Liberia is so jaundiced
and held hostage by forces with heavy burden of war and economic crimes,
gallivanting around the political and business platforms where they insidiously
rise to power and fame by manipulating our ever weak and greedy voters. These
war lords and economic plunderers are no longer satisfied with legislative
seats, rather they are yearning for the common presidency, on the other hand,
who can blame them when some of the current leaders wear the golden crown of
human blood and ghosts of our civil war?
In a country where war lords and perpetrators of economic
crimes are rewarded by system of undermined sovereignty and national integrity,
we have fallen prey to the venomous and verminous acts of these plunderers who
are busy exsanguinating us to our
very death.
Will we keep
rewarding acts of malfeasance?
The trend of globalization in international politics and fight against crimes is changing. First, we
ourselves must begin to initiate a prompt stance and seek remedy in
collaboration with international partners and institutions. Rewarding these
inane vampires (to use Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s words) sends a signal that we
are complacent with the state of our minds and national situation. Meaning, “What
is wrong with us, is us”. Only by concrete civil and/or legal action, to punish
crimes that threaten our very survival that will set the basis for our
Country’s affability for international actors to help our situation.
We,
intellectuals, technicians, politicians,
activists, religious leaders, traditional leaders, etc need now than ever
before to demonstrate a cocksure nature and approach to fighting the ills of war and economic crimes in
our national existence. Our real problem is we easily coax each other toward
wrong tendencies in our personal interests than harmonizing our differences and
resolve towards solving national problems. Liberia’s convalescence, following
years of war and greeted with almost
12 years of economic degradation and
erosion, (a period in which we have also witnessed the metamorphosis of crooks,
killers and plunderers into Kings, Queens and tycoons) can be midwived into a
better society if we ignite justice against crimes that are hunting down our
overall progress.
In this
business, the powerful crooks and killers will threaten a total State’s
collapse and retrogression
to war. This is a vain threat intended to delay people’s
might and action. Surely public revenge through justice of the law is more
urgent than ever before. Sierra Leone, our closest neighbor is a perfect
example where people’s power has out weighted the glory of killers and plunderage
of war.
The global community and their institutions have always
offered a hand of partnership, especially if their own interest is involved.
For instance, western superposition over the African and sub regional influence
saw Nigeria hand over Charles Taylor (former Liberian President). The sub
regional political dynamism that has brought strong willed leaders like
Nigeria’s Mohammed Buhari, amongst others needs to super pose its own machinery
to punish perpetrators of war and economic crimes within the sub region, if West
Africa must build on the pillars of an integration of people in a stable
environment. We have seen over times
that corruption and undemocratic tendencies- bad governance or for Liberia’s
situation, worse governance, which undercut the attainment of human security
and survival, have all served as recipes for instability in West Africa. We
follow the history of a region of coups that later were elevated to brutal
civil wars spreading from Liberia like tornado.
Recently, revolutionary forces in Burkina Faso did not
only deny long serving Blaise Campaore extension of term of office, but also
ejected him off the presidency. This indeed was a bloodless exercise growing
out of the people’s power. Eventually, their action has paved the way to hold Campaore
accountable for crimes he committed during
the untimely murder of Captain Thomas Sankara
and others and the deployment of several Burkinabe (who may not be accounted for)
in Liberia for warfare assignment during the brutal Liberian civil war. The scourge
engineered by Blaise Campaore via
Cote D’Voire, we are quite aware, spread to Sierra Leone, and later to Guinea.
Blaise Campaore will/should not go down alone. His
Liberian partners that aided him in the Thomas Sankara episode should be called
to book. Their political status in Liberia must not deter the sub Region. The
Liberian Legislature or Executive mansion therefore provides easy delivery to
justice as the Charles Taylor’s case has proven. Abuja, West Africa’s most
powerful capital must not, in these
circumstances provide safe haven for war lords. Already, with credible news
filtering around about a list of suspects in the possession of disciplinarian
Buhari, one can be certain, that in partnership with other members of the
international community, the old man Baba Buhari will help clean some of the
mess around here.
