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Gyude's Chilling
Legacy of Corruption
Saturday, April
23, 2005
By Tewroh-Wehtoe
Sungbeh
I
still don't understand why Charles Gyude Bryant was chosen
in 2003 to be interim leader of Liberia in the first place.
I do know that qualified and experienced individuals were
passed over on that grim day only to select a neophyte, and
a once obscure businessman who would later create more
problems for Liberia.
Yes,
Charles Gyude Bryant has become more of a problem than a
solution in the short years since he occupied the Executive
Mansion. Bryant’s image is not getting any better, and
things are not getting better in Liberia either under his
leadership.
Even
though Bryant is a lame duck chairman who must deal with the
rebels in his power-sharing government to get things done on
a daily basis, he still hasn’t shown an in depth knowledge
of the issues confronting Liberia, and hasn’t convinced
anyone that a Charles Gyude Bryant is capable of doing much
before his term is over.
Charles Gyude Bryant
As we
speak of his incompetence, we are constantly being reminded
of corruption, which is another chilling legacy of the
Bryant administration. Others have gone so far to even
conclude that Mr. Bryant himself is a corrupt man, simply
because there is one allegation of alleged impropriety after
another, which doesn’t bode well for a man once touted as a
neutral businessman who is ready to lead Liberia.
I see
no reason why critics shouldn’t be hard on the guy and his
government when Mr. Bryant and others in Monrovia are
constantly committing the Liberian government into
questionable business deals, just when the administration is
about to leave office. One doesn’t need a microscope to see
the bogus business deals Gyude Bryant and his cronies are
recklessly signing. They are all over the place.
There
is the Mittel Steel LIMNICO deal that would lead to the
exploitation of iron ore at the LAMCO concession area in
Nimba County. Mr. Bryant has ignored two writs from the
Supreme Court of Liberia prohibiting him from signing the
deal until the matter is resolved. Bryant, however, is
listening to no one, not even the Supreme Court of Liberia,
and is pursuing his pet project.
Let’s
not forget the recent Firestone Rubber Company deal signed
at the detriment of the nation by the Bryant administration,
at a time when Liberians are calling on the current
government and future ones to reevaluate the one-sided
arrangement that benefits no one but Firestone.
There
is the $2.2 million telecommunications deal that gave a
Lebanese-owned company the right to regulate Liberia’s
telecommunications network. The question raised is why
interim Vice Chairman Wesley Johnson and Postal Affairs
Minister Eugene Nagbe committed the government to such a
deal without the involvement of key stakeholders?
Weeks
ago, the United Nations Independent Expert on the promotion
and protection of human rights in Liberia, Charotte Abaka,
criticized the Bryant administration for the lack of
transparency and accountability. According to Abacha, the
Bryant government has “done nothing to revamp the Liberian
society such as paving for transparently accountable
government.”
And
there is the rice issue and the damaging report issued by
presidential candidate Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, whom Mr.
Bryant appointed to head a committee to look into the
escalating costs of our staple food.
The price of rice, as we speak is
reaching the stratosphere, and Liberians can barely afford
to buy a cup of rice, let along a bag which cost a hefty $45
to $75, depending on where one buys it. What's Chairman
Bryant doing to solve the rice crisis?
Ms.
Sirleaf reported in her findings to Mr. Bryant the
ineffectiveness of the Ministry of Commerce and asserted
that “there is bribery all along the chain at every level”
as “Bryant allowed grafts and corruption to permeate the
society.”
Where’s
Charles Gyude Bryant, anyway, when human rights and
pro-democracy activists are pressuring his government to
clear the roadblocks and allow itself to be audited by the
ECOWAS audit team?
What
happen to the over $500 million raised at the donor
conference couple of years ago to help rebuild Liberia? Has
Gyude Bryant squandered that money also? This guy,
certainly, is making Charles Taylor to look like a saint.
What a shame!
I am
wishing, (and I am sure others are also) for October to come
by quickly; the day we will replace Mr. Bryant and his
friends and rise up to elect a leader who, hopefully, will
put Liberia first, his or her personal financial interests
second, and move speedily in bringing credibility to the
office, respect to the nation and work hard on improving the
standard of living of the Liberian people.
I may be dreaming, and could be accused of expecting a lot
from a new leader who definitely will have his or her hands
full by the headaches ahead. However, Charles Gyude Bryant
is an embarrassment who must find a new line of employment
or return to his little business, because he’s not a
presidential material.
But who in this world does not have high expectations and
big dreams, especially when things are not going well for
them? And even during prosperous times, those who are known
to be doing well do dream big and work harder to improve
their lives and increase their holdings.
It is sad, though, and sad for Liberia to once again be in
this position; from one terrible leader to another terrible
one. Even some of our past interim (caretakers) leaders are
no different.
It appears as if there are no honest leaders in the entire
country, because most of our problems today can be traced
back to our lack of honest leaders who are doggedly
patriotic, and willing to sacrifice it all to lift us up,
improve our standard of living, rebuild our crumbling
country and make us all proud.
I don’t know when this madness will end. However, something
must be done immediately before it is too late, because the
Liberian people are running out of tears and the Liberian
nation’s bleeding red!
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