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Public Vengeance

The Analyst (Monrovia)
NEWS
December 7, 2005
Posted to the web December 7, 2005

The wish on the lip of every Liberian, irrespective of economic, social, and
political background is peace for Liberia following 15 years of what many say
was a self-annihilation drive. One thing that is not clear is just how that
peace so craved for can be achieved.
Those who see peace in the realm of politics believe appointment in government
on sectarian consideration will lessen suspicion and raise the index of
belongingness amongst Liberians. There are others who contend though that peace
should be seen in terms of government's ability to create opportunities for the
creation of jobs. Observers say peace lies within the blending of these two
schools of thoughts. But even while the incoming government has no problem with
inclusion, it proposed it own method of achieving the same ends. Now the public
has taken much interest in the inclusion process, uninvited, which should be
healthy. But the emerging problem is, with the intrusion of the public and
other civic groups in the question of who should or should not be selected to
perform public functions, come what appear to border on witch-hunting and
campaigns for exclusion of certain class of Liberians from the governance
process. Now the question is should the public be allowed to partake in the
vetting; and if it does notwithstanding the risk of emerging witch-hunting and
exclusionist politics, what impact will that have on the peace and
reconciliation process? The Analyst's Staff Writer has been downtown and
leafing through media reports.
The public's attempt to scrutinize the list of the Transitional Team appointed
by President-elect Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf may likely throw monkey's wrenches in
the peace and reconciliation process, The Analyst has discovered.
The Analyst's survey of Liberians who seem obsessed with political and
sectarian inclusion as well as with keeping individuals with "tainted"
characters out of the incoming government shows that if the public scrutiny of
the last few days was intended to create a fresh start, it has gone wild of the
mark.
A cross-section of Liberians interviewed by our survey team say some people
were more interested in settling old scores by making outrageous allegations
about those who they have problems than seeking a clean government comprising
individuals who can deliver.
One respondent pointed to the rejection by the University of Liberia Student
Union (ULSU) of Paul Mulbah, Fatu White, and Harry Greaves on "mere speculation
and allegations" as evidence that some individuals and institutions were
thriving on animosities of the past to gain public attention or to get a place
for themselves.
Ms White was appointed on the Transitional Team's subcommittee on State
Enterprises and Public Corporations as member; Mr. Mulbah was selected Mr.
Willis D. Knuckles, Jr. to serve on the subcommittee on inauguration, and Harry
Greaves was appointed to head the subcommittee on Finance, Budgeting, and
Economic Management.
President-elect Sirleaf conceded that initially the ground rules forbade
individuals from the immediate past administrations from taking part in the
turnover process but said errors were made either in pursuit of expertise or by
oversight.
She then promised that appropriate adjustments would be made to ensure that
individuals with tainted backgrounds do not find their ways on the team or back
into government.
But some greeted the explanation with cynicism, calling it a face-saving
attempt to pacify critics.
Others, including ULSU and the Movement for Political Reform in Liberia (MOP)
were even blunter.
"It is becoming conspicuously obvious that President elect Madam Ellen Johnson
Sirleaf is also on the path of reaffirming the old order and its failed social,
economic and political tendencies," said an ULSU press release which contended
that she was taking after Samuel Doe and Charles Taylor.
In the opinion of ULSU, Mrs. Sirleaf's preferment of the three ex-officials of
the Taylor regime was an early indication that she would ignore serious
consideration of the track records of individuals who served in past
governments.
"Anything that will fall short of the expulsion of these persons will lead to a
policy of ULSU-National Government Non Cooperation," the ULSU release warned.
Like ULSU, MOP believes Mrs. Sirleaf has violated her campaign pledge to the
new generation of Liberian technocrats and professionals in her selection of
transitional team members.
"At the Movement's emergency teleconference of December 3,2005 members
unanimously expressed concern about the lack of geographical and ethnical
balance, especially on the Inaugural Committee, contrary to Mrs. Sirleaf's
promise to the Movement for a more inclusive government arrangement," said a
MOP statement which presented as though it saw a cabinet outline in the
transitional list.
Expressing its disappointment over the selection of "old faces including the
likes of Harry Yuan, Johnny McClain, T. Ernest Eastman," MOP said Mrs. Sirleaf
has dumped the trust of its members.
"MOP feels let down after heavily backing Mrs. Sirleaf in a highly contested
election. But we are never afraid to face a new struggle, no matter how
daunting, until genuine reform is instituted for the betterment of all
Liberians, irrespective of background," the release said.
The group then accused Mrs. Sirleaf of selecting "a group of Liberians to
oversee her transition, many with identical background, from the same social
class and some with close family ties over hundreds of equally qualified
