WE ARE SOLICITING A PEACEFUL DEMONSTRATION FOR THE IMMEDIATE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE TRC RECOMMENDATIONS

By Edmond R. Gray

In his ‘Theory of Human Motivation’, Abraham Maslow observed in 1943 that human beings are born with certain needs, and a psychological hunger to fulfill those needs. He said that, at the top of our wants, is the sense of urgency to be what we ought to be. According to him, we all desire respect. He went on to name love, safety, in terms of financial, personal, and well being. But there is a fifth set of needs that I find extremely benign for being at the bottom. That is, the needs to breathe fresh air, eat, and live under a shelter. To me, these last three, are more fundamental.

When these levels of wants are threatened, mankind tends to rely on a set of positive emotions. The argument is further made, that no matter our immediate wants—it is possible to be happier in life, feel more satisfied, set your hopes higher, and perhaps laugh and smile more, regardless our situations. Therefore, this attitude of faking laughter when things are bad does increase depression. Like Maslow, we have put our most pressing needs at the bottom our wants. We need to go back and conduct a reality check as to why we militarily engaged each other for fourteen or so years.  To put it bluntly, we did not fight because we wanted Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to be crowned the empress of our nation well into her eightieth birth date.

Let me remind you that our civil war was fought on the pretext that our organic laws and basic ways of life are threatened. Former presidents, up to Samuel Doe, sidelined our constitution, and rule in an autocratic fashion. We guaranteed and swore that he Doe, like others will not have his ways. But this utter disrespect for our basic laws has always been the common practice of all former leaders of Liberia. As you know, Charles Taylor, in his so-called 2024 Vision, was well on his quest to create a sin city, where rule by might was the modus of the day. No need to mention what became of him, and along with his group of gangsters to include the Benjamin Yatem and Chucky Taylor.

Today, we may not have thugs and gangsters in power, but we have a set of people who are passively disrespecting our laws. For instance, millions of tax payers’ money was used to set up and run a Truth and Reconciliation Commission with strict set of mandates. But when the findings and subsequent recommendations seek to punish the likes of Madam Sirleaf, Prince Johnson, and others, this portion of our laws, has been sidelined. You know, it is funny how we soon forget. That those who were shooting their ways with bullets and making pronouncements against authority of the time, like, “even if we have to flatten the Executive Mansion, we will do so…….”, are the ones leading the ways in of dishonoring what the law requires of them today. 

Not only has Madam Sirleaf or Prince Johnson led the campaign to sideline our laws, they are wrestling each other as to who should lead Liberia in 2012. Unlike them, no Liberian will call for their forceful removal from power, but in the next few weeks and months, most of us will be leading peaceful demonstrations and banging on the doors of our international partners in the United States, Europe and others, to ensure that those who brought death and destruction to Liberia yesterday, be excluded from the 2011 elections as suggested by the TRC recommendations. These matches may not generate the level of attention garnered by the Million-Man March of Dr. Martin Luther King, but will have their effects.

As a people, there is the need to be ensured that no more would any of our own try to find ways, or sponsor initiatives that bring death and destruction to our nation for their own selfish aims. Some are making the case that, in a country like Liberia with so many learned people, who is the enviable alternative to Madam Sirleaf? You, me. The only doubtful alternative is the untested one. All civilized nations will seek to reinforce their organic laws over their current and future leaders.  The fact is, once the laws and basic values of a people are strengthened, even an Obama will lead in a predominantly white nation. For instance, many doubted Madam Sirleaf, until she was tested. The rest is yours to determine her leadership ability.

But this fight to restore our laws as enshrined in the TRC Recommendations, is not about people and individual preferences, it is about doing what is just. We can endlessly debate on the futility of the Ellen-led administration. Some will argue that she has made strides with the economy. Yet others will argue that a nation which hooks on international donations is economically abyss. A third may say that Ghana, Nigeria, the Ivory Coast are economically stronger not because of their finesse to scout for international assistance, but largely due to their active engagements in the means of production.

Others may argue that it is not the duty of government to provide jobs for its citizens. Governments of scale, are not only small and efficient, they provide the enabling environment for the private sector to compete. The Nigerian or Ghanaian government does not beat its chest to say how many commissions or agencies it has created to absorb partisans, it brags of how much micro and macro levels and private sector jobs it has created. 

Governments of stronger economies compel private sector investments to improve the standards of life in the community. Hence, they negotiate investment terms that mostly benefit local citizens, and not cronies of the government. I am quite sure that Madam Sirleaf may want to boast of renegotiating or signing investment contracts with the Mittal Steel and others, but may not be able to tell the immediate short term impacts of those investments on the economy. For instance, here is how one eloquent pundit traced the Sirleaf investment cronyism:

In subsequent posting, attempts would be made to trace the real beneficiaries of all the so-called investments made in Liberia under Madam Sirleaf. Stay tuned.