By Festus Poquie
A ranking Liberian senator has called on the Senate to summon the Director-General of the Civil Service Agency Josiah Joekai after the agency’s chief openly participated in a political rally while the agency has disciplined public employees for similar political conduct.
Senator Amara Konneh of Gbarpolu County said Dr. Joekai’s attendance at the NIMBO event — where the director-general appeared in a t‑shirt supporting President Joseph Boakai’s potential re-election — appears to violate the National Code of Conduct for Public Officials.
Konneh noted Part V, Section 5.1 of the Code, which he said bars presidential appointees from engaging in partisan political activities, canvassing for elective office, serving on campaign teams, or using government resources to support political activities.
“By wearing a t‑shirt of a movement supporting the re-election of President Boakai in 2029, he broke the law and violated his commitment to the President,” Senator Konneh said in a statement.
He added that he will request the Liberian Senate to invite the Director‑General to explain his actions and to clarify whether the Code of Conduct is being applied consistently to all public officials.
Dr. Joekai responded with a formal statement rejecting the senator’s claims and accusing Konneh of misrepresentation.
He said the comparison between his actions and the case of other disciplined employees, including Emma Glassco, a George Weah-era tenure official is “false, misleading, and intellectually dishonest.”
Dr. Joekai emphasized that he is a political appointee who serves “at the will and pleasure of the President,” arguing that civil service regulations bind career civil servants rather than presidential appointees.
“I am not a member of any political party in Liberia,” Dr. Joekai said. He further asserted that his attendance at the NIMBO event on a Sunday was an exercise of his constitutional rights as a citizen and did not interfere with his official duties.
He also denied that disciplinary actions against Monrovia City Corporation employees were politically motivated, saying those penalties were due to misconduct, repeated violations of standards, and dissemination of false information.
The dispute raises questions about the scope of the Code of Conduct for presidential appointees and how its provisions should be applied in practice.
Konneh insists the Code’s language applies to all presidential appointees and that equal enforcement is necessary to preserve the neutrality and professionalism of public service. Dr. Joekai, meanwhile, has defended his record and described his focus as restoring discipline and professionalism across the public sector.
