Washington, DC — As part of the Liberian peace process agreed to during negotiations earlier this year in Ghana, Gyude Bryant, who chairs Liberia's interim government, has asked Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to head a 'commission on good governance' to help monitor the transition.
A business man and Episcopal church lay leader who took office last month, Bryant is wrestling with a range of problems as the country seeks to emerge from a brutal civil war and return to normalcy. Sirleaf is one of Liberia's best-known political leaders, both inside the country and internationally. She is an investment banker who served as finance minister in a former government and headed the Africa department at the United Nations Development Programme. Considered the front-runner for the leadership post that went to Bryant, Sirleaf's candidacy was blocked by firm opposition from the faction loyal to former Liberian President Charles Taylor, who she opposed in the 1997 elections. Currently, Sirleaf is preparing to move her base of operation from Abidjan to Monrovia, where she will manage her consulting firm, Kormah Development and Investment Corporation (Kodic) and, perhaps, prepare another run for the presidency. During a visit to Washington this month, she was interviewed by Abdoulaye W. Dukulé.
You have just been to Liberia. Can you describe conditions on the ground?
Life is still difficult, as one would expect. Many people are returning home and have no place to live. There are still hundreds of thousands of people in displaced camps. There is food shortage. Services are yet to be restored. On the positive side, of course, now we have the peacekeepers in the capital city and security has improved considerably. One can see hope in people's eyes. There is a sense that finally help has come, that at long last the international community has paid attention to our plight and maybe now our future can be restored. It will however take much work and collaboration from everyone to get things moving.
Have you had contact with the new government?
Yes, even before Monrovia, I went to Accra and held consultations with Chairman Gyude Bryant. I am very supportive of the transitional process and the transitional government. To get the country moving forward we must all work to ensure that we don't slip back. Chairman Bryant asked me, and I have accepted, to chair a commission on good governance. I hope that, along with other members of the commission and the staff, we can make a contribution to the process.
What will your commission on good governance do?
The Accra peace agreement sets a mandate for the commission, which, again, depends on how it is interpreted. One could see it as a watchdog over the current government to make sure that matters related to code of conduct are observed when it comes to government services, that the constitution is adhered to, and to creating an environment for the private sector.
However, in my suggestion to the Chairman, I told him that I would like the work of the commission to be more oriented towards the future. That means we would be looking at new structures, new institutional framework, and to a certain extent, a policy framework for the new Liberia so that we don't get bogged down in oversight responsibility for ongoing government operations. There are other institutions for that. But since we have to report periodically to the transitional assembly, we will make suggestions on current government functions as the need arises.
Many Liberians have spoken about the shortcomings of our current constitution. Is your commission planning to look at this issue?
It is my personal opinion that Liberia needs constitutional review. There are many anachronisms in our current constitution. Although the constitutional commission made many positives changes to the old constitution, the draft was submitted to a transitional body that made changes that reflected the ambitions of those who wanted to perpetuate themselves in power. There are good things in the constitution but there is a lot we can add to it, in terms of governance, human rights and other matters that need review. Yes, I do hope we could review our constitution before heading for the next elections.
What do you consider as some of the major hurdles facing the government?
The first real hurdle is that we still have to deal with the Taylor factor. Although he is not in Liberia, we cannot say that this dimension has been put to rest. Mr. Taylor has resources and I am sure he is not quite happy to be sitting out of the limelight and out of control. He may want to make sure that the transition is not successful to prove that he is the only one who could rule Liberia.
There are also many of his followers now in important positions in the transitional government. In Accra and since then, there has been a strong alliance among former belligerent forces, and this could weaken the government. But we hope that all these issues will work out over time. We hope that every one involved in the government would put the national interest first and that their objective is to contribute to peace, security, and the healing of the nation rather than personal enrichment, as was the case in past transitional administrations.
Disarmament is another critical issue and without it, there is not much we can do. A comprehensive disarmament would create the environment for Liberians to return home, for investors to come and explore possibilities...
What makes you think that this transitional government - the 5th in 13 years - can succeed?
The most important factor is that for the first time, we have a real commitment and the involvement of the international community. One can see this through the number of peacekeeping forces and the resources mobilized to carry out this operation. As always, ECOWAS was present and provided its help. There is for once unanimity in the region and the international community about the fact that Liberia had become the epicenter of instability in the sub-region, and this alone will make a major impact on the peace process.
What role has the United States played so far and what is expected of that country as the peace process moves forward?
The United States' continued leadership in the Security Council at the United Nations is crucial. That leadership led to the Security Council mandate that would create the number one peacekeeping force in the world. The U.S. has allocated a significant amount of money to the process. There is also some commitment to help set up a new army and provide technical assistance to various government operations.
Liberians are certainly thankful that the U.S. has paid attention this time and led the effort to get Mr. Taylor out and get the UN peacekeeping forces in. I personally doubt that without President George Bush's call on him to quit, Mr. Taylor would have ever left the scene. We are thankful to the U.S. and look forward to their continued engagement and leadership, both bilaterally and through the UN.
There is a debate now about a war crimes tribunal for Liberia. What is your view?
I was one of those who pushed very hard in Accra for a truth and reconciliation commission. I believe that, in the interest of justice and to put a stop to impunity, we must not be afraid of a war crimes tribunal. Such a tribunal is not just meant to indict the guilty, but also to exonerate the innocent. This way, many people who have been accused - including myself - would have the opportunity to clear themselves and face their accusers.
But there is so much fear and concern about this because so many people think they would be dragged to the Court and that this could undermine the peace and reconciliation process. This is why we said in Accra that a war crimes tribunal could be hasty at this early stage. But we need at least a truth and reconciliation process so that people have an opportunity to stand before somebody face to face and voice their grievances. If we do that, we could have a lot of contrition and forgiveness before we reach the issue of a war crimes tribunal.
Has Unity Party embarked on a campaign for the 2005 elections?
No, not yet. UP has not started a formal process of campaign. In this first year of transition, we want to focus on the empowerment of our people, we want to see our people get jobs, resettle in their homes and be able to support themselves. We also want to give the party an institutional basis so that it does not depend on a few people for its financial support.
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We need to hold a convention so that party members decide whom they want as standard-bearer or chairman and so on. UP is a democratic institution and must function that way. The party would have to make the decision on the way forward.
Many political parties in Liberia are just shells with a few names at the top. Is the UP different?
The personalization of politics is not unique to Liberia. Even in the United States, personality sets the pace for the party. At UP, we don't have an institutionalization of personal politics. If one person moves out, another one is ready to step in and take over. The problem in Liberia is that when you are dealing with an opposition party, people who have the same ideals and philosophy are afraid to be part of the same party because of the system that has been so repressive, and got increasingly so under every successive government. We now have a chance to start anew and we hope that people would feel free to join the party of their choice and fill in any position, including that of standard-bearer.
What would you want to say to the many Liberians in exile in the United States?
My appeal to all Liberians in the U.S. is to start to get ready to come home. Liberia's most important resources are its people. Liberians in the U.S. have talent and knowledge and they have been supporting the country for many years through their remittances to people back home. But sending money is not enough. Talents are needed on the ground.
People must consider coming home, even for a short period, and help however they can. In our commission, we are open to suggestions and welcome ideas from anyone. We want this commission on good governance to be bold, radical and creative so that we would change Liberia for the better... Come home, with your talents and knowledge, because your country needs you.
