By C. Winnie Saywah-Jimmy
“I want to say clearly that I am no longer a parked racing car. I am alert, in good health, ready to participate and win any race I find myself in going forward,” these were the exact words of former Vice President Joseph Boakai when he observed his 76th birth anniversary on Monday.
Amb. Boakai who gave thanks to God Almighty for His grace and blessings upon his life also thanked the Liberian people for the support over the years and reflecting on his life said he was not raised from sudden flight to the top but one propelled by character forged from toil, discipline, determination and commitment.
Recounting his political life, Amb. Boakai remembered how the Unity Party-led government under the Sirleaf-Boakai team took the country from a relief and emergency assistance case to recovery and set it firmly on the path to sustainable development in record time.
“We maintained the peace uninterrupted for 12 years and kept the country united. With the proper mix of fiscal and monetary policies, the economy began to return to the growth trajectory and we worked with development partners and mobilized the entire international community to prevent total collapse when the Ebola pandemic hit and nearly brought all economic activities to a halt,” Boakai explained.
The former Vice President, who referred to critics as being blind when they say the Sirleaf-led government did nothing, considered some as being gullible while more others according to him are still blind because the Sirleaf-Boakai team remains proud of its 12 years legacy.
However, speaking to issues of national concern which he termed as early warning signs that the international community and development partners must take cue from under the Weah-led administration, the former Vice President Boakai stated clearly that, “This CDC-led government has thus far failed the Liberian people.”
“I do not believe that the next three years under this government will show any improvement because things will only get worse for the state of the nation in general,” Amb. Boakai assured when he addressed members of the media at his Rehab residence on his natal day.
The former Vice President’s observation focused on the issues surrounding the rule of law, the mid-term senatorial elections inclusive of the voter,s roll and the referendum as well as the economic hardship and without mincing his words, Amb. Boakai said, Liberians are suffering as most of them are unable to provide food for their families nowadays while the majority live in fear; a level of insecurity that most Liberians have not experienced since the end of the civil war.
“I associate the present economic hardship in the country not only with the poor management of our fiscal and monetary policies but also with a high degree of public corruption fueled by an impetuous level of greed by most of our leaders,” he surmised.
Referring to the political atmosphere as troubling under the Weah-led Government, Amb. Boakai said, “Our hard-earned peace remains fragile today as the government seems to place the responsibility of maintaining and sustaining the peace on the citizens especially the opposition, rather than itself.”
He said the government has forgotten that its action and inactions also threatens the peace pointing out that, “Our leaders fail to understand that there can be no sustained peace, economic growth and social development if it is not grounded on adhering to our Constitution.”
“Liberia is in a dire state of decline due to the blatant disregard for the sanctity of life, serious human rights violations and crimes against humanity, lack of respect for the rule of law, the increasing rampant corruption and the staggering decline in the living standards of the Liberian people,” Amb. Boakai expressed.
He also said the Weah-led government has been rebuked for misapplying taxpayers’ funds, with the failure to give proper account of the L$16 billion and the US$ 25 million allocated to mop up excess Liberian dollars on the market which has triggered series of protests in the country as a classic example of citizens’ anger.
Meanwhile, on the issue of the former Associate Justice Kabineh Ja’neh, Amb. Boakai termed the impeachment proceeding as bogus and expressed that today it has become another embarrassment for the country thereby landing Liberia into an unequivocal scolding by the ECOWAS Court urging the government to honor its obligations under the ECOWAS Charter and Protocols as one of its founding members.
The former Vice President also joined the calls by many other Liberians in urban and rural areas that the national referendum must be held as a separate event and not on December 8 due to the lack of massive awareness and also that the government makes every effort to clean the voters’ roll before the elections are held.