Liberia: Former Auditor General Morlu Explains Reasons for Early Exit from Boakai’s Inner Circle

MONROVIA – John S. Morlu II, former Auditor General of Liberia, has broken silence regarding his early exit from President Joseph Boakai’s inner circle. Mr. Morlu, who played a significant role as one of Boakai’s top campaign officials during the 2023 legislative and presidential elections, served as the chairman of a fundraising committee based in the United States and was instrumental in raising funds for Boakai’s presidential campaign. He was also a member of the inaugural committee.

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By Gerald C. Koinyeneh – [email protected]

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However, immediately after the inauguration of President Boakai and Vice President Jeremiah Koung in January, Morlu departed for the United States. He had been considered a strong candidate for a top cabinet post. Speaking out for the first time since the Boakai-Koung inauguration, Morlu revealed that he left because he felt sidelined.

“I am a man who believes in professionalism, organization, structure, and clear terms of reference,” Morlu said. He added: “They made mockery of me… But I firmly believe that the fundamental issue in Liberia is not about the number of kilometers of roads built or the number of chairs in schools. Those are government responsibilities. The core problems that have afflicted every president are governance, accountability, and transparency.”

Morlu highlighted that one of the main challenges facing the current government is the issue of accountability. He acknowledged that while President Boakai has good intentions, his administration’s major challenge is governance and accountability. According to Morlu, the current administration seeks to achieve results quickly without proper organization and structure.

“You can’t achieve those things without being organized. During the transition, I insisted on structure, process, and organization. From what I observed, accountability was going to be a challenge for this government because they wanted to act quickly without proper organization,” Morlu explained.

Despite stepping aside, Morlu emphasized that he remains a supporter of Boakai. He clarified that he did not disappear but retreated because he was not being heard. “I just want them to know that I did not disappear. I assess risk, and if I believe that the risk is too high to my reputation and that my involvement in a particular transaction or activity will not yield tangible results, I retreat. I am very good at retreating, repositioning, and coming back,” Morlu said.

He continued, “I was in retreat, not quitting. I decided to step back, observe, and gather information to speak truthfully and objectively without bias or fear.” Morlu reiterated that he still supports Joe Boakai and remains available to offer his advice for the administration’s success.

He said since the inauguration, he has written five memos with recommendations to the government to improve governance, but these have been ignored. One of these memos was written at President Boakai’s request. However, Boakai has not responded to any of the memos.

“He and I fundamentally agreed. It was his call to me on January 15, asking for help to fix the country. I wrote him a detailed memo titled ‘Executive Mansion Governance: How to Position the Executive Mansion for Effective Governance.’ I believed it would serve as a blueprint for good governance in Liberia. If it had been implemented, I bet things would be different now,” Morlu said.

Morlu expressed his continued commitment to the “rescue mission” and his presence to ensure Boakai’s success. He acknowledged the mistakes made by the administration and stressed the need to address the crisis of confidence. “I have tried my best in the last six months to engage and support every member of Joe Boakai’s cabinet who has reached out to me. I have also provided recommendations in at least five memos to Joseph Boakai on the way forward,” he added.

He thanked all Liberians for electing Boakai and called for their continued support.