|
Mandingo Nations Website |
|||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
|
Useful Links |
News And Articles |
||||||||||||
|
Community Links
|
Why President Sirleaf Needs A Second
Term? By: Abu M Kamara 19 August, 2010  Some
people without paying due attention to the changes and developments
taking place in post war Liberia conclude that a second term for the
current Administration is not necessary This view, in most instances is
not based on any justifiable reason other than saying that a chance be
given to another person to try. This sounds funny and indeed trivializes
the seriousness attached to the business of governance. Arguably,
democracy calls for among other things frequent elections in order to
provide the citizenry the opportunity to choose among the competing
forces and the decision to retain or reelect such individual or
individuals rests with the people rather than those seeking power. Far from the erroneous perception being held by some individuals in Liberia, a country’s fate cannot be left with those seeking for “their turn” In other words, there are people in our midst today whose aim is to ascend to power but what comes after acquiring that power is none of their business. This is no democracy. After all, democracy does not stop at the ballot booths where the electorates go to caste their votes and leave the rest to those elected to do whatever they like to do without accountability. On the contrary, democracy imposes an obligation on those at the helm of power to listen to their people and to deliver upon their promises according to the best of their ability. It is with in this context, that a decision to vote for a particular candidate must be based. And of course this should not apply only to the presidential election which has attracted so much attention in recent times, but should be applied to all other elective posts where a choice has to be made among the contending forces. With the exception of few and I really mean few, majority of those seeking elective positions in Liberia today have had first experience either by now or before. Therefore, there are enough ground for any objective analysis to support the ongoing informal debate about who fits for what in the forthcoming general and presidential elections. Yet, while this informal debate continues to surface in our daily papers and on air waves, one is logically compelled to reflect on some positive things that are taking place in our country under the stewardship of President Sirleaf, Administration. This has become inevitable in the light of a barrage of unconstructive criticisms from certain quarters condemning all that this Administration has achieved. It is sadden to note that even where attempts are made by some opposition to show a little bit of appreciation for the numerous visible achievements by this Government , succeeding comments have always been negatives and sometimes contemptuous to be taken for genuine criticisms. This is by no means to say that there are no people on the opposing side who have been very analytical and candid about the achievements of this Government. In fact we have had people in recent times who have changed their perceptions about this Administration while others in their own wisdom have .shifted camps to form part of President Sirleaf’s. team. All simply because they have enormous confidence in her leadership as demonstrated by practical examples on the ground. The fact remains that it is difficult to divorce the current progress being made in post war Liberia our without making reference to numerous strives being made by President Sirleaf Administration. This sentiment may attract criticism from people who only look out for the pitfalls rather than the achievements. On the contrary, critical and objective reflection on the post war status of the country provides much more optimism than any other time in the country’s history. Let history come to our rescue at this point. When President Sirleaf assumed the mantle of leadership in 2006, Liberia’s pride and dignity had shredded considerably. The country was not only detached and disengaged from fulfilling its domestic and international obligations, but was condemned, shunned upon and isolated by the international community which described the country then as a failed state. To complicate the matter further, our regional partners as well as our close neighbors viewed us with suspicious eyes. Soon, the friendly atmosphere that characterized our relationship with those neighboring countries vanished and was replaced with bitterness and revengefulness. Not to mention the huge debts accumulated over the years even before the civil war. From the onset, it became clear that President Sirleaf’s tasks were not only difficult and cumbersome to fulfill, but were also delicate from diplomatic point of view, and even dangerous to some extent from security stand point.. Perhaps the seriousness with which she tackled the above mentioned issues is directly responsible for the current achievements being witnessed in the country today. President Sirleaf’s decision to seek solutions to Liberia’s problems from both within and outside the country was considered as the most prudent thing to do at that time of the nation’s reemergence into the world politics after being absent for almost two decades. Domestically, the terrain was no easy pass. It was difficult, slippery and charged with atmosphere of suspicions, hatred and envy. One could see the anger and frustration written all over the faces of people mainly as a result of the protracted civil war but also from the prolonged culture of bad governance which characterized some of the past regimes. Evidently, it was a mission that no one expected any quick result but she made it. At the domestic level, the Government embarked on meaningful reforms targeting the civil service by eliminating ghost names from the list while increasing pay of civil servants based on levels and qualifications. This cannot be compared with the past where the civil service list was bloated with ghost names accompanied by undesirable salary schemes which made it very difficult for average civil servant to feed his or family. Today, the system has changed. The civil servants do not only received better salaries and other benefits attached, but they also receive their salaries on timely manner which was never the case before. Similar efforts were made towards the revamping of educational sector which suffered most after years of neglect. The assessment conducted during the nationwide tour of consultation to identify priority areas for the poverty Reduction Strategy revealed a gloomy picture about the nation’s educational sector. But today, the situation is remarkably different as our educational institutions have began to take proper shapes. The current quest for the expansion of primary schools to meet the corresponding increased rate of enrollment and the strengthening of tertiary institutions are the results of direct intervention by this Administration coupled with assistance from friendly nations. This brings us to the dividends of diplomatic shuttles which became a critical aspect of President Sirleaf Administration major priorities at the early stages of leadership. It should be noted here that pushing for Liberia’s readmission in to comity of nations after being absent for so many years was never compromised for anything. This occurred amidst huge criticism. Her trips abroad were considered in some quarters as waste of resources which could not bring any relief to the country. Critics were wrong. President Sirleaf visits abroad brought much more relief to the country than anyone could have imagined in a relatively short period of time. The country gained her image back, overcome her debt burden and became destination for high profile world leaders visits including the former US President George W. Bush, Angela Markel of Germany, and several African leaders. The visits by these leaders reaffirmed Liberia’s position in the global politics. Today, Liberia is being referred to as post conflict success story not only because of the resilience of its people to endure, but also the determination of the Government to ensure good governance, rule of law and freedom of speech. One is not saying we have achieved optimum in these areas even though there are no perfect systems anywhere in the world, but it is important to note that President Sirleaf’s commitment towards respecting the universal core values has attracted the attention of the international community. For instance, cancellation of Liberia’s international huge debts followed by its triumphant exit from the club of Highly Indebted Countries (HIPIC) is an eloquent testimony of Government’s achievements in tackling its obligations with seriousness, probity and accountability. Here, the critics must understand that by having international goodwill pouring into a country cannot by itself translate into prosperity of any kind unless it is prudently managed and utilized transparently by those in authority. This is where the credit goes to President Sirleaf’s Administration for the efficient utilization of external assistance which is being channeled towards education, agriculture, and capacity building. Regrettably, these positive achievements have always been over shadowed by discussions on corruption and related issues to make it appear as if these undesirable practices were sanctioned by the Government. But certainly this is not the case. True, this Government has had among its ranks and files corrupt individuals who for selfish reasons have been accused for allegedly stealing public funds and diverted same for personal use. But it must be noted also that several of such people have been sacked and are undergoing trial irrespective of whatever connection they might have had with the power that be, while others have been suspended based on allegation, investigated and set free. These are the hard facts that cannot be denied by anyone who have been following the trends of events unfolding in the country. Perhaps one thing that has remained undisputable in this atmosphere of denial and disagreement over the achievements of this Administration, is that despite wolf cries from certain quarters, vast majority of Liberians s remain very much appreciative of what President Sirleaf’s led Administration has achieved within the past few years. |
||||||||||||
|
Mandingo
Nations Webite Incorp. |
|||||||||||||
