Photo: Liberia Government A prominent Liberian human rights lawyer, Cllr. Tiawan Saye Gongloe, has called on President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf to resign honorable as President and let Vice President Joseph N. Boakai carry on until the next elections. Liberia's next Presidential And General Elections are due 2017.
According to Cllr. Gongloe, if President Johnson-Sirleaf does not heed to his call, then, the House of Representatives, in the supreme interest of the Liberian nation and people, should impeach her. The astute Liberian human rights lawyer wants the President to resign because, according to him, she 'violated' the Liberian Constitution by appointing her sons to key positions in government.
The Constitution is regarded as the organic law of the country. He made the call on Friday, November 16, 2012 when he delivered a keynote speech at the 42nd Anniversary Celebration of the Vanguard Student Unification Party (SUP) at the auditorium of the main Campus of the University of Liberia (UL) on Capitol Hill, Monrovia.
Speaking further, the former Solicitor General and Labor Minister in the Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf-led government pointed out that the Liberian Leader cannot place herself above the Constitution of Liberia. He averred that President Johnson-Sirleaf is not at liberty to place her family interest above the interest of Liberia.
Listen to the fearless Liberian human rights lawyer: " President Sirleaf's appointment of her sons to positions in government is in clear violation of the Constitution of Liberia. It is therefore, a violation of her oath of office as President of Liberia. She does not have the right to violate the Constitution of Liberia."
He continued: "In a country of great men and women, should any president violate the constitution and go free? The answer to this question is a resounding no. A violation of the Constitution of Liberia by a President is an impeachable offense. No president has the right to choose not to respect the Constitution of Liberia, the people's own law.
No President of Liberia has the right to break the law and still expect to enjoy the respect and trust of the people under the authority of the same constitution. Our country is a democracy where governance is by the people, of the people and for the people based upon the rule of law."
He argued that Article 5c of the 1986 Constitution of Liberia states that nepotism is an abuse of power and a corrupt practice. He acknowledged that President Johnson-Sirleaf has done some good things for transforming Liberia from a failed state to a normal functioning state, for which she will always be remembered by all well-meaning Liberians. But he insisted that these cannot serve as a justification for breaking the organic law of the country.
"The rule of law must prevail, if Liberia must be peaceful, progressive and prosperous," he among other things added.
But President Johnson-Sirleaf had repeatedly defended the appointment of sons in key positions in her government. The President appointed her son, Roberts Alvin Sirleaf as her senior adviser and Chairman of the state-owned National Oil Company of Liberia(NOCAL), another, Charles Sirleaf- Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Liberia(CBL) and the third-Fumba Sirleaf, head of the National Security Agency(NSA).
Several months ago, Charles was amongst dozens of government officials suspended by the President (his mother) for not declaring his assets. However, Charles later reportedly declared his assets in line with the President's suspension order.
Despite persistent calls for her to fire her sons, the President had vowed not to do so. She made the vow when she spoke in an exclusive interview with RNW's Africa Desk after she received an Honorary Doctorate Degree at Tilburg University in the Netherlands on 9 November 2012.The Tilburg University honored the Liberian leader in recognition of her leadership and her interest in education and social responsibility.
Of late, President Johnson-Sirleaf had been heavily criticized by some Liberians for appointing her sons in key positions in government because, according to them, the act was nepotistic. Notably amongst the Liberians who criticized President Johnson-Sirleaf for such act is Nobel Laureate Leymah Gbowee. Madam Gbowee jointly won the 2011 version of the Nobel Peace Prize together with fellow Liberian, President Johnson-Sirleaf and Yemeni activist Tawakkol Karman.
Details Created on Monday, 26 November 2012 07:32 Written by Our Staff Writer Category: Slides
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While in Paris France few months ago to promote the French edition of her book, "Mighty Be Our Powers", Nobel Laureate Gbowee resigned as chair of the nation's Peace and Reconciliation Commission on grounds that the Johnson-Sirleaf led government has made no sufficient progress in promoting reconciliation, also blaming the Johnson-Sirleaf administration of not only condoning corruption but also of practicing nepotism.
Madam Gbowee , who stated that she stands guilty of betraying the people's trust by working in a government that is guilty of closing its eyes to corruption in high places, views her resignation as an act of forgiveness from a raging conspiracy that President Sirleaf has awarded "lucrative jobs" to her sons in a blatant act of nepotism.
Among other things, she added that the president's appointment of her sons in key government positions was unacceptable. But commenting further on her stance that she will not fire sons, the president stated: " No, I will not. There is a mandate and there's a job to be done. When that job and mandate is done, perhaps they'll move on to other things."
Quizzed during the interview to explain the appointment of three sons in high government positions, she said: "We have a country that has a very low capacity. Some of our institutions - the ones that have to carry out the important reforms for the transformation of our country - simply do not have the capabilities. They also sometimes lack the sufficient integrity to be able to do what is right."
