Monrovia — The Civil Service Agency (CSA) has come under sharp criticism from Speaker of the House, J. Fonati Koffa, amid escalating tensions between the CSA and the Legislature over the recruitment process for Civil Service Officers (CSOs).
Recently, the CSA visited the Legislature as part of its headcount verification process, an initiative aimed at addressing the government's bloated payroll.
"The Civil Service Agency is unconstitutional," Speaker Koffa stated. "We asked for the law they are relying on, and they presented the 1973 law. The 1986 Constitution established a Civil Service Commission. If Mr. Joe [Josiah] Joekai truly wants to adhere to the law, let JNB [President Joseph N. Boakai] submit a bill for the Civil Service Commission as established by the Constitution."
Senate Pushes for Payroll Separation
Meanwhile, the Liberian Senate, through its Rules, Order, and Administration (ROA) Committee, has formally requested the CSA to separate its Central Administration payroll from that of the House of Representatives. CSA Director General Josiah F. Joekai confirmed that the Employee Services Division had thoroughly reviewed the request, submitted by the Senate's ROA Committee Chair, Senator J. Gbleh-Bo Brown. Following a detailed evaluation, it was verified that the Senate's Central Administration payroll aligned with the version previously approved by the CSA.
"As a result, the CSA has officially approved the separation of the two payrolls, ensuring that they will henceforth be processed and approved independently," Joekai said.
The Senate's request for separation followed a directive issued by the House's Rules, Order and Administration Committee Chair, Hon. J. Marvin Cole, who instructed Guaranty Trust Bank not to disburse the July 2024 salaries of the House's Central Administration employees. Joekai noted that this directive, which the CSA was copied on, halted the payment process that had already been approved by the CSA and funded by the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP). Joekai emphasized that Hon. Cole's directive contravenes Chapter 5, Section 2.1 of the Standing Orders of the Civil Service.
"The payment of salaries and wages throughout the Civil Service shall be determined by the Civil Service Agency and disbursed by the Ministry of Finance. Therefore, the instruction given by Hon. Cole directly violates the Standing Orders of the Civil Service," Joekai stated.
He added, "The CSA and the MFDP bear no responsibility for the delay in paying the House's Central Administration employees' salaries. The delay is solely attributable to Hon. Cole's actions."
Joekai further reported that on Wednesday, August 7, 2024, the leadership of the House of Representatives granted the CSA's request to physically verify and count all employees of the House's Central Administration. He described this as a significant milestone in the ongoing efforts to sanitize the national payroll, streamline the wage bill, and reinforce accountability, integrity, and professionalism within the government workforce.
"The CSA extends its profound gratitude to the House leadership, under the speakership of Hon. J. Fonati Koffa, for facilitating this transparent and open process. The headcount and verification report for the House's Central Administration will be presented in due course as part of our commitment to ensuring transparency and accountability in the utilization of public funds," Joekai said.
Tackling Free Speech?
Meanwhile, in a move that has raised concerns about free speech, CSA Director General Josiah F. Joekai has urged the Monrovia City Corporation (MCC) to terminate nine of its employees for what he described as a "deadly social media campaign" targeting senior public officials, particularly President Joseph Boakai.
Speaking at the Ministry of Information, Culture, and Tourism (MICAT) on Tuesday, August 13, 2024, Joekai did not disclose the names of the nine employees. However, he emphasized that their actions have damaged the reputation of the MCC.
"The Civil Service Agency (CSA) requests the Monrovia City Corporation (MCC) to immediately relieve nine employees who have consistently engaged in dangerous and destructive social media campaigns against public officials, particularly targeting the President of Liberia," Joekai stated.
He added, "These actions have caused significant harm to the reputation and image of the MCC. The negative portrayal of government officials by these unscrupulous employees has far-reaching effects on the individuals concerned and the government as a whole. Such unacceptable and sustained behavior on social media is incompatible with the status of the employees in question. Therefore, the MCC must consider terminating their services and promptly notify the CSA of this action."
Although Joekai did not name the MCC employees, a prompt investigation by *FrontPage Africa* revealed that the nine individuals are supporters of the opposition Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) and were employed during the tenure of former Monrovia City Mayor, Jefferson Koijee.
One of the nine employees, who spoke to *FrontPage Africa* on the condition of anonymity, declined to comment on the matter, stating that they would wait until they received an official dismissal letter from the MCC.
"I am holding onto my comment because I have not been communicated to by the CSA's mandate, so for now, no comment," the employee told *FrontPage Africa* via phone.
The potential dismissal of these MCC employees could signal a clampdown on free speech, a development that would contradict the Unity Party's campaign message during the 2023 Presidential election.
The CSA also recommended that the MCC terminate the employment of any employee with a record of consistent and deliberate job abandonment for more than 15 days in one or more months, in accordance with applicable laws. Joekai noted that this recommendation also applies to employees who have been absent for extended periods without management's acknowledgment or approval.
"The Civil Service Agency acknowledges Mayor John-Charuk Siafa's significant contributions to the successful implementation of the ARREST Agenda and will continue to extend our full support to his office," Joekai said.
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CSA Dismisses 388 Employees from 11 Spending Entities
Continuing his remarks, Joekai announced the dismissal of 388 employees from 11 government spending entities following the CSA's verification and headcount exercise conducted across the national government.
According to Joekai, after President Boakai launched the Employee Status Regularization Project (ESRP) on July 4, 2024, the CSA deployed teams across five regions of the country to conduct the employee verification and headcount exercise. The exercise, which began on July 10 and is expected to conclude on August 20, 2024, aims to identify legitimate employees on the government's payroll, regularize the employment status of civil servants who did not complete Personnel Actions Notices (PAN) in accordance with Section 35 1-6 of the Revised Human Resources Policy Manual, and remove ghost names, illegitimate employees, and double dippers.
"Today, the CSA is pleased to announce the first progressive reports affecting the spending entities," Joekai said.
He added, "The CSA has blocked 388 employees who are recommended for dismissal, one-month suspension without pay, and prorated salaries based on the analysis of their attendance records following the verification and headcount exercise conducted at their respective entities."
Joekai noted that upon completion of the exercise, the Boakai-led government will save a monthly amount of US$373,449.58 and US$804,632.20 for the remaining five months of 2024.
Among the 11 spending entities, the John F. Kennedy Medical Hospital will dismiss 221 employees, followed by the Land Rights Authority, which will dismiss 69 employees.
