The Perspective
Atlanta, Georgia
April 13, 2020

Courtesy of Reuters

On April 8, 2020, President Weah of Liberia imposed a state of emergency as a part of his government’s response in the fight against the Coronavirus pandemic.  The action was taken weeks after the menace was brought into Liberia by the head of the Environmental Protection Agency of Liberia – an agency that should have been at the forefront in protecting Liberians from the pandemic. Though the action is long overdue, many Liberians and friends of Liberia welcome it.  We believe that if the state of emergency is planned and executed correctly, Liberia could, sooner than later, declare victory against the pandemic.  But the state of emergency can also affect certain rights and freedoms of the citizenry and therefore should not be used for silencing or witch-hunting political opponents and critical voices in civil society.

Emergency Powers
Article 86 of the Liberian Constitution gives the president the authority to declare a state of emergency and there-under suspend certain constitutional rights and freedoms of the people of Liberia.  Notwithstanding, during a state of emergency, the constitution cannot be suspended nor amended.  The legislature is to remain in session for the entire duration of the state of emergency.  The president is required to present the proclamation and measures (action plan) to the legislature for endorsement.  The legislators have the authority to endorse or revoke the state of emergency or modify the measures if needs be.

Measures
What is currently absent in this state of emergency proclaimed by the Liberian leader are the MEASURES: actions that would propel us to defeat the Coronavirus pandemic.  It is unfortunate that since President Weah proclaimed the state of emergency, he has not come up with any action plan, apart from amassing members of the CDC and paramilitary of Liberia at checkpoints and market areas to enforce the lockdown proclamation.  If no comprehensive action plan is put in place and if the implementations of agreed measures are not placed in the hands of competent people with the requisite knowledge in fighting infectious diseases, COVID-19 would continue to spread regardless of the barricades erected by the paramilitary against the free movement of Liberians, coupled with the attendant intimidation and harassments. 

Shaki Kamara (A West Point boy gunned down by the Liberian Army in 2014 during the state of emergency imposed by former President Sirleaf)

According to the constitution, the president has up to seven days to carve and present the measures to the legislature.  We applaud the House of Representatives and the Liberian Senate for not precipitately endorsing the imposition without requiring the “measures,” as per the  Liberian Constitution.  During the Ebola epidemic, the House and the Senate prematurely approved the imposition of the state of emergency under former President Sirleaf, but in the end, the millions of dollars that were given to the Sirleaf Government could not be accounted for.  The Defense Ministry, for example, was given $357,000.00, and all they had to show as the “value for the money” was the murder of Shaki Kamara of West Point. 

So, the legislators must continue their vigilance because this seems to be like a Deja Vu of the state of emergency under Madam Sirleaf.  On Friday, we saw marketers and poor street hustlers, who fought tooth and nails to have Mr. Weah elected, being beaten by police and CDC thugs for their refusal to abide by the proclamation that was poorly articulated to the public. To add insults to injuries, their market stalls and tables were also demolished. These actions taken by the government are insensitive and inhumane.  If the government opts to get rid of the market stalls and tables, why couldn't they find alternative places that would be in line with social distancing occasioned by the COVID-19?  Monrovia is satiated with football (soccer) fields.  So, why couldn't they at least ask the marketers to move their tables to their respective community football fields where the social distancing arrangements would be supervised, including but not limited to installing visible markings. Instead, the GOL closed the markets where the poor and general public buy or sell products to support their families and the tables used to display products were deliberately destroyed. 

Meanwhile, the supermarkets and shops where the rich and government officials do their shopping are all opened. These businesses are mostly owned by Lebanese and Indian merchants, many of whom are also donors and financial sponsors of some government officials. No wonder why they operate free of harassment and threat of closure while small informal Liberian businesses, street sellers and women selling food on tables at general markets and forced to shut down and chased from streets and market buildings.

The government has received money from the World Bank.  What is in it for the poor people? 
Some countries are giving some provisions to the poor people, but the Liberia Government that brags about being a pro-poor government does not have anything for its poor people.  Responding to the needs of the poor must be part of any serious plan of action for the state emergency.

What about utilizing the 2000 contact tracers that the Sirleaf Government trained?
 Money was spent to train the contact tracers.  So, why is the GOL hiring 6000 CDCians to serve as contact tracers instead of utilizing those trained by former President Sirleaf? This approach to using public resources seems to be a waste of donors’ and tax-payers’ time and money.

The legislature needs to launch an investigation into why GOL officials brought the Coronavirus into the country  
Any government that sends its officials to a country that is infested with a pandemic like COVID-19, or any official who chooses to travel to such a country must be investigated.  It is an open secret that  COVID-19 entered Liberia because of the reckless behaviors of our leaders.  Coronavirus was inching into the country when CDC had its retreat at the stadium where people came from all over the country to attend. Mr. Blama and Tweah traveled to countries that were known globally to have a high number of cases and deaths from COVID 19. Why?

Conclusion
We do not agree with some pundits who opined that the government was, perhaps, faking the COVID-19 pandemic to get free money from the international partners.  What we believe is that Coronavirus in Liberia is real and that the pandemic must not be used by President Weah and his cronies to enrich themselves as was the case during the Sirleaf regime.

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