MONROVIA – The leader of the revolutionary political party, Economic Freedom Fighters of Liberia (EFFL), Emmanuel D. Gonquoi, has slammed the Director of the elite security unit, the Executive Protection Service (EPS), Sam Gaye, asserting that Gaye is proceeding wrongly by dismissing some 300 agents from the employ of the EPS.
Gonquoi claims that judging from Gaye’s recent conduct of leadership within the EPS, which he (Gonquoi) said is troubling and is creating more risks for the presidency; it was now safe to say the EPS Director is unfit to manage complex security operations.
He stated that on Director Gaye’s watch; the Executive Protection Service is disorganized, indicating that such disorganization is a huge risk to President Joe Boakai and members of the First Family.
In recent times, several EPS agents’ services have been terminated by Director Gaye, with the agents claiming that they are being wrongfully dismissed.
Unconfirmed reports are rife that many of those being dismissed by Director Gaye are servicemen recruited into the EPS during the reign of former President George Weah, to whom the affected agents to date, still pay homage.
During Liberia’s presidential election last year, many security officers, especially personnel of the Executive Protection Service were seen donning paraphernalia belonging to ex-President Weah’s political party, the CDC, an act that infringes upon the code of ethics of the EPS.
Howbeit, Gonquoi believes that Director Gaye should have threaded more consciously before reaching the decision to lay off hundreds of servicemen already exposed to the use of firearms.
The EFFL Commander-In-Chief sees Gaye’s recent dismissal action as being totally wrong; arguing that the EPS agents were dismissed without any transitional plan on associated risks management.
“Truth be told, it’s totally wrong to out rightly terminate the services of 300 servicemen with experience in the usage of guns in the society without any transitional plan on associated risks management,” he stated.
He emphasized that since according to Director Gaye, his administration intends managing a small but effective force, instead of out rightly terminating the services of 300 agents from the EPS on the flimsy charge that they were “wrongfully recruited”, Gaye should have professionally worked with authorities of the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA), which is at the verge of recruiting, so that the dismissed agents could be absorbed by the LDEA.
CIC Gonquoi, who claims Gaye’s action is being influenced by those he called the EPS Director’s political masters, noted that in the game of politics, there is no permanent enemy, indicating; “Your enemy of yesterday can become your loyal supporters of today depending on how you approach issues.”
“There is no need for rush now because we don’t have the right economic message yet for our people. Some reform messages have to be communicated and a gradual approach should be taken before full implementation. You call them CDC folks and we call them Liberians. Treat them as Liberians and allow them to see the bigger picture about the need to reform the system for effective executive protection,” he noted.
He blasted Gaye over his dismissal action, bluntly pointing out that the EPS boss’ timing of his so-called reforms within the EPS is just wrong.
“We can’t risk the security of the State in the name of reforms that are not practical within the contemporary environment,” Gonquoi emphasized, sounding a caveat that while he supports reforms within government, he will only acquiesce to reforms that are inconsistent with what he calls superior political logic.
“For the record, we will shortly begin exposing government officials that are creating early missteps for this new administration. Remember, Joe Boakai is now President for all. We support governmental reforms, but let the word go forth that we will only embrace reforms that are guided by superior political logic,” he maintained.
