Corruption, The Sirleaf Administration, And
Us
By Alphonso W. Nyenuh
The
Perspective
Atlanta, Georgia
January 23, 2007
For too long government jobs or any form of public service for that matter have meant an automatic ticket to wealth- government officials stole and looted openly and with impunity, while the people starved and were denied healthcare, children deprived of education and the government rendered incapable of providing basic social services as a consequence thereof. The corruption pandemic has greatly blunted Liberia’s chances of development by diverting resources from services such as healthcare, electricity, road construction, education, etc, into the pockets of a few. The widespread practice of corruption has also deprived the country of the opportunity to attract any serious international investment or to benefit there from. Even today the legacy of corruption continues to undermine our ability to attract much needed international assistance, especially as we struggle with the challenges of reconstruction and rehabilitation following more than a decade and half of war and destruction.
Corruption, be it the wholesale gutting of state treasury, the demanding of bribes or kick-backs to perform a public duty, the abuse of government/public property, the sale of justice to the highest bidders, the peddling of official influence/power or the use thereof to attract or compel a service or reward, has been so entrenched and pervasive in Liberian society that it has come not only to be expected but also accepted by the public as a normal course of public/government business. The public has even come to honor and reward corruption and corrupt officials rather than shun and seek their punishment.
IMPUNITY NURTURES ABUSE
This culture of corruption has been created and nurtured by the deeply rooted system of impunity.
Corruption is not a Liberian or African phenomenon. No nationality or race is by nature more corrupt than the other. God did not make Liberians more corrupt say, than the Americans or the British. In stead the stark differences in the level of corruption in Liberia as opposed to corruption in America or Europe is largely a function of impunity or the lack of a system of accountability.
While other societies, the American, British or Dutch, for example, have seen the imperative to fight corruption and continue to put into place mechanisms to strengthen their accountability regime, our society lacks those systems and the will to construct them where they are lacking or effectuate them where they exist but are ineffective. Our accounting systems and institutions still remain weak, the activities of public functionaries remain shrouded in official secrecy (government budgets, for example, should be printed and circulated and government agencies should publish their expenditures so the public can be able to judge adherence to budgetary appropriations) and our system of checks and balances has been rendered ineffective. As a society we appear to be doing everything to endorse and nurture the culture of impunity with arguments such as ‘let bygones be bygones’, ‘for the sake of peace’, etc. We are consumed in the erroneous notion that punishing corruption and crime will undermine peace and security when in fact the opposite is true: accountability corrects and deters wrongdoing while impunity encourages and fuels injustice, creates public discontent and can only lead a society down the path of implosion and self-destruction.
That is why the Johnson-Sirleaf administration must be hailed for its recent actions towards prosecuting those suspected of various acts of corruption in the Gyude Bryant Government. That is an inspiring good beginning that must be supported by all Liberians and friends of Liberia. It can not be emphasized enough that the biggest problem we have had in Liberia and that is largely responsible for our underdevelopment is impunity. Impunity has greatly contributed to bad governance as many who went into government did so not to contribute to the national advancement but to loot the country and enrich themselves and their kinsmen. Even those who entered government with the intention of making a difference were soon baptized in the sea of corruption. Impunity has gravely impacted national development in that the graft that took place drained the national resources and stifled development. Aggressive bribe seeking by public officials from would-be investors drove away good foreign investment, and the culture of thievery and dishonesty discouraged foreign aid givers who rightly feared that their gifts would be stolen and not benefit the intended beneficiaries-the public. That is why a bold move like the arrest and prosecution of government officials on corruption charges is highly commendable because such action(s) has the potential of breaking the cycle of corruption, regaining the confidence of the international community and reinstating the people’s trust in their government and its ability to provide much needed social services. BRAVO MADAM PRESIDENT…
WHERE THE GOVERNMENT HAS FALTERED
The government’s recent actions against corrupt officials, while highly commendable, appear to have been driven by international pressure (and not by the political conviction to pursue accountability) just as the decision regarding the apprehension of Charles Taylor. It took the government close to a year, three audit reports, public outcry and an unfavorable UN report and threat to begin the process of prosecution of corrupt Bryant-era functionaries; and that prosecution process has taken on a snail pace, bogged down in seeming un-preparedness and apparent lack of political will to press forward. It took the government almost a year and a critical UN report to appoint an Auditor General (the revitalization of the Bureau of General Auditing has yet to begin in earnest) thus preventing the periodic auditing of its own activities. After more than a year the government has been unable to freeze the assets of any of the corrupt Taylor-era officials, as was mandated by the United Nations. Then the appointment of individuals accused of corruption, including Wesley Johnson who was appointed as Ambassador to the UK, in spite of audit reports accusing him of stealing over $34,000.00 of government money to attend his daughter’s graduation in the US; all these shortfalls in establishing an accountability regime based on aggressive prosecution, transparency and the building or strengthening of institutions that support accountability, by the government bring into question the government’s commitment to fighting corruption by prosecuting and punishing corrupt officials. While I do not personally question the government’s desire to fight corruption no one or institution is judged by its desire but by its actions to further that desire.
GOVERNMENT MUST DEMONSTRATE CONVICTION AND DECISIVENESS
Breaking the scourge of corruption requires CONVICTION and DECISIVENESS. It is only with conviction that political leaders will make the tough decisions, take the tough actions and put into place the system to detect and punish corruption and, it is only with decisiveness that the message can be made clear and powerful- CORRUPTION WILL NOT BE TOLERATED! CORRUPTION WILL BE PUNISHED! The will to prosecute and exact punishment against corrupt public officials, unscrupulous business people, etc., no matter their relationships and status in society is critical to ridding the country of corruption and changing the public’s attitude towards corruption and corrupt officials. It is also critical to sending the much needed strong message about a government’s seriousness to fight corruption; and that will is driven by the conviction that corruption is bad and corruption must be fought tooth and nail, even at the risk of political unpopularity. Any reluctance or delay will bring into question the government’s seriousness and undermine public confidence.
CHANGING MINDSETS is a critical aspect in the fight
against corruption. The public’s attitude of adoration
towards corruption and corrupt officials is unhealthy
and is a function of the culture of corruption and impunity
that has existed for decades in our country. This culture
can only be uprooted by the boldness of the government’s
actions against corruption, the institutions of accountability
that it establishes as well as its own adherence to
a high standard of accountability and transparency.
This can also be accelerated by the caliber of people
who are appointed to public offices.
The Johnson-Sirleaf administration can demonstrate its
commitment to fighting corruption by doing a number
of things, the following included.