Dear Mr. Editor:

It is sadden to note that after more than fourteen years of bloodletting and a century of misrule, some of us Liberians are still prone to be used by the status quo to hack up lies against people who are honestly labouring to bring honour to our war ravaged country.

I read in a letter published by Muhammed Ali of the Youth Empowerment Program that Auditor General John Sembe Morlu, II was involved in an affray with security forces at the Roberts International Airport after he was refused entry into the KLM Terminal, an incident that he reported that he witnessed.

Ali’s assertion is quite worrisome for a young man of his age. I was a part of the Auditor General’s entourage and know Mr. Ali quite well. At no time was Mr. Ali seen within the vicinity of the KLM Terminal. His attempt to blotch the character of the Auditor General is an orchestrated effort by the ruling Unity Party for which he is a stick-in-the-mud member of the Youth Wing.

Mr. Ali, we all supported Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. While you and others were enjoying the hilarity of Monrovia, some of us were in the out-of-the-way part of Liberia as far as the canton of Kolahun taking the crusade of Ma Ellen to the bucolic dwellers. The Auditor General for which you have been used to wrongly represent did support Ma Ellen in every department you can imagine.

For some us we comprehend the dynamic of life and know what obsequiousness has done to our beloved country. With some of you, Liberia is not a supreme interest but rather self. People like Ali are tummy driven and do not worth the salt they eat.

The Auditor General continues to put up for himself a character certainly not known in the Liberian social order. He is not your regular type of guy. He understands the misery of the Liberian people caused by public enemy number one- “Corruption”. This is a pledge that he takes so serious and no matter what, he is going to succeed. Little bedfellows like a Muhammed Ali can not quiver his tenacity.

Mr. Ali, please measure off from the politics of yesteryears. Do not allowed yourself to be used by characters who only know one way to acquiring wealth, which is prowling the resources of the state against the majority. While thousand of others are breathing in destitution, a handful continues to live in opulent. Mr. Ali needs to note that their ill gotten wealth is never invested in this country but are bankrolled to far-off countries, thus improving the economies of those countries.

Auditor General John Sembe Morlu, II refused to be corrupted by the status quo. They see him as an end to their dishonest festivity and a complete discomfiture to the hegemony. He remains fearless and impervious in his quest to rid Liberia of plunderers. He is the broom that will sweep Liberia clean. Morlu is a high flier, a trust of mama Liberia. A man of 34 with double masters, double bachelors, and lots of certified certificates is not a petite man. He is a gentleman who has made it big in America and live in the same residential enclave of Madam President. He is not like you Mr. Ali who do not know your potential and understands your destiny. Mr. Morlu understands his destiny and will never be corrupted by these old gladiators and vampires, for which you- Ali worshipped as a means to your end.

Ali is about time that we move the debate further. Mr. Morlu assumed the position of Auditor General in 2007. His report card speaks of all excellences. Mr. Morlu is believed to be the first public servant in his official capacity that has exposed the weak spot of the Government. After making a qualified scrutiny of the Government and comparing it with past regimes, he rendered the Sirleaf’s Government three times more corrupt than the Bryant’s Government. He did not stop there. He produced almost a 100 page document title “The Review, Analysis and Recommendation of the Draft National Budget”, even at a time that the General Auditing Commission was cash strapped.

He administered a competitive aptitude test to recruit the future auditors of Liberia as a means of building a world class General Auditing Commission. When the Upper House attempted to trample on his rights, he did not chicken into their whips and caprices, but rather took them to the Supreme Court of Liberia, the final arbitrator of justice in the land. While other government officials take delight in leasing private properties, Mr. Morlu moved the General Auditing Commission into the dilapidated Old Executive Mansion, for which decency is once more returning to that historic panorama of Liberia and Liberia, is saved thousand of dollars in rental fees. The Auditor General is partnering with the supreme audit institutions in Ghana, Zambia and India in his drive to produce the first excellence audits ever in the history of Liberia.

Auditor General John Morlu in less than a year has accomplished so much, which clearly articulates his desire to remove Liberia from the dungeon of corruption to financial transparency, accountability and probity. His stands on the level of corruption in Liberia have produced tremendous result for the Government, thus making it more credible in the eyes of our international partners. Three times more corrupt produced tangible results for the Government. The International Community now know that there is a credible Auditing Commission that will not, no matter what succumb to business as usual.

It was also through the intervention of Auditor General Morlu that we have today a US$200 million National Budget, with approximately US$17 million added to the National Budget as an “Open Balance”.

On the National Budget, the Liberian people through the bird eye view of Auditor General Morlu won at the end of the day. The Budget for the first time was stated in Liberian dollars, the legal tender of land. The Government of Liberia reported the year end surplus and accounted for portion of the outstanding taxes. The Liberia Petroleum Refinery Corporation contribution to the National Budget rose from a mere US§800,000 to almost US§2.5. Civil Servants received a jump of US§5.00 in their earnings. This is a victory, because it shows that the more monies that are accounted for the better it is for all of us. Even though, he was castigated by the Government through the President, Information Minister, the Minister of Finance and the rest of the crew, he was undaunted and defeated all of them pants down. This is the character John S Morlu, II, a man with a huge moral credential, towering integrity and one who remains courageous in telling the Government the stomach-turning fact.

The recent happening at the Roberts International Airport was meant to damage the hard earned reputation of a straightforward and dignified public servant. For a Management to abrogate onto itself authority of the court is a mockery of our embryonic democracy. I was with the Auditor General and remain with him through out the concocted episode. At no time was the Auditor General engaged in a scuffle with security personnel- neither RIA Security and UNMIL nor the Police. At no point in time did Mr. Morlu by-passed security check and forced his way to the plane. Mr. Morlu was never charge with Criminal Mischief and Criminal Flight as claimed by the belly driven Information Minister. Even with knife at my throat and guns pointed to my head I remain and maintain that Mr. Morlu did not break a glass door. Why our people would be so wicked to the extent that they will want to kill everything good in Liberia?

