Other than what Christians fondly refer to as the “Holy Trinity”--the cherished doctrine espousing the multiple faces of a unified Godhead--one of Liberia’s acclaimed human rights activists has coined what he calls “Unholy Trinity”, the tripartite super monsters he says are reining in Liberia’s contemporary governance regime. J. Aloysius Toe who currently resides in the United States of America pursuing double Masters has written the National Legislature to beware of this “Unholy Trinity” and to take immediate steps to clear the emerging woes bedeviling the country’s transformation strides. The Analyst reports.  

“Liberians are crying and bleeding in their hearts! Their cries and groans are articulated by the inaudible sorrow of their hearts and the sadness of their faces. They are crying because of abuse of official power and the misuse of government resources. They are crying and bleeding because of the defying presence of the ‘unholy trinity’ of Nepotism, Impunity and Corruption (NIC). Liberians see bribery and growing conflict of interest in public service. They see NIC as adultery of illicit intercourse between the greed of wicked politicians and the appalling indifference and do-nothingness of a few good people who have the power to act but sit on the sidelines.”

Those are words from a highly stimulating and sentimental letter to the National Legislature tendered by J. Aloysius Toe, Executive of the Foundation for Human Rights and Democracy (FOHRD), a national civil society organization.

Toe, who is currently in the United States, said further: “Looking back on reality at home, I see clearly that Liberia is crying and bleeding! But is she crying from the corruption, cronyism and nepotism of William V.S. Tubman and William R. Tolbert? No. Is she crying and bleeding from the criminality of Samuel Doe? No! Is she crying and bleeding from the bombs and bazookas of Charles Taylor, Prince Johnson, George Boley, Alhaji Kromah and Damate Conneh? No!   Is she crying and bleeding from the neglect, hypocrisy, insensitivity and indifference of a current generation of supposedly ‘reasonable politicians’ in all three branches of the Liberian government? Yes! ”

He continued: “Do you hear the groans and feel the pains of the citizens expressed in the pulsating beat of massive discontent throughout the country? Do you see the writing on the wall from the youth bulge in the country?”

Aloysius Toe theorized that while the whirlwind of corruption, nepotism and impunity blows through the nation, and amid the tears and wailing of the population, there appears to be no savior.

“The people have been searching for help but can’t find any. They look to the current civil society and disappointedly find that it is nothing more than a club of project proposal NGOs with no or little commitment to the sacrifices required for the achievement of real social change,” he conjectured. “[The people] look to the activists and student leaders of yesterday in the current government but find that they have become political IDPs and refugees of conscience--conveniently working for a regime that represents everything they stood against yesterday. They turn to the traditional progressive movement and realize that some of them have become ‘surrendered generals and belly politicians’.

“They look to the self-proclaimed and opportunistic advocates of today and realize that they are nothing but dissident intellectuals. Unperturbed, they look to the media, but find that some media practitioners have become corporate journalists who see social responsibility and profit as mutually dependent.

“They look to the Christian Church and realize that the church has become a protector of the status quo. As lamented by the British writer, Paul Gilford, “Liberian Christianity - far from being a force for justice and human advancement–diverts attention from the cause of Liberia’s ills, left change to God’s miraculous intervention, encouraged obedience and acceptance of the status quo, and thus served to entrench …” injustices in society.”

Toe updated Liberian lawmakers the woes and enormity of Liberians’ pains have drown out their voices and force the people into acceptance of the status quo without a yank of protest.

Liberians, he says, have come to realize, albeit late, that the Harvard-trained “economist” and public administrator is on an escort-train on a highway of desperation towards a city of mortgaged and rigged future.

“They know full well that just as Tubman’s open door ‘prosperity’ distributed poverty among them, so is Ellen’s economic policies looting and draining their natural resources like some demonic suction tube with no benefit to them,” Toe said in the communication to the National Legislature.

With the look of things on the ground, the Liberian civil society activist, says Liberians see their country, Liberia, as Ellen Ltd. “It’s all about the Sirleafs and their inner-circle members. Their aim is simple and common: build massive economic and financial wealth by any means necessary,” Toe says.

“It is a game of Ellenery and Ellenism. But like the Taylor regime, this regime has a perfect formula. Like Taylor who made the likes of Urey rich while the likes of the late Joe Mulbah (living in poverty) were defending a decadent regime, the current regime is making the Sirleafs rich while the likes of Piahs, Broplehs, Siehs and Badios (with crumbs left for them) are providing the intellectual justification for the pillage. What a pity!”

Toe says Liberians face what he termed “Mighty Goliaths”; The Goliath of nepotism, impunity and corruption (NIC); the Goliath of neglect; the Goliath of deception, lies and sweet mouth; the Goliath of dubious and questionable oil, mining and forest concessions; the Goliath who presides over a paradise of thieves; the Goliath of the budgetization of corruption and hidden figures; the Goliath of marginalization and exclusion; the Goliath of ‘I put my neck on the line’ for corrupt officials; the Goliath of vendetta; the Goliath of the secret Nigerian oil deal; the Goliath of fraudulent tax waiver, the Goliath of unaccounted for revenues, the Goliath of unjustified expenditure; the Goliath of anti-poor policies that continue to spread hunger in many wrinkled stomachs and cause wide spread sufferings across the country.

According to him, there also are the Goliaths that keep their children and family in the safe havens of America and Europe on state resources while masses of our people languish in poverty. He said there is a Goliath that presides over the butchery of Liberia’s resources like pitiful cow meat and the Goliaths that accrue huge, fabulous and massive allowances to themselves and their associates while civil servants are given crumbs that fall from the table.

“The Goliah that gave her son, Robert Sirleaf, two posts in Government--Senior Advisor to the President and Chairman of the Board of the lucrative Oil Company NOCAL--and another post acquired through influence peddling as Chairman of the Board of First International Bank (FIB),” Toe alleges, claiming: “What a confluence of conflict of interests, which makes President Tolbert and Stephen Tolbert appeared like Saints. Three jobs in a country of reported 85 percent unemployment!”

Meanwhile, the Liberian pro-democracy activist has called on the National Legislature to “Criminalize Nepotism in the public sector; Create the Office of an Independent Prosecutor to implement GAC audit reports; Pass the Code of Conduct Bill ;and Insist that the President of Liberia makes periodic report on the implementation of the TRC report (NIPCCT).”

Toe said even though Liberians are well aware that some of members of the Legislature are also involved in the vices of nepotism, impunity and corruption, the public still sees lawmakers as the “God-given David armed with the sling of legislative power loaded with the five stones of courage, nationalistic dedication, loyalty to country, perseverance and the ethical commitment to bring to light the treacherous maneuvers of darkness, amid the raging storm of discrediting campaigns.”

“Don’t let [Liberians] down,” Toe pleaded with the Legislature. “The need and urgency for NIPCCT is now. Your attempt to checkmate the excesses of NOCAL is a worthy good beginning that must be expanded vigorously, as you are the direct representatives of the people. You are the people’s first line of defense. Wake up and act.”

He told the lawmakers that Liberia’s historical path has been a long and desolate corridor without exit sign and NIPCCT is only the exit route, a situation that can no longer be evaded.

“You must assume courageous leadership on this issue - knowing full well that ‘human progress never roll on the wheels of inevitability – it comes thru the tireless efforts of dedicated individuals who are willing to save their country. Without this effort, society and human progress fall victim to the primitive forces of social stagnation.’