The condition of majority of the people in Liberia is not something to boast about. No conscientious Liberian can look at the living standard of the people and say with glee that all is well. What is then the way forward before 2017? Here is my take after it was suggested that the conditions at Belle Yalla were no different than the present conditions being experienced by majority of Liberians:

If after seven years of an Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf government, the Liberian people are still congregating at Red Light, at Duport Road Junction; if the pathways through Kakata, Gbarnga, Ganta, Voinjama, and perhaps many other town and cities are being blocked by people struggling to make a living after the war ended  almost ten years ago; if Flumpa is still dark and Toe Town and Barclayville have no pipe-borne drinking water; if a pregnant woman must ride on the back of a motor scooter from Saclepea to the Jackson Doe Hospital in Tappita, on a muddy, back-breaking road; if students are struggling with their Legislators for scholarship money and government officials are scrambling to Nigeria or Ghana or the United States to seek medical attention, how can most of us say with sane and conscientious minds that indeed, Belle Yalla was most notorious for being oblivious to human dignity?

 

We can help to change these conditions by reminding those in power in Liberia that they are not doing well for the people whose sons and daughter were displaced and or killed during almost fourteen years of a brutal war. Those in the Diaspora must make this known to the people of the United States whose taxes made many things possible for the new and old big shots in Monrovia.

 

Liberians in the Diaspora must muster the strength to gather en masse in Washington, DC, at the UN in New York or even in European Capitals to remind Liberia's partners that what is being done in Monrovia is far from being in the interest of the people who deserve better.

 

And lastly, and more importantly, I don't think it will be fair to the Liberian people for the UN to leave Liberia when Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf's term to govern expires. Leaving Liberia will be like leaving the hen house exposed to the foxes. The UN cannot just protect Ellen and leave when she leaves the Executive Mansion in Monrovia.

 

What do I suggest the the UN do? The UN has accommodated with open arms, those who were most responsible for the atrocities in Liberia. These people are now representatives and senators; ministers and big shots in the government. (I don't know whether anything like this exists anywhere in the world.) Liberia must be a very bad lucky country.

 

The rain and snow that come from heaven do not water the earth for most Liberians. They do not bring forth the bud that gives rise to seeds for the farmers and bread to those in need. Our rains have been useless to us for more than a century and a half. The change we've been calling for has been very elusive.

 

The UN, with the help of the Liberian government, should come up with a retirement plan for the war lords of the land. Get them out of politics for good with a retirement plan, and supervise an election in 2017 that will bring in a new breed of Liberians that will preach and foster peace and commit to prosperity for all. 

 

The Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf era may not have prisoners at Belle Yalla or in Zwedru; freedom to speak one's mind may abound in the streets of cities and towns in Liberia; but corruption with impunity carries more evil than we can imagine. It sucks the life blood out of the country and those who are to inherit it.

 

We must cross our fingers and hope that the best for Liberia is yet to come.

For 165 years, Liberians continue to struggle to find their footing in nearly everything they try. The fourteen-year war did not move the needle one bit toward meaningful progress. We remain a poor people, a rich nation, and we continue to embrace a corrupt leadership. Our halls of power are occupied by mostly those who hurt us and destroyed our nation. The Bible is talking to me here, and I am bellowing the message:

Each morning, I get a popup of Bible verses on my phone. This is what popped up this morning:

⁶ Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:

⁷ Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. - Isaiah 55: 6-7

Why are some Liberians mesmerized by and obscessed with the TRC Report? Why are they consistently in the business of calling for the implementation of what the report dictates?

It is clear from my understanding of the passages above that man is not the one to pardon the wicked ones. Man is not clothed with that ability to give mercy and have mercy upon the unrighteous.

And that is why God has given the wicked the unconditional chance to turn to Him for abundant pardon and to serve Him. In other words, those who were responsible for the carnage in Liberia should be serving God instead, and not mingling with their victims in the corridors of power.

"You kill my pa, you kill my ma, I will vote for you", is not a call of forgiveness. It's a call of a desperate, depressed and lamenting people to God to rid their nation of those who rained evil, death, and destruction upon a peaceful people. 

2014 and 2017 should be defining moments in the history of elections in Liberia: Anyone who has had a hand in the carnage and mayhem; in terrorist acts, that were experienced by the nation and its people, during the period of fourteen years, should not be voted into office.

This idea should be the battle cry of the future, if the people of Liberia are to ever be successfully responsible for their own destiny; if the people of Liberia are ever to divorce themselves from corruption, lack of roads, water, electricity, and good healthcare.

Liberians will be willing to accept the construction of thousands of churches that will entertain and accommodate the wicked and unrighteous in our society. Those churches and mosques are where our killers and collaborators divinely belong. And with the pillaging currently going on, God/Allah will, as He promised, take exceptional care of them.

It is time that the Cains of Liberia take cue from General Butt Naked and live a normal life in Jesus Christ , the Savior of the wicked and unrighteous.

All the analyses and historical perspectives will continue to waste our time if the main bogeymen amongst us are not unsnapped from our backs.

Humans have not the power to give genuine mercy and pardon to any of their wicked and unrighteous kind.

Keeping The Greasy Guts

There is a biter-sweet love between some of us and the colonialists of Africa. Those colonialists whom some of us really despise are Germany, the United States, France, and Great Britain. Spain and Portugal ventured into Africa, but we do not hear a lot about what they did or did not do in that part of the world. They stand absolutely immune. Once in a while, a shot is taken at these despised colonialists that some of us hate to love. A case in point is the gesture shown to Mali by the French, an old friend, who came to the aid of the Malian people when extremists occupied the Northern part of that country. Some people don't appreciate the help. I do not understand why:

So why are some of us so upset that France came to the aid of the Malian people? Mali, according to the BBC article, has been in the mining business since a King carried tons of gold on caravans from Timbuktu! The French and the Malians have been friends long before we were born.

What would some of you have preferred? Would you have wallowed and celebrated in the fact that Northern Mali was invaded, Timbuktu burned, people killed, and the invaders continue their escapade down South with Liberia in the cross hairs of their Libyan weapons?

We live in a dangerous and unpredictable world. And furthermore, I did not see the Malians whose city was liberated, protesting the presence of the French liberators. Had this been an all African affairs with all the blah, blah, blah, Bamako would be under siege by this time!

I know America, France, Britain, Germany, are all countries some of us hate to love. Some of us can't just stand these people. Yet, most of our people are much, much safer and happier with them around, looking after their backs. In other words, these porcupine guts are just too bitter to eat and yet, too greasy to get rid of.

Scenario: If there were a plan in the offing, for example, by a group of happy-go-lucky guys to say, blow up the iron ore facilities in Yen-yen with the intention of pushing further into Kakata, would any of you prefer that Liberia duke it out alone, without rapid outside intervention? I mean seriously, rapid intervention!

Well, here is what I would be doing in front of the Capitol Building in Washington, DC: I would print myself a placard and march around the reflecting pool in front of the Capitol, asking the American people to help Liberia immediately by sending a few Marines to end the Odyssey of this evil group. My first instinct won't be to worry about iron ore, rubber, future oil exploration, piassava, or anything else. I would be deeply concerned and worried about the lives of the Liberian people.

For like we say in Liberia: Duty before complaint!

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.