By Joe Nouroua Wandah, A LIBERIAN JOURNALIST
Liberia, Africa’s oldest and non-colonized first Republic south of the Sahara Desert over four decades ago undemocratically removed an elected government, killing the sitting President Williams Richard Tolbert, Jr. in a military coup plus fourteen other top officials of that True Whig Party government.
The new coup leaders at that time said they staged the bloody coup because the of what they referred to as nepotism, sectionalism, one-party rule, rampant corruption, thus the so-called indigenous enlisted men of the Armed Forces of Liberia had to move in to redeem the country! So, they called their regime People’s Redemption Council (PRC) government.
But a decade down the line, another group of disgruntled members of the Liberian society including politicians, some members of the army, some Liberians in the diaspora unleashed a killing spree on innocent Liberians in the name of removing another tribalistic regime under the stewardship of the soldier-turned politician, President Samuel K. Doe on the eve of Christmas 1989.
That killing spree lasted for 14 unbroken years taking the lives of a UN estimated 250,000 innocent Liberians and foreigners alike including women and children—all in the name of liberating Liberians from rampant corruption, tribalism, sectionalism, nepotism, etc!
The scale of the destruction of lives and properties came to an end thanks to the intervention of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), United Nations, United States of America, European Union with peace initiative headed by the former Ghanaian President Jerry John Rawlings known as the Accra peace accords. That meeting said the coming into being of a transitional government through the Comprehensive Accra Peace Accord, which paved ways to disarmament and demobilization of thousands of armed fighters and the election in October 2005 of Africa’s first elected female President, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
Again, down memories link these same vices resurfaced in the Liberian governance system with Madam Sirleaf including nepotism, tribalism, secret killing, sectionalism, cronyism, etc. Fresh on the minds of Liberians are the pains and agony of fourteen years of killing expedition which saw no absolute victors,but victims roaming endlessly with no hope within the 43 thousands square miles of Liberia!
After another, 12 years of Madam Sirleaf term Liberians again went to the polls bringing on what was referred to again an indigenous son of the soil, George M. Weah who promised Liberians in his inaugural speech that Liberians “will no longer be spectators within their own economy and corruptions will be history” after his predecessor described corruption as public enemy number one, which later became a vampire, etc!
To the surprised of the World the Weah regime live for just six years and the rest is history to be told to our unborn generations!
This Nation, Liberia went to the poll in a very tight two horse race with Ambassador Joseph N. Boakai emerging as the winner defeating emcubant President George Mannnah Weah to the disbelief of Liberians the world over!
With over four months in this new regime under President Joseph N. Boakai, these same vices which gave rise to over two hundreds of thousands Liberians and foreigners killed are gradually surfacing in some of the public entities with tribalism, religious accommodation, sectionalism, with party faithful remarking that there’s no political rewards in heaven as such the merit system at work places got no rooms. But that which was practice in the past regime of the Congress for Democratic Change in term of cronyism accommodation with high profile positions, despite their limitations to give back in term of productivity on these jobs!
Do we, as a Nation, take the blame for these misguided decisions in our governance systems which has brought disgrace and continues to bring shame to this Nation (Liberia) in being on pale with the rest of the world?
From all indications, our standards in all facets of our professional careers are questionable due to our inabilities to compete in allowing the merit systems to work in our various public places, which enables us to scout for the best brain’s in our midst!
Why, at this stage in our governance system should personal interest now surpasses the national interest?
From time in memorial, many people deployed to various government entities in higher positions are bent on enriching themselves.
If this has to always be the case, then one wonders: Why Was Over 250,000 Plus Killed In Liberia’s Senseless Civil War????