The Former Director of Public Information and Outreach of the National Elections Commission(NEC) has attributed the dismal performance of government information management to the misplacement of key actors responsible to do the job.

According to Atty. Bobby W. Livingstone, the main drivers of President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf's information and public affairs programs do not have the requisite technical expertise and educational background to effectively and efficiently gather, package, process and disseminate consumable information for the various publics of the Liberian citizenry.

In a release issued in Monrovia, Atty. Livingstone says while he respects and admires the cream of people assembled by President Sirleaf to oversee the government public information arm, he pointed out that most of the individuals in the hierarchy of the Ministry of Information are wrongly placed and as a result, the PR team is incapable of delivering the kind of visibility that is commensurate with the current realities on the ground.

He said these individuals are not journalists and have not been schooled in the art and practice of mass communication, which should be a fundamental requirement for taking on such a critical responsibility in government.

Atty. Livingstone says that just as other ministries and agencies of government cannot be manned by just anyone, the Ministry of Information must be managed by people with education in journalism, mass communication or communication and must have the minimum of 15 years of active practice either locally or internationally.

Atty. Livingstone said people with activism or advocacy backgrounds are not necessarily journalists and stressed that even if the requisite resources were provided, the current contingent does not have the technical expertise to revamp the government information system to the grade that would meet the needs of the Liberian people.

The one time Media Director of NEC observed that the government press office needs to be operated by media managers and journalists with the pedigree and finesse to persuade, educate and inform the various publics about government's programs and policies in a precision driven and proactive manner, adding. 'When the right people are placed in the right place at MICAT, they would revamp the appalling dwindling state of information dissemination which was cited by this year's National Orator, Cllr. Varney Sherman.

If the question borders on the availability of such technical expertise in the country, he said there are highly qualified journalists and communication specialists whose expertise can be utilized to help salvage the situation, Livingstone concluded.