Former presidential candidate and renowned Human Rights Lawyer Cllr. Tiawan Saye Gongloe says President Joseph N. Boakai's government is engulfed by lawlessness and presents an unserious posture toward fighting corruption and other social vices.
Addressing a news press conference in Monrovia over the weekend, Cllr. Gongloe noted that President Boakai has failed to adhere to the rule of law.
He stresses that governance by adherence to the rule of law is fundamental to the success of any democratically elected government.
"President Boakai's administration has demonstrated a troubling lack of respect for some laws made for the governance of Liberia. As I said earlier, the Boakai administration failed to follow the law made by the legislature in 1973 to form a government of inclusion - Section 10.2 of the Executive. This law has not been amended or repealed". He reminds.
Commenting briefly on the fight against corruption, he argues that the government has demonstrated and continues to demonstrate a lack of seriousness in fighting corruption.
He explains that corruption continues to plague the country, and despite early promises of reform, the Boakai administration has not taken corruption seriously.
Gongloe, the political leader of the Liberian People's Party (LPP), discloses that high-level officials implicated in corrupt practices remain untouched, while civil servants, who struggle daily to make ends meet, see no improvements in wages or working conditions.
"The fight against corruption must begin with our leaders being held accountable. The people of Liberia will have confidence in the government's seriousness about fighting corruption if it begins to hold its officials accountable and not make excuses for them. I want to let current government officials know that there is no secret in government. When you steal, the comptroller, the chief account, and the procurement director will know. Even your driver and personal assistant and security officers will know." He continues.
Emphasizing the importance of adherence to the rule of law, the Liberian Human Rights lawyer notes that during the Boakai administration, the public witnessed the dismissal of government employees for mere criticism of the President on social media.
He notes that this undermines the constitutional right to freedom of speech and fosters an environment of fear, adding that yet ex-President George M. Weah, in the first few months of his administration, repealed all anti-speech laws, including Sedition, Criminal libel, and Criminal Malice against the President.
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"Our laws on procurement and other statutes for the governance of our country should be followed without exception or excuse. For example, the recent violence was based on illegal search warrants. Because the search warrant was illegal, all the actions that were based on the illegal search warrant was wrong. Therefore, the government was wrong and bore the full cost of the properties that were damaged and the treatment of those who were wounded. This government must govern according to the laws of Liberia. The law is the law until it is amended, repealed, or until the Supreme Court says otherwise." he maintains. Editing by Jonathan Browne