Similarly, western partners in whose countries suspected
Liberian thieves have deposited huge savings and investments are
under obligation to demonstrate goodwill. As in the FIFA case, they need to go
beyond freezing accounts, to actual arrest and prosecution. America and Europe
cannot afford to grant these suspected criminals sanctuary.
The recent
harsh interaction/exchanges between the U.S. government (through its Ambassador
in Liberia) and the Liberian President over a U.S. human rights report is a
welcoming adventure. The U.S. Embassy
stood its grounds on the report and daringly challenged the Ellen
Johnson-Sirleaf’s government to disprove any aspects of the report. Since then,
there has been guilty silence. Silence of course means “consent”. But the U.S
needs to go further than just cataloging human rights violations. It needs now,
with the stability we have growing out of their support, focus on the setting
up of war and economic crimes court to arrest and bring to trial those war and
economic vampires. Washington, under the leadership of President Barack Obama
needs to exert strong will and leadership here. He needs to follow the good
example of former president George Bush who would not take “no for an answer”.
The Ellen
Johnson-Sirleaf’s administration has to be called to account for the millions
it presiding over. Fortunately, at the end of the civil war, ECOWAS
commissioned an audit. Based on the audit report, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf led
government prosecuted former Chairman Gyude
Bryant and others for economic crimes. This was/is a classical example and demonstration
of holding individuals (who hold the public trust) accountable. Her government
and others before her must be held accountable.
While this
is unfolding, we must note President Sirleaf never attempted to raise the issue
of war crimes against anyone. (My subsequent issue will delve into the why).
Where are the Progressives?
Over the
years, failed attempt to reach the presidency and other key related positions
have baptized many Progressives into the symbiosis problem of self survival,
and the see the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf administration as the last stage of
destiny. These group of people who, in the seventies and eighties propelled the
society into action on key national issues, are dormant silent like the environment
of a mid night grave yard in rural community. “Here too, people are fighting
for belly full”, someone lamented to me. “In Ellen’s case, she is a master
player”, one political observer told me. “She has them to herself and makes
good job offers and controls their thinking and lips.
One has to
think now about resting with his/her fat salary and benefits, of course
prestige too, then to open your mouth and you are axed out. With age weighting
them (Progressives) down, where else can they comfortably survive? It is not in
their younger ages when they could run to Europe or America and cut eight hours
to earn living, I dare them now.
The
Progressives sit silently around issues like “level the mansion, we will
rebuild it”, “I contributed USD$10,000.00 for children welfare”. The corruption
deeply rooted and now vampire, but in this game, who will cast the first
stone?.
The 2017 presidential elections and it results
could spark renew tension amongst war lords and very powerful tycoons. The
rivalry between and amongst war lords, tycoons and stand by forces, if not
checked by the international community who have dumped in their millions and
the sub region that has borne the burden of human and material loss, Liberia
will fail. Abuja has much to do with this, because if trouble breaks out, she
bears the huge costs of it.
The
reasons I stress the urgent involvement of the international community or the
sub region, Liberians and their institutions are weak, porous and vulnerable.
Liberia’s former minister of Justice Cllr. Christina Tah, in her letter of
resignation declared “President Johnson-Sirleaf herself is the chief under
miner of the rule of law”. Not much
is desirable in our judicial system. Shielding corrupt officials and gross
human rights violators has been at the core of the present government gimmick.
It fears if it “pulls rope, rope will haul/pull bush”.
Today, for
example the former security advisor to former president Charles Taylor is
spokesman for President Johnson-Sirleaf’s government. General Prince Johnson is
a darling political golden egg to president Sirleaf as evidenced by General
Prince Johnson’s overt support to President Sirleaf’s 2011 second term bid.
In the
judiciary, sits on the Supreme Court bench, a former commander and spokesman of
LURD. In the legislature are seated indictees of GAC audit reports for
allegedly plundering thousands of State funds. They are comfortable as long as
they dance to the rhythm of the power that be. Can’t we see danger ahead?? I
surely do see! Open your eyes!!.
By: Sam K.
Zinnah
szinnah@gmail.com
Former
Chief of Staff and Policy advisor
Office of former
Gbarpolu County Senior Senator
J.S.B.
Theodore Momo, Jr
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