More Defiance Than Obedience -Officials Snub Assets Declaration
By D. K.Sengbeh (The Informaer, Liberia)
 |
 |
| Public Works Minister Kofi Woods Declared His Assets |
Minister Of Defense Bownie Samukai Declared His Assets |
Information released by the Liberian Anti Corruption Commission (LACC) indicates that more government officials have failed to declare their assets than those that have complied. Up to Tuesday, January 12, 2009, only 150 government officials including President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Vice President Joseph Nyumah Boakai had declared their assets, income and liabilities, according to data released by the anti-graft commission. At least 500 appointed and public officials of the three branches of government are obligated to declare their assets.
Up to present, no officials from the Judiciary have declared their assets, while only one (Montserrado District #1 Rep) out of 94 lawmakers of the first branch of government has complied. The LACC set September 30, 2009 as deadline for all government officials to declare their assets, as part of fighting corruption and promoting accountability in government. Less than 20 complied by the deadline, compelling President Sirleaf to extend the deadline to December 31, 2009, mandating public officials to respect the cut-off date.
Addressing a year-end press conference, LACC alarmed that most government officials did not meet the Presidential deadline, reporting that only 71 officials - including seven of the 20 cabinet ministers - had declared their assets on time. Many ordinary Liberians have described the apparent refusal of officials to declare their assets as “complete defiance” to the office of the President and the LACC, and a “setback” to the government’s pronounced war on corruption.
“I can clearly describe this scenario as more defiance than obedience,” said Pokie Johnson, who called on a local radio phone-in talk show yesterday.
“Why are they holding back? To me, they have something under their sleeves. They don’t seem to support the President’s war on corruption,” he furthered, sounding angry. Several of those who have failed to declare their assets including Speaker Alex Tyler and Chief Justice Johnnie Lewis have cited security concerns.
Speaker Tyler was quoted recently noting that several lawmakers were attacked last year, and disclosing their assets would make them targets of criminals. “I don’t think that should be the argument here,” Alomeza Mamie Ennos—the only compliance lawmaker—told The Informer last Friday about the security defense being used. “What about those who have declared their assets? Has anything happened to them?” she wondered, calling on her colleagues to follow her steps.
Forming part of several debates on the campus of the University of Liberia yesterday, many of the students described the non-compliance government officials as “enemies of progress”. “These are people who do not want to see progress in this country, if not, then why are they revolting? It is just sound to say that they are enemies of progress” opined one student after reading the headlines of yesterday’s New Democrat which read: “More Asset Revolt; Several Officials Snub President’s mandate.”
None of the “revolting” officials have spoken to the press as they have chosen to remain silent, but unverified sources at LACC told this paper that some of them have complied unenthusiastically. “Yes, these late comers are coming one-at-a-time to declare their assets,” the anonymous source said. Prominent among those yet to declare their assets, based on data provided by the LACC include, Education Minister Dr. Joseph Korto, Central Bank Governor Mills Jones, Defense Minister Brownie Samukai, Minister of State for Legal Affairs Morris Saytumah and the Director of the National Security Agency Fomba Sirleaf (the President’s son).
Only three of the 15 Superintendents (Grand Bassa, Bomi and Montserrado Counties) have complied. No assistant superintendent has declared assets. According to the LACC statistics 16 Ministers, 32 deputy ministers and 51 assistant ministers have complied. It furthered that 11 directors, 10 commissioners (including all those of the LACC), 7 comptrollers and 5 deputy director-generals, among others, complied fully with the assets declaration request.