I was at the door. AG Morlu did not even knock a door much less break a glass. He has a security, aides, friends and GAC staff that would knock a door for him. So if AG Morlu was knocking the door, then what were his aides, security and others who accompanied him doing? Just standing by? What was the other 15 plus people doing at the door? Waiting for AG Morlu to knock the door for them, too? We have to get serious in Liberia and stop spreading lies and falsehoods about people, who have left their good positions in America to come home to assist. AG Morlu has an impeccable credential and is incredibly experienced to have made it in corporate America and will continue to do so when his contract is up in Liberia.

The Roberts International Airport Management, Information Minister and Mr. Mohammed Ali are all conduits used by the Government of Liberia and the Ruling Unity Party to besmear the hard earned reputation of the Auditor General. It is important that the Government understand that AG Morlu to Liberia is bigger than a glass door. The target of the Government was to find a point to destroy Mr. Morlu and provide the opportunity for the annulment of his contract with the European Union and his possible sacking by Ma Ellen. Again, in your extreme anxiety to find a slip-up line on the Auditor General, the Government has again being brought into disrepute. What a sad day in Liberia for the so called educated people to be behaving as fools. It is understood-understood because they want to keep up the status quo.

The assertion by the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission that the Government is performing dismally is something the Government needs to consider. Infringing on the rights of others with out the due process of Law is referred to as jungle justice seen in almost every regime in the history of Liberia. Some of us brave the storm to elect Ma. Ellen believing that she was capable and well schooled to right the wrongs in our country. But recent happenings in the country suggest either that Ma. Ellen is being entrapped by a gang of money vampires or that she is knowingly behind the scene and pulling the trigger.

Politics in Liberia is no longer cosmetic. The Liberia People paid the price over 133 years of misrule and 14 years of bloodletting orchestrated by some of the very elites in power. Our eyes are open, and do not take the Liberian People resolve for granted. They have spoken and given the mantle of statehood to you Ma. Ellen. We did not make you President to exploit the Embassies to craft off lies against noble sons and daughters of this land. We did not make you President to preside over the pillaging of the nation’s resources. We did not make you President to create an untouchable few in Government.

We made you President because of your education, experience and your stands against the tyrannical regimes of former President Samuel Kanyon Doe and Charles Gankay Taylor. Your ascendancy to the Executive Mansion meant that a new day has dawn in Liberia. But Madam President your Government is proven quite to the contrary, it is behaving exactly as the Doe’s and Taylor’s Government. You have not split from the past. The match plan is the same. Have a noisy mouth Information Minister and use carpet beggars like Ali to harass and intimidate well meaning Liberians.

In closing let the Alis know that Liberia will not make progress if they continue to permit themselves to be used just because they are deprived and are desperately seeking emancipation. Liberation from poverty should be holistic and free. It should not be purchased and can only be achieved if we build for ourselves a wholesome functioning society. The way to build for ourselves a wholesome functioning society is to rid the country of corruption. The little dollars that government officials put into makeshift organizations formed by the likes of Mohammed Ali will do nothing but further deprive them of a better living, because whenever an official gives you “small money” to castigate another well meaning Liberian, the more that official has taken away millions in stolen money.

Account for more monies in the budget. Liberia is endowed with a lot of resources. It is a paradox for Liberia to be so poor. Liberia is poor because a few group of individuals continue to plunder the resources of the land. Alis, we need to stop seeing government as a way of life but rather as a way of service. Something which AG Morlu understands so much that he price his service in the interest of the people.

Let the Alis be aware that AG Morlu is a walking Auditor. He Lives auditing, he eats auditing and he will breathe his last breath auditing. You and your paid agent are too little to drive him out of Liberia. He will return sometime later and I believe that he will convince his wife Angie to return to Liberia. He owed his life to this country and will contribute his quota in no small measure even at the peril of his life.

When the dust straighten out, the President will be compelled to support Mr. Morlu, because he is the only straw for which she can hang on to save her government and the people of Liberia from these vampires and hustlers who can not show anything for the length of time they have still in the WEST. He is indeed the hope for the hopeless and the guy that is well positioned to save Liberia from returning to anarchy. Ma Ellen must succeed. Ma Ellen will succeed and she will be carried in our history as the first accountability President, because she has a 34 year old with so much energy and integrity, ready and well situated to cuff a final blow to Public Enemy Number One- Corruption.

All this made up and politically orchestrated plan to intimidate AG Morlu at the airport was meant to discourage him about Liberia and so quit the job, thereby enabling the plunders of our resources to continue to steal uncheck. Rest assured, impunity will continue without the presence of an able and committed Liberian like AG Morlu. Today, so many people at various ministries and agencies are becoming more careful in how they collect and spend public money because they know AG Morlu will ensure that they account for every penny in full.

Indeed, his presence on the ground has created “perception of detection,” which is serving as a high deterrence factor in public financial management.

The likes of Mohammed Ali who are used by felons to promote their selfish interests will continue to live in poverty, as long as people like AG Morlu are not around to checkmate corruption in Liberia. The challenge for the Sirleaf led government is to move away from defending corrupt people and to support AG Morlu and the General Auditing Commission.

In the cause of the people, the struggle to rid the country of corruption continues.

Abraham M. Attoh
Liberia’s Student in the Diaspora

---

© 2008 by The Perspective
E-mail: editor@theperspective.org

To Submit article for publication, go to the following URL: http://www.theperspective.org/submittingarticles.html