Liberians of different background who played leading and visible roles in her
election." These statements and sentiments are not restricted to MOP and ULSU
alone even though they cut across opinions and anger expressed by callers to
the various FM radio talk shows in the Liberian capital since the list was
published less a week ago.
"Mrs. Sirleaf is appointing the very people who wrecked this nation by
demonizing the presidency and vilifying politics," said one caller.
These criticisms that suggest that Mrs. Sirleaf is at early odd with her
constituency, observers suggested, may have pushed her into acknowledging
errors of inclusion and commenting on the specific case of the inclusion of Mr.
Paul Mulbah who critics see as a typical case of human rights violators.
"There is one case in which there was clear error because Mr. Paul Mulbah was
not, should not, and will not be part of either the Transitional Team, or have
anything to do with the new government. That is, he does not meet our
requirement when it comes to human rights. So this is the clear error that has
been corrected," Madam Sirleaf said over a local radio Monday.
But even that acknowledgement which was clearly intended to pacify critics and
assure them that all is not lost, that the new government is far from being
formed, created its own avalanche of criticisms and allegations.
"The CAC views Madam Sirleaf's attack on Mr. Mulbah's reputation in the absence
of due process of law as a witch-hunt and that it was the commencement of a
systematic campaign to silence her political opponents," a press release issued
Monday by the Citizen's Action Committee (CAC) shortly after Mrs. Sirleaf's
radio interview said.
Not only did the group abhor the exclusion of Mr. Mulbah without due process of
law, but it also made its own litany of allegations against individuals
currently on the team.
Those listed by CAC as not worthy of being on the list were Harry Greaves and
Brownie Samukai who it accused of commanding the "dreadful and criminal black
beret armed group".
The question analysts are asking on the basis of what seem enough criticisms to
go around even while many Liberians profess to favor the policy of inclusion
is, "Should the public be allowed to partake in the vetting; and if it does
notwithstanding the risk of emerging witch-hunting and exclusionist politics,
what impact will that have on the peace and reconciliation process?" "I think
the public should continue to partake in the vetting; it is healthy. I believe
that if this process is allowed, it will guide the government in making proper
choices that will serve the purpose of the nation and bring about development
and democracy.
If we stop that, we will have individuals who perpetrated the same old ways
that plunged this country into war and destruction," said Martha Thompson who
claimed to be a member of the Women's Wing of the Liberia Action Party (LAP).
Martha conceded that public involvement so far was having adverse effects but
noted that the present ecstasy would burn itself out.
Joseph Neway agreed, "In a situation where so many people are expecting to
benefit, there is bound to be finger pointing; but that is not witch-hunting as
many are claiming. What we are seeing is the recall of the past so that people
will be on their guard." Neway may make a lot of sense, but not many agree that
the present situation is healthy and that it will burn itself out.
"When you have a lot of people and even civil society and university groups and
professional institutions crying foul over the appointment of a transitional
team, think about what will happen when the list of cabinet ministers,
directors, and heads of public corporations and autonomous corporations comes
up. This government is in trouble. What must not escape us is that most of the
people and groups that are making this noise are fighting for personal
interests. They are not fighting for a clean government; if they were, they
would be fighting for exclusion on the basis of pass legal convictions and not
expressing so much anger and issuing so many threats on the basis of mere
allegations that in most cases have not or cannot be proven," said Pete G.
Gobah of Camp Johnson Road in Central Monrovia.
He said it was strange that in the same breath that these groups were preaching
and seeking peace, they were making public statements about excluding "old
faces" and "tainted characters" even though those spoken so vilely about have
no past records of convictions in any court of law for wrongdoing.
"Instead of seeking to exclude people on the basis of name, family connections,
past participation in government, or party affiliation, what was needed was for
the President-elect and his team to appoint individuals on the basis of
competence," he said.
Agreeing with Gobah, analysts say the best the public and all those concerned
with installing clean politics can do is to allow those appointed to show
indications of inability to perform.
"The public stands a fair chance to make better judgment on the basis of poor
performance than on so-called past records which in most cases are speculations
and unfounded allegation," said one analyst.
In that case, he said, it was incumbent upon the president-elect to concentrate
on a system of closely vetting those eyed for inclusion into the new government
than listening to gossips and making statements based on those gossips.
As the situation stands, he said, what most members of the public were engaging
in is vengeance, not political cleaning.
"And if it continues, this country will run deeper into distrust and confusion
rather reconciling as the people claim to be obsessed with," he said.

   

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