President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, in the Netherlands to receive an honorary doctorate degree last Friday, vowed not to sack her sons from her government despite widespread accusations of nepotism and corruption.
Answering questions from journalists, she said “We have to place certain people close to us in positions to carry out our mandate of reform at the level of competence and honesty that is needed.”
President Johnson Sirleaf interpreted nepotism as putting somebody who is a relative in a position for which he is not qualified and lacks integrity and competence. “There are times when you have to hire relatives, even when it’s a temporary measure, to achieve your objectives.”
The President was told that she had once accused former President William Tolbert of nepotism because he put his relatives in powerful positions.
Asked whether those relatives were competent, she said “Oh absolutely they were competent.” She also said, “Look, I’ve been criticized now too. But meeting your objectives at the end of the day is what counts most.”
So you will not fire your sons? To show that you are a hero of anti-corruption?
“No, I will not. There is a mandate and there’s a job to be done. When that job and mandate is done, perhaps they’ll move on to other things.”
Read full text of the interview:
You are a beloved leader around the globe and received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011. Yet, in your own country you’ve been accused of nepotism and corruption. Three of your sons have been appointed to high government positions. How do you explain this?
“We have a country that has a very low capacity. Some of our institutions – the ones that have to carry out the important reforms for the transformation of our country – simply do not have the capabilities. They also sometimes lack the sufficient integrity to be able to do what is right.
“We have to place certain people close to us in positions to carry out our mandate of reform at the level of competence and honesty that is needed.