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Why
resurrect Pres. Tubman's autocratic legacy?
Thursday,
December 21, 2006
By Tewroh-Wehtoe Sungbeh
It seems there is some kind of confusion going on in Liberia
regarding the new banknotes that were just printed by
the government, intended to replace the ones printed
and left behind by former President Charles Taylor.
The new Liberian LD$20 banknote
President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf,
who is believed to have authorized the printing
acknowledged the confusion and authorized the Governor
of the Central Bank of Liberia, Mills Jones to notify the
legislature in order to lay to rest what's already a blunder made from her end in the printing of
LD$170m intended for the nation's coffers.
I don’t understand why the Sirleaf
administration chose to leave the Legislative branch
out in the first place, knowing how far this
administration has come in trying to put the
nation’s financial house in order.
However, this is a bittersweet moment for me because one
part of me wants to join the administration in
celebrating this milestone for its national
significance, while the other part of me got sick in
the stomach and infuriated as I continued to observe a
cheap attempt by some on the other side who wants to
bring from the grave the dictatorial legacy of William
V.S. Tubman, who was President of Liberia from
1944-1971, and whose pictorial image is now on the new LD$20
Liberian bill as if the nation lack a credible
national figure who it can proudly showcase to the
world as the face on its new currency.
This is dead wrong, and if the political
leadership in Liberia insists on celebrating Mr.
Tubman, they must as well add to the list the other
corrupt and non-democratic presidents like William R.
Tolbert, Samuel Kanyon Doe and Charles Taylor, all of
whom also caused the Liberian
people pain and suffering when they occupied the Executive
Mansion.
The government can avoid future controversies by not
including a president's portrait on anymore currency,
instead, could use a natural symbol - a palm tree, a
river, canoe and a paddle, the sun, an animal or any
neutral symbol that will not bring back the painful
memories of presidential abuse of power.
Since his death over three decades ago,
the former president whose autocratic leadership
caused the nation and its indigenous citizens
excruciating pain, untold suffering and human
degradation continued to be honored for what he did
not accomplish when he led the Liberian people with
ironclad for 27 years.
Had it not been for his death in a London
clinic in 1971, Mr. Tubman’s tenure would have
surpassed other dictators of his time who also held a
grip on the minds and ideals of their citizens.
And what did President Tubman leave behind to show
for his long and unchallenged reign?
William V.S. Tubman left behind resentment, low
self esteem, broken souls, underdevelopment, a broken
nation, ancient infrastructure, a corrupt judiciary,
acrimony between Americo-Liberians and indigenous
Liberians, which he did not help to heal but used it
to hold on to raw power in a broken system he led,
which became a prelude to the coup d’ tat and the
civil war years later.
For his failed and painful leadership, Mr.
Tubman’s birthday, (November 29) unfortunately, is
celebrated annually as a national holiday as if he’s
this hero we are proud of and want to emulate while his picture is
on the cover of the nation’s money.
And why not just celebrate November 29, as
“president’s day,” to honor all of our corrupt
and dictatorial former presidents, anyway, instead of setting
aside a day only for Mr. Tubman, who, in my honest
opinion did more harm to Liberia by keeping the
country backward than the much-hated Charles Taylor.
This is not about opening old wounds since
there is a clarion call for national unity. I want
unity, and I am sure most Liberians I know also want
unity. But let's face reality, national unity cannot be genuinely achieved
when the political leadership is unable to make sound
and courageous decisions that will bring lasting peace
to the nation and its weary people.
And certainly this thing about resurrecting Mr.
Tubman’s memories is not resting well with the
children and grandchildren of indigenous Liberians,
some of whom saw firsthand the
heart-wrenching humiliation inflicted on their
relatives by the former president.
Some of these individuals also heard the stories told about
the Tubman administration from their relatives who took the brunt of
that regime's abuse.
National unity cannot be achieved when one side
want us to believe the other side is still weak, uneducated,
voiceless and stupid, and will do all they can to
quietly impose their will on the majority through a
friendly and spineless
political leadership, who have no problem joining them
in celebrating their hero who
inflicted so much pain on the indigenous majority
throughout his administration.
William V.S. Tubman is gone. He left us 35
years ago. His November 29, birthday, which he imposed
on the poor people of Liberia, and was funded by forced payroll
deductions was celebrated on a
rotational basis throughout the country as a national
holiday when he was president.
Now that he is gone, Mr. Tubman's birthday as a national holiday ought to be scrapped completely and
be replaced immediately with a ‘president’s day” every living Liberian at least can celebrate which ever way they
can. If this annual nonsense is not replaced now,
hopefully, future politicians with the will power and
common sense will do what is right for the Liberian
people.
This is not the time (in this modern era)
to hold on to celebrating the former oppressor’s
birthday as a national holiday.
This is a nightmare.
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