The Sirleafs Monarchy: The President, Her Sons and Power Professor Dr. Marcus Dahn threw a challenge recently in an International Relations course: How can we reconcile the past when the present is a constant reminder of the past? His question sounds thought-provoking given the context of Liberia – an underdeveloped nation struggling to recover from a fourteen year brutal civil war. It is a recovery process that is yet to trickle down to the struggling masses - who bore the brunt of the conflict and again finding themselves lagging far behind in Liberia’s new economic development. The Cllr. Jerome Verdier Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) listed some key triggers of the Liberian war as poverty - reflecting the over centralization of governance and the oppressive dominance of the Americo-Liberian oligarchy over the indigenous peoples and the entrenched political and social system founded on privilege, patronage, and endemic corruption which created limited access to education and justice, economic and social opportunities and amenities. This explains much about how Liberias past is replete with injustices and the concentration of power to one group of people. Reconciling this past with the present and predicting the future is what Dr. Dahn sought to gather from his class of emerging internationalists. Contemporary realities draw us to what is happening in our country under the rule of President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, her family and Government. Poverty is rife, so too is unemployment. Corruption is endemic, so too is limited economic opportunities for the poor masses. Privilege and patronage for the few are visible, so too are the oppressed and marginalized masses. Power is deeply rooted in the Sirleaf family, so too is their everlasting desire to cling unto power and tighten their grip for the longest. Madam Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is into her second six-year term as President; she has appointed her sons to lucrative positions in her Government (Robert Sirleaf as Senior Adviser and Oil Envoy to Kuwait; Charles Sirleaf as Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Liberia; and Foumba Sirleaf as Director of the National Security Agency of Liberia). Her sister, Jennie Bernard, and her brother, Carney, are thought to be influential behind the scene policy actors and pushers. What else? Robert Alvin Sirleaf, the favourite and influential son of President Sirleaf has begun the same old journey of his mother that would potentially, if not eventually, lead him to the Liberian presidency in the next three years. Robert is now a professed Senatorial candidate for Montserrado County in the forthcoming 14th October 2014 Special Elections for half of the 30-member Liberian Senate. His ambition is similar to that of his mother who in 1985 contested the same Montserrado County Senatorial election and won but did not take up her seat in protest of fraud in the presidential election which was controversially won by late President Samuel Doe. In accepting or declaring his intention on Wednesday [16th July 2014] to contest the Montserrado County Senatorial race, Robert ended months of speculations linking him to harbouring ambition for the Senate. But, for former confidantes of President Sirleaf like the irritated former President and Chief Executive Officer of the money-spinning National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL), Dr. Christopher Neyor, the ambition of Robert is beyond the Montserrado Senatorial race. Dr. Neyor, a bright energy expert, recently published a revealing open letter to President Sirleaf on her reported threats to destroy him in the wake of his own bid to contest the Montserrado Senatorial race. Excerpts of his letter which exposed the Sirleafs succession plan are telling: I am very much aware of your plan to have your son become “senator at all costs”, have him made President Pro Tempore of the Senate and then position him for the 2017 presidential election to succeed you. Your son, if he has given up his US citizenship and legally become a Liberian citizen again, is entitled to run for any position if qualified under our election laws but let the voters make the choice whom to support and elect. It would be a violation of your oath as President to misuse your office to make your son senator and eventually president of our country, especially when your own performance as President does not leave much to be desired now. President Sirleaf to whom the letter was openly addressed is yet to fully reply Dr. Neyor though she initially told the Daily Observer Newspaper that Neyors allegations are reflections of a troubled mind, and that she was mystified and horrified by these allegations, promising to provide a professional and detailed reply. In the absence of her full reply, the Presidents 2nd Deputy Press Secretary, Mr. Christopher Sellee, was quoted by the Liberia News Agency as dismissing the Open Letter of Mr. Christopher Neyor, describing it as a low diatribe which is politically motivated. For the son of President Sirleaf, Robert, his office termed Neyor’s assault as narrow and untrue: “We will continue to see shallow, factually incorrect, and politically motivated statements. We feel for those individuals. We believe time, effort, and energy, is better spent actually “doing positive things” for