on the fourth working Monday in January of each year, present the administration’s legislative program for the ensuing session and shall once a year report to the Legislature on the State of the Republic. In presenting the economic condition of the Republic, the report shall cover expenditure as well as income”, Article 58 of the Liberian Constitution emphatically states.
He is expected to present his programs for the ensuing session, coupled with a report on the State of the nation, covering its economic condition, including expenditure and income”.
As the clock ticks, Liberians’ expectations ahead of this year’s SONA are incredibly high, mainly due to the country’s pending crucial general and presidential elections slated for October this year.
With anxiety at a high pace, the biggest question on the minds of Liberians from all works of life is
What will the President principally highlight to Liberians at home and abroad?
Speculatively, President Weah is expected to highlight his achievements over the period, which include ongoing road construction, the building of hospitals, maintaining the peace, violence free, and fair elections.
At the same time, the President is expected to report on the progress and plans of his government’s legislative agenda, economic revitalization, social services, foreign relations, peace programs, and reconciliation, amongst others.
President Weah is also anticipated to declare, as in his previous address, that the “State of the economy is Stable and Growing and that the State of the Nation is Peaceful and Strong!” He will also speak on the Economy, the balance of trade, Revenue, and Expenditure as well as the State of public expenditure and national income-driven factors.
Also, the President will divulge the revenue collected over the fiscal year 2022 and will mention grants received during the period with a year-on-year comparison.
Furthermore, President George Weah is also predicted to elucidate on domestic tax collection and a breakdown of external resources received from the country’s Development Partners, within the specified period.
Many Political commentators are letting out that the President will explain the transition of the country’s fiscal period from July 1st to June 30 and from January 1st to December 31; and the progress of his alignment with countries within the ECOWAS sub-region.
The Weah administration has, over the past two fiscal years, recorded the highest postwar budgets approaching nearly US 1 billion.
With 2023 being an election year, President Weah will be glad to boast of reports of no political prisoners and that his administration has created a level playing field and an enabling environment for political freedom to thrive.
Moreover, it is foreseen that President Weah, would indicate that his administration, has done its best to respect and protect the rights of citizens and residents and has strengthened the country’s democracy, accountability, the rule of law, and brag of a strong and independent judicial system.
However, President Weah’s 6th SONA, the last of his first term, will not be void of criticisms from the opposition after it has been read out.
