Less than a year in office, call for the dismissal of Director General of the Civil Service Agency Josiah Joekai, has come under the spotlight.
The latest is coming from the Solidarity and Trust for a New Day (STAND), so far, the first civil society group advocating against the CSA boss.
STAND is now calling for the dismissal of one of President Boakai’s top officials on the basis of “lawlessness and abuse of power”.
In a statement issued on today, Monday, August 19,2024, the Solidarity and Trust for a New Day (STAND), a prominent civil society organization in Liberia, called on President Joseph N. Boakai to dismiss the Director General of the Civil Service Agency, noting that the CSA DG has lost focus on his duties and responsibilities, creating daily chaos and fostering an environment of lawlessness.
The intuition’s stance against the CSA Director General derives from latest backlashes he has received for what many critics including lawmakers see as “unlawful and chaotic” decision by recommending the dismissals of civil servants who were fired by the Monrovia City Mayor John Siaffa for the usage of social media platforms to throw words at President Boakai.
STAND views Joekai’s persistent conduct as harmful to Liberia’s peace and stability, asserting that it distracts from the government’s operations.
The CSA, established in 1973, is responsible for managing Liberia’s human resources through career development, recruitment, and training.
“It is absolutely disappointing that Mr. Joekai will ignore the importance of the task assigned to him and reduce the country’s civil service to a social media police agency wherein posts and comments of citizens are monitored to determine retention, demotion and dismissal from the civil service.” , STAND indicated.
The pro-advocacy group believes this represents a significant decline in public service standards and calls for immediate action from the President and stakeholders to protect the CSA’s independence.
“Joekai’s inflammatory statements and recent actions undermine the institution’s integrity and threaten Liberia’s progress, peace, and stability.”
Furthermore, STAND says it is alarmed by reports that Director Joekai has instructed government functionaries to dismiss civil servants who criticize the Office of the President.
According to STAND, it categorizes these actions as unlawful and damaging to Liberia’s democratic principles.
“The dismissal of civil servants for expressing personal views or criticisms is a violation of their constitutional rights to free speech and expression.”, the statement indicates.
STAND emphasizes that these actions signal a troubling trend toward authoritarianism, where dissent is suppressed, and freedom of expression is stifled. Liberia has endured too much suffering to revert to an era where individuals were intimidated or even killed for exercising their right to free expression.
Meanwhile, the organization notes that it remains committed to fighting against such actions, which threaten to erode the democratic progress Liberia has achieved.
In light of these concerning developments, STAND is calling on President Boakai to address the challenges posed by individuals like Joekai, whose unchecked and reckless behavior damages the image of the presidency.
While STAND condemns any insults directed at the Office of the President, especially when held by a respected elder statesman, it underscores the importance of distinguishing between baseless insults and constructive criticism.
The civil right group at the same time stresses commitment to supporting the right of every citizen to offer constructive criticism of government policies but denounces the use of profanity and insults, which have become common over the past six years.
“STAND views this abuse of language as counterproductive and detrimental to national dialogue.”
Nevertheless, STAND warns that dismissing civil servants for their criticisms or political disagreements constitutes an abuse of power and violates the principles of good governance that the President of Liberia has sworn to uphold.
Consequently, the organization views Joekai’s actions as politically motivated dismissals of government employees, betraying his oath of office and indicating a closer alignment with a political party than with serving the President and the government of Liberia.
STAND reminds DG Josiah Joekai stating that the CSA’s primary responsibility is to serve the people of Liberia impartially and without political bias.
“It is essential that civil servants are treated fairly, regardless of their political affiliations or personal opinions. Politically motivated dismissals by the CSA undermine its core mandate and erode public trust in the government.”
Additionally, STAND also calls on President Boakai to intervene urgently in this situation, which poses a grave danger to Liberia’s progress.
The organization also urges the President to ensure that the “wrongfully dismissed citizens” receive appropriate redress in order to counter the growing perception that he (CSA DG) endorses “reckless behavior”.
In institution maintains that a timely intervention will reaffirm his commitment to good governance and the protection of civil liberties in Liberia.
Meanwhile, STAND has invited all unlawfully dismissed civil servants and government employees to a major consultative meeting scheduled for the coming week.
The information gathered will be used to strengthen STAND’s position as it looks to officially forward these concerns to President Joseph N. Boakai.
