Liberia Practices "Jungle Democracy"
Oct 3, 2000

The Liberian government well-financed public relations campaign designed to reinvent itself and win public sympathy amongst Liberians here in the United States and the Diaspora has clearly fallen on deaf ears. Less than a month after the Government of Liberia dispatched a team of officials to visit the United States to persuade Liberians that the government was changing direction, and that it needed the support of Liberians, Liberians have begun to express their long held distrust and lack of confidence in the Taylor government.

A group of concerned Liberians residing in Minnesota has charged the government of practicing "jungle democracy." In a statement issued over the weekend, the group stated:

"Since we stepped out of our slumber believing that all was well, the practice of "JUNGLE DEMOCRACY" - a system in which might makes right, is the modus a operandi for civil administration under Taylor. The tyranny of Taylor and his cronies in the governance of Liberia is so vivid that one does not need to use a binocular to capture the full effect of its magnitude on the country. Individual and civil liberties have been trampled on. The interest and welfare of those who govern is put first, and at worst the interest of the Liberian people who echo slogans like "you kill my pa, you kill my ma, I will vote for you" have yet to make it on Taylor's priority list. Corruption, mismanagement and misuse of public funds is rampant. Tax-exempted concession rights are handed out to foreign companies under dubious agreements. For example the Oriental Timber Company is pillaging the timber reserved of Liberia under the guise that it will build roads in the hinterlands of Liberia. But to the contrary, the forest is being cut without any implementation of a plan for reforestation to preserve the environment. It is the interest of these international pirates most of who bank rolled Taylor's killing machines of child soldiers and mercenaries that is placed second to none. It is their interest that President Taylor and his small band of hustlers are serving in Liberia, and not the Liberian people."

The Government clearly has a difficult road to tread to change its public perception and image.