Said President Johnson-Sirleaf: "We have to place certain people close to us in positions to carry out our mandate of reform at the level of competence and honesty that is needed. Nepotism is putting somebody who is a relative in a position for which they don't have the qualifications, integrity or competence. There are times when you have to hire relatives, even when it's a temporary measure, to achieve your objectives." See pages 6&7 for the full text of Cllr. Gongloe's keynote speech.
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Pres. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf was on foreign soil (the Netherlands) when she said that she WILL NOT fire her sons. That statement in itself is an affront to every Liberian, educated and illiterate, alike. She basically said, I need to put my children in certain positions in order for me to protect my administration and prepare (groom) them to take over from me when I leave office --- Nonsense! Obviously, she DID NOT learn anything from the ultimate fate of her predecessors who practiced NEPOTISM and TRIBALISM. Personally, that is very, very sad for Africa's first female Head of State. As president of any democratic nation one has only one(1) task: Follow (or uphold) the law of the land to 'the letter', that is your oath. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has options; she needs to fire her sons and other immediate family members from her administration. The future of the Republic of Liberia and all Liberians as a collection is, by far, more important than any particular group of Liberians or one particular family like the Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf family.
One more noteworthy point of interest. The voice of the University of Liberia student community has ALWAYS serve as a Reliable Indicator for gauging the democratic status of every Liberian administration --- usually, if they start speaking against your administration, you'll ultimately fall. Beware!
It is sad that after all the hard work at reform president Johnson-Sirleaf could make such an obvious bad judgement in the placement of her sons in such key government positions. I wish she would, for the good of the nation, remove her sons and continue with the good work she has started - even if it means taking a chance on others less qualified. She has been such an inspiration to me.
It seems that Article 5(C) of the Constitution does not define a law against nepotism per se. The provision allows for a framework that empowers the Legislature to enact nepotism law, a law defining and setting standards of what constitute nepotism. It can only be said that the president breaches this article where she stops the Legislature from enacting such a nepotism law but until the law is enacted, she can not be in violation of a law that does not exist. It seems that the Sirleaf saga provides an opportunity for lawmakers to carry-out their legislative responsibility by passing a clear-cut law against nepotism in government as a whole and not just one which tagets the president. But it seems that rather than deal with issue in earnest some lawmakers are only politicizing it. I'm sure many of them have their relatives and children working right in their offices. They don't have the moral backbone to bring about change.
Pres. Sirleaf could be testing the morality of the society thru our lawmakers like in the case of the "Code of Conduct Law" which has remained idled in the Legislature for years now, shows that there is a problem with morality in our country. Lawmakers have no principles at all. None whatsoever!
DOLO MACK WRITES,
LOST LUXURY OF INTEGRITY:
A world in which each man, the know how and the profess to know respected thwe soul of all other men, leaders and God fearing peoples no matter how little they seemed to merit respect, would be crimeless.It is obviously doutful if Tiawon Saye Gongloe Sirleaf who at the time was so favored by Ma Ellen, who was then uncle to Mr. Robert Sirleaf and was appointed the Newly invented Solicitor General of Liberia, the poistion he always fought Theophilus Goule for through witchcraft that was possibly found in every leafs from Nimba county, appointed Labor Minister but was denied confrimation by the Senate (7) times before confrimation would ever open his little mouth if he were still employed in the government of Liberia.
Almost all contemporary left wing Human Right activits or leftist like Tiawon Saye Gongloe of our generation and the last attacked the idea of nationalism, competency and so called nepotism and stood behind the banner of the constitution of 500BC.Throughout their lives it remains true that what is nerest to their bodies is of greatest interest to their mind, and what is not close to their bodies makes them uncomfortable to draw attentions from every coners possible.
NEPOTISM-FAVORITISM SHOWN OR PATRONAGE GRANTED TO RELATIVES AND TAKEN BACK WHEN THE GIVER NOMORE FEEL YOUR CONTRIBUTION TO THE TASK IS IN ANY WAY WORTHY. WOW!.
If one were to re-define nepotism in the context that society and History would judge, probably one would not enjoy knowing the actural meaning, not because the taste has improved, but because it has not sufficient practice to be able to rely on it's taste and definition as a means of permanant pleasure especially in Africa. So people are tending to combine the lose taste and definition nearest to their knowledge with something bigger and authentic like the constitution.If they succed, they lose the weight they want to attach, or simply don't know from one day to the next what will please them.
The concept of nepotism has been so obfuscated and misrepresented, so infused with emotion, favoritism, persecution and arrogant exploitation that this writer hesitates to admit ever the possibility of its existence.
Yet, my little mind remembered that the trouble about leftist so called Human Rights activits is of twofold,they cannot learn to accept truths which are too complicated, they quickly forget truths and favors that are too simple.
@dmackfearnothing
I have re-read your comment twice but I still cannot decipher one(1) complete train of thought from any of your sentences. Are you a Waterside marketer?
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