Monrovia — After a lull in activity following an energetic start last month, Liberia's election campaign took on new energy last week with a debate in which 11 presidential candidates exchanged views on how to rebuild their war-ravaged nation.
Before the four-hour event got underway, there was a heavy deployment of both United Nations peacekeepers and Liberian police around the Centennial Pavilion, a stately structure where presidential inaugurations are held and where one among the 22 current aspirants will take the oath of office next January.
But no security problems arose, even when hundreds of partisans flooded into Buchanan and Ashmun Streets, waving posters and drumming songs on the sidewalks, while others drove by in pickup trucks with mega speakers playing recordings of songs for their standards bearers. The partisans rubbed shoulders, dancing and singing their candidates' praises without a single serious incident reported. Vendors roamed around, selling soft drinks, shoes, belts and oranges, and, nearby, two teams of young soccer players competed on a small pitch adjacent to the uncompleted National Bank headquarters.
While the atmosphere outside took on a carnival atmosphere, the interchanges inside the Pavilion quickly became spirited. Organized by two U.S. organizations - the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and International Republican Institute (IRI) - along with the Press Union of Liberia (PUL), the debate brought together 11 of the 22 candidates vying for office. A second debate is scheduled for September 27, two weeks before voters go to the polls on October 11.
The first of the candidates to arrive at the hall was Togbanah Tipoteh, standard-bearer for the Alliance for Peace and Democracy, who walked in alone, shaking hands and stopping to talk to people. He was closely followed by Charles W. Brumskine, candidate of the Liberty Party, who was accompanied by his vice-presidential candidate, Amelia Ward. With the crowd of invited guests filling the hall, the arrival of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf produced a loud uproar and clapping. Sirleaf, who opposed former President Charles Taylor in the country's last election in 1997, is waging a strong campaign to become Africa's first elected female head of state.
The other candidates taking part included Varney Sherman (Coalition for the Transformation of Liberia), Nathaniel Barnes (Liberia Destiny Party), George Klay Kieh (New Deal Movement), Joseph Woah-Tee (Labor Party) George Kiadii (National Vision Party), Joseph Korto (Liberia Equal Rights Party), Alfred Reeves (National Reformation Party) and Samuel Devine, an independent.
Among those who did not participate were George Weah, the international soccer star who many regard as a front-runner in the race, and Winston Tubman, a former senior United Nations official and Liberian cabinet minister.
Notwithstanding the number of participants, the debate turned out to be lively, and the audience stayed hooked to the end. The format was simple. Names of the candidates were randomly drawn from a box and each candidate was allotted five minutes for opening remarks. Brumskine was selected to make the first presentation, while Sherman went last, Thanking God for the opportunity to make sense of everything that had been said before him, he asserted that there was little difference between the platforms advocated by the various candidates. What mattered for country, Sherman said was implementation.
The question was the implementation of all the great ideas. Cllr. Sherman said that in his platform, "peace was first and peace was last, because without peace, all these beautiful plans will remain just plans."
After opening statements, members of the audience were given the floor to question the candidates. At one point, the debate organizers created some confusion when they asked the audience to include more of the candidates, since most questions at that point had been directed to Sirleaf and Sherman, with some also going to Brumskine. But questioners balked and the organizers had to allow the debate to proceed according to the wishes of the audience. "This is the new Liberia, you can't just walk in a place and impose something," said Dr. Toga McIntosh, a member of the Governance Reform Commission.
The audience also reacted volubly to several of the candidate's responses. Sirleaf provoked some boos when she brushed aside as lies and innuendoes from a "paid mercenary" accusations levied by Tom Woweiyu, who served as defense minister under the former president, Charles Taylor. Rising to her defense, Evelyn Reeves, who called herself a die-hard partisan of the Unity Party presidential candidate, said that "We know it's all lies but she has to tell and reassure us that it is all lies." Sherman also responded to a question with noticeable emotion, provoking another vocal audience outburst.
A capricious sound system sometimes undermined the mostly polite exchange, and candidates rarely interacted with each other, with the exception of one lovely exchange between Sirleaf and Sherman. Meanwhile, across the capital city and throughout the country, many Liberians tuned in to listen on their radios.
Here are some randomly collected snippets from the debate:
Tipoteh: "If it were not for the sacrifices and the struggles we carried out almost thirty years ago, many of those on this platform could never dream of running president of Liberia."
Korto: "The greatest thing about this debate is to see Liberian presidential candidates sitting here and talking to each other and trying to convince voters rather than being in the bush and shooting at each other."
Sherman: "Why those who are now talking about putting in place beautiful programs could not do so when they served in government?"
Sirleaf (responding to above): "Because vested interests from outside have always undermined our efforts."
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Brumskine: "Experience is important in running a government. One has to have the capacity to understand problems and be able to solve them."
Korto (responding to above): "What is so desirable in the past that one may want to build on that experience? How can those responsible for the wrongs in the past correct it?"
Barnes: "I sit here and listen to all these politicians talk about all these politicians talking about all these programs; I am not a politician."
Sirleaf (to Sherman): What has been your contribution to the struggle for peace, justice and fairness in this country?"
Sherman's response: "I am not one of those who spent their money to bring war and destruction to this nation. I created jobs and opportunities for people."
Kieh: "One cannot talk about building democracy in a failed system, it will not work."
Sherman: "Peace is not the absence of war; peace is the absence of fear."
Brumskine: "Gender equality is paramount in Liberty party agenda, and we have already begun this by giving the vice-standard bearer position to a woman of quality."
Sirleaf (in response) "Why settle for second best when you can have the number one job?"
