Supporting Trusteeship For Liberia

The rumor that the UN is contemplating putting Liberia under a Trusteeship has riled my enthusiasm for such a venture. We have not shown that zeal that is usually aligned with the sovereignty of a nation. We have squandered every opportunity to develop our country since 1847. That's why I strongly feel that Trusteeship at this time is a good and moral thing for Liberia and its people.

I have been trying to decipher Uncle Sam’s coded messages and also trying to understand what a Trusteeship will do for Liberia and its people. I understand that a Trusteeship is the “administration of a territory by a country or countries so commissioned by the United Nations.”

Our leaders know exactly what Uncle Sam’s coded messages have been and what they mean. I doubt whether they will want to divulge the meanings to us. Here is a simple example. If I give you money to install an electric generator in a small town and to my amazement the money is used to send your son or daughter to college in a foreign country or you used the money to buy a house in Europe or America, of course, I will send you coded messages that only you can understand. I will tell you to give me back my money or you will find it difficult enjoying another dime from me.

I can’t remember how much money America gave Liberia through President Doe. All I do know is that there was a lot of smiling on the White House lawn when President Reagan referred to our C-I-C Doe as Mr Moe. No one was complaining at the time. But when it became obvious to America that there were no returns on their investments, they began to send President Doe secret messages.

When I got frustrated with what I saw in Monrovia and how the roads were in such deplorable condition in the country as a whole, during my visit there in December of 2009, I was asked: My man, which part of Monrovia did you visit? I fired back: Which part of Monrovia was out of bound to visit? I did not like the fact that I had to use a bucket of water to flush the commode every time I used a bathroom. I was frustrated that drivers of cars and motorcycles were using the little available sidewalks to ply their vehicles. I was shocked that electric generators were operating insides of houses. I kept wondering: Whatever happens to carbon monoxide and its effect on people in an enclosed area. Yet, there was constant news of people in government misappropriating money intended to improve lives and build infrastructures in the country.

This brings me to Trusteeship. I love the idea. If the sovereignty of a nation means leaving the country to a few of its citizens to pillage the resources and misappropriate development funds, then I prefer Trusteeship to sovereignty. If after 162 plus year of sovereignty, the living conditions of majority of the people have seen no major improvements whatsoever, then I strongly prefer Trusteeship for Liberia. If since 1847 I cannot drive my car to Cape Palmas without blowing the tires two or three times, then Trusteeship is my only option. I could go on and on and on, and still, Trusteeship will end up being the preferable choice to the type of sovereignty a few are begging to preserve and uphold.

A two-year Trusteeship of Liberia under the leadership of General Colin Powell or any other assigned UN personnel will put in place a system that the common man can only dream about. Infringing upon the sovereignty of an Independent country? Give me a break. In 162 years, what have you done to prove to the world that your country is endowed with an abundance of natural resources?

Why is there only one x-ray machine in a country of 3 million people? How many of your citizens were trained to be medical doctors or engineers, etc? How many fire trucks are there in Monrovia or Kakata or Sanniquellie or in Zwedru? In the midst of such poverty and human suffering,and no development, why do we keep hearing of government officials stealing and stealing and stealing?

Majority of the suffering masses of Liberia want Trusteeship, and they want it now! The few who are spewing out that old talk of Sovereignty and Independence are the same ones who continue to let the nation down by enriching themselves from the benefits of its natural resources.

Until love for country and people can be seen streaming from the bellies of a new generation of Liberians, until that time when a new system of accountability and transparency is put into place and tested and functioning well for the benefit of all in society, until some kind of hope for Liberia is seen on the horizon, I prefer to see the United Nations set up the Trusteeship and save our country from the corrupt few.