FrontPageAfrica’s 12 months in Assessment has as soon as once more revealed a fact that too many public officers in Liberia refuse to simply accept. Governance requires transparency, measurable outcomes, and the humility to acknowledge shortcomings. Efficiency opinions aren’t assaults and criticism is just not conspiracy.
They’re instruments in a democracy designed to push establishments towards enchancment. But the Ministry of Youth and Sports activities underneath Cole Bangalu and the Ministry of Gender underneath Gbeme Kollie responded to their scores not with introspection however with indignation, deflection, and emotional outbursts that say extra about their management than their ministries’ work all year long.
Their reactions turned a highlight of their very own, exposing the very weaknesses the report highlighted.
The Ministry of Youth and Sports activities acquired an “F” for the yr’s efficiency, a verdict based mostly on stalled youth applications, uncared for sports activities infrastructure, and a normal lack of impactful initiatives for younger individuals throughout the nation.
Moderately than addressing the obtrusive deficiencies recognized, Minister Cole Bangalu selected to border the analysis as retribution tied to an unrelated dispute involving electrical energy on the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports activities Complicated. He claimed that FrontPageAfrica’s co-owner, who additionally operates a restaurant there, have been upset that the Ministry refused to offer free Liberia Electrical energy Company energy as was allegedly executed within the earlier administration. In response to him, this refusal is what justified the “F” grade.
This line of reasoning is troubling not just for its pettiness however for its full avoidance of the actual subject, which is the ministry’s efficiency. As an alternative of presenting proof of significant youth abilities coaching applications, nationwide sports activities growth, or enhancements at nationwide amenities, the Ministry centered its protection on an argument that successfully distracts from its accountability.
The mere suggestion that media evaluation ought to be tied to favors or electrical energy concessions is deeply insulting to the general public and divulges a misunderstanding of accountability. If the Ministry can not defend its report with knowledge and achievements, no quantity of emotional rhetoric can substitute for outcomes.
In the meantime, nothing within the Minister’s rebuttal addressed the core issues which have annoyed Liberian youth for years. The nation continues to battle a youth unemployment charge that impacts almost each neighborhood. Sports activities infrastructure stays weak, leaving athletes with out correct growth pathways.
Vocational applications meant to empower younger individuals are nonetheless struggling to achieve nationwide scale. These points aren’t fabricated by the press. They’re lived realities for 1000’s of younger Liberians. An “F” grade could also be disagreeable, however it displays a ministry struggling to ship on its mandate.
The Ministry of Gender’s response to receiving a “C” was equally disappointing. Minister Gbeme Kollie reacted by stating that she didn’t have cash to take journalists and their households on journeys with a purpose to earn an “A”.
The remark, careless and dismissive, advised that journalists solely give good grades to officers who fund their travels. Whether or not meant as sarcasm or frustration, the implication was reckless. As an alternative of addressing shortcomings within the ministry’s efficiency, it shifted blame onto imaginary corruption inside the media.
This tactic is just not solely unhelpful however damaging. The Ministry of Gender oversees important areas affecting girls, youngsters, and susceptible populations. It’s answerable for responding to gender-based violence, strengthening empowerment applications, and coordinating nationwide efforts to guard rights.
The previous yr noticed rising circumstances of home abuse, inconsistent neighborhood applications, and delayed responses to pressing stories from counties. Civil society organizations ceaselessly identified coordination lapses and gaps in nationwide outreach. A “C” grade, if something, was lenient. The minister’s response did nothing to offer readability on what was executed, what went fallacious, or what enhancements are deliberate.
Each ministries demonstrated the identical troubling sample that shifting consideration away from their very own efficiency and attacking the credibility of the establishment doing the analysis. As an alternative of management that embraces transparency, Liberia witnessed management that resorts to excuses, emotional defenses, and misdirection. Such conduct is unworthy of establishments answerable for youth growth and gender safety.
FrontPageAfrica’s evaluation opinions aren’t a menace. In wholesome democracies, they’re a mirror held as much as these in energy. They permit the general public to evaluate whether or not ministries are fulfilling their mandates. The purpose is to not embarrass officers however to demand higher for the individuals they serve.
A ministry that reacts defensively to criticism is a ministry that’s not ready to enhance. A ministry that blames the media for its failures is a ministry operating from accountability. A ministry that can’t articulate its personal achievements is a ministry that has not delivered sufficient.
Liberia wants ministries that may face analysis with maturity, reply with details, and proper their weaknesses with urgency. The responses from Minister Bangalu and Minister Kollie don’t show that readiness. They show fragility the place there ought to be confidence and denial the place there ought to be reflection.
If the Ministry of Youth and Sports activities and the Ministry of Gender need higher grades subsequent yr, they’ll want greater than public complaints. They might want to present the nation measurable change. They might want to spend money on applications that attain individuals in actual methods. They might want to show outcomes that can’t be mistaken or ignored. Most significantly, they might want to deal with accountability not as an insult however as a basis of public service.
Till that occurs, no quantity of defensiveness will raise their scores. Solely efficiency will.
