OPINION: A Plot to Finally Reduce the Code of Conduct to Tissue Paper: Boakai’s Unity Party’s Attempt to Legalize Double-Dipping and Violation of the Rule of Law

Written By:
Foday N. Massaquoi, Columnist and Youth Political Civil Rights Activist

The ruling Unity Party and its alliance taking the Code of Conduct protector to the Supreme Court is a direct contradiction to the rule of law and a vivid demonstration that President Boakai was sleeping when he commissioned the Office of the Ombudsman to fully implement the Code of Conduct on August 8, 2024.

The audacity displayed by the Unity Party and its alliance, led by Mr. Luther Tarpeh, in bringing the Office of the Ombudsman before the Supreme Court exemplifies a blatant disregard for the very Code of Conduct they once championed. This act not only undermines the integrity of the legal framework but also reveals the unwillingness of these officials to adhere to the laws established in our society.

This case, spearheaded by Luther Tarpeh and other officials of the current regime, involves a writ of prohibition against actions taken by the Ombudsman’s Office, represented by Chairman Counselor Finley Y. Karngar. The Unity Party claims that the Ombudsman should neglect and turn a blind eye to Part V, Section 5.8 of the Code of Conduct, which stipulates: “No officer or employee in the Executive Branch of Government, or any agency or department thereof, shall take any active part in political management or in political campaigns. All such persons shall retain the right to vote as they may choose and to express their opinions on all political subjects.”

The law is unequivocal, having been enacted during a Unity Party-led administration in 2014, with a commitment from Unity Party Standard Bearer Joseph N. Boakai to enforce it just ten months ago.

It is astonishing that the very individuals who authored this law are now arguing before the Supreme Court that it is flawed and should be discarded to safeguard their dual roles (double-dipping), thereby violating the Code of Conduct on conflict of interest grounds. It is ironic that those who profess to be educated claim that this Code will hinder their party’s functions and political activities. The reality is clear: government officials must choose between their public duties and active political engagement.

The nation is rightly troubled by the persistent erosion of the rule of law and the abuse of power under the Boakai-Koung Administration. The Constitution, along with legal statutes and the Code of Conduct, has been violated 128 times by Mr. Joseph N. Boakai and his band of autocratic state looters and squanderers. Despite this regime’s consistent track record of deception, we had hoped that the establishment of the Ombudsman’s Office would deter lawbreakers, uphold high ethical standards for public officials, ensure accountability, promote fairness in dispute resolution, and contribute to good governance. However, the decision by the National Chairman of Boakai’s Unity Party to challenge the Code of Conduct protector in court demonstrates that Mr. Boakai’s establishment of this office was mere rhetoric—a mockery of the principles it was meant to uphold.

Why Is Boakai’s Unity Party and Its Alliance Plotting to Reduce the Code of Conduct to Tissue Paper?

Due to selfish motives, systematic looting of taxpayers’ money, conflicts of interest, and an unstoppable quest to divert public funds to private political ambitions, these COC violators have chosen to bastardize the laws on the books to satisfy their double-dipping. Thousands of knowledgeable Unity Partisans and affiliates also need a space to serve. This attitude among double-dippers toward holding onto the Party’s and lucrative government positions is selfish, mean, and insensitive in nature.

Here are a few names of COC violators and double-dippers:

• Luther Tarpeh – National Chairman, Unity Party; Chairman of the Board, National Port Authority
• Ben A. Fofana – Vice Chair for Governmental and International Relations, Unity Party; Liberia Telecommunication Authority
• Cornelia K. Togba – Vice Chair for Inter-Party Relations and NEC Affairs, Unity Party; Deputy Minister of State for Presidential Affairs
• Whroway Bryant – Vice Chair for Mobilization and Recruitment, Unity Party; Superintendent of Montserrado County
• Amos B. Tweh – National Secretary General, Unity Party; MD, Liberia Petroleum Refinery Company
• James K. Yolei – Deputy Secretary for Training and Research; Assistant Minister for Operations, Ministry of Internal Affairs
• Emmanuel K. Farr – Deputy National Secretary General, Youth Congress; Deputy Director for Administration, National Fire Service
• Selena Polson Mappy – National Vice Chairperson, Women Congress; Deputy Minister for Operations
• Including over 30 officials from MDR, LP, and its alliance, all of whom are violating the rule of law, and Mr. Boakai is doing absolutely nothing to hold his lieutenants accountable