IT IS AS CLEAR as crystalline that the 'Rescue Government' of President Joseph Nyuma Boakai is experiencing an embarrassingly petrifying turbulence that only sheds light on far the country is from harnessing its development potentials - to meet the socio-economic needs of citizens - to be on par with countries that are making inroads in changing the development dynamics. Not only do these events shed light on the distance Liberia has to cover, but also they are classic distractions or deviations from the avowed and flamboyant promises of getting Liberia out of the chasm of under-development and utter backwardness made to the electorates. Four months in office, Liberians are witnessing a serious travesty of the 'rescue agenda,' a situation that underscores leadership failure, incapacity and incompetence.
THE CURRENT BURNING ISSUES at stake are nothing but fear-provoking occurrences that are representative of the 'business as usual' that got the country trapped in the mud, which the President promised to unravel. By now, many had thought that everything would have fallen in order, to the extent of meeting the expectations of the Liberian people who expressed the desire for change at the polls by voting out the incumbent government of President George Manneh Weah. It is the height of frustration and betrayal of the people who weathered the political hurricane to bring the government to power, to realize its long-running ambition of returning to power, and making Mr. Boakai President when their actions are too feeble and less forceful to meet expectations. It is now the government might be realizing that initials steps taken, including declaration of assets, taking drug test, setting up asset recovery task force, and signing resolution for the establishment of war and economic crimes court are mere governance or political issues that do not have any physical impact on the lives of citizens.
NOTEWORTHY AND RECOMMENDING AREthese actions, though, but the current rigmarole surrounding price of rice, gasoline, regulations of motorbikes as well as the yellow machines are legs-shaking and term-undermining to become labial in howthe government intends to approach them and reassure the public of its determination to rescue the country. So, it is not welcoming at this point in time that government functionaries do not have coherency in their information dissemination efforts which should serve to dissuade the huge public anxiety hovering these occurrences. The Minister of Commerce was not forthright in addressing the claims that importers wanted to increase rice price; the Minister of State without Portfolio was flatfooted when it came to the disclosure about the acquisition of 285 pieces of yellow machines from China, while the Minister of Information sounded less authoritative and less convincing in trying to install public confidence on the matter.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
ALL OF THESE TRENDS are mark of confusion, usurpation of functions, and lack of coordination that throw light on the negative direction the government is taking governance issues; the same happenings they chastised past government and pledged to change. Of course, there were signs in the initial stage, prior to the inauguration that these kinds of twists and turns would have unfolded, considering the controversy that hovered over 'Liberians managing their expectations.' But given the weightiness of these scary issues, it is important to remind and/or even appeal to the government to take seize of these matters if Liberians should take them serious and sincere in getting them out of the woods.
ON ACCOUNT OF THE commitments made to the Liberian people, it is less debatable that the government under the stewardship of President Boakailacks the wherewithal to redirect the course of the national ship, knowing very well that 'getting started' is difficult compared to being already started and seated. Suffice that the government is still in its embryonic leadership stage, but it should exert all efforts to do the right thing because it made Liberians to believe in them, in their pronouncements that Liberia would be a better place under President Boakaibecause of his long experience in governance and government. But as it is, the issues at stake are too many and equally petrifying, to say the least.
Share
