The NEWS (Monrovia)
6 May 2008
document
Monrovia — Reporter: Welcome to this special interview with the President of the Republic of Liberia, Her Excellency Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, live from the studious of UNMIL. I will be doing the interview here; my name is Chris Worllo. I will be assisted by Daryl Ambrose Nmah of Truth-FM and T-Max Jlateh of Sky-FM. We will be talking to the President live from the United States. This interview is also being carried live on Star Radio, ELBC, and Truth-Fm and of course Sky. Okay, let's now talk to the President live from America. Hello Madam President.
Prez. Sirleaf: Hello, how are you?
Reporter: I am okay. First let me ask you, how are your doing?
Prez. Sirleaf: I am doing very well. I am now in Bloomington, Indiana; I have just received an honorary Doctorate degree; I am taking a one hour break before I go back to the second commencement exercise.
Reporter: Madam President, this is T-Max from Sky-107. Good evening.
Prez. Sirleaf: Good evening T-Max.
Reporter: I want to be clear whether I am talking to a Ghost or I am talking to the President of the Republic of Liberia.
Prez. Sirleaf: (chuckle) Well, let me say when I talked to my family this morning, I said, dead woman talking. You are talking to the President, you are talking to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, in the flesh, real, kicking, ready to go!
Reporter: Ready to go. Well, we have been hearing some disturbing information, so that is why we decided to talk to you. What have you been doing; have you gone to any hospital?
Prez Sirleaf: Oh, of course, T-Max. I was very clear when I Liberia that I was taking one week to do my medicals. For two years my son has been asking me, you need to do all your tests. You need a week, so we can do every test imaginable. And I said I was going to do that, and I did it. So, I did all the different tests; any thing you can think of; you know, EKG, X-ray, blood test, urine test, for my son insisted that I shouldn't do what I had done before I come and leave without getting the report; this time he said you must stay until you get the report, and that's what we did. After that one week I was declared fit. A press release was given in that regard and then I started my other activities and since then, I have been doing other activities. I am fit; I am ready to go! And I said I would be coming back, renewed in body and spirit and I thank God that He did it that way.
Reporter: Madam President, This is Ambrose, Good afternoon, Madam President.
Prez. Sirleaf: Good afternoon. Mr. Nmah.
Reporter: You went through a medical test for just a week, but you've been gone almost three weeks, so what have you been doing apart from doing your routine checkup?
Prez. Sirleaf: Okay, you know before the medicals we went to Denmark and we had a few days there, restoring our bilateral relations. I think it has been reported that as a result of that visit Denmark declared Liberia a model country, for the achievement of MDG-3, which is the empowerment of women, and they put some US $20-million behind that. When I left Denmark, then I went and did my one week medicals. Following the medicals, I went down to Fort Worth, Texas where I had a United Methodist Church Conference. I was the keynote speaker at this annual convention with over three-thousand people. Our Bishop, Innis was there, our Pastor, Bishop Warner, former Vice President and all the Liberians who went for that. I spent two days down there. After that I went through Washington, where I had informal meetings with US Government officials, trying to focus on this rice issue and other matters relating to the training of the armed forces, in keeping with reports that I had from the Minister of Defense. Then I went to New York, where I received an award from the International Crisis Group, and now finally, I am in Bloomington, Indiana, where I have just received an honorary degree; we will be meeting the Liberian community later this afternoon, and (chuckle) I am leaving here tomorrow morning, Sunday and I am on the plan tomorrow evening and I am at home tomorrow night; all of this in keeping with my planned schedule; there has been absolutely no deviation from it.
Reporter: Your Excellency, however, all the while you've been gone, I don't know if it has come to your attention about some of the rumors pertaining to your health, your state of being, and even rumors of death. Do these rumors, or have your heard, if you have heard, have they worried you in any way?
Prez. Sirleaf: Absolute not! The first one I heard is, eh (laughter) some stupid newspaper, eh, had it that I had cancer. Oh my God, I laughed it off; I thought it was funny to me; I thought it was just one of those passing things because I saw an article in one of those other papers that refuted it because they reported from the press release about my being declared in good health by the doctors.
But then it continued, and then we're getting all these messages and then just recently, the last one we just heard today was that was circulating was that I had a heart attack, oh that I was dead and all of this thing.
Now, all this while, I have been in touch with Monrovia. I have been in touch with the Vice President, the Chairman of Cabinet; every day I talk to the Minister of State for Presidential Affairs; I talked to the Minister of Agriculture on the rice issue; I have talked to the Minister of Finance on the debt issue. I have been in touch with Monrovia every single day; giving instructions, being briefed on what's happening.
