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The
contemptuous duo
Sunday,
October 08, 2006
By Tewroh-Wehtoe Sungbeh
First,
they were embraced by some in and outside of the
Liberian media for what many thought was the courage
they supposedly showed for their sudden outbursts, when they spoke about
possible corruption in government but were later
forced to apologize to their colleagues for what was
never said.
But the Dusty and Harry show was embarrassingly
short-lived, and was seen not for the concerns raised
by the individuals, but for the phoniness of the
‘messenger’s’ utterances and the alarm they
raised, which did not resonate with the general public
because of the lack of credibility of the individuals
behind the comments.
LPRC's Harry A. Greaves
Jr.
Rep. Dusty Wolokollie
Montserrado County Rep. Dusty Lawrence
Wolokollie, and the Liberian Petroleum Refinery
Corporation’s Managing Director Harry A. Greaves Jr.,
who are not new to controversies made headlines
recently when the duo, at separate legislative
gathering bloviated about corruption in the making, or
corruption not in the making they didn’t really want to
fully discuss for fear of incriminating others.
Wolokollie and Greaves did not behave as if they
are politically smart enough to channel their
suspicions the proper way, perhaps through the body
that oversees official corruption, but later apologized because of
outcries from
lawmakers who claimed to have been offended by any
hint of misconduct.
At the heart of the matter is Mr. Greaves, who
claimed in August that a member of the Senate
allegedly solicited $50,000 as “cold water” or
bribe from him for the passage of the 2006/2007 fiscal
budget.
Rep. Wolokollie, for his part threw his own
bomb, and was quoted to have said that his colleagues
are opposed to the ratification of a (possible oil
contract) because “members want to extort money
from the companies,” which is their motive for
asking to meet with executives wanting to explore in
Liberia.
I don’t know what kind of relationship Mr.
Wolokollie have with his colleagues, because most
lawmakers who are experienced and savvy politicians
don’t just come out swinging recklessly in public by
hinting and pointing fingers at his or her unnamed
colleagues about official corruption that hasn’t
happen.
Lawmakers make deals; they negotiate and often
reached compromises with their colleagues across the
aisle to get a particular job done. When there is an
issue about official corruption concerning their own, they often tend
to work together to get to the bottom of the issue.
And if there's any sign of corruption or other illegal
activities that threatens national security or the
image of the body the represents, they will work
together to deal with that member under the laws of
their respective chamber or under the laws of the
land.
If Mr. Wolokollie didn’t want to go that
route and is serious about unearthing corruption in
his chambers, and wanted to expose those he claimed
wanted to extort money from foreign
businesses, he should have joined the line of those claiming
anonymity to
expose corruption, and would not be an
attention-seeking blowhard whose openly reckless
insinuation undermines him and the legislative body he
represents.
By not revealing the name or names of his
colleagues and the foreign business, Mr. Wolokollie
left a cloud of suspicion over the heads of House
members who must now work under that cloud, and are
now wondering who among them is the target of Wolokolie’s
scorn and what must be done to repair the damage.
Rep. Wolokollie should have been subpoenaed
under oath before a judge to reveal the name or names
of his colleagues and the business in question.
Failure to do so should have warranted his
immediate imprisonment, not an apology and a
threat of a six-month suspension.
I don’t know why President Sirleaf appointed
Harry A. Greaves Jr., Managing Director for such a
strategic Liberian Refinery Petroleum reserve in the
first place, after this man abruptly left the Gyude
Bryant’s failed and corrupt interim government under
a cloud of suspicion for alleged financial
misappropriation.
My only answer is: If you are a key supporter
of Ms. Sirleaf and a political patron, no question
would be asked about your previous life, because you
would sail easily into a position of power and
prestige in her government only to show your true
colors later. This is the old way, isn’t it?
Most members of the Liberian Legislature are
corrupt. That we know. However, Mr. Greaves seems to
have played into that negative sentiment by
blackmailing, and showing his disdain for a branch of
government that has oversight responsibilities over his agency.
How did the issue about a Senator’s attempt
to solicit such an amount from him come up, anyway?
What is Mr. Greaves’ role when it comes to the
national budget?
If such a thing ever occurred, why didn’t
Harry A. Greaves Jr., contact the proper law
enforcement agency or authority to have the Senator or
Senators put under surveillance until he or she is
arrested, tried and imprisoned?
Like Dusty Wolokollie who vowed never to
apologize for his behavior when his colleagues cited
him for those incriminating comments, Harry Greaves
did not reveal any names and vowed never to apologize
for his comments either, but later caved in under
pressure from the
power of the government, and “apologized to this
House for the embarrassment my statement may have
caused,” he said.
Harry A. Greaves Jr., should have also been
ordered to appear before a judge and subpoenaed under
oath to reveal the name of the Senator or Senators
that tried to get bribes from him. Failure to do so
should have led Harry A. Greaves Jr., to jail, until
he is man enough to do the right thing.
However, the lawmakers demanded a verbal
apology from him, but told him later that a verbal apology is
not sufficient, but must also retract his statement and
publish it in the daily newspapers for one week, which
seems like the kind of punishment some of us got as
kids at home or at school when we violated rules and
regulations.
Wolokollie and Greaves acted like kids with tantrum, and they were
treated exactly like kids with temper tantrum.
Wolokollie and Greaves are two gentlemen who
worked very hard to effect democratic change in Liberia. Whether
we agree or disagree with their politics and their
dealings, we must acknowledge their roles in their
previous lives.
However, the individuals are also working very hard to put
asterisks to their names for the way they go about
conducting public policy.
Unfortunately, the duo will also be remembered for the controversies and
scandals they continued to generate in their new
lives.
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