The Perspective
Atlanta, Georgia
October 21, 2018

                  

Mr. President, it was my intention to wait a year, at least, before engaging this conversation with you, but the acceleration of events has precipitated my appointment. Thus forgive my insistence.
First and foremost, I want to reaffirm my fullest support to your “pro-poor” government. For the last nine months, I have been keenly observing your efforts to radically change Liberia’s development stratagem of 171 years of independence. And believe me, you have already engraved in the mind of every Liberian your development agenda by clearly associating our mass poverty to the lack of massive infrastructure development. Simple wisdom: without roads citizens cannot get to the hospitals; without roads our rural farmers cannot sell their products; without roads our majority poor citizens travel in horrible conditions at the risk of their lives; without roads majority of our people are totally isolated; without roads there are no substantial commercial activities, etc. In essence, road connectivity is a key element to the genuine, independent economic development of a nation.

And permit me to add further, Mr. President, that your opponents – jobless and impatient - in their bid to denigrate your efforts, have finally come to know the exact monetary value and geographic locations of Liberia’s vast natural resources – something they ignored during the 12 years corrupt rule of Madam Sirleaf. Take this one example – in a recent article,  Dr. Abdulaye Dukulé, fulminating with anger upon hearing that your government has negotiated Liberia’s natural resources for US$2 billion to China made this very subtle tribal analogy: “If they had negotiated Bomi or Sinoe counties for $25 billion dollars, ok… but the resources of the nation for $2 billion? (see:www.theperspective.org/2018/1002201801.php)   Well, Dr. Dukulé having worked for the Sirleaf government and knowing perfectly the value and locations of our natural resources and counties, I hope he could tell us how many of Liberia’s natural resources did Madam Sirleaf swap with the World Bank, IMF, and Co., cronies, family members –including the same Chinese (and while soliciting the meager rent upfront to maintain the extravagant lifestyle of her regime).   Yes, we forget too soon – the Chinese helped to bring peace to Liberia, fought the Ebola epidemic, and were it not for their massive economic aid Madam Sirleaf would not have had anything substantial in her famous “legacy.” As for the reference to ‘Bomi or Sinoe’ counties, I leave it to the readers to judge.

Mr. President, there is no doubt in my mind that you are a great patriot who thinks “Big” for our country and people. Because since 1847, we Liberians have been cloned to be satisfied with “small thing” and nothing more. And you know, from your first international visit to France where you told President Macron - in broad daylight - that you wanted the identical superhighways as in France for Liberia, the entire international community also got that message loud and clear that it is not your intention to be globetrotting around receiving awards and trophies as a mere football icon, but a leader with a focus, passion and determination to genuinely develop our nation and people.

But, Mr. President, to achieve your ambitious agenda you must remain lucid, highly persevering and solid as a rock to prove wrong your detractors, opposition, certain media, the international financial cartels, and the rest.  No doubt, the hurdles along the way are monumental and do not underestimate your adversaries.

That said, Mr. President, the real purpose of this conversation with you concerns the controversial subject of the day - the L$16 billion containers mystery.  At the bottom of this unfortunate episode, I sense two major handicaps that seem to undermine the genuine efforts of your administration: acute communication deficiency and a bankrupt nation inheritance.

The government’s acute communication deficiency

Mr. President, although we know the name “Weah” to be news in itself, the man himself has never been running after [the] news. Further, we also know that you are a legend from a profession where strategies are planned in absolute secrecy – that is, always keep your opponents guessing, jittery and put at the verge of a nervous wreck before a crushing defeat.  But while these traits could be a formidable political strength, they could also become a serious weakness – if a generalized secrecy modus operandi supersedes even a minimum of transparency. 
    
Frankly, for the life of me, Mr. President, I saw no reason why you once called the opposition political leaders to a closed-door meeting in a country where no secret is kept, and rumors or fake-news abound. As a result, everyone left that all important occasion and made up their own news to suit their egos, and while the main purpose of the meeting was completely overshadowed. Of course, the President can invite individual party leader for a tête-à-tête without the presence of the media, but not when called in group. Then the risk for misinformation and confusion is high.

Second, immediately following your inauguration on January 22, 2018, and you announced that the country was broke, I received an anonymous call from Monrovia. My caller announced in jubilation that according to ‘reliable sources’ the Weah Transitional Team (not Ellen/Weah Transitional Team) had shared the alleged US$150 million the Ellen government left in the state coffers. Whoops! I told the caller to cool his temper and see some reasoning – even if he did not like President Weah. Then I added: “If the current Governor of the Central Bank - Milton Weeks- and his deputy, Charles Sirleaf – son of former President, Madam Sirleaf- were still in charge as appointees of Madam Sirleaf, how on earth could the “Weah Transitional Team” – single handily -empty the state coffers without their knowledge and consent?” My caller quickly responded: “But how could Weah declare the country broke when there was US$150 million cash in the CBL?” So I asked: “If you were appointed a manager of a company with an annual budget of over US$600 million, and you were shown some paper figures of US$150 million laying somewhere in the vaults or mere partners’ financial promises, would you immediately consider the company as prosperous or raise the alarm of a serious deficit ahead?” Well, my anonymous rumourmonger abruptly ended the discussion on the pretext that I am an unrepentant supporter of the Weah government.

