Monrovia — President Joseph Nyuma Boakai campaigned on promises to bring relief to his fellow Liberians, who viewed him as a veteran statesman capable of delivering the change they longed for. Under the Coalition for Democratic Change government, numerous public officials faced sanctions from the United States for alleged corruption, and reports of massive graft were rampant. The government was criticized for appointing incompetent partisans to public offices. Citizens were frustrated and weary of seeing their fellow Liberians die mysteriously without any actions taken.
When President Boakai, with his 40 years of public service experience, including 12 years as vice president, campaigned in 2023 with his resonant slogan "Think Liberia, Love Liberia, and Build Liberia," the majority of voters swayed towards him and elected him.
However, less than six months into his presidency, his administration faces increasing criticism over what critics call his "poor" handling of state affairs. Bishop Kortu Brown, former President of the Liberia Council of Churches, has recently voiced his concerns. Brown has taken a firm stance against what he perceives as early administrative blunders by the Boakai administration, cautioning the government against causing further suffering to the people.
During the climax of the "Greater Praise Week" held from June 10 to June 16 at the headquarters of the New Water in the Desert Assembly in Brewerville, Bishop Brown warned that the power to sustain the victory granted by God would soon dissipate if President Boakai did not remove those he referred to as "forces of failure" surrounding him.
Bishop Brown stated, "Some officials of ministries and agencies spend their working hours taking and posting pictures on Facebook. When will they do the government's work? It doesn't make sense for government officials to engage in unnecessary arguments without producing any results. They must get to work. The problems of children going to school, meeting health needs, and addressing hunger, among others, are present every day."
Speaking on the theme "TO GOD BE THE GLORY - Unhindered, Unobstructed!" with the sub-theme "Victory Turned into Mourning," Bishop Brown expressed concern about the increasingly challenging governance process and the noisy environment just six months after a peaceful election and power transfer. Quoting 2 Samuel 19:1-2a, he emphasized the importance of working towards sustaining victory.
He called for prayers for divine guidance for President Boakai's decisions. Reflecting on the peaceful 2023 Presidential and Legislative elections, Bishop Brown noted that prayers helped prevent violence, chaos, and potential civil war. However, he now fears that Liberia is facing growing challenges, including increased homicide, intolerance, fiscal accountability disagreements, incoherent public relations, and public displays of bigotry, raising concerns about the future viability of the "Rescue Mission."
President Boakai's officials have been criticized for prioritizing personal interests over their official duties. For instance, at the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA), the Director General Abraham Kromah and two other top officials were publicly seen arguing and fighting, leading to their suspension by the President.
Bishop Brown stressed the need for unity among the "Rescue" actors, warning that internal disagreements could distract the administration from its objectives. He compared the situation to the biblical story of Joab and urged political leaders to prevent victory from turning into mourning.
As the immediate past president of the Liberia Council of Churches, Bishop Brown has been vocal against societal ills. He reiterated that the foremost purpose of government is to solve problems, highlighting issues such as hunger, poverty, ignorance, disease, and disunity that need urgent attention.
Bishop Brown urged President Boakai to dismiss government officials who are not supporting his agenda and to consult other stakeholders, including the religious community, civil society, and the business community, for effective governance. He also called for streamlined public messaging, criticizing the multitude of government spokespersons for misinterpreting the administration's messages.
Increasing Internal Rifts
Internal rifts within the Unity Party-led government have also been a concern. Figures like former Auditor General John S. Morlu II and activist Martin Kollie have distanced themselves from the administration due to disagreements over governance and accountability.
Morlu served as the chairman of a fundraising committee based in the United States and was instrumental in raising funds for Boakai's presidential campaign. He was also a member of the inaugural committee.
Morlu highlighted that one of the main challenges facing the current government is the issue of accountability. He acknowledged that while President Boakai has good intentions, his administration's major challenge is governance and accountability. According to Morlu, the current administration seeks to achieve results quickly without proper organization and structure.
"You can't achieve those things without being organized. During the transition, I insisted on structure, process, and organization. From what I observed, accountability was going to be a challenge for this government because they wanted to act quickly without proper organization," Morlu explained.
Liberian activist Martin Kollie has also announced he is disembarking the "Rescue Train" over the wrong direction it is heading.
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Kollie said although President Boakai has good intentions for Liberia, he is surrounded by many people who are not in the public interest. He said this has having an adverse impact on the administration, something he cannot sit and endorse.
He criticized the government for its poor and questionable handling the Yellow machine issue. He also revealed that he resigned from the Government's much talked about Asset Recovery Committee due to the appointment of Kla Martin as its head.
Senator Amara Konneh, known for protecting Unity Party votes during the presidential run-off election, has also voiced his criticisms of the administration. Despite these criticisms, government officials maintain that the administration is on track to deliver its promises.
Cllr. Tiawan Gongloe, former presidential candidate of the Liberian People's Party, argued that the Boakai administration is repeating past mistakes by breaching the law on tenure positions, which undermines the fight against corruption. Gongloe called this a mockery of the fight against corruption and criticized the administration for its partial approach to governance.
"The Unity Party is breaching the tenure position statute, which it created during its previous regime, and criticized the Weah administration for violating it," Cllr. Gongloe said. "We see this attitude as a total mockery of the fight against corruption."
