Monrovia — Liberia’s refugee agency chief has ignited a debate about political impartiality after his image was allegedly weaponized in a partisan campaign, exposing the fragile boundaries between public service and politics in a tense election season.
Jackson Jay Paye, Executive Director of the Liberia Refugee Repatriation and Resettlement Commission (LRRRC), issued an urgent demand Tuesday for the Citizens Movement for Change (CMC) to remove his photograph from their Facebook page, where it appeared alongside legislative candidate B. Mack Gblinwon with implied endorsement.
A Photo’s Dangerous Second Life
The contested image, Paye clarified, originated from a January peacebuilding forum in Kparblee District — months before his government appointment. “This was a reconciliation event, not a political rally,” the visibly frustrated official told *The Chronicle*, producing his original invitation letter. “My presence there as a community leader has been twisted into something unethical.”
The incident lays bare a growing trend in Liberia’s political landscape: the digital repurposing of officials’ images to manufacture endorsements. With local elections approaching, analysts warn such tactics could erode trust in civil servants bound by Code of Conduct restrictions on political activities.
Paye’s sharp rebuke carried institutional weight. “I will not be used as a pawn,” he declared, emphasizing his mandate to serve all Liberians regardless of affiliation. His office simultaneously released a 14-page dossier documenting his recent cross-border refugee assessments in Nimba and Bong counties — a transparent counter to any perception of partisan activity.
The CMC has yet to respond, but the controversy has already rippled through Monrovia’s political circles. The National Elections Commission confirmed receiving Paye’s complaint, while civil society groups decried the incident as “digital misinformation with real-world consequences.”
Superintendent Kou Meapeh Gono praised the LRRRC’s “apolitical diligence” during their Nimba assessment, a subtle endorsement of Paye’s neutrality claim.
