A Getting More Of The Same
By: James W. Harris
The Perspective
Atlanta, Georgia
January 24, 2008
Since then, there have actually been a number of other major events which may likely cast a dark shadow on the present Liberian government in the short run or even raise serious questions going forward as to whether it is indeed capable of restoring some sense of decency and sanity to the formerly collapsed nation.
Amongst the major events which may be impacting negatively on the government’s image both at home and abroad at this particular time are the following: (a) the government’s handling of the ongoing treason trial involving top officials of the now defunct Doe regime; (b) the recent “blacklist” e-mail letter scandal involving Washington, DC-based embassy official, Christopher Nippy and his immediate boss, Ambassador Charles Minor ; (c) the President’s continuing recycling of her cronies from one ministry, corporation, etc., to another; (d) the ongoing squabble between the government and the GAC (General Auditing Commission) headed by John S. Morlu, II., (e) the Liberia Petroleum Refining Corporation’s (LPRC) managing director’s (Harry Greaves, Jr.) immediate firing of his administrative assistant, Massa Lansanna, because as he (Greaves) put it to his dismissed employee “you have issues with the President”; (f) the recent Supreme Court ruling on the election of City Mayors and so on.
LAC does more damage to image
More specifically, though, the crisis at LAC which was brought about by the murder of the troubled company’s Belgian-born plantation manager, Bruno Michiels, understandably does the most damage to the country’s already badly ruined image abroad since it involved the death of a foreign national on Liberian soil, especially during “peace time” – a situation that could discourage other outsiders from coming in to lend a much needed helping hand to the struggling Johnson Sirleaf regime.
In the worst case scenario, foreign donors, which successive Liberian governments have come to rely on so heavily for almost everything while squandering their own resources, could scale back their contributions and personnel saying that the still war-torn country is no longer safe to do business as usual.
In fact, the rising level of armed robbery alone (sometimes in broad day light) which quite often result in needless death especially in the Monrovia area as reported by various news sources could support their claim for early withdrawal from the country if these kinds of ruthless murders and lawlessness are not addressed or better yet resolved.
No doubt all these events put together certainly have the propensity to generate the kind of negative publicity that this government (or any government in the same shoes as Ellen’s for that matter) really doesn’t need at this crucial point in time.
Government adding to own woes/image problem
But to be dead honest with you, the government appears to be adding to its own woes or serious image problem by stubbornly refusing to take decisive actions in some cases where they are very necessary. The Harry Greaves episode and the seemingly growing dislike of Ambassador Minor by Diaspora Liberians are clearly two specific cases in point where the actions of these two “Teflon” individuals continue to reflect badly on this administration which doesn’t seem to care at all – no matter what anyone says.
Even up until now, no one knows exactly who killed the late Michiels or for what reason. Of course, there have been some petty talks here and there which amount to nothing less than a ‘rush to judgment’ on the part of some people who desperately would like to link the manager’s killing to the increasing resentment by the Bassa people living in the area where the agricultural company is located against the latter’s forced expansion (with the Sirleaf government’s blessing) on their ancestral lands.
As far as I know, no one including the Unity Party (UP) government has produced any shred of evidence to support such a theory – none whatsoever!
Notwithstanding, there have been numerous reports that scores of ethnic Bassas, who have been living on their ancestral lands long before the “settlers” (so-called Americo-Liberians) even arrived in that part of Africa, were said to have been arrested and jailed by officers belonging to the government’s security network [which Liberians are increasingly beginning to fear for very good reasons - their past experiences] as well as the company’s own private outfit just on the basis of suspicion – nothing more. If this isn’t a symptom of the past then I really don’t know how to describe it!
Direct link to the past
For a government that was deceitfully promoted by its ‘blind’ supporters and sympathizers to be the best that the country has ever produced, it should be highly troubling and disturbing that the Johnson Sirleaf administration would continue to engage in the same kinds of practices and deadly games as in the past regarding how the people are being (mis) treated in respect to their lands and other life impacting concerns.
