J. Nathaniel Daygbor
26 February 2008
United States President George W. Bush has come and gone. His eight-hour visit was widely publicized but Liberians, some of whom refer to themselves as "small Americans", experienced a strenuous day.
American secret service agents rather instructing Liberian securities rendered on part of Monrovia's security corridor where all vehicles were diverted and human movements became difficult.
Though overwhelmed with joy for Bush's visit, but the secret service of the most powerful President on earth rather petrified the citizens.
The secret service became security paranoid and not even the officials of the Liberian government including senators and representatives were exempted from the push-around.
But as J. Nathaniel Daygbor reports, the Executive Mansion is now playing the devil's advocate, justifying the secret service's action as trying to protect the VIPs.
Secret Service agents who traveled with US President George Walker Bush, his wife Laura and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice left no stone unturned ensuring that the visitors were safe.
They dictated everything, the security arrangement, part of the protocol services and made all sundry; including the senators, representatives and cabinet ministers and other dignitaries obeyed them.
Dressed in dark suits and dark sun glasses, the security men of the visiting President stopped several Liberian government officials from entering the Barclay Training Center and other areas where President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and President Bush attended ceremonies marking the visit of the latter.
The suspicion grew among Liberians when information spread that the President and party would not travel by the highway leading from the Roberts International Airport to Central Monrovia.
The US President and party landed at the RIA at about 9:48am on board the US Air Force One Jumbo Jet. They then boarded Choppers for the James Spriggs Payne Airfield in Sinkor from where they drove with President Sirleaf to the Foreign Ministry, now seat of the Liberian Presidency.
Although President Bush did pass through the RIA-Monrovia route, the traffic at ELWA Junction that leads to RIA was blocked, not even motorbike could easily be found on the road.
It was apparent that the secret service personnel traveling with Pres. Bush did not care who was and who was not an official of the government of Liberia as ministers, deputy ministers, directors of public corporations, some senators and representatives found it extremely difficult to go near to where President Bush was.
In fact dogs on chains and held by secret service personnel smell just anybody, officials, journalists who were previously searched and properly identified and assigned to cover Pres. Bush's visit.
One of the huge dogs ran its nose up and down our reporter's trousers and when the reporter attempted to photograph the dog, a huge secret service agent remarked: "Hey, Jack, stop; if you do, you will be in a mess infinitely."
Most of the representatives and Senators were denied entering the Foreign Ministry and the Barclay Training Center.
Secret service agents contended the officials were not properly identified. Some of officials made efforts to exhibit their government of Liberia ID cards but the agents did not listen.
What was even surprising was that Liberian Presidential guards were stopped but it could be ascertained as whether their denial was based on improper identification.
But Presidential Press Secretary, Cyrus W. Badio has expressed regrets and apologized for the inconveniences some of citizens and officials of government, including lawmakers may have experienced during the Bush visit due to the stringent security measures put in place by United States presidential guards.
Playing the devil's advocate, Mr. Badio said the Secret Service agents were ensuring the safety of the VIPs, but whether or not senators , representatives and cabinet ministers were not the type of VIPs that US secret service were also protecting is left to ponder.
Mr. Badio, "The security measures also inconvenienced the VIPs themselves as presidents Sirleaf and Bush were made to walk to the six floor of the Foreign Ministry because the elevators, according to the American Security Service, were not safe enough to accommodate the VIPs."
The Presidential Press Secretary further:, "President Bush later decided that he and President Sirleaf would take the elevators; they did, and thankfully, it all went well."
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