We Must Embrace Peace As The Indispensable Factor Towards Lasting Economic and Political Progress

 Friday, July 23, 2010

Paul Jeebah Albert

 People are attributing the influx of Liberians returning home these days to infrastructure development. While this premise may be partly true, it is somewhat flawed, and accepting its reasoning absolutely will be committing the fallacy of the “band wagon” –where an individual simply agrees with an assertion because many people are unquestionably saying and agreeing with it.

Liberians and foreign investors alike are visiting Liberia these days because there is some sense of peace in the country.  A case in point:  In spite of all the shortcomings of the United States, its economy is still coveted by many industrialized countries of the world, and it remains vibrant because of three factors: 1. Political stability 2. Infrastructure development, and 3. Large discretionary incomes. From a keen observation these factors are arranged in an order of importance.  Political stability thrives in an atmosphere of peace, and it paves the way for infrastructure/economic development.  The net result is that it creates the atmosphere for people to work, earn and spend their discretionary incomes. These are the gears that run America’s colossal economic engine and the foundation of her enduring prosperity.

I extrapolated the above scenario to make the point that peace is the forerunner towards political stability and economic growth. It is the ultimate catalyst towards national progress. On the other hand, war hemorrhages a country and causes the massive destruction of both its physical and human capital. Such has been the case with Liberia. Many Liberians who fled the country and live in the Diaspora today did not do so because they are unpatriotic. They left in the quest of peace, life and liberty. Self-preservation is the natural human tendency that often compels people to seek for places of refuge in times of adversities.

July 26, 2010 is Liberia’s 163^rd Independence Day. Many of us would now imagine that given the years of our national existence as one of Africa’s oldest republics, and the traumatic experiences that Liberians have endured, our nation has matured and that our government officials have learned a valuable lesson from the past. On the contrary this is not so, because we still have some in leadership who are bent on destroying the fragile peace which our president, Mrs. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and the International Community have strived to maintain up to the present. The despicable event of July 10, which sent shockwaves throughout the world, is a grim reminder of this fact. It is believed that Mr. Togba Mulbah, who is the current deputy speaker of the Liberian House of Representatives, ordered his men to brutally assault police officer Lexington Beh, because the officer impounded a vehicle belonging to him on the grounds that it did not have the proper documents.

If this episode is true, one might ask how can democracy and the rule of law thrive in a country when an elected official who is the vicegerent of the legislative body, and who has also sworn to uphold the constitution and protect the lives, properties, and civil liberties of the citizens becomes an agent of terror, misery and despair? It brings to mind the days of: “Do you know who I am?” 

When government officials and others of high socio-economic status commit crimes with impunity, it sets a dangerous precedence for several reasons.  First, the acts can easily become a self-perpetuating prophecy. In my opinion, this self-perpetuating prophecy arises when the court system is corrupt and dysfunctional and cannot prosecute wrongdoers. Second, no restitution is made to the victims or any remediation done to correct the egregiousness of the abuse. Third, no punishment is meted to serve as a deterrent to potential offenders.

Abuse of power and the total disregard for human dignity and the rule of law are not new to Liberia. Similar incident occurred in the 80’s, when the former minister of finance during the Doe Era ordered the brutal and merciless flogging of some employees of the ministry, for their involvement in money scandals. I witnessed first hand the moaning and groaning of the poor fellows, as hardcore soldiers beat and inflicted fatal wounds on their backs. In spite of all the international outcry, public condemnation and societal pressure to bring the minister to justice, nothing came out of it. It has been over two decades since the incident occurred, and here we are again in the 21^st century facing similar incident!

These acts are against the spirit of reconciliation and peace, and send the wrong message to potential investors. Moreover, they feed the ravenous appetite of individuals who would like to capitalize on events of emotive suggestiveness, becoming the fertile soil for journalists who thrive on sensational reporting for some cheap end. It is what the detractors and unpatriotic individuals often like to see. The bottom line is that they dig the old wounds of a nation that is unreeling from an acrimonious conflict – a conflict that has left deep, psychological scars on the national psyche.

As we near another milestone in our national life, it is appropriate that we reflect on our past for a brief moment because, “He, who forgets the past, is bound to repeat the past.”  Below is a snapshot of Liberia’s antebellum posture – a posture that plunged the country in over two decades of civil war and caused the International Community to declare her a failed state.  

• The suspension of the writ of habeas corpus,
• Secretly arresting law abiding citizens and holding them incommunicado
• Rabid bigotry,
• A depraved criminal justice system,
• Unbridled and unconstrained abuse of human rights and constitutional order,
• The perpetuation of chronic corruption,
• Ethnic cleansing,
• Extrajudicial proceedings,
• Hoodwinking and bamboozling the electorates so as to stifle the democratic process and establish a political hegemony,
• Promoting sectionalism by using the national revenues to bring most development only to one’s county or political subdivision,
• Censuring freedom of the press and academic freedom,
• Manipulating the National Civil Service Agency hiring and promotion process,
• Bringing individuals in government who are not the proper fit, but are placed in critical areas because of personal affinity, political connection or consanguinity, etc.

 As a nation that is recovering from the rubbles of war, let us not tread the path of the habitual drug user who, even though is recovering from past drug abuse, is likely to become a recidivist because he is cultivating the wrong behavior.  Peace promotes the progress of civilization, but war retards the achievement of civilization.

  Paul Jeebah Albert lives in Spencer, North Carolina. He can be contacted at albrtpaul@aol.com) 704-636-7868.