This shows that Liberians have not changed much in terms of the way they think about things. Else, why would we be getting the same old results from this administration? Even during the regimes of Doe and Taylor – two notorious periods in Liberia’s sad history – we never heard about a so-called “blacklist” coming out of the Liberian Embassy in Washington, DC. But today, the Johnson Sirleaf administration is on the defensive trying to do damage control in the lately dubbed ‘Nippy-gate’ scandal which many Liberians see as a very dangerous practice from a government they supported
For me personally, this comes absolutely as no surprise. I knew from the very beginning that this UP government was merely an off-spring of the old order and would be no different in many ways from previous Liberian regimes. I had reached this conclusion long ago for the simple reason that most of the people serving today (including the President) do have direct links to the immediate past. They were the same group of people who threw their arms blindly around previous failed governments as late as the Tubman dictatorship which ruled Liberia with iron grip for some 27 consecutive years, leaving most of the resource-rich nation underdeveloped while he and others personally acquired enormous wealth for themselves at the people’s expense.
So, why should we now expect this administration to be any different from the rest when they have evidently not made any changes or adjustments in the very way they think, which to me, is the primary requirement Liberians have to meet if they are really serious about building a new society (country) – one that would hopefully be based entirely on the rule of law, fair play, justice, and responsiveness to the many needs of the impoverished masses, etc.? Yes, just why? I mean, seriously, a pig is a pig no matter how much lipstick you put on it.
Hope is misplaced
Sincerely, only a complacent and visionless people would do such a thing [place their whole confidence, hope and faith in people whose collective record of ‘non-deliverance’ are well known] without first demanding that the government changes its mentality about the way it does things to avoid making the same silly mistakes as in the past.
I have no idea why some Liberians [and they have every right to] in fact have so much confidence, hope and trust in this government. Maybe they know something that I don’t.
At this critical juncture, especially following the reckless deaths of more than two hundred and fifty thousand of our fellow compatriots as well as the complete destruction of the country under false pretense that the so-called “liberators” would build a more equitable society, Liberians should be demanding [and I really mean it] that the present government start “rebuilding” the country as opposed to just trying to “return” it to the ‘good old days’ – the status quo – when everything centered around Monrovia without the rural population playing any meaningful role whatsoever in the decision making process.
Again, for the government to change its attitude toward the people, it would first have to change the way it thinks in order to get a different result. This isn’t rocket science my pee-po [ to put it in simple Liberian parlance]!
But history definitely is repeating itself in Liberia because we’re getting more of the same kind of governance from the UP government as in the past no matter what the party’s supporters and sympathizers say. We’re getting more of the same old thing – INDIFFERENCE - on the part of the government toward its severely impoverished people who may have been kept deliberately illiterate for very good reasons.
Educating the masses
I guess, successive Liberian governments realized earlier on that to educate the masses would mean to enlighten them. And once enlightened, they (the masses or people) would demand certain basic rights that they were rightfully entitled to. So, it was better and convenient to keep the vast majority of Liberians completely illiterate so that they would not question the status quo or better yet demand their God-given rights.
Well, how else can one explain the people’s continuing tolerance for the government’s present negligence toward their dismal ongoing plight? Comments made by a few people regarding the President’s first two years in office as you’ll soon see points to a complete disconnect between the Liberian people and their government. As usual, the UP government like its predecessors, always knows what’s good for the people instead of the people knowing what’s good for themselves.
Government proud of work so far?
As the Sirleaf presidency celebrates its second inaugural going into the third year, the government appears to be proud of its work so far, patting itself on the back as if Liberians don’t know who to thank – obviously the international community – for the semblance of peace the country has been enjoying for the last two years.
“At the end of 2007, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf rated her government’s performance at 70 percent”, FrontPageAfrica.com reported on its website on 01/15/08. WOW!! A whopping 70 percent? I wonder what kind of yardsticks the government used to adequately measure its performance. Or is it the corrupting case of self aggrandizement (praise)?
The FPA report then added: “The President was quick to point out that the issue of armed robbery remains a big challenge for government due to the lack of capacity for security forces to respond effectively to crimes and hopes the situation will improve in the New Year.” Madam Sirleaf did get it right on this one because security does need to be improved [addressed] in the country – there’s no question about that! But can you imagine if UNMIL wasn’t on the ground? Frankly, I don’t!
Combating unemployment
On another major concern – unemployment, the FPA also noted in its news analysis, that “today, the issue of unemployment and the stray factor of former combatants roaming around without jobs in Monrovia remains a daunted challenge for the administration..”
