By By: Staff Writer
Washington DC – Unity Party USA/Canada has issued a strongly worded condemnation of the Liberia Sea and Inland Ports Decentralization and Modernization Act, describing the legislation as a serious threat to Liberia’s Constitution, national sovereignty, and long-term security. The diaspora-based political body has thrown its full support behind President Joseph Nyumah Boakai, Sr., urging him to veto the bill in defense of constitutional order and the national interest .
In a detailed press release, Unity Party USA/Canada argued that the Act represents far more than administrative reform. Instead, it warned that the law fundamentally restructures Liberia’s port governance in ways that undermine executive authority, weaken national control over strategic assets, and expose the country to institutional and security vulnerabilities .
The group said the Act violates multiple provisions of the 1986 Constitution, including Article 35, which governs presidential veto power, and Articles 54(c) and 56(a), which protect the President’s authority to appoint, supervise, and remove officials of autonomous public agencies. According to the statement, the legislation achieves what lawmakers cannot lawfully do—removing presidential appointees indirectly through statutory restructuring, a practice described as “removal by legislative indirection” .
Unity Party USA/Canada also rejected the government’s framing of the law as “decentralization,” arguing that Liberia is a unitary state, not a federal system. The group warned that fragmenting control of seaports—key gateways for customs, immigration, revenue collection, and national security—would weaken coordination, complicate international obligations, and increase the risk of regulatory capture .
The statement further criticized the Legislature for re-submitting the bill after an initial presidential veto without addressing its substantive defects. Unity Party USA/Canada said the changes made were largely cosmetic and failed to resolve concerns about weakened executive oversight, overlapping authority, and the absence of a clear transition framework. “A veto is a constitutional warning, not an invitation for editorial revisions,” the group stressed .
Raising additional alarm, the party pointed to lobbying activity linked to Africa Global Logistics (AGL), the successor to Bolloré Africa Logistics, a company with a controversial history in African port concessions. While stopping short of alleging direct wrongdoing, Unity Party USA/Canada said the structure of the Act closely mirrors regulatory models long favored by multinational port operators, raising public-interest and transparency concerns .
“Ports are instruments of sovereignty,” the statement noted, warning that altering their governance without robust constitutional safeguards could erode Liberia’s bargaining power, weaken revenue administration, and set a dangerous precedent for the fragmentation of national assets through ordinary legislation .
While acknowledging the urgent need to modernize and reform Liberia’s port sector, Unity Party USA/Canada insisted that such reforms must occur within constitutional boundaries. The group called for reforms that strengthen institutions, preserve executive accountability, and protect strategic assets from undue private influence.
In its conclusion, Unity Party USA/Canada commended President Boakai for acting as a “constitutional guardian” and reiterated its call for a veto of the Act. The party urged lawmakers and stakeholders to abandon what it termed “constitutionally defective shortcuts” and pursue lawful, transparent, and nationally coordinated port reforms that clearly serve the public interest .
