02/05/2010 - Samwar S. Fallah, sfallah@FrontPageAfrica.com, 077-920-058Sorce: http://www.frontpageafrica.com/newsmanager/anmviewer.asp?a=10594&z=3
Gbarnga, Bong County - After pronouncing her bid for a second term of office, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf looks set to employ every means possible to achieve her goal of seeking reelection with the introduction of new political variables.
“Each one of you will now have to help us by creating two jobs each in very offices for our partisans”, President Sirleaf told her Cabinet at the Convention of the ruling Party in Gbarnga, Bong County Saturday.
The President whose administration is already being haunted by the rightsizing and downsizing policy introduced in 2006 upon the inauguration of her government where some civil servants were dismissed in the name of reforming government has issued another mandate to her cabinet ministers and other senior partisans of the UP which could without doubt create more unemployment opportunities for ordinary Liberians who are not members of the ruling Unity Party (UP).
The UP seems to be employing the same tactics as former President Charles Taylor National Patriotic Party (NPP) and other previous political parties when members of ruling parties had the opportunities over oppositions to public jobs, a situation that led to the mass exodus of Liberians into ruling parties of time past.
During the regime of former President Samuel K. Doe, Liberians were made to sing the slogan “who do you want? Doe, Who Do you want? Doe”, only to get public jobs.
Also during the regime of former President Charles Taylor, his main base, Gbarnga was the focus point for seeking job as every Liberian wanting to work in the public sector will have to visit Gbarnga during the weekends when Mr. Taylor is on his farm to lobby by either joining the NPP.
Already under the criticism for creating jobs for Diaspora members of the UP, leaving out partisans who have been on the ground and struggled for the party to ascend to state power in a closely contested election in 2005, President Sirleaf in what political observers have described as preparation for 2011 and reverting to the old tactics of recruitment Saturday told her cabinet Ministers In Gbarnga, Bong County that each one must create two jobs for UP partisans.
Although the Liberian leader did not say how the cabinet Ministers will create the needed two jobs each with the Civil Service Agency in charge of recruiting civil servants but other oppositions witnessing the convention described the statement as an attempt to carry out forceful recruitment for the UP ahead of 2011.
The Liberian leader statement received applauses from UP partisans who wore t-shirts under the theme “Uniting to up Lift Liberia ”.
The ruling unity party by plagued by internal wrangling with some partisans complaining that only those from abroad are given lucrative jobs over other members back in Liberia.
Shortly after the UP was defeated by the opposition Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) in a Montserrado County senatorial by-election recently partisans of the UP stormed the party’s headquarters demanding jobs and insisting on change of policy in giving out jobs.
Charles Clarke, Chairman of the UP publicly stated that imported government officials were partly responsible for the defeat of the UP in the by-election which was duped a test race for 2011 elections.
Some of officials of government who returned to the country to take up positions condemned the statement by the UP Chairman, contributing to the internal squabble in the party.
At least two cabinet minister who spoke to FrontPageAfrica on the basis of anonymity expressed dissatisfaction over the President pronouncement.
“How are we going to do that? Does that means we will increase the number of employees with the budget already drawn up? Or are we going to sack and please, no my brother I do not want to comment”, one Cabinet Minister told reporter.
Another Cabinet Minister said the true meaning of the president pronouncement is yet to be understood.
Political Coercion
Opposition lawmaker George Mulbah of Bong County and the NPP told FrontPage Africa that the President statement is intended to coerce Liberians to join the ruling party only to secure jobs amidst hardship in the country.
“You know I see this as an attempt to force people to join the Unity Party that is coercion”, Representative Mulbah lamented.
The lawmaker said the President is trying to put aside other Liberians and opposition members and bring onboard up partisans as a means of forcing them to crossover only to main their jobs or get jobs.
“I think the President should remain with what she said was a politics of inclusion but this is serving as the beginning of threatening people jobs who are not members of the ruling party”, Representative Mulbah noted.
