MONROVIA – Prominent transparency advocate Anderson D. Miamen has criticized President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s continued appointment of commissioners at the Liberia Telecommunications Authority (LTA) in acting capacities, describing the move as a violation of the Act that created the regulatory body. In a strongly worded statement, Miamen warned that such governance decisions set dangerous precedents and undermine the rule of law.
“President Boakai must decide whether he wants to maintain the current batch of commissioners at the LTA,” Miamen wrote. “It is bad leadership and governance to appoint people to perpetually act in such delicate positions when the law provides that they have security of tenure and must be confirmed by the Legislature.”
Miamen stressed that commissioners at the LTA are not meant to serve at the pleasure of the President indefinitely. Instead, they are required by law to undergo confirmation proceedings in order to ensure independence and legitimacy. Without proper appointments, he warned, the authority of these commissioners to make consequential regulatory decisions could be rightfully questioned by stakeholders in the telecommunications sector.
“This is how leaders violate or undermine the laws of the country,” Miamen said. “Leaving the fate of people in the balance undermines their work and independence, for they will fear removal or reprisal actions if they make decisions that go against the interests of the appointing authority.”
Miamen’s remarks follow President Boakai’s appointment of former lawmaker Clarence Massaquoi as Acting Chairman of the LTA, replacing Acting Chairperson Abdullah L. Kamara who was suspended earlier. In his letter of appointment, President Boakai said he was confident Massaquoi would serve with “integrity, diligence, and loyalty to the country.”
But for Miamen, this approach remains problematic. “With tenure, commissioners can act boldly and decisively, once the decisions benefit the public, even if they conflict with the interests of the appointing authority,” he said. He called on the Legislature to demand that the President comply with the legal process by either fully appointing or dismissing the current commissioners.
Miamen, who serves as Executive Director of the Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL), has been a consistent voice on issues of governance and institutional reform. His comments are likely to intensify scrutiny of President Boakai’s management of independent regulatory institutions, as well as fuel ongoing debates about executive overreach and the importance of upholding tenure security for officials in sensitive public roles.
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