MONROVIA – Some young people from Grand Gedeh County, who asked not to be named, have expressed concerns over what appears to be the formulation of a stronger relationship between President Joseph Nyuma-Boakai and former Representative of the County, Mr. George S. Borlay.
By Henry Karmo [email protected]
According to them, President Boakai has asked the former lawmaker to spearhead and coordinate the appointment of local officials in the County and on the national scene, which they see as a wrong calculation by the President.
Their reason for the resistance is not because he is not qualified or a prominent citizen of the county, but because of what they say are his ugly track records as a warlord.
It is also reported that Mr. Borlay is lobbying for positions in the Boakai government at the level of Education Minister or consultant or Legislative liaison to the office of the President.
There are also unconfirmed reports that Mr. Christopher Bailey, a former superintendent of the county who was indicted for corruption under the former UP government, is being considered for the position of Deputy Internal Affairs Minister.
“The Boakai administration might land wrongly if thorough examination is not done to ascertain whether those about to be appointed in government are free from corruption. A government that promises transparency and accountability to the Liberians must be prepared to do the right things and avoid early mistakes.
“We are also getting unconfirmed information that former Grand Gedeh Superintendent is poised to be appointed as Deputy Minister for Administration at the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Our concern is that this same Christopher Bailey man was once indicted by the Unity Party government in 2011 for corruption.
Mr. Borley, a prominent son of Grand Gedeh County, is a former convict of the US government over reported immigration charges. He was deported back to Liberia by the US government on charges of participating in the Liberian Civil war.
Like Borley, Senator Prince Johnson and others are yet to face prosecution for their actions. As a matter of fact, no war criminals have been prosecuted within Liberia since the two civil wars — which left nearly 250,000 people dead, according to the United Nations — came to an end in 2003.
That is despite a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) recommending a hybrid criminal court with Liberian and international judges and prosecutors in its final report in 2009.
Several war criminals have been prosecuted in the United States and in Europe.