SUPERINTENDENT JULIA DUNCAN-CASSELL'S SPEECH
Delivered at
UNIBOA's 16th National Convention held in Arlington, Texas
May 27, 2006
Greetings
I would first of all thank this association, especially my Bassa High School schoolmate, Mr. Jerome Gayman and Joseph Sinyan, two sons of Bassa from the Bassa association who played a critical role in making this visit possible. Both Jerome and Joseph have been keeping in touch with me for the past month or so in Bassa to ensure that nothing got in the way of this meeting. Again, my thanks go to them. During this brief visit we were able to meet with key individuals within the city of Arlington and brief them on the current state of affairs in our county as it relates to our index of needs.
Our visit with the officials of Arlington
The visit although short, also afforded us an opportunity to sell the potential of Grand Bassa County as it relates to investments in the mining, agricultural and tourism sectors. Additionally, a key component in our talks was the possible setting up of a sister city relationship between the city of Arlington and the city of Buchanan. We hope to remain engage with the mayor and members of the city council because we believe that some mutual benefits will derive from this new found relationship. So, again, we thank members of this august body for making this visit possible. As an old Chinese proverb goes ... the journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step. This is a first step we hope will evolve into a win win situation for both the peoples of Arlington and Grand Bassa.
The office of the Superintendent
The present day reality in Grand Bassa County, my fellow Grand Bassonians, is that we have to start from scratch and employ some outside the box approach to resolving the many issues that bedevil our county. President Sirleaf has driven home to all her superintendents the need for a proactive approach to managing the affairs of their counties. The days of the superintendent because of political patronage, depending on the largesse of central government to drive development in his or her county are gone. That is why the 2 1 st century superintendent has to cleverly blend the skills of a manager on one hand and the proactive aggressiveness of a business development sales woman on the other. Our job under this new arrangement, is to bring in the necessary investments while the government will serve as the enabler. We believe, with the cooperation of our development partners, the tenacity of our office in attracting investments and the support and help of the children and descendants of Grand Bassa County we shall succeed.
The current status of Grand Bassa
My fellow citizens of Grand Bassa, as you all know we are emerging from 14 years of civil crisis. Nothing was left untouched by the rebels or vandals who passed through our county. The infrastructure of the entire county has been destroyed. Bridges and roads critical to opening up markets, and sustaining humanitarian access to rural areas are in disrepair. The educational system, thanks to years of unrest and neglect, has collapsed due to the lack of logistics, qualified teachers and the resources needed to rehabilitate school buildings.
The vast majority of Bassonians, like most Liberians, have no access to basic sanitation facilities, or health care. There is also no functioning public utilities infrastructure, hence there's no access to electricity or water. Additionally, all medical services are provided by international non govemmental organizations and U.N. agencies.
Add to this, the thousands of internally displaced people along with the emerging health crisis due to HIV/AIDS, which should tell you all that the president day superintendent has her job cut out for her. It's a position that I doubt anyone envies me for. Despite the grim picture I just painted, there is hope at the end of the tunnel. Grand Bassa County is perhaps the richest of the 15 counties. Thanks to a strong pre war mining sector that is regaining its footing, especially in the area of iron ore mining. You all have perhaps heard of the international steel giant, Mittal Steel setting up shop in our county. The contract signed between that company and the Gyude Bryant interim government is currently going through a vetting or revision process by the national government to ensure that it pass a national interest test.
National interest test investment potential
The national interest test, as defined by the central government, will serve as the standard or the yardstick by which all contracts will be signed. We are desperate for business, we want investments that will be labor intensive but these investments, unlike past years, will have to rigidly subscribe to the interest of the people of Liberia or more specifically, Grand Bassa. That said, Mittal steel upon the revision of the agreement could be a strong development partner, especially in the areas of infrastructural development. The company has already pledged a million dollars for development purposes within the county. So this is a welcome signal coming out of our latest suitor, Mittal. Besides mining, other areas of investments include the timber, diamond and gold industries. These three sectors are currently under sanctions, but from all indications from the central government, the sanctions are to be lifted within a month. Next is tourism. We all know that our county is blessed with aesthetics.... beaches and forests of extraordinary beauty, beaches seductive enough to match any Caribbean Islands.. The tourism potential of Grand Bassa County is enormous. I can imagine beaches festooned with world class hotels, or our virgin forest used for eco Tourism. My office is currently working on a website that will highlight the investment potential of Grand Bassa County to the outside world. In consultation with the ministry of commerce and the National investment Commission, the site will have the details of the various investment codes, shipping tariffs and incentives, so that potential investors will do their homework before hitting our shores. To those of you interested in bringing in investors to our county, the site should be a useful resource. That site should be going live soon.
Port of Buchanan Free Zone
The revamping of the Port of Buchanan and setting up an investor friendly free zone is also part of our development agenda. These are all a multi million dollar vision that we believe can help jumpstart the rather dormant economy of Grand Bassa County, provide thousands of jobs and in the process have a massive repercussion that will be felt nationally. But my fellow citizens, all these grand plans will bore no fruit without the support of the sons and daughters of Grand Bassa County. What I would like the people of Bassa County resident in these United States, irrespective of political or religious affiliations to do, is to identify areas within our vast county that they can offer assistance. It could be something as small as getting in touch with your local library or hospital to make a contribution of books or medical equipment to our schools and hospitals, or even to the local transportation authority to contribute their retired buses to off set the lack of transportation in the county. Remember to always remind them that these gifts can be written off during tax time. Once again, I appreciate the invitation extended by the Bassa association. Long live Liberia ... Long Live Grand Bassa County.
