Several Liberians have described the naming of former officials of government mostly those who worked in the Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf administration on the Joint Presidential Transition Team (JPTT) by President-elect, Joseph N. Boakai as old wine in new bottle.

Consistent with Executive Order #123; recently President George M. Weah set up the Joint Presidential Transition Team (JPTT) to facilitate the smooth transfer of power to the incoming administration of President-elect, Joseph N. Boakai.

Days after President Weah named members of the JPTT from the government side, President-elect; Joseph N. Boakai designated the Vice President-elect, Jeremiah Kpan Koung to act as Co-Chairperson in his absence to oversee all affairs of the JPTT.

Boakai also named several former Ellen government officials on the Joint Presidential Transitional Team (JPTT) something Liberians have described as old wine in new bottle as many of those named by Ambassador Boakai on the JPTT are the very faces who were in the past administration of former President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf. They have reemerged as members of the Presidential Transitional.

President-elect, Boakai has appointed Mr. Amos Tweh, (who once served at the Ministry of Internal Affairs during the regime of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf) to serve as a member of the Secretariat. Others named on the JPTT include, Cllr. Cooper Kruah former Minister of Post and Telecommunication in the outgoing administration and Mr. Amara Konneh who served as Minister of Planning before serving Minister of Finance, Development Planning and was commonly referred to as, “Budget Shortfall Hero” in the Sirleaf-led administration. Konneh  left Liberia to seek job at the World Bank, according to  sources,  he left the World Bank under unexplained circumstances.  Some said he  was incompetent and was asked to resign. But this  is  yet to be verified.

Boakai also named Lusinee Kamara, former Finance Minister in the Sirleaf-led administration, MacDella Cooper, Louise Kpoto, Dr. Urey Yarkpawolo, a former official of the Ellen administration, Samuel Kofi Woods, former Public Works Minister under former President Sirleaf, Dr. Augustine Konneh, former Head of Foreign Service in Madam Sirleaf administration, Boima Kamara, former Finance, Development Planning Minister in the Sirleaf administration and Rev. Luther Tarpeh, Chairman of the Unity Party (UP).

Others include, Darbah Vapilah, former official under the Sirleaf administration, Mr. Edward Appleton Political Leader of the Grassroot Democratic Movement (GDM), John Morlu, Jr. former Auditor General in the Sirleaf administration who said that the Ellen Government was three times corrupt and departed the country under dubious circumstances, and Mr. Sam Gaye a former official of the Ellen government.

Others are, Mr. Sahr Johnny, Sara Beyslow Nyanti, former United Nations official and political leader of the African Liberation League (ALL), Gbemie Horace-kollie, Wilmot Paye, former official of the Ministry of Gender, Children Protection, former of the Ministry of Commerce and former Chairman of the Unity party (UP). Under Wilmot Paye’s leadership, former President Sirleaf who served as Standard-bearer for the party was expelled from the Unity Party while celebrating her birthday.

“for some of us, we will describe them as old wine  in new bottles. These are the same old people from UP,” Alexander T. Kollie, a  taxi driver.

For Richael Dennies, a university of Liberia student said,: “da the same old people coming back. I hope they will be different.”

JNB also named Liberty party strongman, Jacob Smith and Noah Zawu Gibson, a strong advocate of the Unity Party (UP) on the Joint Presidential Transitional Team.