A weary band of 107 employees, unjustly dismissed from the Ministry of Transport by none other than Transport Minister Sirleaf Tyler, is growing tired of their quest for justice from the Civil Service Agency (CSA). For over a year, these wrongfully dismissed employees have been knocking on the doors of the CSA, only to be met with silence. Despite their persistent pleas and formal complaints regarding their unjust termination, the CSA has yet to investigate their grievances, leaving them feeling like characters in a bureaucratic limbo.
Francis Kanneh, the spokesperson for the dismissed employees, sheds light on the situation. He points out that Minister Tyler, who happens to be the biological brother of Bomi County Senator Alex Tyler—dubbed the “Corruption King Kong” was the Deputy Minister for Administration during the George Weah administration when they were legally hired in 2019. Kanneh claims that Tyler dismissed them under the pretext of an “overheated payroll” and a lack of proper vetting during their hiring. Ironically, while he cites payroll padding as a concern, Tyler continues to employ family members, friends, and social acquaintances, which confirmed the employees’ allegations of unfair treatment.
The Joe Boakai government has been criticized for dismissing civil servants perceived as opposition supporters. A notable instance is the dismissal of nine employees from the Monrovia City Corporation (MCC) for allegedly insulting President Boakai and other government officials on social media. The Civil Service Agency Director General, Josiah Joekai, urged the MCC to terminate these employees, citing their “deadly social media campaign” against senior public officials as detrimental to the corporation’s reputation. The dismissed employees, who were reportedly supporters of the opposition Congress for Democratic Change (CDC), claim their dismissal was unlawful and a violation of their right to free speech.
The Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs alone saw nearly 800 citizens dismissed, with similar layoffs occurring at the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Finance, as well as other agencies and commissions. These employees, who were previously employed in the public sector, are now without income, forcing them to join the ranks of the jobless, exacerbating the country’s economic challenges. The regime’s justification for these layoffs includes reasons such as being on a supplementary payroll, prolonged absence from work, ghost names, unverified persons, and lacking personnel action notices. However, Critics argue that such actions undermine democratic governance and signal a troubling shift toward authoritarianism as well as being insensitive to the plight of Liberians in the public sector, failing to consider the social, economic, and cultural implications of its actions.
Former Auditor General John Morlu criticized President Boakai and CSA Director Joekai, stating that these dismissals reflect poor governance and disregard for fair treatment of Liberians. Morlu emphasizes the need for legislation regulating appointments and ensuring fair practices, as well as a focus on job creation rather than politically motivated dismissals.