And lastly, while in Monrovia April/May I already heard the rumors of the containers of money brought into the country, but by some ‘foreign merchants’; and that the government was vigorously carrying on an undercover investigation. It was not too long CBL governor, Milton Weeks, resigned from his very lucrative tenure position in the midst of a fast depreciating L$. Unfortunately, the government did not tell the Liberian people what induced Mr. Weeks to resign from his position; so the rumors went like wildfire in his favor: that the governor was pressured into resignation because he refused to sign a CBL guarantee for the US$500 million ETON loan agreement. Whether it is true or false, the government has yet to clarify; thus leaving doubt on its own credibility.

Worse, we are being further fed by the media that both the ETON and EBOMAF loans have been shelved and replaced by a US$500 loan from the same World Bank, IMF cartel ignored first by the government. If so, the government has not confirmed or denied; thus leaving the public, media and opposition to propagate all sorts of rumors to tarnish the image of the government.

Mr. President, in the midst of all this skepticism the containers rumors, came to the surface with more questions than answers: L$16 billion legal tender brought into the country by the CBL (not anymore by foreign merchants) disappeared in thin air in the last days of the Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf regime. A script worthy of a James Bond movies (and just when President Weah was off to make his first appearance at the UN general assembly). And after an extraordinary governmental cacophony, accusations and counter-accusations by the protagonists through the media, the new CBL governor, Nathaniel Patray, has told the public that no containers are missing; that every dollar of the L$16 billion is kept safely in the vaults of the CBL. On the other hand, the government’s investigating team is still continuing its investigation into the matter. Curious and perplexing, isn’t it?

The good news, though, (especially for those of us who had no trust in the former government) is that Mr. Charles Sirleaf is still one of the senior executives at the CBL. It will be interesting to know when and why the CBL changed from our longstanding traditional printer – DE LA RUE – of Britain to CRANE of Sweden.

Mr. President, what the above examples illustrate - especially in this age of sensational newspaper headlines, fake-news, a frenzy of the social network, and, plus a vast unemployed opposition members and youths – is your government’s incapacity to effectively disseminate information timely on its policies and actions.  It would seem that most of the government officials are of your perfect image and character: extremely discrete, talk very little, less extravagant and exuberant to the point of almost being inaudible and invisible publicly. True, that is the perfect opposite of the regime of Madam Sirleaf – where gossips, undermining, manipulations, arrogance and making news were order of the day (all the ingredients that created a field-day for the struggling media). Notwithstanding, your situation creates the perception that the government is inactive, cool and not having any idea on the running of an effective government. And mind you, Mr. President, despite the fact that you have been on the move from day one trying to procure loans, grants, etc to implement your “pro-poor” agenda.  Thus something is wrong; information is not flowing accordingly. Perhaps your Ministers need to be coached and go on the offensive to defend your policies more vigorously.

The Disastrous Economic Situation Inherited Was A Malicious Monkey Wrench

When, in the last days of her regime, Madam Ellen-Johnson-Sirleaf induced the Legislature to pass the notorious act declaring “Liberia a single currency country”, I thought it was a wicked, heartless maneuver on the part of the outgoing leader to plunge the nation further into poverty and chaos. As an observer, I wrote on the issue with this title: “What Are The Implications of A “Single Currency “For The Next Government and Liberian People” (see: www.theperspective.org; www.frontpageafricaonline.com; www.liberianobserver.com). Some of the pertinent questions I asked in that essay were left at the doorsteps of your administration without the appropriate answers.

So yes, Mr. President, the disastrous economic situation Madam Sirleaf left you as part of her famous “legacy” was like a quicksand; when you get into it, the more you shake, the more you go deeper until you are swallowed. And unknowingly, perhaps, you may have committed two major errors (so to speak) from the unset – if not a sin or a even crime of ‘lese-majesty’ for those who wish for Liberia to stay backward (or a shit-hole nation) forever – no great thrust forward, no risk, no push or “reinvent the wheels” (in the words of Dr. Dukulé), but simply maintain the status quo of  “business as usual” for a petit, corrupt urban bourgeoisie.

First error/sin or crime – you took the entire nation, partners, World Bank, IMF and Co. by surprise with your ambitious development agenda – an agenda that requires huge financial capital in a country where “partners” even supply toilet tissues to government and still make big news headlines without any shame. And second, as a democratically elected President of an independent, sovereign nation, you went out quickly to negotiate the necessary loans to implement your agenda, but without first begging our “traditional” friends, partners, World Bank/IMF and Co., so that they dictate and impose upon you their own agenda.