Well, that’s exactly why the President should have first thought long and hard before rushing to lay off all those civil servants (many of whom had actually sacrificed their all for the country only to be abruptly kicked aside) during the early days of her administration without making any further accommodations for them. That single move on the part of the Sirleaf administration was utterly selfish to say the least. Now, it’s coming right back to haunt her as it correctly should.
With all that I’ve been reading and hearing about road construction taking place throughout Liberia, I wonder whose providing the labor? I won’t be surprise either that labor for many projects reportedly going on in various parts of the country is being provided by foreigners too at a time when unemployment amongst Liberians is at its peak.
But again, when you see a picture on the front page of the Liberian Daily Observer website showing striking Ministry of Public Works employees who should be performing such tasks then you wonder whether the government is really serious about addressing the unemployment crisis in the nation..
Said a well-respected Liberian who I recently ran into at a house party: “My man if young Liberians don’t go home now and take charge of their country then there will be no country left for them when they decide to return because the foreigners (Ghanaians, Nigerians, Lebanese, etc.) would have taken it over.” This man knew what he was talking about because he lives at home and is also a former high ranking official of the Liberian government who now makes frequent trips abroad. I’ve heard the same comment from others as well. So please don’t tell me that I’m just imagining things, okay.
If I was in the present government’s shoes and experiencing high unemployment level, I’d put all able-body person to work in some sort of public work undertaking as they do in other countries. This would do two things immediately: (1) Address the high unemployment situation currently prevailing in the country and (2) Guarantee the now ruined country’s physical development at long last. That’s exactly what they do in many other countries to fight high unemployment while simultaneously bringing development.
Ordinary Liberians continue to make sacrifices
I mean, if any sacrifice must be made to save or restore Liberia it should first be the full responsibility of those who selfishly tore the country apart without the slightest idea about how to fix it once broken. I’m sure that all of us know by now just who facilitated the selfish destruction of our country, but some of you may want to pretend otherwise. That’s perfectly okay with me too knowing how complacent and cowardly Liberians generally are.
From all indications, ordinary Liberians are continuing to make tremendous sacrifices for their country compared to the very people in the corridors of power today who are directly responsible for making their lives miserable and a living hell.
Living testimony – voice from the street
Acknowledged Felicia Johnson, reportedly a baker, who was one of those interviewed recently by the FPA for one of its stories covering President Sirleaf’s second anniversary in power: "I feel very bad because there is no free education for our children. My children are not in school because there is no money to send them."
Johnson, whose husband was reported to have been a victim of the UP government’s “right-sizing” (down sizing) exercise also said: ” One reason we put Ellen in power is because of our food business, but since she got into power we cannot find our way through. Everything we touch is expensive. We put her into power because we thought as a mother she would listen to the plight of her children, it is not that way. The burden is on my one. If I take L$1,800.00 and buy flour to fry doughnuts, I make the same amount without profit. So what's the essence of selling without profit?” She was commenting on the unbearable high cost of living presently in the country which really isn’t anything new
“Ellen has to do something about the prices; we put her in power to seek our welfare. But the way things are going, we are getting side talks from members of other parties. They usually say, 'When you up, you are up; school fees up, gas price up, transportation up! As a UP member, I don't feel good being insulted”, she concluded. I’m sure that many Liberian are sharing the same pain as Johnson and the others with no immediate end in sight.
They can say all they want
So, the President and her diehard supporters can say all they want about their various accomplishments and what not, but as the FPA clearly stated in its own assessment of the Johnson Sirleaf presidency’s first two years, “the bottom line is this ……. 70 percent [do] not reflect the realities of ordinary Liberians who continue to face hardship amid high prices of commodities and [other] consumer products.”
This shows how far the government has yet to go in terms of finally addressing and resolving the many disparities in the Liberian society, especially as they relate to the distribution or redistribution of the nation’s wealth. Things cannot always remain the same in Liberia – not after so many people were heartlessly killed during the various bloody civil wars orchestrated by a few egotistical and power-drunk Liberians.
People still not being heard
Now, I’d like to go right back to where I started – the crisis at LAC. Aside from the killing of Michiels, which, of course, is regrettable, it is really interesting how this government is going about signing various kinds of agreements (concession and otherwise) supposedly on behalf of all Liberians without getting the direct input from the people most affected by them.
