The legitimization of corruption in Liberian society is the available sell-off for dealing with corruption in Liberia after 177 years of independence. The writer's recipe may be distasteful in the ears of many Liberians, but this is the fact, since Liberian politicians have blatantly failed to uproot corruption. The argument is that corruption is an insurmountable moral deficiency that has continued to undermine the development of Liberia since its cradle in 1847.
Wikipedia defines corruption in this way: "corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense undertaken by an individual or organization entrusted in a position of authority to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's gain. Political corruption occurs when an office-holder or other governmental employee acts in an official capacity for personal gain".
It is vividly transparent that corruption is part of the human race. Corruption in Liberia is mind-boggling. Between July 26, 1847, and 1944, there is no documentary evidence that politicians were ever indicted for corruption because corrupt government officials survived at the mercy of a corrupt judiciary(I stand to be corrected).
The same applies to former President William Vacanarat Shadrach Tubman's 27 years of corrupt government and corrupt judiciary, at which time no corrupt politicians were imprisoned; former Pres William Richard Tolbert Jr.'s nine years of corrupt government and corrupt judiciary also saw no imprisonment of any corrupt Liberian politician.
Then came former president Samuel Kanyon Doe's ten years of corrupt governance and judiciary had no imprisonment of any corrupt official. But for him, he executed people whom his group-People's Redemption Council considered corrupt.
Former president Charles McArthur Ghankay Taylor's six years of corrupt government and corrupt judiciary with no imprisonment of any official remains clear in the minds of many. The country was later ruled by Africa's first female president, madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf's 12 years of corrupt government and corrupt judiciary. She placed former interim president Charles Gyude Bryant in prison. Former President George Tawlon Manneh Oppong Ousman Weah's six years of corrupt governance and judiciary made him to put behind bar the son of madam Sirleaf; Charles Sirleaf from the Central Bank of Liberia.
Painstakingly, Liberia's 21st President took down a formidable political hegemony and expunged its entrenched bureaucratic governance of Liberia in his quest to wage military war against acute marginalization and holistic economic sabotage of the nation's enormous resources to the disadvantage of the majority of Liberians. But that too did not terminate the culture of corruption, rather, exacerbated corruption throughout the length and breadth of Liberia.
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Former President Sirleaf's son, Robert Sirleaf, broke down the National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL), and no money was ever retrieved. His mother took direct responsibility, but at the end, no payment was made. And today, she is walking freely in the country. Her 12 years rule were also hit with news of rampant corruption, according to John Morlu's audit reports of the former Sirleaf's government. There were the missing millions, yet nothing was retrieved until now under former President Weah's governing coalition government.
There has been a very long laundry list of corruption in Liberia since 1847, yet news of corruption has continued to spark everywhere in the nation. President Boakai is familiar with corruption news in Liberia. He watched it unfolded in many governments, including the government where he once served as vice president for 12 years. The superb news is that President Baokai knows the danger of corruption, how it destroys and undermines development, and how, according to President Boakai, corruption is a cancer in Liberian society.
The latest audit reports of the Central Bank of Liberia (CBL) will be the first classic test of President Boakai's ruling coalition government's ability to fight corruption in Liberia. The world is watching to see whether those accused will be indicted. From what has come out thus far, some have been indicted, taken to prison and released on bail.
