By Mark N. Mengonfia
Monrovia-Feb-5-TNR: Several partisans and supporters of the Unity Party (UP) are said to be expressing a high level of disappointment over appointed positions in Joseph N. Boakai’s government.
This is so because according to sources within the inner circle of the presidency, members of the ruling Unity Party and other collaborating parties are becoming uneasy and some are expressing early disappointment. This has, accordingly caused the decision-making of the President to go slow.
For instance, Senator Prince Johnson of Nimba County during his Sunday service yesterday, said the road to the six years journey of President Boakai is, ‘cloudy’ and characterized by so many disappointments.”
He said as the appointments are being made, some of those who supported the presidency of Mr. Boakai are hopeful while others are hopeless and others are grieving while others are happy stating, “Manage your expectations.”
Sounding unsatisfied with the level of appointments thus far, the Chairman of the Governing Council of the Movement for Democracy Reconstruction (MDR), Prince Y. Johnson said without the support of the people of Nimba and his party, the CDC would have been in power by now.
Senator Johnson‘s MDR played a very crucial role in the entire electoral process. In fact, his party was credited for bringing victory to the UP, winning more than 70 percent of the votes in vote-rich Nimba County.
“You can’t discredit the role played by Nimba Nimba, we should be prioritized. We need four to five ministers. If Bomi county can get three, Bassa can get four, we need five or seven,” Sen. Johnson said.
He said after they amalgamate their efforts, “We see turndown or rejection from the President that we made, so I call for claim.”
“Nimba County deserves five to seven ministerial positions in the Boakai’s administration, but it’s saddened that only one cabinet position has been awarded to us (Nimbians),” he said.
Quoting from the book of Ecclesiastes 5:5-15, Senator Prince Johnson said, the Bible talks about failed promises.
But not only PYJ has an issue, Senator Amara Konneh of Gbarpolu County (even though he has been accused by some partisans that he is the one cutting the shot) too is not pleased with how things are proceeding as it relates to appointments in the new government.
Senator Konneh took to his Facebook page and made some analysis of how President Joseph Boakai made appointments and the counties that have benefited so far. He disclosed that the President has thus far appointed 15 Ministers to head Ministries including two Ministers of State without Portfolio.
“Lofa has 5 (29.4%), Bong has 4 (23.5%), Bassa, Bomi, and Nimba have two each (35.3%) while Cape Mount and Sinoe have one each (11.7%),” he said.
The post stated,“15 of 18 cabinet ministers (83.3% of cabinet positions) appointed from 7 of 15 counties (46.6% of counties).
The former Minister of Finance and Development Planning said with three cabinet ministerial appointments remaining, eight countries including Gbarpolu, Montserrado, Margibi, Grand Kru, Rivercess, Grand Gedeh, Maryland, and Rivergee are without ministerial posts.
The Gbarpolu County Senator said the President won Gbarpolu and Margibi Counties in both rounds of the elections, and Montserrado in the runoff.
He stated that the President promised a Minister from each county, “Clearly, this promise will not be fulfilled. Of the 15 Cabinet ministers appointed so far, there is only one Muslim, Mamaka Bility. The Southeast, which has six counties, has received only one Ministerial appointment. Five counties (Lofa, Bong, Bassa, Nimba, and Bomi) account for 88.2% of all cabinet appointments so far.”
The unhappy Senator added, “Those of us who supported President Boakai must remind him of his promises quietly and publicly when it becomes necessary to help him deliver the promises he made when he campaigned for President. Change means change!”
December 27, 2023, Senator Konneh made a post that informed Liberians to manage their expectations.
“You should know that the outgoing Administration has submitted a proposed ‘do-nothing’ FY24 budget of US$625.57 million to the 54th Legislature of which 594.5 million or 95% is allocated to recurrent spending. Simply stated, this budget takes care of debt and government workers only and leaves nothing to invest in the Liberian people. Meanwhile, civil servants haven’t gotten paid for all of FY23. This is the first challenge the new government must address. The government should be more open to let you know. Manage your expectations!”
Another unhappy person is the chairman of the party, Rev. Luther Tarpeh. During the electoral process, his house was gutted on fire, took his kids to campaign for President Boakai. He has expressed disappointment in the current wave of appointments.
A senior UP official told this paper on Sunday that “we are surprised at the old man. Those of us who worked hard, he is not looking at us. Some people are controlling him now.”
But Representative Bernard Benson, commonly known as DJ Blue, of district number 17, Montserrado County from the Peoples Liberation Party (PLP) wrote on his Facebook page under the caption: The Art of War: “During war, the troops that capture a particular town cannot remain there on assignment, a different battalion will always be assigned, the art of war.
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