CLAIMED BOAKAI GOV’T LACKS POLITICAL WILL AND ABILITY TO LEAD THE NATION
Monrovia, Liberia – The Movement for Progressive Change’s (MPC) political leader, Simeon Freeman, has informed the general public that President Joseph Boakai’s advanced age and lack of leadership skills are to blame for the Boakai-Koung administration’s early missteps.
According to Mr. Freeman, Boakai’s failure to form his administration more than a month into his presidency shows a lack of leadership and even casts doubt on the accomplishment of his 100-day objectives.
He asserted that three weeks would be more than plenty to establish a government that would function immediately. It is not possible for you to discuss 100-day deliverables while the government is still not established, nearly 50 days into your term.
Freeman, a prosperous businessman who entered politics, was a strong opponent of the Weah-Taylor government. He filed to run for president in the general elections of 2023. Throughout the campaign, he attacked former contender Joseph Boakai, pointing to his advanced age and poor record of public service as reasons why, if elected, he would not make an effective president.
Freeman stated that his criticisms of Boakai had always been sound when he expressed his disapproval of the Boakai-Koung regime.
Freeman voiced his worry about the Boakai-Koung administration’s choice to follow the previous administration’s “wrongful” approach by putting a large number of partisans and supporters to positions of authority. He claimed that as a result, there is no room for real infrastructure or the development of human resources and the nation becomes financially strapped.
He pointed out that President Boakai is currently forming a new portfolio to appease loyalists, an action that his predecessors adopted that drew harsh criticism.
He claimed that this choice will result in an oversized payroll and require significant funding from ongoing national expenses. He forecast that the problems faced by civil personnel whose pay was unified by the previous administration would be beyond the government’s capacity to resolve.
Mr. Freeman stated that the Boakai-Koung government’s weakness and lack of readiness for leadership is demonstrated by the delay in presenting the draft national budget for assessment and eventual passage. He issued a warning, implying that the delay in submitting the budget may be caused by the Ministry of Finance, as replacing all senior government officials with new ones has a negative effect on several significant ministries and agencies.
Freeman attacked President Boakai for his insistence on eliminating tenure positions by appointing people to posts that tenure officials had previously held. According to Boakia’s team, the President of Liberia is explicitly authorized by the Constitution to appoint personnel in the executive branch, and he is thus exercising that authority. They further contended that a few of these officials were in violation of the law that established the organization they work for.
Freeman, though, claimed their reasoning is flimsy and lazy. He added that since the Legislature was established by the same Constitution and given the authority to enact laws, the President should not be replacing tenure positions that were established by law. The way the supporters of the Unity Party Alliance and its partisans stormed state ministries and entities to demand the resignation of tenured officials angered him.
