Judul : Lacra's Witch Hunt: a Dangerous Turn Against Free Expression and Institutional Fairness
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Lacra's Witch Hunt: a Dangerous Turn Against Free Expression and Institutional Fairness
THE ONGOING crisis at the Liberia Agriculture Commodity Regulatory Authority (LACRA) is no longer just an internal personnel dispute. It is a troubling case study in political intolerance, institutional double standards, and the chilling silencing of civil servants who dared to speak truth to power -- respectfully and publicly.
WHAT BEGAN as a modest appeal by four staffers on a state-run radio station has escalated into what can only be described as an orchestrated witch hunt. The implications stretch far beyond LACRA; they go to the heart of governance, freedom of speech, and fairness in Liberia's civil service.
ON July 15, four LACRA employees -- Lans W. Kamara, Abu Fofana, Alieu Feika, and Augustine George -- took to the airwaves of ELBC to make a heartfelt appeal to President Joseph Boakai. Their request was the President reconsider what they described as the unjust and politically influenced suspension of LACRA's Director General, Mr. Christopher D. Sankolo and his Deputy for Administration and Finance, Mr. Chea B. Garley.
THERE WERE no insults. No incitement. No disruption. Just civil servants pleading for reconsideration of a decision they believed undermined their institution.
RATHER THAN a response from the Executive or a platform for dialogue, what these employees received were one-month suspensions without pay -- formalized in letters citing them for bringing LACRA "into public disrepute."
THE CHARGES, rooted in bureaucratic code, might seem justified at first glance. But under closer scrutiny, they reek of retaliation, hypocrisy, and political cleansing.
LET US be clear these suspensions are not about procedure. They are about power.
THEY ARE about punishing loyalty -- not to a political party, but to Sankolo who, by all internal accounts, had been steering the agency toward reform and performance-based governance. Under Mr. Sankolo's watch, LACRA was notably honored as "Best Performing Government Agency for 2024/2025," by President Boakai.
THAT SPOTLIGHT appears to have made him inconvenient in a political culture where popularity outside prescribed channels is often treated as insubordination.
THE DECISION to suspend these four men does not stand alone. It must be viewed against the backdrop of selective justice unfolding at LACRA. On another occasion -- and far more disruptive -- a separate group of employees staged a physical protest on LACRA premises few months prior to Sankolo's suspension.
THEY HELD placards openly accusing the suspended Director General and other senior staff of corruption and deception. These protests occurred in the presence of Civil Service Agency Director General Josiah Joekai, no less. Yet, none of those protestors faced suspension. Not even a warning.
THIS raises an urgent and uncomfortable question why were four civil servants penalized for respectfully speaking on the radio, while others who shouted accusations and caused public disruption walked free?
THE ANSWER, according to internal sources, lies in the entrenched political connections of those protestors -- connections that allegedly link them to high-ranking government operatives, including LACRA Deputy Director General Godia Alpha Kortu Gongolee, Deputy Minister of State Without Portfolio Hon. Samuel A. Stevquaoh, and even Morie Yaude Nemah, Executive Assistant to the President.
REPORTS THAT a planned Civil Service Agency investigation into the protest was reportedly canceled following a reported phone call from the Executive Mansion only reinforce the perception that influence and favoritism are overriding the rule of law within public institutions.
THE SITUATION at LACRA is, in short, a case of political cannibalism. The suspension of Sankolo and the subsequent punishment of his defenders are signs that loyalty to reform and performance is now being met with suspicion -- and worse, with professional exile.
IT ALSO exposes a troubling narrative: that civil servants must keep silent in the face of what they perceive as wrongdoing or risk retribution. This is a dangerous precedence in a country where public sector integrity is already under strain.
LIBERIA CANNOT afford to weaponize administrative power against employees who seek accountability or who dare to speak up -- even politely.
FURTHERMORE, this incident reveals the fragility of President Boakai's governance pledges. If civil servants are punished for publicly appealing to the President -- through the state's own media no less -- then what space exists for dissent within the government? What becomes of free expression, transparency, or the President's vow to uphold civil service independence?
PRESIDENT BOAKAI now faces a critical test of leadership. Will he allow his name to be used as a shield for internal witch hunts? Or will he intervene to ensure that rules are applied fairly, without bias, and without political manipulation?
IF NO corrective action is taken, the administration risks sending a loud message that loyalty to individuals outweighs loyalty to public service, that personal connections matter more than merit, and that those who speak out -- even with respect -- will be made examples of.
SUCH A path will only breed fear, silence, and stagnation in the public sector. It will push out reformers and embolden opportunists. It will widen the gap between governance rhetoric and administrative reality.
FOR LACRA specifically, this crisis threatens the integrity of an institution vital to Liberia's agriculture and trade sectors. If employees are afraid to offer advice, voice concerns, or question leadership decisions, the agency will lose its most important asset of human capital driven by duty and principle.
IT IS time for the Civil Service Agency to act -- independently and transparently. It must investigate both the protest and the suspensions. It must determine whether policies were followed fairly and whether political interference has corrupted the disciplinary process.
ABOVE ALL, it is time for the Boakai administration to prove that "governance reform" is more than a campaign slogan. Restoring Sankolo may be a complex political decision. But addressing a blatant double standard -- and ending this witch hunt -- should not be.
LACRA MUST not become a casualty of internal vendettas and unchecked influence. Liberia's civil service deserves better. So does its democracy.
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Tagged: Liberia, Food and Agriculture, West Africa
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