Thursday October 6, 2022
Roaming in the harsh wilderness of chronic, pathetic anti- people-centered governance marred with pale and tainted leadership loaded with unbearable deficit, of which this nation has been deposited and stuck in the past with no remorse on the part of succeeding political leaders to truly turn conditions around with positive spin; so true, it is now obvious, that the imposed roaring abject poverty and grim disappointment lumbered on the Liberian people struggling to keep their noses slightly above the water in the world of myth, has become an unending uphill fray for the nation and people.
Toxic Rock Or Fertilizer?
The deformed shape this nation finds itself in mostly points to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf whose leadership, despite being a history maker as the first female president in Africa and profoundly embraced and dubbed as “darling of the west” attended by massive support to see her cross over the bridge of deep-rooted political waters with extra assistance and maximum cooperation to also keep all the viciously-sway-wayward political waters under the bridge; and even at that, there still was more spill-over of which the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) capitalized on; having nearly frozen for 12 years in the opposition community; promising to make a unique difference through a dynamic change that’d bring real hope and release to the people long yearning for such; empowered a governance, with emphasis on the supply chain through its administration and dispensation on the platform of equity; instead, wore the complete outfit of rampant and uncontrollable corruption that serves their exclusive interests at the detriment of the people and state; as pundits are now wondering if the movers and shakers of CDC were ever in the first place, a mere grounded toxic rock or fertilizer for growth, development in glove with sustainability? Obviously not, as evident by the past five years of messy capability and very poor backwardness in eclipsed by wanton corruption on the domestic scene. Behold the gang, once considered “new kids” on the block had their eyes, interests and calculated open-ended appetites carved in corruption, corruption, corruption and corruption.
Trademark
The “trademark” of the Congress for Democratic Change’s (CDC’s) elites has clearly been exemplified from the erection of gigantic structures and compounds reflective of mansions and while transforming the landscape quizzically, pundits are craving to establish if these huge erected structures are footed from the owners’ respective pay checks.
According to pundits, most of those now proudly parading these mansions, were shacking in one-room apartments, and yet could not even avoid to underwrite the rental fees before entering into the workforce of this government, but are today, the owners of newly built mansions and compounds of which their individual pay checks cannot withstand; even if they had worked for the next 20 years, they won’t even come near in sourcing such money to erect the expensive flashy structures scattered all over the place.
While it is equally so pathetic, that the elites are entrenched anti-transparency and anti-accountability gurus from the strike of any imagination, the infamous spree of questionable numerous erected mansions located at strategic areas, many of those close to assignments and positions that generate direct physical cash, and also appeared to know the name of the game, grab-and-get-rich-quick-at-all-cost-and-cause, because there is no “gbe-led” (fool) in the oracle, let alone, dummy does not cut scent (cards); cleverly and keenly imitate their seniors in shady opportunities, and without second though, jumped into the coco-party by amazingly amassing ill-gotten wealth and properties on a very rapid scale, knowing that they too will not be interrogated for the overnight achievements in wealth and cash.
Although they hate to be told that there is no acceptable cogent evident to legitimize their expensively overnight built mansions nor any morally credible explanations, despite trampling underfoot, the Code of Conduct thus rendering it totally insignificance in the face of “mansions competition” that overwhelms the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC); in spite that they conned the system to propel them in such undesirable and quizzical ownership of the vast wealth and properties they have accrued; they, at the same time, remain practically acknowledgeable from media reports and information provided on several phone-in-talk-shows which point directly to corruption of the highest magnitude, that is now oozing its toxic garbage which has pitiably defaced and deformed people’s trust and confidence in the ruling establishment, thereby making it very difficult to clean up from the landscape up to the celebration of International Anti-Corruption Day which has bitten so hard that Liberia is now being placed on the active radar with former notorious warlord and Senator of Nimba County, Evangelist Prince Y. Johnson being hooked and slapped with corruption sanction including Grand Cape Mount Senator Varney G. Sherman as well as three operatives of President George M. Weah in persons of Nathaniel F. McGill, Bill Tweahway and Saymah Syernious Cephus.