And what a courage, Mr. President, because your strew, nonconformist move has frightened and put everyone on the spot and on alert. Because were Liberia to reimburse your independent US$1 billion loans (ETON AND EBOMAF), we have to first take stock and scrutinize the US$18 billion or so investments that we were told by Madam Sirleaf’s PR was brought into the country in the past 12 years.
Therefore, Mr. President, to clear your side and move on, I urge you to challenge the media, opposition parties, protest movements, youth leaders, reputable organizations, students, council of churches, women groups, Diaspora groups, etc to find out now about Madam Sirleaf’s US$18 billion investments: how many and locations, term of agreements, number of employees, salary scale, shareholders, dividends, rents, developments, tax exemptions, scholarships to students, etc, etc. Next, they should form a national protest movement with the banner: “Show Us Your US$18 billion Investments-Liberia Is Bleeding.”

Mr. President, one must know the past to better correct the present. Frankly, how could your efforts be so vehemently censured by those who were all accomplices to the alleged US$18 billion investments that left the country (4.5 population) a worthless currency; economic in ruins; over US$ 1 billion debt burden; mass poverty; messy education system; over 80% unemployment; messy health system; messy infrastructure; vampire corruption; and the list goes on indefinitely. Further, if these same US$18 billion investments did not deplete Liberia’s natural resources or take away its sovereignty, how in the world will the US$2 billion loan from China usurp our much-cherished sovereignty and deplete all our natural resources?

Mr. President, not only the fact that you inherited a grave economic situation as a malicious monkey-wrench, but the international financial cartels also know that very well; so, rather than have their opaque, secret agreements reviewed, they and their paid accomplices will do everything possible to abort your agenda. The rapid depreciation of the L$ and the “Bring Back Our Money” protest could all be part of a destabilization package.  Thus you must expect that every misstep of your government along the way could be met with sporadic demonstrations.

Under such circumstances, Mr. President were you not a fervent democrat, but an old communist like me, I would set up party committees in every corner of our Republic to mobilize and undertake concrete social actions and carry forth the message that this “Pro-poor Government shall never fail the people.” To get this message across, I will pack all those jobless youths and noisemakers and send them on collective farms around the country during every farming season with military detachments to instill discipline, patriotism,  re-education, and productivity – a sort of a Cultural Revolution that Liberia needs so badly. And to facilitate the success of this program, I will print more billions of the L$. And next, I will drastically reduce those extravagant salaries – a strong signal of determination to implement my agenda against all the odds.

Having talked my heart, Mr. President, the reality is a different story. To get your government out of this premeditated economic strangulation, I strongly suspect the creation of another GEMAP (Governance Economic Management Assistant Programme) on the horizon to dictate and undermine your great agenda. Because for better or for worse, the L$ is a historical stepchild of the US$ - and our historical curse too.

My Small Advice, Mr. President

Mr. President, if I were you I will definitely carry out the following:

1.  Do a radical reshuffle of the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism (MICAT). Retaining a defector from CDC to UP in the same position as Minister makes him not too credible to be the mouthpiece for your government. And second, it gives the impression that your government has yet to transition from that of Madam Sirleaf. And third, it may create friction or suspicion within your government as loyal Cdians may not be too comfortable towards a disloyal defector. So, I think the best way to forgive and help such a former party stalwart may be to reappoint him to a low profile position to sit quietly and survive.

You know, I suggested a long time ago that since the President now has a “Press Secretary” as in most democratic nations, “Information» should be deleted from the nomenclature of MICAT for it to become only “Ministry of Tourism and Culture Affairs. Perhaps, Mr. President, the moment is propitious for this reform to genuinely promote culture and tourism – another two yet untapped industries in our country.

2.   I beg, please have weekly cabinet meetings to keep Liberians fully abreast on the activities of your government – the progress, difficulties, failures, etc, and how you intend to mobilize or rally the people to your great national agenda. It is not enough to always tell the people “to be patient” when a problem suddenly appears on the surface. You must now forge the perception that your government is always ahead of the problems and in a genuine search of viable solutions.

3.  I urge you to set-up an economic team to do an assessment of the financial situation – the status of all the concession agreements signed by Madam Sirleaf, their financial impact or how do they contribute to the national budget, etc.

4. Mr. President, never appoint a known critic to an important position in your government – it may silence the critic, but will also discredit your government.

5. My last dream, Mr. President – you can swap whatever little Madam Sirleaf has left from our natural resources to the Chinese, but make sure our country is connected (at least even 75%) with mega-highways in the next six years. And I can assure you that our children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren will work assiduously, conscientiously and patriotically to industrialize Liberia and reimburse our debts just like the Americans, Europeans and many others who are laden with huge debts also from the Chinese.