the people, than creating fictional story lines which haven’t any impact on the lives of the average Liberian.” Whether Neyor has a troubled mind or engaging in low diatribe which is politically motivated coupled with threading on the path of fictional story lines, what is clear is that the declaration by Robert Sirleaf that he would contest the Montserrado County Senatorial election, seemingly confirms the Sirleafs succession plan. There is no doubt that if by fantasy Robert Sirleaf is elected as Senator of Montserrado County, he would ostensibly become the President Pro-Tempore of the Liberian Senate. From the Senate, the Presidency becomes the ultimate target – hence the perpetuation of the Sirleafs monarchy! Neyor’s insights must not be underestimated at this stage just like the Robert Sirleaf declaration. As he races to the Senate, Robert Sirleaf, who has served within the past nine years as Senior Adviser to his mother-President; Chairman of the Board of Directors of the lucrative National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL) which sold nine (9) of Liberias 17 oil blocks; and now Special Oil Envoy to Kuwait, wants us to know that he is fully aware of the lingering hardship and tough living conditions facing the Liberian masses under the rule of the Sirleafs. These are what Robert collectively spoke of as hardship: flooded homes and sleepless nights for many; lack of roads, bridges and other basic essentials which make life better; lack of opportunity for the underprivileged in the divided rural and urban Montserrado County; youth unemployment coupled with increase in crimes and overcrowded prisons which are in dilapidated conditions; as well as insecure communities lacking better lit. Does Robert Sirleaf really care? Listen to his rhetoric: I care that a public servant must put the interests of the people first – always serving the cause of the people rather than the cause of self. I care that here in Montserrado, homes get flooded when it rains, and families have to endure long nights without sleep. I care that the lack of roads, bridges and other basic essentials which make life better have pushed rural Montserrado farther from urban Montserrado. I care that our environment is changing, that erosion is rapidly wiping out historically important places and communities, and that we need affordable housing and better sanitation. I care that in all these areas the Montserrado County Development Fund will benefit the people of Montserrado and prioritize their well-being and welfare. I care that our mothers, brothers, and sisters who sell in markets have not just a better marketplace but also access to daycare, playgrounds, and a safe environment where their children and grandchildren can learn and play. I care that our homes and our communities should be safer places, where streets are better lit and our women and children can feel secure. I care that many of our children in Montserrado are haunted by the dangerous effects of teenage pregnancy, crime, and drug abuse. I care that our youth, like other young people around the World, will not only have a chance to play and be healthy in body, but will also go to community centers with high-speed internet and computers where they can sharpen their minds and expand their horizons. I care that we must solve the overcrowding of our prisons. We must develop programs of rehabilitation that will provide second chances especially for our young offenders. Serving time ought not to necessarily consign anyone to a life of crime. And I care that when citizens serve their country, when they retire, their country must repay them with special care and attention, and treat them with the respect, recognition, and the dignity they deserve. These observations by Robert Sirleaf in which he tries to depict himself as the new caring messiah of the masses are not just rare and revealing but speak much to the botched policies of the Government of his mother. From the First 150 Days Deliverables to the Poverty Reduction Strategies One and Two and now the Agenda for Transformation (AfT) – Liberia Rising - Vision 2030, the Sirleaf administration has continued to come under barrage of criticisms for failing to deliver on the litany of promises made to the Liberian masses. The promise to fight corruption as public enemy number one is lost. The promise to improve poor living conditions is nowhere near. The promise to break away from the cleavages of the past remains unfulfilled. The promise to create a small and effective Government has proved overwhelmingly contradictory. The promise to address huge income disparities and equal employment opportunities is just not true. The list of unfulfilled promises is just too long! But do the Sirleafs certainly care? Robert definitely says yes, but from his own extraordinary admission, he will have noticed he terribly shot himself in the legs and those of his mother in a bid to win over voters in Montserrado County. Nursing his wounds and those of his mother will remain a challenge to his Senatorial bid. To power-phrase Dr. Marcus Dahn, how can we reconcile the Sirleafs past when their presence is a constant reminder of the past and future? For now, it is certainly about the Sirleafs’ Monarchy: The President, Her Sons and Power!
Posted on: Fri, 18 Jul 2014 08:13:38 +0000
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