MADNESS IN THE OLM?

MADNESS IN THE OLM?

Recently the OLM Board of Directors appointed the acting executive director, Mr. John Bartee as acting immigration chairman. This action on the part of the Board of Director raised concerns in certain quarters in the Liberian community.

Appointment to any Executive committee in a non-profit environment such as OLM is not the prerogative of the Board, but the Executive Committee. To ensure check and balance the Board confirms and approves all appointments made by the Executive Committee. It is the role of the President or Executive Director in the case of the OLM to make appointments. The Board is over stepping its function and taking on an executive function.

The recently so-called appointment of Mr. John Bartee as immigration chairman, who is also acting Executive of the OLM is appalling, horrendous and counterproductive and more than that it undermines the integrity of the community. Is there an insanity or the Board is a group of power drunk individuals? Or just share madness in the OLM?

The OLM has an acting executive director. He should be the one making the appointment for the Board’s approval or confirmation. The question is what has this board to achieve by usurping a function of the executive. What does the OLM unpopular constitution provide for the board to make executive appointments? If this is the case, something serious is wrong with the so-called "OLM Constitution."

Be as it may, the next question is, has the OLM community run out of manpower? Why should it be the Bartee? Is he the only one in the community to hold all the positions? What is his qualification? PhD? MA, DD, What does he have? Where are all the other qualified people?

That is why to ensure that directors fully comply with their required functions there is expansion of the rules and procedures relating to corporate governance. This set of rules provides guidelines and procedures and indicates the controls that the directors must be ensured and maintained.

A board of directors is the governing body of a non-profit organization. It has many serious responsibilities, which can be loosely categorized as follows: Setting the policy for the organization; monitoring the organization’s operations with respect to hiring and periodically evaluating the organization’s executive director, approving major contracts and grants; soliciting and reviewing program evaluations.

At the same time the Board undertakes fundraising by directly donating to the non-profit and soliciting donations from others. It advocates for the organization and fulfills other board responsibilities; but it does not carry out executive functions.

This appointment of John Bartee as acting immigration chairman especially when he is acting executive director of the OLM is nothing but "madness" on the part of the board. The Board needs to rethink this action and do what is honorable.