Several officials of government have tendered in their resignation as per their President , George Weah’s April 7, 2023 mandate.
The President mandated that any official of government desirous of contesting for elected public office during the Tuesday, October 10 presidential and legislative elections should tender in their resignation. down
Among those resigned for elected offices are Liberia Civil Aviation Authority (LCAA’s) Director General, Moses Kollie; Commerce Ministry’s Inspector General, Josephine Davies; and the Deputy Director of the General Services Agency (GSA), William Diakel.
Others are the Assistant Minister of Labor, Patience Blaye Sampson; Deputy Director of the National Transit Authority (NTA), Myer Beetea; and Harper City’s Mayor, Ellen Blessing Howe among others.
On Tuesday, March 14, President Weah courted a controversy after he demanded the resignations of public officers and appointees who have ambitions to contest the elections.
The action by the President is backed by Liberia’s code of conduct that is expected to guide the actions of public officers.
Given the controversy this decision has generated, the INQUIRER decided to explore the history of the code of ethics in the country and its role in guiding public officials’ conduct.
Since the introduction of the Code of Conduct of Liberia in 2014, governments and appointed officials have always had issues with adherence.
During the 2017 Presidential and Legislative elections, the National Elections Commission stopped an aspirant, Abu Kamara, from contesting the election in Montserrado County District 15, because he did not meet the requirement of the Code of Conduct to contest.
The country’s Supreme Court upheld this NEC position when the aspirant ran to court.
In 2022 again, the Legislature amended certain portions of the 2014 Code of Conduct, particularly Part V, sections 5.2 under Political Participation and Part-X 10.2 under Declaration and Registration of Personal Interests, Assets and Performance/Financial Bonds on the grounds that those provisions were too high and unreasonable.
Prior to the amendment, Section 5.2 stated, “Wherein, any person in the category stated in section 5.1 herein above desires to canvass or contest for an elective public position, the following shall apply; (a) Any Minister, Deputy Minister, Director-General, Managing Director and Superintendent appointed by the President pursuant to Article 56 (a) of the Constitution and a Managing Director appointed by a Board of Directors, who desires to contest for elective public office shall resign said post at least two years prior to the date of such public elections.”
While 10.2 states, “The declaration of personal interest, income, assets, liabilities and the performance bond as may be required, shall be lodged with 16 in the Legislative Branch, with the Secretary of the Senate and the Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives; In the Executive Branch, with the General Auditing Commission; and In the Judicial Branch with the Clerk of the Supreme Court; and in each event such receipt shall be notified to the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC).”
In the amended portion of the code of conduct, Section 5.2, to be precise, public officers who wish to contest elections now have one year instead of two to resign before the next election.
The amended portion states, “All officials appointed by the President, including all cabinet ministers, deputy and assistant cabinet ministers, ambassadors, ministers consuls, superintendents of counties and other Government officials, both military and civilian, appointed by the President pursuant to Article 56(a) of the 1986 Constitution, and any managing director, deputy managing director, assistant managing director of a corporation owned by the Government of Liberia, any commissioner, deputy and assistant commissioner of any commission established by the Legislature, and any official of the Government who negotiates and executes contracts, procures goods and services, and/or manages assets for and on behalf of the Government of Liberia, who desires to canvass or contest for an elective public office within the Government of Liberia shall resign his or her position one year before the date on which the election for the post for which he/she intends to contest.”
The amended code is already a subject of controversy. Some believe Section 5.2 of the code is too expensive for people or officials to be affected and does not directly help in the fight against corruption as it purports to do.
Others believe 12 months is still too long for people to resign in the hope of contesting the next election, and the possibility of creating chaos and the vacuum in government is high.
However, with barely seven months to the October elections, questions have been asked about public or appointed government officials’ adherence to the Code of Conduct.
the controversy is the directive from President Weah that to all appointed officials within his government are to resign their posts if they are desirous of contesting elected positions in this Presidential and Legislative elections.
The President’s directive was contained in Executive Order #117, published on Tuesday, March 14, 2023 in which he complies with the amended Sections 5.2 and 10.2 of the 2014 Code of Conduct enacted, approved, and printed into handbills on December 29, 2022.
The objective of the President’s Executive Order, as it is with the Code of Conduct, “is to dissociate the fiduciary duty of trust, integrity and loyalty owed by public officials to the people from their desires to contest elections at the expense of public resources.”
