Unpleasing Reality for the Press: Corrupting Effect of Bryant's Regime

Unpleasing Reality for the Press: Corrupting Effect of Bryant's Regime

By John S. Morlu

The Perspective
Atlanta, Georgia

March 18, 2004

Mr. Bryant's behavior so far in office, especially his purchase of Cherokee Jeeps for his buddies and partners is unquestionably a sad commentary on the state of affairs and irreprehensible. It is a shame that Chairman Bryant and his band of kleptomaniacs are repeating the very things that they supposedly fought tirelessly to end by booting Charles Taylor out of office and viciously killing Samuel K. Doe; the past has become dangerously and regretfully the present. However, I feel no sympathy for the Liberian intelligentsia and members of the press, who have now received a dose of reality and gotten on the bandwagon heading for Christopolis to lambaste and chastise their beloved Bryant's corruption and mismanagement. The Liberian press and intelligentsia have as much to blame for the continuing problem facing our country as the politicians.

Democracy, the rule of law and transparency in government can only be achieved when the press and intelligentsia perform their solemn responsibilities investigating, analyzing and exposing activities that undermine the people's collective well-being. The accession of Mr. Bryant to the apex of government was fostered mostly by the press and intelligentsia, who made Liberians and the international community, believe that Mr. Bryant was a noble statesman and his business acumen would propel Liberia ahead into the 21st Century; he was touted to be an honest and successful businessman. Had the press and intelligentsia just done their homework or asked the right questions, they would have known that Mr. Bryant is in fact a manipulative predator waiting to devour his prey, the Liberian treasury. Now that he has gotten hold of his prey, all hell has broken loose.

For common folks in Liberia and in the Diaspora, it was not difficult to conceive of recent developments indicating that the person at the highest level of government, Mr. Charles Bryant, has engaged in financial shenanigans by using the Liberian Treasury as his personal piggy bank; or that Mr. Bryant is mismanaging or wasting much needed government funds on luxurious vehicles and making unjustifiable, questionable payments to cronies; or that he is doing his financial misdeeds in lockstep with the infamous, criminally notorious, Lebanese businessman George Haddad. It is also not difficult to believe that Mr. Bryant is spending the people's money with blatant disregard of what his government needs to do to provide basic services to the ordinary Liberian people - roads, schools, healthcare; telecommunications, water and electricity, and food and shelter - not cars. The common folks, unlike the press and intelligentsia, were asking the following questions before Bryant's uncharacteristically successful accession to the Chairmanship at the ill-conceived Accra meeting:

Was Mr. Bryant truly a successful businessman, or just a buddy of Taylor and his criminally inclined cronies?
What kind of business did he run? When did he start his business? Who gave him his seed capital to start the business or was he independently wealthy, and how?
Who were his major competitors, or were other Liberians allowed to compete in the type of business in which Mr. Bryant was engaged?
Could anyone become a successful businessman under Charles Taylor without bribing or doing favors for Taylor or his cronies? Was he getting sole source (non-compete) contracts? How did that benefit the Liberian people?
What was the relationship between Bryant and Taylor or members of Taylor regime?
Who were Bryant's other business partners? Was his business a sole proprietor, a partnership or a corporation?
Who were his major customers or suppliers? What were the major sources of profits for his business? Was it the Liberian government or some private enterprise in Liberia?
Were there any unquestionable third party relationships such as whether his friends, relatives, party members or business partners were in a close relationship with a major supplier or buyer?
Did Mr. Bryant have a bank account in Liberia, or did he deposit his profits in foreign banks eliminating the multiplier effect of profit reinvestment?
Did he pay taxes to the government on profit earned? Did he pay his employees a living wage or on time, if any?
Were his children and immediate relatives living in Liberia or somewhere in Europe or America?
What was his family's living condition like in Liberia, Europe or America? Were they living excessively beyond the means of ordinary Liberians?

