FLASHBACK: Learning lessons from the bitter past
OPINION by Tom Peter Gorgla
“Those who forget the past are doomed to relieve it.” This simple fact of human experience can always be seen taking traction in Societies where national governance is seen to be falling apart.
Some forty one [41] years ago, this troubled republic we call Liberia experienced her first major socio-political convulsion on that eventful day on April 14th 1979, when a seasoned group of youthful Liberians from the diaspora, backed by their compatriots on the home front decided to take on the ruling True Whig Party – TWP – administration in a spirited endeavor to put right what was seen as major structural defects in this Republic’s governance system.
The government of the day under the stewardship of President William R Tolbert stubbornly embarked on a self-destructive approach in downplaying the myriad national governance concerns of the Progressive Alliance of Liberia P.A.L. led by the late J. Bacchus Mathews
Mr. Mathews accompanied by top level members of PAL’s executive committee met a few times with President Tolbert in the presence of some members of the TWP hierarchy, at the executive mansion in order to find a common ground in moving this country forward.
President Tolbert was willing to implement the three point structural reforms in the country’s governance system put on the table by PAL.
In this President Tolbert was standing alone as he found himself facing strong opposition to implement any of the reforms the PAL leadership was advocating for with the headstrong TWP leadership digging in to maintain the incongruous status quo.
This hard headedness proved to be the undoing of the beleaguered True Whig Party.
The TWP made tragic miscalculations by underestimating what became globally recognized as the ‘power of the people’.
The Arab spring started with a minor demonstration in sub-Saharan Africa.
Undeterred, the PAL leadership and foot soldiers, realizing the cogency of their concerns coupled with moral support from the African Diaspora decided to take their case to the Liberian people by way of a peaceful demonstration.
Initially, the leadership of the ruling True Whig Party, completely oblivious of the ground swell of support for PAL throughout the country, gave written permission to the PAL to go ahead with their planned demonstration, nationwide.
Sadly, just days later, after granting PAL permission to stage their planed demonstration, the Tolbert administration succumbed to the prevailing self-centered advice from the diehard conservative wing of his party. The then Minister of Justice Cllr R.I.E Bright was given marching orders to withdraw the permit he had officially granted pall several days earlier.
This turn around by the TWP administration was by all accounts too late. The Liberian populace, already drowning in a sea of benign neglect was visibly hungry for any amount of revolution.
The PAL leadership backed by an ever growing number of crusaders in Monrovia and around the country side decided to go ahead with the planned demonstration, come what may, so as to dramatize the mushrooming concern and its attendant expectations of the Liberian people.
The die was cast on that faithful Saturday April 14 1979 when hundreds of thousands of Liberians from all works of life including students, farmers, youth groups, housewives, commercial drivers etc. went out to demonstrate their grievances that had been bottled up in them for over a century under a skewed-up and unresponsive national governance structure.
On that day the vail was lifted on the TWPs tenuous hold power, as President Tolbert and most of his cabinet retreated to Bentol, abandoning Monrovia as the youthful demonstrators took control of the city.
A US embassy official remarked to a group of journalists including this writer gathered at a popular watering hole in Mamba Point with the chilling comment, “We are witnessing a dangerous power vacuum this city [Monrovia]”.
Indeed. Even the top military brass under the leadership of General Korboi Johnson, the then Armed Forces of Liberia, AFL, Chief of Staff left the city for an unknown destination.
This Republic was left under the high-risk control of non-commissioned officers NCOs of the AFL throughout the day until after seven [7] pm when some semblance of normalcy was restored.
Altogether, 43 members of PAL were rounded up throughout the week following the demonstration and arbitrarily thrown into the central prison on Center Street.
Thirty days later, the PAL group was released on the recommendation of a commission of enquiry set up by president Tolbert to look into the causes of the disturbances and to make appropriate recommendation.
The army had already tasted the bitter-sweet vestiges of administrative power at the national level. It was just a question of timing for the True Whig Party to go under.
It happened on Saturday April 12 1980, in a bloody coup d’etat led by a master sergeant Samuel K Doe and a motley band of non-commissioned officers.
This troubled republic could have been saved from that tragic incident if the powers that be had placed their misplaced pride and shameless greed where it belong and put the paramount interest of this Republic first.
Unfortunately, the major concerns that the Progressive Alliance of Liberia had placed on the table seem to be surfacing on the national table – again.
The country’s staple food, rice, is becoming artificially too expensive with a half a bag of rice selling for over $LD 3000 here in Monrovia.
Conspicuous consumption and its travelling mate ‘over compensation syndrome’ are making a blatant resurgence among the national governance cadres, while thousands of households in Liberia, struggle to provide just a single meal a day for the hapless family with diminishing buying power in a country with runaway inflation.
The CDC administration under the leadership of President George Weah need to take corrective measures and change course to stop this troubled Republic of Liberia from going astray.