Jubilation Over J. Milton Teahjay's Appointment Says a Lot About the "Progressives" f Two Soccer Legends

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Tewroh-Wehtoe Sungbeh

     Years of talking tough and being on the other side of the political spectrum endeared J. Milton Teahjay to his political supporters; and made the one-time maverick a star in political circles throughout Liberia.

     With an adventurous streak and a flair for the dramatic, J. Milton Teahjay made his name in Liberian politics as an in-your-face, confrontational, and an unabashed populist who saw his political star that once illuminated throughout Liberia extinguished after he abandoned his trademark fiery nationalistic political sentiments for the other side – the non-democratic, oppressive and opportunistic side of the political spectrum for political appointment, direct access to money, international travels and direct access to former President Charles Taylor whom he faithfully served, then later criticized for exploiting the natural resources of his home county, Sinoe.

                                                       J. Milton Teahjay

     After the unheard of criticism of his former boss for exploiting the natural resources in Sinoe County, J. Milton Teahjay ran into hiding and was briefly exiled in the United States until Taylor left Liberia and was also exiled in Nigeria in 2003.

     The presidential election of 2005 that elevated Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to the presidency did not help Teahjay, who was now unemployed and without any political power flirted with a senatorial run in his native Sinoe County, years after he left that part of Liberia for fame, power, money and national politics.

     With his credibility completely in ruins coupled with a dim future in politics, Teahjay meandered from a life-long membership in the United People’s Party (UPP), to Charles Taylor’s National Patriotic Party (NPP), then to George Manneh Weah’s Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) political party, and now has been appointed Superintendent of Sinoe County by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of the Unity Party, an appointment that has since been mired in controversy with two of Sinoe County’s Senators, Mobutu Nyenpan and Joseph Nagbe rejecting the appointment because of the nominee’s controversial past.

     However, before we all forget let me remind you that this is the same J. Milton Teahjay who, during the 2005 presidential campaign stated publicly “Let hair grow in my palm if Ellen Johnson Sirleaf becomes president,” a comment I am sure he would rather take back now that he has been appointed by a President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to serve as her Superintendent.

      Then again, as a “loyal” opposition, Teahjay, who is not known to be discipline in his public utterances, criticized President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf after her administration refused to issue diplomatic passport to the ailing opposition politician Gabriel Baccus Matthews, to expedite his travel out of the country for medical treatment.

     Teahjay went ballistic however, after the administration made a $15,000 donation when Matthews passed away as a contribution to the political leader’s funeral arrangements. When events did not turned out as Teahjay expected them to be, he complained publicly and commented loosely as if the Liberian government is supposed to issue diplomatic passports to former government officials, or whether it is the responsibility of government to pay for the funeral arrangements of former officials.

     Teahjay then again showed his ungrateful side when he reportedly made this comment: “He tried getting help from the government but never got any help from the government. Had the US $15,000 been given to Mr. Matthews while he was alive, he would have been alive today. It would have done much to help him cover his funeral expenses.”

      Milton Teahjay would later criticize the administration once again “for neglecting the Liberian people,” and also said without any evidence that government officials transferred $13.7 million annually in remittances to their relatives abroad, which was met with a with swift response from the Liberian government.

     Personally, I believe it is the patriotic duty of Liberian citizens to keep a watchful eye on their government when that government failed to address the chronic social, political and economic crisis facing them. It is also a patriotic obligation of Liberian citizens to hold their government accountable for its failure to lead, to curb corruption, and to terminate and genuinely prosecute corrupt government officials who are found guilty of stealing from the Liberian people.

     When you are J. Milton Teahjay, it becomes troubling and comical when you are a government critic who is oblivious to your own checkered and controversial political past, and just cannot leave the limelight to others to do the talking especially when you are burdened with a baggage that hinders your effectiveness. And when your chameleon political character, coupled with a bombastic and reckless disregard of the fact is always the news instead of the other way around, makes it extremely difficult to take you seriously.

      However, the appointment of Teahjay as Superintendent of Sinoe County, if confirmed by the Senate will be another chapter in the man’s life which is not surprising to some of us, for the mere fact that it speaks of him as unprincipled and lacked conviction; and also says a lot about some of us who can be on the outside of the political spectrum and say all we want about everything political only to later compromise our values to accept political appointments when the jobs in question should have been elected ones, reflects poorly on Liberian politicians and political activists, and echoes what many Liberians have said about some of us that we are all “gravy seekers” who will do the same if we were ever given a chance to work for government.

     Some of the “political activists” are not helping the cause either when they are political activists in name only when it is politically convenient, or when it is about criticizing Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, but are mute or shameless cheerleaders when the same Ellen Johnson Sirleaf whom they always wanted to take to the gallows for being an imperial president appoints their friends or family members to accept a job that should have being an elected one. 

      One would think the progressives whom at one time supported the call for electing Superintendents, City Mayors and other municipal leaders, and once supported decentralization of government with the tax dollars collected in the counties staying in the counties, and also supported diluting the powers of the imperial presidency would discourage Teahjay from accepting the appointment in order to focus his energies on the larger picture, which is to advocate improving the lives of his people, but are now supporting J. Milton Teahjay’s appointment because he is their friend and a son of the soil, a “Blojlu,” which is hypocritical.

     So Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is only good when she appoints our friends and family members to government, but is no good when she is not toting water for the so-called progressives the way they want her tote it?

     Inconsistency of this kind makes life difficult for all because it compromises the political aspirations of the Liberian people by robbing them of a chance to be self-governed at a time when the Liberian people are advocating empowerment, electoral politics in the counties and decentralization of government.

     This survivalist brand of political activism is not about conviction but opportunism and protecting the entrenched selfish interests of some of the ‘progressives,’ whose shameless maneuvering is an embarrassment to the movement. 

     So far, J. Milton Teahjay is not talking, which could mean pre-confirmation conversion intended to show the other side of a man who is not known to shut up when he’s supposed to, and speak when he should.