By David K. Dahn
When the astute human rights lawyer and standard bearer of the Liberia People’s Party(LPP), Tiawan Saye Gongloe, spoke at the 6th Anniversary of the National Union of Hospitality Aviation Communication and Energy Workers(NUHACE), his emphasis was really on the abolition of graduation fees in Liberian schools.
But, the IN Profile Daily Newspaper, Vol. 16, N0. 227 of Monday, October 7, 2024, carried a banner headline “What Kind of Country is this?” When I read the entire story, I realized that the headline was carved from what the journalist would refer to as “the news angle.” And so here we are with this intriguing question that should beat the conscience of genuine Liberians who would love to see their blessed country on the path of progression.
I read through the paper paragraph by paragraph. And on purpose, I did that thrice (three times). What I read was a lamentation from an advocate who sounded today like he had sounded yester years. This is a lawyer whose advocacy has never been bent on “what is in it for me?” What I read sounded to me like the lawyer saying what good is in this country for all Liberians?
In paragraph two, quoting Cllr. Gongloe, the In Profile Daily writes, “He revealed that government officials act as though they are helpless bystanders to the very problems they were elected to solve. These officials, who have been entrusted with the highest responsibilities, speak as if they are powerless. Instead of acting like leaders, they behave like opposition figures or civil society activists”
Still laying the basis why I call this a lamentation from a patriot, listen to paragraph three. Again, quoting the In Profile Daily “[h]e stated that those officials point fingers at the corruption, inefficiency, and incompetence that they themselves should be addressing; wondering, “Is this how Botswana, Rwanda or Cape Verde rose to progress?”
Paragraph 13 touched my spirit even more when the learned Cllr. raised his voice as he was again quoted by the In Profile Daily echoing, “We tolerate poverty, hopelessness and mass anger among our own people? Our young men and women, driven to despair, fall victim to human trafficking, risking their lives for a chance at dignity. Some die in the Sahara Desert, chasing a glimmer of hope. Aye, God! What kind of country is this?”
Now that Cllr. Gongloe has cried out to God wanting to know what kind of country is this, I thought to share his national woe with this rejoinder.
History has proven over time that Liberia is a country where people run into public space not to build the nation but to build themselves knowing that ahead lies no measure for accountability or stewardship. Since Cllr Gongloe wants to know the kind of country, let me remind him that this is a country where people use their ethnicity, position and education to suppress and deny others the right to dignity.
This is a country where partners spend money to train technicians and by the time new government takes over the regime throws the partners money away by relieving those trained personnel. The irony is, officials go back to the same partners and start to shamelessly talk about another capacity training program just to send their hand-picked favorites.
Liberia is a country where we run government like NGO- the whole country depends on diplomatic missions/international organizations, to offer us cars, desk top computer before we operate, lap tops, furniture for office, money to count our own people( census), medicine for hospital, vaccine for our children, issue us used medical supplies, give us books for our schools, send teachers/volunteers to staff our schools, build roads and bridges for us, paint our infrastructure, give us budget support, etc. Sadly, there is never a mega project (say connect Robert Street with Broad Street using our own budget). But our national budget is simply good for salary and benefit payment for public servants.
You want to know what kind of country is this, Cllr. Gongloe? I thought you knew that this is a country where we have about 80 tertiary institutions (Source: Higher Education Commission) with poor facilities or no intentional plan on how to run some of those institutions other than robbing the youth through the collection of different fees. We run some grade schools in ‘turtle mat’ structure with huge tuition and graduation fees. And we do nothing about correcting that as a country.
Cllr Gongloe, sorry to hear you cry on God to know what kind of country is this? But this is a country where there is no respect for labor to the extent that the slum dwellers who are hired to do menial job for the country through street cleaning have to alarm for 10-15 month arrears payment. And this cut across for teachers/professors, health workers or other technicians in public and private institutions.
But Cllr I thought you knew by now that this is a country when you are a public official your moral upbringing is trashed and you now wear a garment of lawlessness. Your private car is not to be registered, you should drive car un-plated with unauthorized siren in the opposite lane and without a driver’s license. Only taxi drivers and some private cars supposed to yield to public safety regulations.
For real, you still want to know what kind of country is this? This is a country where public officials go to office by 11: OO clock, take lunch break at 12:00 noon, return to office at 2:00pm and leave office finally by 2:30pm. And if the issue of financial accountability springs up just put fire on your office or on the financial documents and the case is perpetually closed. Any attempt to pursue you, your paid supporters will shout that it’s a witch hunt.
Cllr Gongloe, you still seem doubtful as to what kind of country is this, right? This a country in this age of technology, where people present fake academic credentials to scoop money from the country and even if a whistle is blown, no law, not one is there to discourage such action. In short once you have elbowed your way into the public space you are sadly above integrity watch. You are covered in your fakery by political connections and safe from merit base hiring.
I have to close, at least for now. You aren’t sure yet what kind of country is this, Cllr. Gongloe? Anyway, this is a country where if you want to serve in government perpetually all you have to do is what I call ‘party hopping’- switch every time from opposition to the ruling party of the time and your “chopping” will be lifelong.
David K. Dahn, the author
