By Edmond R. Gray
Senior Executive Service
A Donor Sponsored Program
Part 1
What?
In 2005, I graciously supported the presidential bid of Mrs. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. This was mostly based on personal reasons. Instinctively, she was simply the better. Given her aging thirst to lead Liberia, I was filled with certainty that this granny will make the difference. In cyberspace, I butted heads and fiercely wrestled with those who detested her crave to win. Many became very angry and frustrated with me. They vandalized personal effects, threatened family members, and hurled insults. Some even barred our much travel habits. In a country like the United States, where the right to move freely, is a fundamental law of the land, having your movements restricted is painful. I can only say that people were vexed because, no one wants to lose. A few others cried out that job was the overarching force behind my unwavering support for Ellen. And I bet, others will say, the denial to get a job with the Ellen’s administration, is the reason for this. At any rate, politics is nothing but a hype of self interests. I want my critics to deal with the content of this literature, and not me.
Ellen has painstakingly built a power empire. And within it, are those who have cleverly mend a stupefied firewall of thievery, corruption, and bigotry. There are the Aunt Martha and the Estrada Bernard, members of the Ellen’s courtship that are deeply entrenched into this new cycle of nepotism. Sorry for the slip of tongue. But I promise that this analysis offers a far more noble substance than that. Of course, there will from time to time be these grotesque descriptions of events, depending on their anomalies. To say the least, Ellen’s pace has not matched the fierce sense of urgency that characterized her selection by the Liberian people.
In the fall of 2008, I was hired by an internationally-independent human resource consultancy firm, to work as a County Development Officer (CDO), in Grand Cape Mount, Liberia. The post was one of many positions that were created for what the United Nations and World Bank officials termed, ‘the best and the brightest’. To clarify the doubts, these were not some of the politically truncated positions that leaders of factions nailed each other for. Or, those that the Aunt Martha may want to preserve for her kindred. These were for you and me with the much needed credentials. One does not necessarily have to know the President, her buddies, and, or cabinet officials, to get one. Firstly, those selected are vetted by an independent vetting firm. The Civil Service Agency announces the positions publicly, receives applications and resumes. These are then passed on to the vetting agency for evaluation. A list of successful candidates is then passed on to a Senior Selection Committee comprising of representatives from government, the donors, and the SES. This committee conducts interviews and decides who gets the job.
Why the SES?
In President Sirleaf’s words, SES personnel will strengthen public administration capacity, and act as change agents in the reform process. SES staffs also provide managerial leadership in various areas; implement government’s priority programs, nozzle an atmosphere of professionalism. In addition, they are expected to be credible. Against this backdrop, the government of Liberia established a goal of sound economic planning and policy; reforming the public sector; strengthen key institutions, especially the judiciary. Establish and enforce codes of conducts; promote transparency, including a freedom of information laws, and a whistle-blower statute (See Governance Reform Policy on CSA).
The Money
According to the Civil Service Agency (CSA), the Government of Liberia made a lip commitment to provide US$100,000 for a redirected workers program (RWP). A total of US$1 million is needed to implement RWP. There is a funding gap in excess of US$900,000. The Department for International Development of the United Kingdom (DFID) aided Liberia’s public sector reform efforts with a purse of US$2 million. On its part, World Bank extended to Liberia, a total of US$900,000 to support governance efforts. In addition, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) made an initial commitment of US$800,000 to the SES program. A gap of US$9 million is needed for the SES program. The SES program is also funded by other donors like the US government; Germany, Greece, and Humanity United. According to Madam Sirleaf, over 90% of the money needed to finance the SES program is on hand.
Statement of the Facts
On March 2009, County Development Officers (CDOs) were deployed to their various areas of operations. The deployment came two months after a bitter and futile debate on the implementation of an important piece of the work contract that was signed between the County Development Officers and the Government of Liberia. The outcome of that fruitless debate will be discussed later. This contract is a performance based agreement. What do I mean? It means that every party should perform as agreed. The CDOs were to execute a term of reference (work order) to its fullest. The Senior Executive Service program is managed by a Program Implementation Committee. “The day to day activities of the SES Program are carried out by a Program Secretariat referred to as the Program Management Unit. Financial contributions from the Donor Partners are channeled through the Program Management Unit of the Senior Executive Service Program. Oversight responsibility for the activities of the Program Management Unit is shared between the Civil Service Agency, representing the Government of Liberia and the United Nations Development Program, representing the Development Partners. The Senior Executive Service Program (SES), of which the CDO position is a part, was mainly created to beef up Liberia’s national capacity efforts. Simply put, the scheme was intended to develop a fresh generation of senior public servants within the Civil Service Agency (CSA). SES personnel will take “possession” of Liberia’s reform process (Civil Service Agency Policy).
The portion of the performance contract which the Government of Liberia is to honor is spelled out under Annex C. This mandates the Ministry of Planning to provide all CDOs with an ‘adequately furnished office space, transportation for carrying out official duties, adequate communication facilities required for contract execution, ample office equipment and logistics (Source, SES Performance Contract, 2008)’. Under the Aide Memoir, the Ministry of Planning in collaboration with the Liberian Reconstruction and Development Committee, Office of the President, Ministry of Internal Affairs and LISGIS endorsed the contract. Such recognition was clear stated in clear language “that to ensure the effective coordination and implementation of the national development agenda at the county level, structures like the Office of the County Development Officer (CDO) and the M&E Assistant engaged with the monitoring and evaluation process, were to be strengthened (Source, Aide Memoir, 2008)”. Accordingly, the goal was to ensure the successful monitoring of overall national progress towards the goals of the Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS). The PRS is one of the important vehicles through which the government of Liberia should help Liberia to recover from the pittance of war. This recovery tool has four components: Security, Infrastructure and Basic Services, Economic Revitalization, and Governance and Rule of Law.
This monograph is an excerpt from a national security paper written by Retired Colonel Edmond R. Gray, a former army intelligence officer. He is a public policy expert, and can be reached at remiegray@gmail.com
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