The Perspective
Atlanta, Georgia
January 16, 2020

Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor is angry!

Not at the alleged homicide of 9-year old Linda Sherman which the Ministry of Justice has failed to conduct an autopsy. Or the discovery of Odell Sherman in the home of her (VP Taylor’s) cousin, Rev. Emmanuel Giddings.

Sherman later died at ELWA hospital and after much dilly-dallying, including a floppy, sloppy and shoddy handling of the investigation, the Liberia National Police said it was a freak accident and Rev. Giddings was absolved, although it was in his home the deceased was found.

Odell's mother would later take control of her body and buried her daughter with lingering questions abounding over closure and justice.

Neither is she that over a year since the discovery of the remains of 15-year old Vivian Wright in Gardinersville, much has not been done to stop the pussyfooting of the case, bring closure to her mother as well as laying her killers at the feet of Lady Judica.

But Vice-President Taylor is seething that her budgetary allotment in the 2019/2020 fiscal year has been slashed.

And as a consequence thereof, Vice-President Taylor, who pledged not to be a stagnant race car during the 2017 general and presidential elections, has refused to show up for the 2020 opening of the Liberian Legislature.

According to reports, attempts were made by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Bhofal Chambers and the President Pro-Tempore of the Liberian Senate, Senator Albert Chie, to coax Madam Taylor into appearing, wear a fake smile for the camera in order to show unity, even though the public would still know it's cow dump: hard on the top and messy beneath.

The display of no show on the part of the Vice-President, which is an embarrassment to the government she serves, comes barely a week following lambasting from her political godson, Benjamin Sanvee, in a video on Facebook.

It’s difficult to determine whether the outburst of Mr. Sanveee and barely a week later, the pouty countenance of his political godmother, were a highly calculated political move. However, it leaves much to be wondered where the patriotism of the Vice President lies—herself, not the county.

It can be recalled that a few years back, Vice President Taylor, at a forum in the United States, remarked that the US$12k that members of the Liberian Legislature raked in monthly earnings were not enough to handle their daunting responsibilities, whatever that meant.

When the Vice president was vying from her current job on the ticket of the Coalition for Democratic Change, she was aware that there would be trying economic times fo the country.

As a Senator for well over a decade, Vice President Taylor sat in sessions where finance ministers were called in, and shortfalls in revenue collection were declared. More so, the budget was recast more than thrice in order for adjustments to be made.

And so rather than embarrass her colleagues at the Legislature, the Vice President, who's also the head of the Liberian Senate, could have overtly or covertly extended her tentacles of influence over her colleagues

Unlike then when the United Nations and a slew of western dominated NGOs were running ops fullscale with a promising outlook, the scales on our eyes have fallen and reality has hit home.

Now it's a time for the show of patriotism. Patriotism isn't only loving the country. It is showing up when salary is on time or allotments are delayed for political reasons or otherwise.

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