Putting The Basic Things Into Place

Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has been my choice from day one. Now that she has won two elections, I want to see results, tangible results for the country. Roads, pipe-borne water, and electricity are basic things I expect the President to be seriously concerned about. There is no way I can be quiet about these things. No way!

The President said Liberia needs her sons and daughters living away from Liberia, to "Come home." She stressed this in Worcester, MA. It's easier said than done.

There are certain basic things the President needs to fight for, toil for, to encourage Liberians living abroad to come home with immediate effect. Even if all Liberians decided to live in Monrovia after living in Europe, Japan, or America for all these years, it will not be easy. With the lack of electricity, pipe-borne water and good roads for returnees to go and see their families in the counties, frustration will drive people back to where they came from. If you are not the stealing type, the regular breakdown of your cars or trucks will really hit you.

There is more fun outside of Monrovia, but getting to the places of choice is back-breaking. To use all the money for only peace and capacity building, for almost ten years, does not sound right.

It's difficult for me to understand why Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf would spend a lot of her time in Wisconsin and Virginia, in the United States and yet, feel comfortable seeing Monrovia with out electricity or traffic lights for almost seven years. I thought lightening up the city would be one of her priority things to do for the people and the country.

The "beloved" President needs to demonstrate some love for her country and people. Not paving that road to Belle Yalla was not a farsighted endeavor. I understand that traveling on that path through that part of the country today, has become difficult. That was a special project of the President's. She should have made her name by paving the road, thereby showcasing here love for the people of Belle Yalla  and those who would travel on her special pet project. Even naming the modern road after her would not have caused a stare at all.

Obama is being blamed for the tough time America faces. He is the CEO. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is the CEO of Liberia. If I can not turn the faucet to have water when I want it, I will blame her. If I can't switch the lights on and off when I choose to, I will blame her. If I will have to change flat tires on my truck four times before reaching the Ivorian border from Monrovia, who will take the heat?

All I am doing is holding the Oldma's feet to the fire. The more we see the shortcomings and refuse to tell them as we see them, the more we are keeping the country and its people way in the hole of primitiveness.  

There is a golden opportunity in the next five and a half years for the Sirleaf brothers to influence the implementation of the basic development needs of Liberia and its people. They need to make sure their mom's legacy can be seen and felt. And, it is time for Liberians in the Diaspora, like never before, to vent their frustrations at things that should be done, but are being placed on the back burners. As one of the panelists of Vision 2030 said: People in Liberia depend on Liberians in the Diaspora to shake things up in that country. It reminded me of Bacchus, Tipoteh, Jackson, Gbala, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, etc., etc.

There is something about going to Liberia with an open mind and an independent perspective. The country will be 165 year old this year, you know.

The government must tackle the main roads of Liberia. Returnees and businesses will help with the secondary and feeder roads. One of the enconmic backbones of a country is it's roads...well-maintained, paved roads. Liberia's economy is not an exception.

6/6/12

The Raging Fire for Justice in Liberia

Implementation of the TRC Report is picking up some steam, especially now that Charles Taylor is to be sentenced by the International Court of Justice in the Hague, on May 30, 2012. The flame of fire for justice is starting to rage. No stand-by!


The words: Command and Control, will play a major role in the implementation of the TRC, after the Taylor Sentencing on May 30. It is inconceivable and outright buffoonery to believe that the number 250,000 or more will mean absolutely nothing to us Liberians.

Aiding and Abetting are two other words that will take center stage if real peace is to become a reality in Liberia. What will really fan the flame for justice is the knowledge that many, many of those who directly benefit from the spoils of war, from the negotiation perks, high salaries, are not fighting tooth and claw to do away with the evils that started this whole killing spree in the country.

The vicious circle of corruption and poor vision remains in tact. The noise makers of yesteryears are now the carriers of swollen bellies of ineptitude, insensitivity, and greed; hope for most people seems so very far away at the moment.

The people of Liberia around the world must rise up for justice....not with guns and bombs....not with bazookas and grenades....but with simple protests and sit-ins. Liberians have experienced what the guns and bombs are capable of doing. They are hardened in that type of warfare. We cannot afford a further reduction in our numbers.

The new war for justice must be fought with words and sober actions. Justice is delayed and denied only if the victims of injustice are complacent and nonchalant. Liberians need to wake up and act now!

The world is watching and waiting to help. The world is in Liberia!

Deep Thoughts

There is nothing like experiencing an event for oneself. Visiting Liberia for the second time after going there in 2009, gives me a better view of what I feel is lacking in that country. The county looks like it's being run by people who really don't care about the urgency of developing Liberia. My heart is spilling out what cannot remain inside my system. Read:

"Blurry vision for Liberia can no longer be an option in the 21st century." -Kweme



Three words I heard when Charles Taylor was being indicted in the Hague in April of 2012: Command and Control.

Pipes that once brought water to the people of Monrovia were damaged or blown up. The source of electricity that once lit the city and other parts of Liberia was decommissioned by people who were in Command and Control of the war in Liberia. Who were those who were in Command and Control of the war in Liberia?

