29 October 2008
(Page 2 of 2)
Ultimately, in August 2003, the end of the Liberian war came into sight, and Ellen returned to her homeland submerged in the pleas and lamentations of Liberians to take over the political leadership of the country.
The people's petition and supplications being sincere and well-meaning in content and context, this great daughter of Liberia succumbed. It can be recalled, however, that the political activist contested the Presidency in 1997 and announced second place winner to rebel-leader-turned politician Charles Taylor out of a total of 12 contestants.
As if the stiff race put up by Sirleaf cast political doom for the Taylor leadership, and as if the thing the ruling elite had to do was to keep her at bay, the Unity Party candidate was charged with treason and ordered arrested.
But the intensification of war between insurgency forces and the Charles Taylor administration probably did not permit the regime to set into motion the preliminary formalities of litigation against Madam Sirleaf, who was then already in exile.
Others said at the time that it was an intimidation ploy by the Taylor regime to frighten her away.
So, as the political whistle sounded in 2005 in the absence of Charles Taylor, Ellen heeded massive calls again to contest the Liberian presidency. And on November 11, 2005, the masses of the people of Liberia voted overwhelming to make her the first elected President and Africa's first head of state.
Performing the Magic Wand
The ascension of Ellen to the political leadership of Liberia follows many decades of political upheavals - some subtle and nonviolent while some were violent and catastrophic; all combined not only to give the oldest African nation an odd international image, and make it a no-go area for world-class people, but also led to chronic poverty, underdevelopment and bad governance.
Since independence, and from one political leadership to another, the hope and cry of the people has principally been to situate the country in the comity of nation with a honorable voice; to eradicate poverty and injustice; and to attain a political space in which the voices of all Liberians will be heard and respected.
These essentials of democratic statehood had defied most Liberian political regimes, if not all, and underpinned the vicious cycle of poverty, conflict and war.
At Ellen's inauguration, those who had prophetic minds knew that the first magic wand was already producing fruits of hope, as some of the attendees of the colorful ceremony epitomized an end to the nemeses that the nation and people had grappled with for decades.
Amongst several world-class personalities who attended the Inauguration were United States' First Lady, Madam Laura Bush, and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Soon after the inauguration there came an avalanche of distinguished leaders from the civilized world. Nearly endless as the list is, it might prove healthy to name the likes of two sitting secretary-generals of the United Nations and sitting presidents from the United States, France, etc.
The records available about world class leaders visiting Liberia at any other time in far and recent past speak of the visits of an American President who actually made a stopover at the Airport and Queen Elizabeth of Great Britain.
In a every effective way, Ellen has broken the record, not only because her advent as head of state of Liberia open the floodgate of world-class leaders' visits to the country, but also because she has been able to open the doors of many other great nations; doors which were closed to Liberia for so long.
With the dividends of this diplomatic revolution paying off in the scrambling of Liberia's international creditors to wave our debts and the honorable return of the long quarantined nation to the comity of civilized nations, Ellen's magic wand has brought under control one of Liberia's troubling woes.
In the last three years of her incumbency, Ellen not only proves to both friends and foes that she an indisputable maestro of international diplomacy, but also makes herself and Liberia an international icon.
As praiseworthy as that move is, it is not without a precondition: exhibiting the democratic credential. And this is the second magic wand, because for so long the Liberian presidency has not been so evenhanded and kind as Ellen has made it presently for nearly three years.
Since the days of old, the Liberian presidency is deemed an oracle reserved only for demigods whose deeds are sacred and unchallengeable. That Ellen is so celebrated and has managed to de-stigmatize Liberia in less than three years is a magic that comes not from her outlook and mere words.
Even in the community of ignorant people, no one can be publicly exalted and esteemed simply because of his or her past or beauty or sweet words. And more so, the international community of superb scholars and diplomats don't esteem their counterparts on blanket admiration.
Their acknowledgement and admirations are based on demonstrated qualities and deeds. Having shown via myriad international groups with whom she had worked, Ellen did not forget to bring to the Liberian presidency those qualities, traits and charisma for which she is hailed everywhere.
Taking over the mantle of power, she has unveiled and brought to bear her long-held vision of creating an efficient and responsive government--not government just for the sake of government--and the dream of establishing a non-hostile social, democratic, political space that encourages all Liberians contribute to national recovery and development.
It is not a surprise that for the first time in several years, civil servants take-home pay jumps from US$15 to US$70 and the pay comes far before the month ends. It takes only an effective and responsive government to do so.
But that is not only the mark of a an efficient and responsive government; more interesting to note is the kind of organization and reform being put into the revamping process of the current government.
Ellen has ensured that every ministry and agency does not operate in the vacuum as it was in the past when the statutory mandates or Acts creating those institutions were, in addition to presidential directives, solely relied upon to direct the work of public workers.
Under the Sirleaf government, there is an annual plan replete with clearly delineable and measurable deliverables and every agency and ministry has a set of assignment to achieve during the year.
Even when the government was in its puberty, and it only had six months to complete the fiscal responsibility of its predecessors, Ellen ensured that nobody worked in the vacuum but within the context and confine of what was dubbed 150-Day Action Plan.
The 150-Day Action Plan was followed by the Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy before the emergence of the main PRS phase.
These are plans not merely intended to restrict and refine the inputs and outputs of government officials or only to achieve maximum benefit, but also to make national development agendas more inclusive and participatory, as the formulation process of these plans involve Liberians at the level of the village, town and district.
Without being a soothsayer reading the minds and dreams of others, it is not difficult for anyone to say emphatically that Ellen's strategy and vision for efficient and responsive government comes from the backdrop of political and economic marginalization characteristic of the past and resulted into the problems of political upheavals and poverty that haunted Liberia for so long.
Another appreciable dimension of Ellen's magic wand is opening the political space, a long unachievable task achieved by Ellen, which distinguishes her from most of her predecessors, if not all.
Nearly three years running now, Liberia has not recorded political prisoners and state-masterminded brutality and manhunt against citizens of the critical opposition stock.
This is a queer achievement because, judging from the past, one year is enough for a Liberian leader to perceive enemies and their designs and to find their places either behind bars or beyond our borders and the Atlantic.
Ellen has been careful to deal with the handiwork of regime zealots, and has done much not to allow them to drive a wedge between her and the opposition community.
Her most recent action against zealots was to order the immediate release of the leader of a group advocating the establishment of a war crimes court in the country.
On the overall, however, in the short time of her leadership, all Liberians enjoy their God-given and Constitutional right to reside in their country or elsewhere without being hunted, harassed or intimidated by state agents based on political beliefs and activities here or abroad.
The media which had particularly been target of past regimes are now nearly totally free, serving as major channels for the ventilation of democratic tenets.
Are those catalogued achievements not enough and joyful to captivate the nation to join the celebration of a great leader?
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