By E. Geedahgar Garsuah
MONROVIA: The two youthful Secretaries General (SG), one from the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) and the other from the former ruling Unity Party (UP) have been locked in a war of words over the recent appointment of Garrison Yealu, as Chairman of the Governance Commission (GC) by President George Manneh Weah and as a top official of the President’s Reelection Campaign Team.
Raising qualms over Yealu’s appointment as Vice Chairman for Administration on the ruling CDC’s campaign via a local radio station, UP Secretary General, Amos Tweh, pointed out that President Weah’s decision is a flagrant disregard to the Act of Legislature under which the Governance Commission was given birth.
According to Tweh, the act under which the GC was created forbids the involvement of Commissioners in active partisan undertakings.
“The naming of the Head of the Governance Commission, Garrison Yealu, as the Vice Chairman for Administration on the CDC campaign team is in gross violation of the Act that created the Governance Commission which basically prohibits participation of Commissioners in active political activities. The Act specifically indicates that Commissioners of the Governance Commission should be non-political,” Tweh stated.
Tweh added that President Weah’s action of naming Yealu to his campaign team clearly depicts his (President’s) lack of respect for good governance as the GC is an integrity institution that should function void of politics.
However, Amos Tweh’s criticisms of President Weah appointment of Yealu to the CDC Campaign team did not go unnoticed, as Monrovia City Mayor, Jefferson Tamba Koijee, who is also the ruling party’s Secretary General (SG) was swift in coming to President Weah’s defense.
Koijee pointed accusing finger at the former ruling Unity Party (UP) of violating the Code of Conduct (CoC) for public officials when Lenn Eugene Nagbe, during the erstwhile Up Administration, was elected as UP National Secretary General during the party’s National Convention held in Gbarnga, Bong County.
“We are not ashamed because things that happened in the past were wrong, because we knew our fate. You want to talk about violation regarding people using government portfolios during campaign period. Even then, Eugene Nagbe was Minister and at the same time Secretary General of the Unity Party and he was named to the UP campaign team,” Koijee started.
Koijee contended that evidence of constitutional violation is not determined through the “expression of anger and bitterness” while urging Tweh to seek redress in a court of law if he (Tweh) is convinced beyond all reasonable doubts that President Weah’s naming of Yealu to the CDC Campaign team violates the GC Act.
“Violations are not determined by the expression of anger from bitter person. Violations are determined by the laws of our country. And so, if you think that any law was violated where we go, we go to the court,” Koijee further asserted.
However, some political commentators have termed Koijee assertions as a “vein quest” to shield President Weah from any wrongdoing in his appointment of the GC Chairman to his (Weah’s) reelection campaign team.
