Rescue Or Revenge Mission?

Seven months in office, President Joseph Boakai and his government are said to be presenting what appears as a scary picture in managing the affairs of state, far from the peace, reconciliation and unity he promised Liberians would be the hallmark of his administration.

Upsurge of ugly developments are causing many Liberians to wonder whether the overly publicized “rescue mission” the President and his time campaigned on was a substitution for revenge mission, to directly or indirectly use dictatorial maneuvers to get at potential enemies –those who along the line caused him harm, either by criticizing or not supporting his bid for the presidency.

The last few months have seen the entire country being inundated with different polarizing issues unseen under the two past administrations that are now provoking atmosphere of uncertainty and insecurity.

While the nation is still reeling from the hubbubs of ostracizing former President George Weah, denying him access to the President VIP Lounge, dismissal of thousands of Liberians employed during the regime of the former government, removal of people appointed by Weah from tenure positions in spite of Supreme Court rulings, ongoing public anxiety about GAC audit reports and government’s real intention, latest actions by the Monrovia City Corporation (MCC) to dismiss employees deemed to be members of opposition political parties and the CSA boss planned asphyxiation of so-called unaccounted-for or unverified thousands of employees are said to have added flame to an already viciously consuming fire.

And as if these actions were less weighty of sowing potential seeds of division, the removal of former head of the National Traditional Council of Liberia, Zanzan Karwor under the guise of activating the new Local Government Act of 2023 and the sacking of Ambassador Juli Endee as Liberia’s Culture Ambassador speak more volume, according to some Liberians, accusing the President for embarking on a campaign of vendetta.

While many believe is the constitutional prerogative of the President to appoint and dismiss, removing people deemed to have played active or less roles in getting former President Weah re-elected is of grave concern.

Addressing himself to the issue, Matthew Garlow of Brewerville sought to draw a delineation between the Boakai-led government’s massive dismissals policy and that of the two past governments before it.

“Madam Sirleaf came to office with a ‘downsize and right-size’ martra. She had a point then because Liberia had just emerged from a war that initialed a blurred and terrible governance system where people came to government not being guided by proper laid down channels. By downsizing and rightsizing, she tried to rearrange the system to make it worthy of the characters of good governance,” Mr. Garlow justified why Ellen was right.

He added: “But to the best of recollection, the Weah-led administration allowed those it met in government to stay on and perform their assigned roles, not that they could not dismiss them.”

Garlow believed what is happening is an escapade being employed by the government to get at those who, one way and the other, were active with the former government, alleging that Chief Zanzan Karwor removal was simply a punishment for being so closed at the time to former President Weah, and even urging traditional leaders to support his re-election bid.

As head of the Traditional Council, he recalled that he rallied support for the former head of state, basing his decision on his demonstrated good leadership style, working with chiefs and elders of the country, preaching messages of peace and reconciliation as incentives for political and infrastructural development.

Also commenting on what he thinks is a vindictive ploy to remove Liberians from their offices, Elizabeth Mahtein, a marketer, condemned the removal of Ambassador Juli Endee whom she described as approachable and humble character as Cultural Ambassador.

“The President must have been informed that Madam Endee did not support his election bid in 2023, and chose to replace her simply because he does not see her fit and trustworthy to dine with her,” she alleged.

When asked whether Madam Endee, as Culture Ambassador of Liberia, did not show neutrality, she answered in rather allegorical manner. As head of culture, Madam Endee, appointed during the regime of jailed for President Charles Taylor, worked with the former administrations as per her role.

Former Vice President Madam Jewel Howard Taylor also fumed over the removal of Endee days after she performed at programs marking the official dedication of the Clar City of Hope Foundation, a program she said she personally invited the dismissed Cultural Ambassador to.

This paper gathered that the government did nothing much to address the former Ambassador’s plight when she came under hordes of criticisms and insults from one of its supporters, Prophet Key who sought to replace Amb. Endee as culture ambassador of Liberia. The government’s reticence was viewed as an act of insensitivity to her plight and show of support to Key’s diatribes against the respected Liberian culture icon.

 

What did Weah Do?

Upon taking office in 2018, former President Weah and then Vice President (now President) Boakai enjoyed an alluring relationship, depicting good deference for statesmanship. As neighbors, President Weah reportedly reached out to the former Vice President frequently, extending hand of assistance.

However, without any public knowledge of what might have happened behind the scenes, former Weah during a citizen-engagement program on ELBC, accused the former VP of undermining his government in an effort to oust it.

He went on revealing the many assistance he rendered Mr. Boakai including buying the vehicle he was using at the time, sending him abroad for medical attention and paying the bills as well as supporting his home monthly with food stuffs.

According to him, he did all those in consideration of Mr. Boakai status as former VP who needed to be cared for despite non-political alignments and ideologies.

President Weah’s revelation angered the former VP as well as his supporters, to the extent where Mr. Henry Costa, a staunch follower of the former VP led a campaign and raised money to pay back former President Weah what he spent on then VP Boakai.

In addition to raising money to repay former Pres. Weah, they also called on then VP Boakai to return the vehicle President Weah publicly said he bought for him

All of these irritating situations were worsened by the acrimoniously disparaging 2023 election campaign, during which they and their followers tore each other apart, minced no words in eviscerating their political and personal excesses.

Apparently bearing these developments in mind, President Boakai who succeeded Weah as President is said to be showing the “this is my time” dogma, using suppressive politically-motivated means to neutralize him.

During one of his many meetings at the Presidency, sources quoted the President as saying
that “he is not here to joke, and does not care about what people say or do. He will do what in his mind is right.”  “No amount of criticisms will stop me from doing what I thing is right,” the President is quoted as saying by sources close to the presidency.
These developments do not only concerned ordinary Liberians, but also core supporters of the President.

His fundraiser’s criticism of mishaps

On Sunday, John Morlu, who helped to raise funds for Boakai’s election criticized him for ‘troubling repetition of governance failures’ that evocative of those of former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

According to him, Boakai is increasingly mirroring the past with each passing day, highlighting recent dismissals of members of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) as a clear sign of poor governance and a blatant disregard for the interests of the Liberian people.

“It’s time for Boakai to wake up and show true leadership,” he declared, saying the situation requires courage and collective action from all citizens to advocate for their fellow Liberians.

Morlu scolded the lack of a Presidential Appointment Act in Liberia, which he claimed would define the limits of presidential appointments.

 “This is Bad Governance 101, yet the disorganization continues under Boakai,” he said, and called for a unified stand against poor practices regardless of political affiliation.

According to Morlu, Liberia is in crisis with widespread joblessness and a lack of opportunities for ordinary citizens, noting that the ongoing political reshuffling offers no real solutions, merely a “replacement game.”

Also, the former Auditor General of Liberia is concerned about cronyism within the government, pointing out that 99% of officials at the Executive Mansion do not belong to the Unity Party.

Though he said all political appointments should reflect the Unity Party platform, he indicated that civil service employment should remain free of political bias.

Morlu emphasizes the need for strong leadership focused on job creation rather than dismissals.

According to Morlu, history has shown the consequences of mismanagement, and called on leaders to learn from past mistakes to avoid repeating the failures that have plagued Liberia for decades.