09/08/2026
THE BUCHANAN PORT MANAGER AND POLITICS: A CLEAR CONFLICT OF INTEREST
From: Mr. Kokpar B. Wohwoh, Eminent Son
Grand Bassa County/ Liberian An Advocate and Public Affairs Commentator
Philadelphia, USA
Would the political posture of the Port Manager conflict with his position and function at the Port of Buchanan?
Yes. It conflicts outright.
As an Advocate and Public Affairs Commentator, my view is that you cannot serve two masters - you cannot be a neutral manager of a strategic national asset and at the same time be a partisan political mobilizer in the Bassa belt. One must suffer.
First, it violates the law.
Part V of the Code of Conduct for Public Officials is explicit. Officials appointed to head autonomous agencies and State-Owned Enterprises, like the Port of Buchanan, shall not engage in partisan political activities. When a sitting Port Manager openly organizes and leads a political movement like the Bassa Democratic Movement, it is not just bad practice, it is a violation of the Code of Conduct.
Second, it is a conflict of function and trust.
The Port of Buchanan is not a Unity Party secretariat. It is not a Liberty Party annex. It is a strategic national economic asset belonging to all Liberians.
Its Manager must be politically neutral to command the confidence of all importers, investors, workers, and political actors in Grand Bassa. The moment you become a political general, you lose that neutrality. The public will no longer see the Port as a national asset, but as a party property used to maintain influence in the Bassa belt.
Third, it is a distraction and a betrayal of corporate duty.
Managing a Port is a full-time, technical and demanding job. It requires focus on dredging, revenue generation, port security, labor welfare, and infrastructure. You cannot run political rallies on Saturday and effectively run a Port on Monday. Combining partisan mobilization with corporate management is impossible. And when that collision happens, it is the Port - and the people of Bassa - who suffer.
To those who say Bill Twehway of the Freeport of Monrovia did it, so Jonathan Kaipay should do it - I say no.
Wrong cannot justify wrong. Two wrongs do not make a right. What was wrong yesterday remains wrong today and must be corrected. The cardinal pillar of this Rescue Mission was to correct the errors of the past, not to repeat them with impunity. The Rescue Mission must do the needful.
In politics and in public opinion, this contravenes every best practice. Legally, it breaches the Code of Conduct. Politically, it exposes the Port Manager to political battles that undermine his authority. Morally, it gives the impression that the Port of Buchanan is being weaponized as a political machine for the Unity Party and Liberty Party to dominate the Bassa belt, rather than serving as an engine of economic growth for all.
The Port Manager must choose: Be a Port Manager or be a politician. You cannot be both.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, my call is clear. President Boakai should recall Jonathan Kaipay, or Kaipay himself should honorably step aside to continue his political mission with the Bassa Democratic Movement.
He must stop contaminating one of the last economic strings of Grand Bassa County with partisan politics. If this is allowed to continue, sooner or later, employment at the Port of Buchanan will not be based on merit and competence, but on political connection to the Unity Party and Liberty Party.
The Port is for all Liberians, not for a political party.
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