Pressure Mounts on Liberian President Over Alleged Nepotism
President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has vowed not to fire her sons despite accusations of corruption and nepotism. Two months of tension, including the resignation of Peace and Reconciliation Committee Chairperson Leymah Gbowee, have culminated in a call for the president's resignation.
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Liberia: Human Rights Lawyer Calls for President's Resignation
Heritage, 26 November 2012
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. ... read more »
Photo: Liberia Government
President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf addresses the U.S. council on foreign affairs.
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Liberia: 'Ghadafi Style of Leadership' - Faith-Based Group Accuses Ellen
The Informer, 21 November 2012
The faith based media group Christian Media Center (CMC) has accused President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of introducing the late Libyan dictator Mohammed Gadhafi's style of leadership ... read more »
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Liberia: I'll Not Fire My Sons
New Democrat, 14 November 2012
President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, in the Netherlands to receive an honorary doctorate degree last Friday, vowed not to sack her sons from her government despite widespread ... read more »
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Liberia: 'My Family Faultless' - Ellen in Defense of Her Credentials & Family
The New Republic Liberia, 5 November 2012
Admitting to "systemic and endemic" corruption in Liberia, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf came in defense her integrity, insisting that she and her family had no fish to ... read more »
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Liberia: 'No Hidden Agenda' - Robert Sirleaf Speaks Out - Demands Independent Audit
The New Republic Liberia, 7 November 2012
The embattled Chairman of the Board of the National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL) has come in defense of his character, saying that he is performing a supervisory role to ensure a ... read more »
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Liberia: Robert Sirleaf Takes The Stand- Responds to Critics, Defends His Repute
The Analyst, 7 November 2012
The hullabaloo which has greeted the Liberian oil sector particularly centers on fears that returns from the country's newly discovered oil and gas would be clawed away by bigwigs ... read more »
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Liberia: Stop War of Words (editorial)
The New Dawn, 7 November 2012
Too many verbal attacks have been unleashed among key public officials here in the last two or three weeks, heightening tension within the government of Madam Ellen Johnson ... read more »
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Liberia: Nobel Laureate Criticizes Sirleaf
The Analyst, 9 October 2012
When critics growl that the Sirleaf administration has done poorly on the domestic front despite monumental strides in enlivening the failed state, the evidence often pointed to ... read more »
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Liberia: UP's SG - Robert Sirleaf's Appointment in Gov't Is Wrong
Heritage, 22 October 2012
The appointment of Mr. Robert Sirleaf into government positions by his mother President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is wrong, the Secretary General (SG) of the ruling Unity Party (UP), ... read more »
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Liberia: Ellen Breaks Silence On Laureate Gbowee's Resignation
Heritage, 15 October 2012
President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has expressed hope that resigned Peace and Reconciliation Committee's chairperson, Laureate Leymah Gbowee, will continue to work to make ... read more »
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Liberia: Ellen Remains Defiant
New Democrat, 5 November 2012
Johnson Sirleaf, in London for the UN high-level panel on the post-2015 development agenda acknowledged that corruption had become "systemic and endemic" in Liberia after decades ... read more »
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Liberia: 'Hope Gbowee Will Change Her Mind' - Pres. Sirleaf's First Reaction to Leymah Gbowee
The Analyst, 2 November 2012
Since her fellow Nobel Laureate, Leymah Gbowee, tuned up the pitch of dissenting rhetoric against her administration, President Sirleaf has uncharacteristically remained taciturn ... read more »
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Liberia: Ellen Fires Back At Gbowee
New Democrat, 2 November 2012
Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has dismissed concern about corruption accusation from Leymah Gbowee, who shared the Nobel Peace Prize with her last year, saying she is ... read more »
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Liberia: Ellen Suspends Son, Others
The New Dawn, 21 August 2012
President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has, with immediate effect, suspended 46 officials in her government, predominantly junior officers and county superintendents for failure to ... read more »
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The international community should now put pressure on this imperial dictator to fire her sons, cousins, sister, best friend, neices and all others who she has brought ot fill the governemnt. There are others both home and abroad who are suitable. Her family clan are so well educated let them find jobs in other sectors of the private sector. She wants to tell us that paying Binyah Kessely $15,000 a month for the Maritime is not corruption? How is he qualified for het job? His father founded the Unity Party of Ellen Johnson , that is his qualification.
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!
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