By Augustine Octavius
The first batch of government appointees announced by the new President George Manneh Weah has not impressed the Inter Religious Council of Liberia (IRCL).
The IRCL has expressed concern about the appointment of re-cycled officials in the new government by President George Weah.
Hours after taking office, President Weah Monday evening directed five top officials of the former Ellen Johnson Sirleaf government to remain in their posts until further notice.
They are the Minister of Information, Len Eugene Nagbe, Education Minister George K. Werner, the Minister of Internal Affairs, Varney Sirleaf, the Inspector General of the Liberia National Police, Gregory Coleman, and the Director of General Services Agency, Mary Broh.
But Attorney Musa Bamba, Secretary General of the council told a news conference in Monrovia on Tuesday that by asking some officials in the UP-led government to hold on in the CDC-led administration “can better be described as putting old wine in new bottle.”
Bamba said while it is true that the president has the rights to appoint anybody of his choice, President Weah should know that these were some of the same people that brought the incredible records of corruption to the government of former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
The Inter-Religious Council added that the new Liberian leader should know that it is his responsibility to appoint a government that will represent the various spectrums of the Liberian society.
President Weah was criticized for allowing some officials to hold on while others are taking their exist.
This, the IRCL believes is creating more questions than answers.
The Inter-Religious Council then admonished the new President to be mindful of the mistakes of the past, where one segment of the Liberian society benefited from the national cake, leaving a large number of others out.