If I turn the pages of history, I see Charles Taylor, Prince Johnson, Alhaji Kromah, Sekou Damante; I see George Boley. Am I missing anyone who was in Command and Control of the war in Liberia?

Today in LIB, for example, the Lone Star Cell Phone Company is the handiwork of Charles Taylor. Between Duport Road and Red Light, there is a water filtration plant owned, I understand, by Sekou Damante. I saw UN tankers lined up to fetch water. Other huge businesses owned by those who were in Command and Control of the War in Liberia are doing well. Shouldn't the people demand that these entities be confiscated and the millions of dollars being generated be spent on replacing the water pipes and the light poles? shouldn't the Hydro be rebuilt from the millions being generated from these dubious businesses because the owners were in Command and Control of the war in Liberia?

What's the use of replacing one bad government with another bad government? What's the use of killing 13 ministers for rampant corruption and misuse of power when those replacing them are wallowing in dubious business enterprises and involved in "three times" more corrupt activities than those they replaced?

The consternation is that many of our new leaders are totally oblivious to the events of April 12, 1980 and what happened to Liberia from 1990-2003. How can that be? How many of these traumatic events must we experience before the light bulb of honesty is lit?

Not that Liberians want the government to hand out everything to them on a silver platter. That is not what is being demanded. What is required of government is to provide those basic things that will encourage Liberians to set up NGOs not only in Monrovia, but also in Barclaysville in Grand Kru County or in Loguituo in Nimba County.

Owners of cars and trucks of NGOs that venture out of Monrovia are subject to all kinds of pain from the terrible condition of the roads, even in the dry season. This is unacceptable. The darkness and lack of water are a tough sell to even the most patriotic Liberian!

Liberia's Person for 2011

Time Magazine's Person of the year 2011 was the Protester that turned heads in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen and in Russia, where the Russians for the first time, told their leaders that whatever elections were held in that country were not free or fair.

2011 was election year in Liberia and when October 11 came, the voters of Liberia gave President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf 44% in the first round. When the run-off day arrived, CDC refused to take part and their supporters demonstrated their anger by clashing with the police.

2006 to 2011 was the most peaceful period in the history of Liberia after an election. I was happy that our people were enjoying freedom for the first time after 14 years of war. It was my wish that such tranquility would have remained for a long, long time.

Liberians do not need another war. We have fought our war. We are now trying to get our lives back on track and rebuild a destroyed country. That is why Liberians do not need to imitate what's happening in the Middle East or North Africa. For example, freedom of speech was a strange phenomenon to the people of Libya for 42 years under Colonel Kaddafi. That is not the case in Liberia at the moment. Even though Libyans are rich and with a lot of oil, the freedom to criticize their government was lacking, and there is no feeling so great than to be able to call your President a German Monkey and sleep peacefully the next night!

Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has been my choice for the presidency of Liberia from day one. Why? First, I felt it was time for a woman to be president of Liberia, period. second, she was qualified and third, she had gone through the burning bush of African politics, unlike many of those who were running against her.

If I were to give a grade for the past six years of the Old Ma's administration, besides the CDC incidents, the grade would be a B. I was in Monrovia in 2009 and I was shocked to see a dangling traffic light at the Paynesville and ELWA Junction. I was also amazed to see such a huge gathering of people at Broad and Randall Streets all the way to Water Side. I was even sick when I realized that it took almost an hour to drive from Duport Road to the Coco Cola Factory. The amount of Pem-Pem in the city was a great eye sore for me. I felt like I was in India!

Another reason for the grade of B is that the road from Gbarnga to Ganta was the kind of highway that I had not driven on in almost 20 years. I would have gone crazy had I gone to Liberia in September, 2009 instead of December, 2009. And when I read that Ministers of government were given 900 gallons of gasoline per month to drive around in Monrovia, I felt sick in my stomach. For I remember vividly that when I worked for Firestone, controlling 3800 acres of rubber trees and supervising 300-400 workers, I was allotted only 125 gallons of gasoline per month to do my work! Wasn't the poor government of Liberia being wasteful?

As the years went by unemployment never made that great break-through for the people of Liberia, especially the youth. Reports gave the country some good marks for freedom and democracy, but when it came to the poverty of most Liberians, the record remains astoundingly dismal. After a civil war and with the population shift in Monrovia, I personally would be less comfortable driving a Hummer or a Cadillac through the streets of Monrovia.

Those who love democracy and freedom are Liberia's persons of 2011. They braved the scary situation of November 7 and went to vote for Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf; for these people feel and know that she will improve their living conditions in 2012 and beyond and will help them rebuild a nation for posterity.

And finally, I am happy that the Vai Town Bridge has been completed. I wish the old name had remained, but the new name, Zolu Duma, is historical and will please those who are connected to this great Liberian.

If the red arch at the entrance of the bridge is a permanent structure, I suggest it be taken down and replaced with an arch depicting an iconic Liberian symbol like the Pepper Bird or the Pigmy Hippo. I saw that Chinese symbol and I immediately thought: Is that a road to China Town?

To all Liberians and friends of Liberia, I wish you a Happy New Year. May 2012 bring jobs and more jobs and prosperity for the people of Liberia.