Mass dismissal fears at GAC

Employees at the General Auditing Commission or GAC headed by Madam Yusador Gaye are said to in fear over claims of an imminent mass redundancy that may result from a so-called placement exams administered to auditors and administrative staff.

Mr. Sylvester Pewee, spokesperson for more than 40 dismissed employees under the administration of former Auditing General, Robert Kilby, claimed reason behind the current test is current Auditor General Madam Yusador Gaye “is contemplating on laying off 150 auditors, among others.”

But a GAC official from the public affairs department Edwin Clark, has described claim of imminent mass dismissal levied by Mr. Pewee as “malicious,” adding that the placement exam is in compliance with the GAC’s mandate to provide test to employees as member of the African Supreme Audit Institution.

“The General Auditing Commission as a Supreme Auditing Institution is a member of African Supreme Auditing Institution; and as such … it is required …,”Edwin explained when he accepted studio hosts’ invitation to appear on “Truth Breakfast Show” today, Wednesday, July 15 in Paynesville for details.

Mr. Clark argued that Mr. Pewee appeared on the radio yesterday basically due to the fact that test was administered to GAC employees on Monday, July 13, coupled with reports here of 150 persons to be redundant by the anti-graft institution.

“Sylvester Pewee, as you are aware, is a former employee of the GAC, who was redundant by the [Robert] Kilby administration; and as I speak, Sylvester Pewee is in court … so whatever he says on the radio is based on the issue of malice and what he has against the GAC,” Mr. Clark countered.

Earlier on the show, Mr. Pewee alleged that during the Kilby administration, the GAC redundant 40 employees, but hired 80 persons, contrary to claims of reducing the workforce.

He accused the Gaye administration at the GAC of trying to “down-grade” all of the work done by ex-Auditor General, John Morlu and his team of auditors.

Mr. Morlu was in disagreement with President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf on policy issues, particularly during her first term and was relieved of the post.

Pewee claimed that more than 100 auditors did not write the test on Monday, July 13 on grounds that they are challenging the “placement exam.”

“Very unfortunate, and that’s a Supreme Audit Institution … listen, you’re giving test to trained auditors, people with Master’s Degrees, with professional certificates. No, no, this is not a training institution or classroom to say you’re going to administer test. These are people that went through the ranks and files of school. They went through different, different disciplines,” he argued.

Similar to what he claims is about to happen at the GAC under Madam Gaye’s watch, Mr. Pewee recalled that sometimes in November 2012, he broke the news when he allegedly called an unnamed senior member of the Liberian Senate to complain that there was an attempt by then AG Kilby to dismiss almost 100 employees.

Though he said the Senator did not follow up on the information provided, Kilby dismissed over 40 employees, which was a reduction from 100 as he had alarmed to the Senator.

He wonder why the GAC would be administering test to professionals that were trained and acquired professional certificates from Narobi University, among others, and yet the Commission is allegedly giving job with monthly salary of more than US$4,000 to someone as director for administration without any vetting or recruitment process.

“She wants to get rid of many of those trained auditors and bring her own people in,” he alleged, adding that for now, there is no organizational chart and job description for auditors and other employees within the GAC and Madam Gaye has allegedly dissolved all of managers and directors. By Winston W. Parley – Editing by Jonathan Browne