Monrovia – Acting President Nathaniel McGill regarded as the Prime Minister in the George Weah-led government appears to be inserting himself at the helm of every major government ministry and agency.
FrontPageAfrica has in recent weeks received copies of letters from the office of the Minister demanding appointments for members of the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change.
Letters from both McGill and party chair Mulbah Morlu have been the new fashion since the government took office in January, rendering the office of the Civil Agency closed to useless.
The CSA was established in 1973 by an Act of the Legislature to increase efficiency in the civil service and also act as the central personnel agency of MACs.
By law, the CSA should be independent from all other Ministries and Agencies of Government and serves as the central government agency responsible for managing the Civil Service.
The agency is responsible for improving the human resources, service delivery, effectiveness and efficiency of the Service,which entails planning human capacity needs, recruitment and selection, training and development, performance management, and career development of civil servants. Additionally, the CSA provides policy advice to the Government of Liberia in key areas of the Civil Service including organization, staffing, pay and benefits, pension, conditions of service and human resources development. Ultimately, the CSA ensures that the Liberian civil service is competent, professional and motivated and that it meets the workforce needs of the Government and delivers quality, efficient services to the people of Liberia.
In spite of the laws creating the agency and the rules government ministries and agencies should abide by, the CSA has played a limited role in hiring or making recommendations to fill key positions in the government. This has led to a lot of flawed appointments so far, causing serious embarrassment to the adminstration of President Weah where appointments have been dominated by partisans and loyalists of the ruling party.
The most recent communications involved Mr. McGill’s attempt to seek employment for several partisans for a number of key positions at the Environmental Protection Agency(EPA) and the National Port Authority(NPA).
In a communication to the acting head of the NPA, Cecelia Cuffy-Brown, dated February 16, obtained by FrontPageAfrica, Minister McGill writes:
Madam Deputy Managing Director, I present my compliments and wish to recommend that you consider the below listed individuals to the following positions.
Charles D. Gull, Port Manager, Buchanan
William W. Wallace, Port Manager, Harper
Pudee Natt, Assistant Director of Safety at the Freeport of Monrovia
Abraham Varmah, Port Manager, Freeport of Monrovia
Sincerely
Nathaniel F. McGill
In a separate letter to the head of the EPA, Mr. Nathaniel T. Blama, Sr., the Minister writes:
Mr. Executive Director:
I present my compliments and wish to recommend that you consider Mr. Charles D. Gull as Manager for Administration at the Environmental Protection Agency(EPA).
Kinds Regards.
Sincerely
Nathaniel F. McGill
Several government ministers and heads of corporations speaking to FrontPageAfrica on condition of anonymity out of fear of losing their jobs, have narrated similar stories regarding letters from Minister McGill making instructions to hire without résumés detailined potential appointees qualifications attached.
At the Ministry of Commerce for example, more than 150 names were submitted for hire and sources tell FrontPageAfrica that many of those placed on payrolls have no were to sit.
The issue is said to have sparked a headache for most corporation heads who are afraid to speak up or simply thankful for a job – and determine to keep it.
Most of the jobs and initial appointments, FrontPageAfrica has learned were carried out without the advice of the CSA. It was only recently that an appointment was made to fill the vacancy at the agency.
Since taking over a few weeks ago, Madam Laurine Wede Johnson appears to be more focused on reform with emphasis on decentralization, innovation, trainings and collaboration with relevant partners for the overall growth of the Agency.
This was evident in a news release from the CSA this week trumpeting the agency’s head as saying: “My focus is on decentralization, training for Ministries, Agencies and Commissions (MACs) to ensure information of the payroll process, pension and services that benefit all civil servants. And those Civil Servants across the country benefit from all the services by establishing CSA offices in all counties”.
But many are unsure whether the new hire will be given the leeway to maneuver or oversee adequate training and emphasis on qualification before hiring.
Already, Madam Johnson is complaining that she lacks funding to do her job. “Funding is not available now. We are looking at innovative ways in trying to make things work. So we had an agreement with the Minister of Internal Affairs (MIA) and approached the idea of allocating an office space at the County Administrative Buildings for the Civil Service Agency”.
The entire budget for the CSA is restricted to around US$2M with an additional $US3M reportedly needed to move the agency to the next level.
For Johnson, the CSA remains a key instrument for the government to fulfill its Pro-Poor Agenda. Whether she will be giving the chance or free realm to operate remains to be seen. With letters popping from higher-ups on a daily basis, it is unclear how much of a difference, the new CSA head would be able to achieve and how much say, the agency would have on future hires.