Best civil servant competition opens

Accountability Lab has developed a program here called “Integrity Idol,” opening nominations to at least 5,000 nominees for the best civil servant with “integrity and honesty” to be vetted as Liberia’s “Integrity Idol 2015.”

Accountability Lab West Africa Representative Mr. Lawrence Yealue told reporters at the state-run University of Liberia campus Wednesday, 19 August that the exercise is intended to “reward good behavior” as a way of replicating good behavior out there.

“And the truth is we also believe that there are more good people in Liberia than bad people; maybe what we are seeing is the projection of the bad people onto everybody,” he said. He says there will be a lot of benefits coming to the individual that will be declared Integrity Idol Liberia 2015, which may in turn link them with other countries, policy makers and try to better shape policies around integrity and anti-corruption in the country and around the world.

He said nomination of civil servants from ministries and agencies were now opened to the public via every network including the Facebook, adding, the process goes for a month and four days, ending September 18. After nomination, Mr. Yealue says, a team of jury will vet the nominees while being video recorded to select best nominee that will be crowned Integrity Idol Liberia 2015 this December at a grand program.  

“And the incitement about this is very much to showcase to Liberia that very good people are here – civil servants – they’re working very well and we’re excited to work with the Liberian people,” he said. He says the exercise is an initiative of the Accountability Lab that he says is also being done in Nepal and Pakistan as a way of “positively motivating people.” 

Mr. Yealue says the process is not base on tribal or regional connection, but it will be transparently handled to select the best civil servants. “Nomination is open, you can nominate yourself; other people can nominate you,” he said, adding that civil servants who are about five years away from retirement will serve as ambassadors when they qualified. By Winston W. Parley -Edited by Othello B. Garblah