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Momodou
Denmark
11513 Posts |
 Posted - 18 Sep 2013 : 13:12:35
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A story from AP Mobile:
Liberian president's son resigns from oil company
MONROVIA, Liberia (AP) - The son of Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has resigned from his position as head of the state oil company, an appointment that had prompted allegations of nepotism from the president's critics. Sirleaf accepted the resignation of her son, Robert Sirleaf, from his positions as chair of the National Oil Company of Liberia and as senior presidential adviser, according to a statement from the Executive Mansion Tuesday.
"With your departure, this government will lose one of its most valuable assets," the president wrote in a letter to her son that was included in the statement.
The resignation comes just days after Liberia's lawmakers suspended debate on new oil laws until after they return from break in January. Liberian non-governmental organizations had urged lawmakers not to pass the laws, complaining of the lack of public consultation.
The oil company has refused to make copies of the draft laws public. One law governs the oil company itself while the other governs production and exploration. The Senate passed the laws on Sept. 10, but the House of Representatives on Friday voted to suspend debate.
The attempt to rush the laws through the legislature was unacceptable, said Chloe Fussell, a campaigner at the environmental watchdog Global Witness.
"These bills are supposed to be open for public debate - for months, the drafters have been promising us consultation - and at the very least, the legislature should have more than a day or two to read them," she said.
The government appeared eager to pass the laws so that it could auction off new offshore blocks, Fussell said.
"But passing these laws without anyone seeing them could have resulted in an oil sector that is badly regulated," she added. "In a country marred by corruption, that would be a recipe for disaster - just look at Angola and Nigeria."
Critics of the president welcomed her son's resignation, saying his removal from the government posts was overdue.
"There is a need to critically examine what he's done," said Jefferson Koijee, youth wing leader for the opposition Congress for Democratic Change. He added that Robert Sirleaf's holding of two portfolios was "causing some embarrassment" for the government.
President Sirleaf has two other sons in top government positions. Fumba Sirleaf is director of the National Security Agency, and Charles Sirleaf is deputy governor of the Central Bank, though he was temporarily suspended last year for failing to declare his assets.
Sirleaf has repeatedly defended her sons' appointments, saying they are qualified public servants.
She appeared to address the criticism obliquely in her letter to her son Robert published Tuesday.
"Perhaps it will be many years before Liberians realize the scale of the profound debt our country owes to you, but I am certain that day will come," she said. "Today, the President and the Nation thank you for your patriotic service, and wish you well."
Source: AP
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A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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toubab1020
12238 Posts |
Posted - 18 Sep 2013 : 16:09:34
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I feel a bit sorry for Ellen Johnson Sirleaf the mum of Robert Sirleaf, but very pleased for the principal that it has been set for Liberia ,Mum obviously had to defend her sons but MAYBE secretly realised that such traditional practices of previous presidents of, jobs for the boys, should not exist anymore but, The Best man (or Woman ) for the job, should be chosen.
This is a gigantic and monumental step that has been taken in Liberian thinking. |
"Simple is good" & I strongly dislike politics. You cannot defend the indefensible.
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Momodou
Denmark
11513 Posts |
Posted - 19 Sep 2013 : 11:56:15
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A story from AP Mobile:
Liberian president's son cites disagreements
MONROVIA, Liberia (AP) - Robert Sirleaf, the son of Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf who resigned as chairman of the state oil company this week, says his mother never heeded the advice he gave while serving in government. Speaking to a call-in radio program Wednesday, Robert Sirleaf said he "did a lot of advising, but those advices were never taken" by his mother. He declined to name the specific issues on which they disagreed, but said his mother had ignored his counsel "from day one."
He said, however, that the main reason he quit was because his work was "completed," echoing a public statement issued by the president on Tuesday.
His work included ensuring there was "full reform of the oil sector" and completing two laws that could be presented to the legislature, according to the president's statement. One law governs the oil company itself while the other governs production and exploration. The Senate passed the laws on Sept. 10, but the House of Representatives on Friday voted to suspend debate until members return from break in January.
President Sirleaf, in power since 2006, had three sons serving in top government posts prior to the resignation of Robert Sirleaf, who doubled as a senior presidential adviser. She has repeatedly denied allegations of nepotism, describing her sons as qualified.
Read Full Story |
A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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toubab1020
12238 Posts |
Posted - 19 Sep 2013 : 15:23:12
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| Interesting, next instalment in January 2014,("the House of Representatives on Friday voted to suspend debate until members return from break in January.)or maybe before, who knows.In the light of this new information presidential thinking has not changed. |
"Simple is good" & I strongly dislike politics. You cannot defend the indefensible.
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