Many members of the press and intelligentsia might argue that this is just 20/20 hindsight. However, a reasonable person would beg to differ on two fundamental grounds. First, a great majority of the contenders in Accra were old scholars, with extensive secondary records, and the press knew them very well. Second, no one expected the press to conduct extensive research on these guys, but Liberians just wanted the press to ask these basic questions and not just run with rumors. After all, the common folks were asking them, and it is rather unfathomable that anyone with a basic set of common sense would have sought answers to some rudimentary questions before spreading all kinds of commendations on a potential leader. The only thing Liberians heard and read through the press as events unfolded in Accra was that Mr. Bryant was a successful businessman; nothing less, nothing more. The million dollar question lurking in the minds of many ordinary Liberians is that why would the press and those claiming membership in the Liberian intelligentsia present such one-sided, twisted and unsubstantiated truths in favor Mr. Bryant, especially since they have been duped numerous times?

We will never really know for certain why the Liberian press continues to make catastrophic mistakes that they later regret, but some speculations may suffice at this juncture. First, they were so thrilled in getting rid of Charles Taylor that they suffered temporary insanity, losing their entire God-given common sense. Second, they were cautious in launching an investigation and reporting any controversial information that would have damaged a candidate's chances in Accra, fearing that the winner would hold it against them and hinder their chances of securing future favors from government. Third, the precipitous and unexpected decline of Taylor's government and the need for continuity of government made it rather impossible for them to conduct a thorough review of each potential candidate prior to the nomination process in Accra. Lastly, they rely most on innuendo and rumors, because they lack the necessary training in investigative journalism.

Whatever the reasons, Liberians are getting really tired of the press misleading them with runaway rumors and untruths. In recent times, for example, the press and intelligentsia embraced Brumskine's candidacy without question or further investigation of his business affairs since he parted with Taylor. Some in the press in fact hailed Brumskine as a savior come through to save the poor and destitute people of Africa's oldest republic from Taylor's corruption and human rights abuses. The press again had a temporary insanity, forgetting that Brumskine was unequivocally a member of Taylor's party and party to his corruption. Now, Mr. Brumskine is rapidly losing favor with the press in the wake of his struggle to lead Mr. Kpoleh's party and his campaign manager turned senior advisor's run in with the law in the United States.

The press made the same mistake with Amos Sawyer, Samuel Doe, and iron lady Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf. Anecdotal evidence suggests that they are again getting ready to embark on Winston Tubman's airplane heading to liberate the poor and downtrodden of Liberia, by bringing to them democracy, good governance, freedom of the press, and everything else. In fact, some are again spreading false rumors that the United Nations and government of the United States are supporting Mr. Tubman's candidacy. We have not seen any proof yet. I would like those spreading favorable rumors about Mr. Tubman to please show the Liberian people some form of proof - a letter or press clip from President Bush, Kofi Anan or member of their inner circle stating that they are supporting Mr. Tubman.

In any event, the case of Mr. Bryant is a colossal failure with a cascading effect on the psyche of the Liberian people. Liberians of all walks of life were really hopeful that this time around they would get it right and Mr. Bryant's ascendance to the chairmanship of the now infamous Interim Government would bring new vibrancy to Liberian politics and a better day for all Liberians. That is clearly turning out, sadly enough, to be just a dream. Most painfully at best, the press is to blame for some of what has transpired so far. It is no doubt the press and intelligentsia have now awaken to a new reality that Bryant's interim administration is very corrupt and differs only from Taylor's in the extent of the number of murders committed by the latter. Liberians are thankful so far for the fervency and vigor in which they are exposing Bryant's corruption, mismanagement and looting of the Liberian treasury for nothing other than personal aggrandizement (and conspicuous consumption).

However, Liberians must be very cautious and not jump to the moon in praising the press for exposing Bryant and his criminally inclined cronies. Liberians must look out and be mindful when the press and intelligentsia begin to shower accolades on one of the aspiring candidates for the presidency in 2005 without submitting any competent or collaborative evidence to substantiate their vote of confidence. So, fellow Liberians always be on the lookout and ask the following basic questions: Why should I believe? Where did this candidate work? How is he or she making a living? Is he or she an old scholar or a new kid on the block? You don't have to be a genius to ask questions. All you need is basic common sense. Don't be fooled twice. But as always, time will tell. I will keep listening, but I will only hear the truth, nothing but the truth. You can do the same. You certainly have the power - the power of common sense.

Author the Author: Mr. John S. Morlu holds an MBA in Finance, MA in International Commerce and Policy, and is Certified Management Accountant, Certified Financial Manager, Certified Internal Auditor, and Certified Masters in Business Administration. He can be reached at jmorlu@theima.org.