Monrovia – President George Weah’s action to appoint a new head of secretariat at the Liberia Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (LEITI) has again come under serious condemnation, this time from the Independent National Human Rights Commission (INCHR).
Report by Edwin G. genoway, Jr – [email protected]
INCHR says it is alarmed by the removal from office, the Head of Secretariat of the LEITI, a position that should be appointed by the Multi-Stakeholder Steering Group (MSG) pursuant to The LEITI Act.
Speaking to FrontPageAfrica Monday March 26, the acting commissioner of INCHR, Rev. Bartholomew B. Colley (Attorney) said the commission is urging the President to reconsider his decision and adhere “to the rule of law.
He said the President’s reconsideration should therefore be followed by an action to complete the structuring of the Multi Stakeholder Groups (MSG) as provided for in Sections 6.4 and 6.5 respectively of the LEITI Act.
Rev, Colley said the President was misled and ill advised to appoint the head of secretariat, adding that the Commission is also “troubled by the President’s decision to elevate the position of his Economic Advisor to a Cabinet Minister”.
“The Commission’s trouble is hinged on the fact that the President has the power to appoint several Ministers of State without Portfolios who could be Cabinet Ministers but refuse to do so but rather chose to unilaterally make a pronouncement tantamount to lawmaking that affects the structure of the Executive Branch, without any consideration for the Legislature, the branch responsible for lawmaking to play its constitutional role,” he said.
He called on the Liberians leader to utilize the proper and appropriate channel, “if he wants to elevate a particular position or use the available legal options.”
The Human Rights Commission says while it recognizes the President’s authority to appoint as expressed in Article 54 of the 1986 Liberian Constitution, it is also encouraging the President to respect and honour all laws and statutes enacted by the Legislature in accordance with Article 34L of the same constitution.
The INCHR boss says the Commission’s encouragement stems from the backdrop that the President’s authority as stated in the constitutional provision cited above, is not by any means an “absolute authority” so “it must be exercised with due caution so that the rights, liberties and privileges of others guaranteed by the Liberian Constitution are not wantonly violated.
“The Commission would like to further emphasize that in democratic societies, even rights have limits. And there are no reasonable exceptions to this salient limitation on the exercise of rights,” he said.
“But to protect the rights, liberties, and privileges of all Liberians irrespective of their origins, beliefs or affiliations, hence, the least the INCHR can demand of the Government is to ensure full respect for the Constitution and the Laws of Liberia in furtherance of societal cohesion and harmony as well as adherence to international norms,” he explained.
He said the Commission is also expressing concerns over the detention and subsequent suspension of Mr. Alfred Cheeks, an employee of the Central Bank of Liberia and a Liberian citizen, who has been deprived of his liberty on national security charges for revealing the travel expense of the President.
“The Commission recognizes the Government security priorities, it however does not in any way sees public financial expense disclosure associated with official travels as a genuine security risk and hereby calls upon the Liberian Government to desist from conducting detentions on such vexatious basis; because revelation of how much the President or other Government officials spend on their foreign travels promotes the President’s accountability to the Liberian tax payers,” he noted.
The INCHR therefore condemns the action of the National Security Agency and the Central Bank of Liberia to have arrested and detained Mr. Cheeks because of said issue, he said.
With respect to his suspension, the Commission wants the CBL to ensure that due process is exercised and that violations are actually seen because anything short of that will be a violation of Mr. Cheek’s rights to due process and work.