With this warning shot from the US Government, which should, in no uncertain term, serve as an unhindered caveat to all those serving in the public space (government), can no matter the status; that all ill-gotten wealth and cash siphoned from the coffers of the government, will sooner than later, be made to account for, as the Economic Crime Court will soon get its full legal iron teeth to chew up such toxic belongings, with massive confiscation of unjustified wealth, and freezing of the huge cash taken active center space without any form of backdoor compromise. So true, the time is coming, and very soon, we’ll see the actual true owners with clean hands, therein, the tallest chickens shall be seen by all, after the rain (trial).
This includes those within the Government of Liberia who stand up against corruption, committed Liberian citizens and organizations seeking to challenge the impunity of corrupt officials, and international organizations supporting anti-corruption efforts.
The current sanctioning of Senator Prince Yormie Johnson is one small part of that effort. International Anti-Corruption Day has been observed annually on December 9 since the United Nations General Assembly adopted the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) on October 31, 2003 to raise public awareness for anti-corruption initiatives. There are currently 187 States party to the UNCAC. In addition to sending a message against corrupt behavior, Treasury uses its tools to increase transparency, accountability, and the rule of law.
Meanwhile, President Joseph R. Biden said, in his June 2021 action establishing the fight against corruption as a core national security interest, that “Corruption corrodes public trust; hobbles effective governance; distorts markets and equitable access to services; undercuts development efforts; contributes to national fragility, extremism, and migration; and provides authoritarian leaders a means to undermine democracies worldwide.
When leaders steal from their nations’ citizens or oligarchs flout the rule of law, economic growth slows, inequality widens, and trust i government plummets.” The U.S. Mission in Liberia has long reported on the pervasiveness of corruption within the Government of Liberia, including in the annual Human Rights Report.
While it is true that the Weah-led government scored some considerate marks in the health sectors as reported by the United States 2021 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices on Liberia reflections from the industrial sites along with child labor abuse dropped the hope an aspirations of the people of which most people on the frontier of child labor abuse, blamed the government for presiding over an economy that is not people-centered, despite his loud vibration on his inaugural day that Liberians will no longer be spectators to their own economy rather become the custodians.
However, five years down the road, with Liberians being not just spectators in their own economy, but have become total beggars in their own country based on government’s inability to attract foreign investments into the country which could alleviate the massive suffering and abject poverty now very glaring in every little place one looks, with people wearing pitiful faces and crying out with hands stretched out for a drop of something to bite on.
This pathetic scenario is obtaining every day in a country graciously endowed with multiple most needed rich mineral and natural resources coupled with rich soil, climate as well as reliable and rain forests and dependable Marnie blessings-like the Atlantic Ocean including many water outlets that could generate more revenues it taken care of and handled with pride and care.
In the midst of shivering and extreme fear-shocked Liberian warlords as the people, without compromise, alarming the establishment of the war crime court, which is a serious threat to the elements who also committed heinous crimes against humanity, but the greatest fear which is bound to drag much more people into the docket, is the economic crime court.
Despite excessive attempts and massive efforts to thwart the establishment of the war crime court by Warlord Prince Y. Johnson and his likes in Liberia or for Liberia, pundits maintained that the greatest fear harbored by so many past and present government officials for accumulating questionable wealth they find very difficult to defend honestly without raising more questions than answers .
According to the pundits, while the creation of the war crime court is very serious, important and a healthy excurse to put on the national pedestal that will remind any would-be potential lawlessly blood-thirsty individuals, determined to terrorize and shatter the peace, comfort, security and safety of the nation and people, wherein walk away freely with impunity, will have no room to settle; most critically, those who have amassed ill-gotten wealth, and due to absolute fear of being hooked while tirelessly undermining the existence of the war crime court from seeing the light of day.
-Writes GDJ
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