Look, let me tell you something: those people who are spreading this rumor, they better think twice. If they think they will frustrate me so that I can get tired for us to go back to the old ways; they're lying; I will see each one of them out, because I will still there until I carry out my mandate of carrying out the change that our country needs.
Reporter: Madam President, again, why do you think people would wish the President of Liberia all this sort of funny thing to happen to her? Where do you think all of this is coming from?
Prez. Sirleaf: Because it is those detractors who want us not to make progress; they want to take us back to those old days of extortion and corruption and lawlessness and all of that. I am not going to let that happen. All this rumor is to take away from the progress we're making; trying to send this cloud in the Liberian community; trying to send this cloud to the International community, because they know that I am at the center of our development progress; and if they don't want progress, they want to move the catalyst. And that is not going to happen.
People want to help Liberia and Liberians want to move on; they want to go on with their lives; they want to see their lives improved. That's my mandate and that's my commitment and I will continue to do that.
These detractors, can carry on all their foolishness, but you know, (pause) I am coming back now; Maybe, like people say I have been the old mom for too long, I need to go back to the Iron lady a little bit.
Reporter: Madam President, this is Chris Worllo from UNMIL radio; a lighter note, you were in New York to receive an award for best documentary film called, 'Pray the Devil to Hell.' How did you feel?
Prez. Sirleaf: No, I didn't receive an award on that one. They simply asked me to see the film, which I had not seen. They producer asked me to go to the showing and I went there and saw it. It had nothing to do with an award. I think the film is very good. It's a hard thing, because it depicts some real difficult things that people went through; but it focuses on women and what women do to promote peace, even though some people expressed concern maybe it should not be shown in Liberia because it shows certain characters in a bad way, but I in my view, the film is largely factual, but it is part of the healing process, to recognize the tragedy our country went through and to find a way so that something like that will not happen again.
Reporter: So, we expect the President to be in Liberia some time on Monday?
Prez. Sirleaf: Monday! Monday! And I will come and kick little bit.
Reporter: But Madam President, now you said that, well maybe you've been the old Ma too long, now you're going back to the Iron lady. Are we supposed to be afraid? What is that suppose to mean?
Prez. Sirleaf: That's up to you now; you interpret it any way you want.
Reporter: Today is World Press Freedom Day and all media houses, Liberian journalists are all jubilating, having whole lot of programs. What commendation to you have for the Liberian media, in spite of you been suffering from cancer, you been suffering from insomnia, and resurrecting from the dead? (Chuckle)
Prez. Sirleaf: (laughter) My God! Now you want to put me with Jesus Christ alright! (Laughter ) Let me just say to the press. I know sometimes we get so frustrated and furious over some of the things the press does, like some of this stupidity that was put in the press that started all this rumor, but by and large, I think our press is very aggressive; our press has done some good things in trying to expose certain wrongs in the society, which we need to address. I would encourage them to be more investigative; I would encourage them to be more professional and factual; to check out some things so that it does not undermine some of the good things that are happening. But by and large, we have a free press, and I like for our government to be proud of that. We will continue to show restraint. This government will not suppress the press. There will be cases where the press does not show responsibility in their actions, where people will take course against them, but those courses will be in keeping with the rule of law So I just commend the press for all that they have done. Let them continue to work with us; it is an important element of our development agenda in promoting the change which our society needs. So, I hope we can find a way to work in more partnership without in anyway, undermining or taking away your independence.
Reporter: Madam Prez., just before we rap up, final word to your people:
Prez. Sirleaf: Just to say to the Liberian people I am well and I am healthy. I am coming back, renewed in body and spirit, to continue to carry out my mandate, to work for them for the change and development that they so richly deserve, and I am glad that people miss me so much that for the first time they have not seen me working from 9: O'clock to 10: O'clock at night, and being away so long, they had to attribute it to something being wrong. I am glad that they like me and miss me that much. Liberian people, just know, that I am back there on Monday and we will continue to do what we got to do together, to get our country back to where we want it. Thank them all for the support.
Reporter: My last question to your, Madam President, we are preparing for another award for you; the 21st century Lazarus award; will you be willing to receive that.
Prez. Sirleaf: (laughter) Please prepare it. I am coming to that ceremony so that I can receive it; having risen from the dead; let me come now so that we can have gee wiz we gonna have another big celebration - Liberia has another first; we've got someone who has risen from the day and is coming back now to continue her work.
Reporter: Madam President, thank you so much for talking to us.
Prez. Sirleaf: Thank you. See you all on Monday evening.
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