On January 22, Joseph Boakai will be one year in office. It will be a milestone that should evoke serious reflections, given the electoral promises of every occupant of that office and the country's existential challenges that need to be tackled.
A JUXTAPOSITION of the two extremes in one year of this administration leaves no one in doubt of a chasm that is apparently galling.
AMONG HIS CAMPAIGN and early presidential promises, three stand out; inclusive government, fighting corruption, and establishing a war crimes court.
BOAKAI'S 'RESCUE MISSION' campaign - backed by multiple parties of influential political leaders from across Liberia's 15 counties - repeatedly committed to setting up an inclusive government that would reflect the country's political, ethnic, regional, religious and gender diversity.
NOW IN POWER, Boakai is being criticized for not presenting an inclusive government.
"We see hard times, we see dysfunctioning... we see corruption in high and low places. And (it's) in these and similar conditions that we have come to the rescue," Boakai declared at his swearing-in ceremony.
MANY SAW BOAKAI as a better option, given his long history of public service, rising to the position of vice president of Liberia for twelve years in the Unity Party-led government who might have had the opportunity to see lapses in government and well suited to address some of these lapses when the opportunity of becoming President is available.
BOAKAI IS EVEN on record for remarking that the Unity Party squandered opportunities. This made Liberians to believe that when Boakai becomes President he will address the opportunities he said were squandered by his own Unity Party for twelve unbroken years.
NOW, GIVEN THE MANTLE to handle the affairs of the country, the first one year of the Boakai-led government has been very rocky to the extent that there is controversy in several quarters as well unfilled promises.
IN HIS FIRST few months in office, key associates of Boakai announced that the regime was bringing into the country 285 pieces of earth-moving equipment and other yellow machines to be distributed to various districts in the country for the purpose of maintaining feeder roads.
ALTHOUGH THE NEWS of the yellow machines met mixed reactions but the failure of the Boakai regime to make the machines available has turned a minus for the regime and is turning out to be one of the unfilled promises currently haunting the regime.
THE FIGHT AGAINST corruption also remains a major challenge, with reports that the regime has not taken any firmed stance in the fight against the menace.
THIS WAS EVEN worse due a statement by Boakai while visiting Lofa County in December, where he is believed to have called on his officials who want to engage in corruption to use the money to bless the Liberian people.
THE STATEMENT WAS seen as public endorsement of acts of corruption and even with a clarification by the Executive Mansion, the content and impact of the statement is nothing to go away soon.
ANOTHER MAJOR shortcoming of the Boakai regime is the ongoing chaos at the House of Representatives, where the forceful removal of the sitting Speaker J. Fonati Koffa has negatively affected the country to the extent that a portion of the Legislature was affected by fire from an unknown source.
HISTORY OF THE removal of sitting Speakers from power over the years has shown that none can be successful without the support of the Executive Branch of Government, and in this case, many believe that President Boakai, if he was not in support of the illegal removal of Speaker Koffa, should have helped to settle the impasse at the House of Representatives.
EVEN MORE troubling is the fact that bulk of the lawmakers who oppose Speaker Koffa are from the ruling Unity Party as well as lawmakers who align with the ruling party.
ANOTHER SHORTCOMING of the Boakai government within the first year is the inability of the administration to ensure the smooth running of the State-owned University of Liberia.
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The UNIVERSITY has been closed for the last one year, denying a large portion of the population the right to acquire higher education.
LIBERIANS ARE INPATIENT for the gains they voted for and have little appetite for further pain. Confidence in Boakai, elected on a wave of hope, appears to be evaporating.
AT A TIME when LIBERIA'S economic future hangs in the balance, decisive leadership is more critical than ever.
BOAKAI'S PRESIDENCY was meant to mark a new era of reform and growth, but so far, the promises have rung hollow. The government must recalibrate its approach, placing transparency, consultation, and accountability at the forefront of its decision-making.
ANYTHING LESS would be a disservice to Liberians who entrusted this administration with their future.
THE ROAD AHEAD is not an easy one. But if the Boakai's administration is willing to listen, learn, and adapt, there is still hope for Liberia. If not, the current economic crisis may only be the beginning of a much deeper descent into instability.
