President Sirleaf Commissions New Director-General Honorable Pearine Davis-Parkinson

President Sirleaf Commissions New Director-General Honorable Pearine Davis-Parkinson.
President Sirleaf Commissions New Director-General Honorable Pearine Davis-Parkinson.
Photo Credit: GSA

Monrovia, Liberia - President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has commissioned her new Cabinet in Monrovia with a call on its members, as well as Liberians from all walks of life, to join her in the fight against corruption despite its many complexities. She said that to do this, Liberians must strive relentlessly to change old value systems and forge a new culture. “I share the frustrations of those of our compatriots, visitors and partners who come face-to-face with the ugliness of corruption.



Our government must lead this effort, but everyone must play a role,” she noted, adding that, in the end, if nobody offers a bribe, corruption will stop. The Liberian leader was speaking Friday, March 16, when she commissioned her first full Cabinet of her second term in the C. Cecil Dennis, Jr. Auditorium at her Foreign Ministry office.


President Johnson Sirleaf warned that fighting corruption will not be done through publicity stunts, newspaper headlines, or prosecution alone; rather, it will be done through patiently building a system of government and a society of trust from the ground up. “Given its deep- rooted cultural nature, winning the battle against corruption will take some time, but we must make enough progress to set it on an irreversible course,” she emphasized.



The President noted that as all appointed officials, especially those at the Cabinet level, are required, by law, to make public declaration of assets, liabilities, and income in accordance with procedures prescribed by the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission. This process is more than a political publicity stunt, she said; rather, it serves as a reminder, both for the public and the public servant, of where they were when they started, and establishes for each a moral boundary.



President Johnson Sirleaf challenged her 2012 Cabinet to sustain the gains made thus far and seek to surpass every objective the government has set for itself. “This we can and must do. We owe it to our people,” she stressed.


Those commissioned include: Minister of Finance, Honorable Amara M. Kamara; Minister of Justice, Honorable Christiana P. Tah; Minister of National Defense, Honorable Brownie J. Samukai, Jr.; Minister of Internal Affairs, Honorable Blamoh Nelson; Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, Honorable Dr. Frederick B. Norkeh; Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Honorable Dr. Walter T. Gwenigale; Minister of Agriculture, Honorable Dr. Florence A. Chenoweth; and Minister of Public Works, Honorable Samuel Kofi Woods. Others are the Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry, Honorable Miata Beysolow; Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Honorable Lewis G. Brown, II; Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, Honorable Dr. Edward B. McClain, Jr.; Minister of Lands, Mines and Energy, Honorable Patrick Sendolo; Minister of Labor, Honorable Vabah K. Gayflor; Minister of Youth and Sports, Honorable S. Tornorlah Varpilah; Minister of Transport, Honorable Lenn Eugene Nagbe; and Minister of Gender and Development, Honorable Julia Duncan Cassell.



Still others commissioned include: Minister of State Without Portfolio, Honorable Conmany B. Wesseh; Director-General of the Cabinet, Honorable Dr. Momo Rogers; Director-General, Civil Service Agency, Honorable Dr. C. William Allen; Director-General, General Services Agency, Honorable Pearine Davis-Parkinson; Chairman, National Investment Commission, Honorable O. Natty B. Davis; Advisor to the President on Foreign Affairs, Ambassador George W. Wallace, Jr.; Legal Advisor to the President, Cllr. Seward M. Cooper; and the Religious Advisor to the President, Rev. Jervis A. Witherspoon, Sr.