Excitement, optimism, relief and upbeat were words used to describe the appointment of a non patronage and self-governing Auditor general of Liberia, or at least an AG not beholden to the political power brokers; that is, a professional for whom he is. This was significant not because Mr. Morlu, a single individual at the helm of a restructured general Auditing commission, would be super miracle worker to cure most of Liberia’s widespread corruption problems, but because many saw his appointment as the clearest sign yet by the new government and its international partners to unite around the principles of accountability and transparency which ultimately would deal with the cancer of abuse, fraud and waste of public resources.

The fact ought not to be lost from our sights that the chief patrons of those past abuses and fraud have paid either with lives or are sitting somewhere in a detention facility. Their beneficiaries, on the other hand, are lurking their wounds in shadows and maybe ready to be saved from themselves by competent government leaders and refined institutions. The likelihood of such occurrence, nonetheless, is reliant upon government working as a unit to rehabilitate a failed Liberian state and its traumatized people. Furthermore, as head of the Governance Reform Commission, the current president, Madam Sirleaf, fought for and secured the establishment an independent Auditing Commission for the people to truly know what recourses government receives, and how it spends and on what programs and services.

While the current Auditor General, Mr. Morlu, was selected by Liberia’s international partners, specifically, the European Union, through arrangements with Liberian government, President Sirleaf by the AG admission, encouraged him to return home and help with the important work of rebuilding Liberia. Corruption is declared public enemy number one, and let the work begin! Right, think again and what the Liberian people are enduring at the hands of their anti-corruption crusaders --- President Sirleaf and her team on the one hand and Mr. Morlu on the other can only be simplified by the Liberian people that the fight against corruption by this government maybe rooted in rhetoric with little substance. We cannot afford for the present to mirror the past.

Thus, the battle against corruption cannot be achieved simply by giving excellent speeches, yet surround oneself by aides who demonstrate a deep commitment to preserving all that made Liberia a failed state, including, for example, the firing of a Maritime Commissioner, who is the uncle of the provocateur Auditor General for unexplained reasons and reinstating him only after embarrassing revelations about his named successor. The fight against corruption cannot also include the hiring of an incompetent loyal campaign aide as Deputy Special Security Service director for operations, who assaulted journalists, and was principally responsible for the death of a special security service officer. Not only was there no prosecution, but against all probability, is the current chief of the sea port police at the National Port Authority.

And the Auditor general who is quick to point out difficulties faced by Individuals in similar positions in other Africans countries began his tenure with a series of missteps when he positioned himself as an adversary of the Sirleaf administration rather than a partner. Mr. Morlu in June of 2007, authored a ninety-six page strategically unnecessary proposed budget review, and granted a subsequent interview to the Voice of America in which he alleged the “Sirleaf government was three times more corrupt than the Bryant interim government. Few believe that claim, mainly, because it was not supported by facts and evidence. He has refused to date to retract that premature statement. But the larger problem is why did he say it? Did he think the job of Auditor Genreral; was the continuation of the presidential campaign of his uncle who was one of the defeated presidential candidates in the 2005 elections in which he (AG) was a senior aide? These and other issues beat the imagination of any serious student of government; and indeed could be used by critics to discredit future important audits because of his propensity to give opinions before the facts and evidence is known.

While past governments took excellent care of their relatives and friends by stealing massively the inadequate resources entrusted to their care, there is no evidence that majority of the Liberian People are corrupt. They yearned for good governance imbedded in accountable and transparent institutions which will deal with the root causes of corruption and not just the remover or transfer of dishonest and ineffective public servants. We certainly do not like to be reminded of the days when unbelievable games were played in managing public institutions. An example is the case of a mysterious burning of only the 10th floor of the finance ministry during the leadership of G. Alvin Jones in the 1980s, to allegedly destroy financial records due to pressure from international financial institutions but yet presided over the public whipping of two finance ministry employees on Broad Street in Monrovia for stealing public money. What a mockery? Few years later, Mr. Jones was then transferred to the ministry of State for Presidential Affairs as minister, and the rest is history.

What transpired during the weekend of Christmas 2007, at the Roberts International Airport involving the Auditor General was creepy and sinister. A comment on the merits of the case will, however, be reasonable if and when the Minister of Justice completes his investigation. Though, there’re noticeable clues that are worth observing: That the Minister of Information, Rev. Dr. Lawrence Bropleh clearly misinformed the nation and our international partners about events at the airport; and that the AG was not arrested nor was he charged for any unlawful acts; but was prevented from leaving the country for days by unidentified public officials and for unknown reasons.

And while the Auditor General is not above the law, and is liable to making provocative statements against his superiors in government, the law must not and should not be used to harass and humiliate those we do not like. The president to her credit is very open about her contempt for such deceptive and outright cruel practices at the hands of so-called powerful public officials who misused the name of presidents to settle scores. Again, that may not be sufficient. The president must assume complete control of her government, including its Machiavellian or conniving operatives, since for all practical purposes; she will rise and fall for the actions of her administration. Consequently, it is that bitter pill that must be swallowed. Thus, the Liberian people are hoping and praying for her government to succeed during this fragile time of our history.

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© 2008 by The Perspective
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