THROUGHOUT HISTORY, "There ain't no such thing as a free lunch" has become a popular catch phrase used by political and social scientists, economists and many authors to illustrate that nothing is really free.
IN 1975, Milton Friedman, an American economist and statistician who received the 1976 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his research on consumption, used the phrase as the title for his book, aptly named: "There ain't no such thing as a free lunch".
WIDELY REGARDED as the TANSTAAFL, the phrase describes the cost of decision-making and consumption. TANSTAAFL suggests that things that appear to be free will always have some hidden or implicit cost to someone, even if it is not the individual receiving the benefit.
LAST FRIDAY, PRESIDENT JOSEPH BOAKAI triggered a wave of reactions following the submission of his controversial letter addressing the Yellow Machines controversy, to the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
IN HIS COMMUNICATION, which was read on the floor of the lower house, the President, that the deal is still in the negotiation phase informed the speaker and members of the lower house of the national legislature that the initiative for the yellow trucks originated from a conversation between him and a long-time friend who shares a commitment to the government's ARREST Agenda. "This friend was moved by the spirit of solidarity and a strong desire to participate in the implementation, in the shortest possible time, of our development agenda. He offered to provide equipment in good faith and on a gentleman's agreement," the President stated.
SADLY, PRESIDENT BOAKAI, who ran for the presidency trumpeting a mantra of change failed to grasp the simple lesson in politics that there's simply nothing free when it comes to friendships and politicians.
THIS WAS EVIDENT DURING the reign of former President George Weah who was taking to task for using the plane of a "friend", Burkinabe businessman Mahamadou Bonkoungou. Ironically, Bonkoungou, at the time of leasing his plane to Mr. Weah, was embroiled in a nasty legal wrangle with the former Prime Minister of Benin, Lionel Zinsou, whom Mr. Bonkoungou had accused of refusing to repay him money loaned Zinsou for his failed 2016 Presidential bid in Benin.
WHILE MR. BOAKAI tried to explain that, no formal agreement or contract has been signed with any party, the controversy raises a lot of unanswered questions.
A MEMBER of the President's own political party, Rep. Prescilla Abram Cooper, District No. 5, Montserrado County disagreed with her party - and the President on the issue. "I am a member of the Rescue Mission. I campaigned on the mantra of transparency and accountability. What it looks like is not transparency. Let's be very, very frank. Government cannot be based on friendship. There are laws and these laws should be followed to the letter. You cannot have a discussion with an individual of a country without following the proper steps. This Legislature is being overlooked."
FORMER AUDITOR GENERAL John S. Morlu, who threw his weight behind the President during the last presidential elections, added his voice to the debate, questioning the tone of the President's letter to the Lower House.
SAID MR. MORLU: "Once you take custody, the risks and ownership have passed to you. Why can't Uncle Joe simply say we made a mistake, apologize, and ask the Legislature to regularize the situation? Regularizing such mistakes is common in a democracy, but the truth must first be established. This is done in the USA through the Anti-Deficiency Act. Uncle Joe cannot believe the content of his letter is true and fair. This letter will send shockwaves internationally, as you cannot conduct government business based on friendship and gentleman's agreements."
IRONICALLY, THE President's assertions come amid what many Liberians see as glaring contradictions.
SEVERAL OF THE PRESIDENT'S key aides including his Deputy Minister of State, Mamaka Bility, have been parading the machines on the streets of Monrovia, declaring that the government had already struck a deal. In fact, the President, while addressing supporters recently, told the gathering that the head of the Liberia Revenue Authority would find the money to fund the shipment of the machines.
THE PRESIDENT and his Unity Party government ignored for weeks, calls from the media and civil society organization demanding transparency and accountability on the issue.
THE PUSH STEMS from the fact that it is only in the procurement laws of Liberia that competition is required. The Boakai administration failed on all fronts to come clean.
THE PRESIDENT'S LETTER came as lawmakers had summoned some of his key officials to appear before the body to explain the lapses and inconsistencies in the public utterances coming from their own mouths.
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AS HAS BEEN in the past, by previous governments, Unity Party and its supporters have resorted to labeling anyone questioning the lack of transparency and accountability on the trucks, as being enemies of the state, simply because they refuse to tread the sycophantic line that has been the cause of the failure of many governments of the past.
WHAT MR. BOAKAI and his supporters have failed to comprehend is that Liberia belongs to each and every Liberian. No one person is above the other and everyone has to contribute to the success of Africa's oldest republic.
TOO MANY LIBERIANS have died, too many have lost friends, relatives and loved ones to senseless ward, chaos and political outburst. IF THE UNITY PARTY and Mr. Boakai really came to rescue Liberia from the ugly past, it is important to leave behind all the vices that contributed to some of the most disturbing moments that ruin a country full of promise, but continuing to fall prey to the recurring seasons of discontent and recurring cycle of political impunity and that norms of mediocrity.
