Signs Of The Time

Harry Greaves has been a serious thorn in the flesh of Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, the president who promised in her inaugural address, to fight corruption with tooth and nail. I just heard that the thorn has been retrieved from the flesh not of the president, but from the flesh of the suffering people of Liberia. Harry has been fired! A day before the news of the demise of the Harry Greaves' mystique, I sent the letter below to FrontPageAfrica. Am I a reader of palms or what? Can I tell what the future will bring?

My mouth is full, as we say in Liberia . To hear that Mr Harry Greaves of all people was able to tape record a colleague who was trying to extort $300,000 during a deal making, is indeed an amazing feat for a man who has been dubbed the mother of deal making and poor accountability. For this one, I want to say, Harry, you are the man!

I mentioned many months ago that Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf needed to equip her corruption-fighting crew (mini monsters) with camera phones and easily-hidden gadgets to listen in and report corrupt deals going on in her government. For there is no way you can accuse a crook without visual evidence, especially in Liberia. And as we all know, it takes a crook to turn in a crook.

The challenge right now, if corruption is enemy numero uno, is who is going to turn in Harry Greaves for past and present acts unbecoming a managing director? Who is going to turn in the guy who forged the president’s signature in one of those “by directive of the president” memos? Who in Liberia will be brave enough to turn in any of the many recycled ministers who, one time or the other, misappropriated funds in their care or extorted money from others but could not be prosecuted because of a lack of proof; or, because there was no voice-recorded evidence?

The weakest link in the Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf government is the inability of the government to fight corruption with all the ammunitions in its arsenal. Stories of inner-circle personnel misleading the president, is another headache. If she can minimize these road blocks and keep fighting for the common folks, the Liberian people will give her another chance –even with the shadow of the TRC recommendations hanging over her every move.

What makes corruption or stealing painful is how it takes away the basic necessities of life from the majority of the people of Liberia . For example, furniture for the entire EJS Public School in Zuawein, Margibi County cost $4000, according to news report. For instructional materials, $1400 was spent. Just imagine how much could be done for the children of Liberia if government was able to recover the many $300,000 or more that are constantly being snatched away from government coffer by those who, a few years ago, were ready to take up arms against corrupt practices by people in power.

Just imagine how much can be done with the many stolen $300,000 or more to replace the many monkey bridges that most of the folks in the interior parts of the country have to cross in order to take their sick love ones to clinics miles and miles away.

I heard this story the other day and felt good that there are some good men in the present government who mean well for the country and its people. And if we had 10 good men like John Morlue, the Auditor General,Liberia will surely climb the ladder of progress at the twinkle of the eye. Here is what I heard:

The usual thing in Liberia is that during major holidays like Christmas, offices of ministers and other big shots are swarmed with business people carrying largess and other types of best wishes. This particular minister came to his office one morning and saw that his space had been over run with boxes and boxes of gifts from business people.

The story continues that when the minister saw that he could not get to his desk because of the many boxes, he frustratingly called his secretary for explanation. After being told that the boxes were from business people who had come to bring his “Christmas,” the minister got extremely angry and asked the secretary to send the boxes back to wherever they came from.

I was elated when I heard this story, for this is the type of corruption that has discredited our leaders and kept the country down since 1847. Any Liberian who can show a tiny sign of integrity should be praised. Such a small gesture means a lot to those of us whose families continue to struggle to make ends meet while a few others continue to enrich themselves.

And finally, I just read that a new Capital City Bill by the House of Representatives is about to be forwarded to the Senate for concurrence. I wonder when the construction of the new Capital City will begin. I wonder what the new name will be. If I had to choose between road construction and the construction of a new Capital City, I would do the roads first. For you see, I will feel terrible if it takes me seven hours to drive from Toe Town in Grand Gedeh County to the new Capital City. I would feel miserable if while traveling from Zorzor in Lofa County , I had to get out my car, walk over a makeshift bridge, and watch villagers push my car through a knee-deep, muddy swamp to the other side.

Oh, before I forget, most of our people would love to call the new Capital City , Dukor.