And to hear Agriculture Minister Dr. J. Chris Toe say emphatically that “the Unity Party-led government will not annul, nor renegotiate a concession agreement signed this month [November of 2007 (?) – Defiant Toe Says No Annulment to LAC Deal, Plays Down Letter to Prez [FPA 11/28/07]) is not only mind-boggling but downright arrogant.
Dr. Toe’s and the government’s handling of the LAC situation which mirrors other things currently transpiring in the war-torn country lead me right back to the conclusion reached by Dutch professor F.P.M. van der Kraaij ‘s (PhD.) in his study on Liberia which you can find on his website --- http://www.liberiapastandpresent.org/OpenDoorPolicy.htm.
He wrote: “One of the most important conclusions of this study is that the disappointing results of the Open Door Policy [supposedly one of Tubman’s prides] cannot be blamed only on ignorance and the lack of knowledge on the part of Liberia at the time of negotiations with foreign investors. They were also caused by the fact that the ruling Americo-Liberian minority voluntarily accepted the dependence on foreign investors and refused to cooperate and integrate with the tribal population of the country.”
The last part of the above paragraph should be of utmost importance to anyone who wants to really understand why Dr. Toe and the government [even in this late day and age] are behaving in a manner which may be detrimental not only to the Bassa people’s interests, but other tribal groups as well if they too were to face a similar situation.
Dr. van der Kraaij also wrote. “Because of this [again in reference to the paragraph above the immediate one], the economic, as well as the political future of the country depends [the key word] on the realisation of an acceptable combination of foreign investments, economic development and national unification for all parties concerned.”
Understanding Liberia’s problem
Please carefully read the bold prints above if you really want to know where the country is heading, because this is exactly what is still going on in Liberia today as far as foreign investments and the rights of indigeneous Liberians (not only the Bassas) are concerned.
In the final analysis, “the realisation of an acceptable combination of foreign investments, economic development and national unification for all parties concerned” as concluded by the good professor, would defintely require a new way of thinking on the part of all Liberians going forward – something that is not happening at the moment
Judging from the contemptuous remarks made by Dr. Toe on the LAC issue coupled with other actions taken by this UP government, we still have a very long way to go in terms of meeting Dr. van der Kraaij’s “acceptable combination” which he correctly says Liberia’s “economic as well as political future depends on.”
Of the three “acceptable combination”, the integration of all Liberians would be the biggest challenge, not to mention the fact that the various conflicts the country has been going throuh have left serious animosities between some of Liberia’s traditional tribal groups.
And so, the Johnson Sirleaf administration can build all the roads it wants; it can also provide free education to all Liberians up through collge level; it could guarantee electricty throughout the length and breadth of Liberia 24/7, etc. Yet, the country will never be at peace as long as people remain divided on whatever lines, particularly, tribal.
That’s why Liberians should look at the LAC not only as a Bassa problem, but in all reality in the larger context of a distinctive Liberian issue. And that’s the way we ought to start thinking about things going forward if we honestly intend to address and resolve our longstanding differences on a permenant basis. In this way, we can all truly say that hope is alive and well for our country.
Facing harsh realities
Best of all, we need to start finding ways to guarantee the nation’s long-term peace, stability and cohesion. This means that we need to start building a genuine Liberian identity unique only to our relatively small nation sitting way out there on the previously dormant west African coast.
No matter what this UP government boasts of achieving thus far, the harsh reality of the sad Liberian situation is this – the government actually owes the Liberian people a great deal more than it will ever be able to deliver because many officials serving today were major actors in the chilling drama that brought the country crashing down.
So, it is only fair and a sense of national responsibility (or even urgency at this point) for courageous Liberians to simply start asking those selfish individuals calling themselves leaders to fix the mess that they got us in without pretending to be some kind of saviors
When one looks right around the corner and see the next generation of so-called Liberian leaders waiting in the wings to become President of the [failed] Republic of Liberia (the likes of Milton Teahjay, Charles Brumskine, and Varney Sherman amongst others), the future of our country does indeed look bleak or even scary.
Certainly, it would be good for Liberians to be hopeful about the future of their country, but with those that I just mentioned in charge? I can assure you that there won’t be much to be hopeful about. But do Liberians have any other choice? I guess not.
© 2008 by The Perspective
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