Da Our Time: A politically corrupt mentality in Liberia’s governance system

The Perspective
Atlanta, Georgia
Posted: January 8, 2023

In the context of Liberian politics, the phrase “Da Our Time” is most commonly used by Liberian politicians and partisans to illustrate possessive political control of the state. It is a sense of ownership and entitlement to the country's wealth and power if I should say. The expression, in another sense, also suggests that one group of politicians or political parties have enjoyed political power, and it’s time for a new group that has struggled for political power to enjoy it too. Enjoyment in this context means personal enrichment using political power. What is problematic with such a mindset is that the political party (parties) taking over from the incumbent government focus more on wealth accumulation than running an accountable and transparent government. They speculate and compare how much others enriched themselves while in power. Now, allowing themselves to go through such imagination further creates anxiety and desperation for wealth and quick riches. That’s what such a mindset does. It leaves little room for proper governance and equitable distribution of state resources.

Moreover, this mindset puts Liberia in a position of elephant meat. That is, whosoever manages to take control of the elephant feast as he or she wishes. A classic example is the CDC- the ruling party in Liberia. Many of them, in open and closed doors, argued that it is their time- and when translated in the political context of Liberia-it suggests that it is time to get rich too from the government. By the way, stealing from the government for personal use and benefit is not unique to the CDC. It’s an old-age problem in our governance system. The UP and the Sirleaf dynasty are not also free from the practice of this politically corrupt mindset. The CDC is only advancing what is known to be an established way of exploiting the state. But for the CDC, it’s done on an industrial scale- mass looting. A case in point is the sanction on senior government officials in President Weah’s government by the US Global Magnitsky report for corruption, bribery, and judicial compromise.

The CDC doesn’t pretend when it has to say that it (Da Our Time). What is funny is that the party’s senior officials and diehard partisans used this phrase to show control of the country- not in a good way but in corrupt control of the country. The CDC has been running a closed and winner-take-all government centered around the terrible idea of “Da Our Time.” Not only has this mentality affected the governance system, but it has also contributed to corruption in government. Furthermore, this mentality has pushed out-qualify and competent bureaucrats and substituted them with laypeople in government—occupying strategic public entities that are bigger than the capacity of the individual sitting in them. In the end, the government has faltered, and no significant gains have been made over the last five years.

Unlike Weah’s predecessor, President Sirleaf, she encouraged a merit system in government from the first six years. Credit must be given to her. She appointed some qualified and competent individuals to strategic positions in government- which is not unique now with the incumbent government, given the level of misplaced and incompetent bureaucrats in government. The UP government was well on course during the first six years, but the velocity at which the government proceeded dropped significantly in the second quarter. Nepotism and favoritism slipped in. With no professional expertise, Rob was allowed to head NOCAL- a strategic oil company. The only justification for such a high level of preference at the time was that Rob was the beloved son of the commander-in-chief of The Republic of Liberia. I don’t wish to talk about nepotism and partiality in the current regime because it is a colorful painting in all ministries and agencies of government.

What also happened with the phrase “Da Our Time” mentality is that incompetent and lower-level bureaucrats with little experience are preferred by powerful politicians who use them as scapegoats when things backfire in government. For instance, the corruption scandal at Buchanan Port. The Passport scandal at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Additionally, there is a total disregard for qualifications and expertise in appointing government officials. The 2023 general and presidential elections are around the corner. It will not be news to see a newly elected government (alternative government) doing what others have done. It is like using the old mat to plait a new one. Liberia has gone through some of the worst crises any country can experience. For instance, the civil war led to the death of high-ranking officials of the government in the past and also innocent civilians because of political issues and bad governance.

Unfortunately, the country is yet to learn its lessons. The quality of decisions made by politicians doesn’t resemble what a failed country like Liberia needs to transition into a better society that promotes the rule of law, accountability, transparency in government, effectiveness, and responsiveness. The Freedom House 2022 considers Liberia a partially free society, citing that Liberia is faced with corruption and a culture of impunity. In another sense, Liberia is half safe, and stealing in government is expected. In addition, the impunity culture in government allows powerful people to go unpunished even if they commit crimes against the state and others. Transparency International also listed Liberia among the most corrupt nations in the world, as per the 2021 report. All these reports communicate one thing - a weak system and lack of political will to act due to conflict of interest, personal greed, desire for wealth accumulation, and using power to intimidate others. Until the corrupt political mentality (Da Our Time) is erased from the governance sphere of Liberia with merit and an accountable system, Liberia will continue to suffer at the hands of corrupt regimes that do little to change the suffering of ordinary Liberians.

 

About the Author: Keifala Kanneh holds a master's in International Development and Social Change from Clark University, USA. Keifala has just completed his second master's in Public Governance from Tilburg University, The Netherlands. He graduated from the University of Liberia with a BSc in Economics. He is a former Chairman of the Intellectual Discourse Committee of the University of Liberia Student Union (ULSU) and erstwhile Student Representative (SR) to the University of Liberia Faculty Senate.
He can be reached @ kannehkeifala2015@gmail.com and via telephone on +31616824319

 

© 2019 by The Perspective
E-mail: editor@theperspective.org
To Submit article for publication, go to the following URL: http://www.theperspective.org/submittingarticles.html