By Bill W. Cooper
A staunch supporter of the ruling Unity Party (UP), Richelieu Burphy is calling on President Joseph Boakai to take decisive action against officials who failed to comply with the asset declaration requirements as enshrined within the Code of Conduct.
He urged the President to dismiss or suspend violators without pay, emphasizing the importance of transparency and accountability in governance in fulfillment of promises made to Liberians during the 2023 Presidential campaign.
He further asserted that adherence to asset declaration laws is crucial for restoring public trust and ensuring ethical leadership, noting that strict enforcement of these regulations will send a strong message about the president’s commitment to integrity.
However, Burphy’s call comes following the President recent appeal to his officials to declare their assets to the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) in keeping with law.
Prior to the President’s appeal, the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) reported that 73.5% of 1,900 public officials have not declared their assets and liabilities, as Article 91 of the Liberian Constitution requires.
Article 91 mandates high-ranking officials, including the President, Vice President, members of the Legislature, and other officials designated by law, to declare their assets and liabilities to promote transparency and prevent conflicts of interest, corruption, and abuse of power.
But in an open letter to the President, Burphy said, “Mr. President, the second ‘R’ in the ARREST Agenda is for Rule of Law! We cannot forget that because when we gathered at the grounds of the Capitol on January 22 this year, it was to witness you take the oath to protect, uphold and defend the Constitution and other laws of Liberia.”
“As the Chief Executive of this country, you are clothed with the authority to implement and execute the laws that are made by the Legislature whilst the Judiciary interprets; independent, coordinate branches of government operating under the doctrine of separation of powers.
Now Mr. President, this is what the law says: “An official appointed by the President shall declare his/her assets not later than thirty (30) days after appointment. Failure to comply shall result into immediate suspension from office until full compliance is obtained.” This is in found in the Code of Conduct Section 10.2 (h),” he said.
According to him, it has been several weeks since the LACC reported that more than half of those appointed into government as officials have not yet declared their assets, and noted, “I believe your Ministry of State actors didn’t hide that one from you too.”
He explained, “Many of them have failed to respect and comply with the law and they have been receiving tax payers money for over 8 months. I believe you know that too. This is clearly against the ARREST Agenda and the laws of Liberia and you need to act.”
“Now, your failure to act in accordance with Section 10 of the Code of Conduct places you in the same class with them and that is not what you told us. And it goes against the very oath of office you took on that fateful January 22 when my sons; 2yrs and 4yrs, and I gathered under that scorching sun in admiration at the Capitol Building.
“Mr. President, did we waste our time and resources to go and witness that inauguration not knowing that you; yourself won’t respect the laws and the oath you took? I don’t want to believe so”, he intoned.
Burphy furthered, “Some of them are already saying in their various corners that they won’t declare their assets and you won’t do anything to them. They are even saying you don’t have time for those kind of things and some of the people in the very ministry of state with you are saying that too.”
“Should we believe them that you don’t have what it takes to act in accordance with the laws? Leader, the law is the law. We fought George Weah because he had no regard for the rule of law. We didn’t bring you to operate in the same path. No, we didn’t,” he added.
Meanwhile, Richelieu Burphy has also criticized Post and Telecommunications Minister, Sekou Kromah, of doing nothing to ensure the success of the Boakai-Koung administration.
Burphy noted, “You cannot continue to have people in government who do not believe in your vision and agenda and Sekou Kromah is one of such persons who is working against the success of this revolution.”
“He too is proving our critics right that he’s not the right man for the job. Listen, they may have endorsed you during the runoff elections but it doesn’t mean he understands our development agenda. He has his own.
For instance, October 9 each year is the celebration of the Universal Postal Union of which Liberia is a founding member. We have been a member of this union since April 1, 1879. This is historic and we need to make the most of it,” he said.
Her further narrated, “Besides, this is your inaugural postal day celebration as president. See how it’s been celebrated; even in the absence of both you and the minister you have in charge of the ministry.”
“Also, after sitting there as minister for all these months, the vision to even paint the building hosting his office is lacking. But the minister is traveling nearly every day without coming back with anything tangible to impact the sector.
And currently, the entire ministry is dark and the staff are working without electricity. The ministry’s personal transformer is broken down because of poor maintenance and the minister still has his job; this is unacceptable and needs to end now,” he added.
