23 June 2008
Outgoing Finance Minister Dr. Antoinette Sayeh and outgoing Planning and Economic Affairs Minister Dr. Toga McIntosh were accorded accolades for their tireless service to the country during an Investiture.
The heights to which a government administration takes its people in democracy and socio-economic development, political analysts say, depends largely on the choice of technocrats and civil servants - their skills, integrity, and commitment to duty.
President Sirleaf apparently knew this when she tapped the cream of Liberia's technocrats most of whom were residing and working abroad in domestic and international circles.
There had been an undisturbed period of honeymoon between some of these technocrats and the Sirleaf Administration with measurable dividends in economic and political terms.
But that honeymoon is ending and President Sirleaf is putting up a sort of brave face, welcoming the somewhat evitable phaseout with an unusual pride. The Analyst Staff Writer, reports.
President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has, over the weekend, conferred the honor of "Knight of Great Band of Liberia in the Humane Order of African Redemption" on the outgoing ministers of Finance and Planning and Economic Affairs.
The President conferred the honor on the two outgoing ministers, Dr. Antoinette Sayeh of Finance and Dr. Toga McIntosh of Planning, for their invaluable services to the nation and for the exercise of fiscal discipline and commitment to government's financial management policies during their respective tours of duty.
She said she was proud of the track records of the two ministers and hoped that they would continue to work in the interest of their country even in their new portfolios thousands of miles away.
The President conferred the honors and made the commendations during a last weekend investiture ceremony held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Monrovia to commemorate their departure to their new jobs abroad.
The President noted specifically the lead and pivotal roles the two ministers played in the poverty reduction efforts of the government, describing such level of commitment as "critical" to the overall effort of government to bring respite to the Liberian people.
Ministers Sayeh and McIntosh are to shortly take up new assignments at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank respectively, where they will occupy key positions.
Making separate statements, both ministers commended President Johnson-Sirleaf for the confidence reposed in them during their tenure. They assured the Liberian leader that similar commitments to duty will be demonstrated in their new positions.
The investiture ceremony was witnessed by Vice President Joseph Boakai, Chief Justice Johnnie Lewis, and cabinet ministers, representatives of the World Bank and the IMF and members of the diplomatic corps.
Neither former official could be reached for comments on the honor bestowed and the praises heaped on them during the Foreign Ministry ceremony, but aides say the ministers were surprised at the President's "magnanimity" or "generosity of spirit".
"Many of us who worked with the two ministers at the Finance and Planning ministries thought the President was going feel bad about two key ministers leaving the government and taking up lucrative positions in the U.S.
But instead, the President welcomed the idea and even bestowed the enviable title of 'Knight of Great Band of Liberia in the Humane Order of African Redemption' on them," said one aide.
He said some presidents would have taken issue with the two ministers, especially when they left the nation's economic recovery program midway between IMF's decision and completion points.
"For a President to proudly honor her officials who are leaving the government to serve others institutions when they are most needed by the country is an indication that they have served well their beloved country.
The two ministers will feel nothing but pride, having been praised, honored, and given the green light to leave with the hope of helping to keep the nation on its tracks," said another ministerial aide who also preferred to remain anonymous.
Some in the Sirleaf administration say it is too early to talk about the successors to the two ministers, but already there is public debate on what qualities the would-be successors must possess.
While many prefer the succession of principal deputies for administration because they have "insights" in the inner workings of their respective ministries, some say the President needed to look deeper and outside for more experienced and well-connected Liberians who will impact with immediacy on the international community.
"These are technical positions with political overtones. So, you need someone whose qualification goes beyond technical credentials. Contact, which is not obtained in any classroom or within the walls of credible academic institutions, is a crucial factor here.
If we look at the speed with which the IMF and the World Bank worked to trim down Liberia's external debts and to reduce its domestic debts, we will see what contacts blended with sound domestic policies can do," said Theology student Amos J. McCauley of the United Methodist University in Monrovia.
Political analysts agreed with Amos, adding that whatever brought pride to President Sirleaf instead of the stress of renewed search for qualified successors, must work for the benefit of the Liberian people eventually.
"But who were the departing ministers?" is the question many are asking. Dr. Antoinette Sayeh, 46, has been the Minister of Finance since January 2006. She is a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. Sayeh was the Country Director for the World Bank's programmes for Benin, Niger, and Togo.
According to a recent BBC report, Sayeh has "delighted international financial institutions" as Minister of Finance. She also worked on public finance management and civil service reform in Pakistan.
In recognition of her achievements, Swarthmore College has presented her with the Lucretia Mott Award for literary scholarship and the government of Niger awarded her for "Service to Country".
Outgoing Planning Minister, Dr. McIntosh, 63, left his prestigious development economist position at the UN in 2006 to join President Sirleaf's national recovery and poverty reduction team.
Reports say his task in the post-war administration of President Sirleaf was basically to restore normality to a country ruined by 25 years of civil wars and bloody coups.
"My drive to the ministry is a reminder of all we need to do. Everything is shattered and there are a lot of youths just hanging around because there are no jobs. Unemployment is supposed to be 85% - it might be more...
In America I was earning $600 a day as a consultant for the UN. Now I earn $55 a month," Dr. McIntosh told reporter Christina Lamb of BBC in an interview apparently in an effort to throw light on what difficulties were involved in resuscitating the Liberian economy.
His responsibility, he said, was to assess all the needs and prioritizing the priorities, adding that "everything is a priority" for a government that inherited an oversized bureaucracy that was beyond its capacity to compensate.
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