Representative Eugine J.M. Kollie of District #5, Bong County, has issued a critique of what he calls “selective feminism” in Liberia’s public discourse, challenging the nation to confront its inconsistent standards when defending women in positions of power.
In a statement released over the weekend, Kollie said Liberian society must be willing to have a difficult conversation not about women versus men, but about “consistency, fairness, and intellectual honesty” in how women are defended and how their relationships with power are discussed. “The question is simple but uncomfortable,” Kollie wrote. “Do we apply the same moral and analytical standards to all women, or do those standards shift depending on politics, loyalty, and personal preference?”
The lawmaker began by revisiting a recent controversy following President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s appointment of a woman to the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA). According to Kollie, some men reportedly sought to discredit the appointee by linking her to an alleged intimate relationship with Executive Protection Service Director Sam Gaye. “The implication was disturbing: that a woman could not have earned a public appointment through competence, experience, or merit, but must have obtained it through sexual access to a powerful man,” Kollie said.
That narrative, he noted, was rightly condemned by many Liberian women. The principle appeared clear: do not sexualize women’s professional advancement. However, Kollie argued that this principle was tested when a different incident emerged. A woman publicly expressed gratitude to former President George M. Weah for helping her obtain an education through a phone call made to Starz University on her behalf. Yet when another woman came forward with a similar acknowledgment of assistance from a former president, some of the same voices that had condemned the LDEA speculation allegedly turned around and sexualized this second woman—suggesting her relationship with the former president was sexual in nature.
“Most disturbingly,” Kollie said, “her own fellow women participated.” The Problem Is Not Feminism, but Selective Feminism’ Kollie drew a clear distinction between genuine gender advocacy and what he termed “selective outrage.” “There is a difference between defending women from misogyny and defending only women with whom we agree,” he said. “True advocacy for women should be principled. It should not depend on political affiliation, friendship, social class, or whether the woman involved belongs to our preferred political camp.”
“If sexual insinuation is unacceptable when directed at Woman A, it should remain unacceptable when directed at Woman B,” Kollie wrote. He warned that when gender advocacy becomes selective, it turns into a political weapon rather than a moral principle. The Bong County lawmaker also addressed what he described as a frequent confusion between legitimate scrutiny and harmful insinuation. “It is perfectly legitimate to investigate whether public appointments are based on merit, patronage, political loyalty, favoritism, or personal relationships,” he acknowledged. “Public officials should be subjected to scrutiny because public appointments involve public resources and public trust.”
However, he stressed that “scrutiny is not the same thing as sexual insinuation.” If someone believes an appointment was improper, Kollie argued, they should produce evidence—examine qualifications, review the selection process, compare candidates, and assess institutional procedures. “The same applies to educational assistance,” he said. “If a former president helped a woman gain access to education, the relevant questions are whether the assistance was lawful, whether it involved public resources, whether it created unfair advantage, and whether proper procedures were followed.” “But jumping from ‘he helped her get into school’ to ‘she must have slept with him’ is not analysis. It is gossip replacing evidence.”
Kollie placed Liberia’s experience within a wider African and global context, noting that women in public life frequently face a specific form of political attack across the continent. He cited research from Kenya documenting how women politicians are often targeted with gendered disinformation, including fabricated sexual scandals, and noted similar patterns in South African politics. The problem, he said, is not limited to Africa—studies in the United States and Europe show women officeholders are more likely than men to be described in terms of appearance, relationships, and personal life rather than policy or competence.
In some contexts, such as Zambia, the problem becomes even more severe, with reports of women being pressured into sexual favors in exchange for political support—an abuse increasingly described as “sextortion.” “These examples demonstrate two important truths,” Kollie said. “First, the sexualization of women’s advancement is a widespread and serious problem. But second, and equally important, this problem cannot be addressed through inconsistent moral standards. If gender justice is to mean anything, it must apply universally, not selectively.”
The lawmaker acknowledged that women themselves can participate in sexist narratives, noting that “being a woman does not automatically prevent someone from reproducing patriarchal assumptions.” “A woman can defend another woman against misogyny in one moment and engage in misogynistic speculation in another,” he wrote. “She can advocate for women’s empowerment while still undermining another woman’s dignity when political interests are involved.” Kollie attributed much of this inconsistency to political tribalism. “In Liberia’s public discourse, people often interpret events through loyalty rather than principle: If someone is ‘our side,’ we defend them. If someone is ‘their side,’ we suspect them,” he said. “This mindset distorts judgment.”
Kollie outlined what he described as a more disciplined approach to public debate, urging Liberians to focus on substantive questions rather than personal speculation. “When a woman is appointed, ask whether she is qualified,” he said. “When a woman receives assistance, ask whether it was legitimate. When accusations are made, demand evidence. When power is abused, investigate it. When claims are false, challenge them.” “But above all,” he emphasized, “do not defend one woman with the language of equality while attacking another with the language of sexual suspicion.” “That is not justice,” he concluded. “That is not feminism. That is not accountability. It is inconsistency disguised as principle.”
Kollie ended with a direct challenge to Liberian society and its advocacy community. “The real challenge is not whether we can defend the woman we support,” he said. “The real challenge is whether we can apply the same standard to the woman we oppose.” “Because when we turn a woman’s sexuality into the default explanation for her success, we reveal not her character, but the weakness of our own analytical discipline.” “The true measure of principle is simple,” Kollie said. “Can we defend the dignity of the woman on the other side with the same seriousness we defend the one on our side?”