By Jay Nagbe
Sloh aka "Son of the President"
townchief@aol.com/(231)
886-315-022
In an overdue action on Monday, President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf fired controversial Auditor-General Robert Kilby and General Services Agency Director-General Pearine Davis-Pakinson. The two very arrogant officials were fired for proven rampant corruption. At the end of her statement firing the corrupt officials, the President made this clarion call on all of us, her fellow Liberians: “Join me in our continued fight against corruption.” Adhering to this call, I offer the following thoughts:
First, I salute the President for the action. However, I humbly plead with her to go further than just the dismissal. The corrupt pair should be prosecuted and punished under Liberian law as a deterrence for others.
War on corruption
Since declaring corruption “public enemy number one” and announcing a war on the disease in her 2006 inaugural speech, President Sirleaf has created many corruption-fighting institutions and structures which, if fully utilized, will eventually curtail or totally stop corruption in Liberia.
The General Auditing Commission, the Anti-Corruption Commission, the Public Procurement and Concessions Commission, LEITI, are among excellent anti-graft traps the President has put in place. For these, I hail the Liberian leader, of whom I have maintained high respect since her days as Liberia’s Finance Minister in the late 70’s.
However, the President has not achieved much on the punishment side of her war against corruption. This is why Monday’s firings, although very belated, are heart-warming news. It is better late than never!
The actions announced by the President Monday remind and reassure Liberians and our partners in progress that the “iron” in the Madam is still alive and warm. It only needs to be made hot and extensive.
Kilby-Pearine gravy train
For some time now, the FrontPageAfrica newspaper has been unleashing strains of corrupt deals involving Kilby and Pearine (both flamboyant and arrogant), dating as far back as Pearine’s days in the President’s office as Deputy Minister of State for Administration. From media reports, it is the anti-corruption structure the President has put in place that caught this pair. Our hearts go out to the PPCC for exposing this pair. What remains to be seen now is the indictment of the pair by the Ministry of Justice.
Public Works Ministry’s Victor Smith
The President also suspended, “pending an investigation,” the Deputy Minister of Public Works for Operations, Mr. Victor Smith, for “failure to adhere to the public procurement and financial rules of the Government as relates to the awarding of construction contracts.”
I think Mr. Smith should also be fired, with immediate effect, because the President, by her statement, is convinced that Smith awarded contract(s) in clear “violation of the public procurement and financial rules of the Government as it relates to the awarding of construction contracts.” With this statement, I see nothing to investigate in the Smith case. He, too, must go.
The burdens of corruption
This Government has made several strides in economic development, attracting some US$16 billion foreign investment to Liberia in the past six years. However, corruption remains a national burden.
Interestingly, poor Liberians bear a considerable and disproportionate share of the corruption burden. Poor Liberians face outright exclusion when access to public goods and services require a bribe. Given their lack of voice or political influence, the poor – in most instances – are even required to pay more than people with higher incomes.
Although richer Liberians and foreigners are more likely to pay bribes, the burden of corruption—measured as the fraction of income paid in bribes—is much greater for the poor. Moreover, when corruption results in shoddy public services, the p
oor have no options and cannot turn to the private sector (e.g., private schools, hospitals, transportation, etc).
Corruption in Liberia hurts poor Liberians disproportionately and increases income inequality because it allows particular individuals or groups to take advantage of state activities at the cost of the rest of us. This is why we applaud the “Iron Lady” and urge her to do more – name, shame, arrest, and prosecute the corrupt!
Corruption in Liberia is deeply entrenched and many citizens believe it is uncontrollable. That’s why Liberians must accept the President’s invitation to help her advance the fight against corruption. Liberians with expertise on how to effectively investigate and prosecute allegations of public corruption and on how to pursue the recovery of the proceeds of corruption should step up to the plate and holf the President’s feet to the fire on her call for our participation.
The effects of corruption
The billions and millions we lose to corruption every year are not only measured in terms of squandered or stolen government resources, but in the lack of public funding for critical needs. Imagine the hospitals and schools that could be built with those stolen dollars. Corruption and its social costs limit the Government's ability to undertake political, social, and economic development.
The President is fully aware that pervasive corruption is a severe impediment to our national development and security objectives. That’s why she continues to challenge Liberians to join her in bringing greater transparency and accountability to our government, thus making it harder for officials to steal from state coffers -- and to strengthen the efforts of citizens to hold their government accountable.
Role of our prosecutors and investigators
Our prosecutors and investigators have a critical role to play in the fight against corruption. They must provide forums for the promotion of anti-corruption activities, exchange of corruption information, and they must prosecute suspected corrupt officials. The President and her corruption-figting team must pursue corruption across the board, not just the little ones. Currently, we have no confidence in our criminal justice system because we do not see successful convictions of corruption cases.
OTHER OFFICIALS TO FIRE
The Minister of Health & Social Welfare must go. This is long, long overdue. This old man has got absolutely nothing to show for the hundreds of millions of United States dollars pumped into the Health Ministry by the Liberian Government and donors over the years. Our hospitals and clinics remain death traps. Dr. Walter Gwenigale remains indicted for wrong-doing by an audit of the Ministry, conducted by the General Auditing Commission.
Besides the Jackson F. Doe Memorial Referral Hospital in Nimba County, which is surviving strictly on the exceptional administrative skills of Dr. Francis Kateh and his team, all other public hospitals and clinics remain death traps for poor Liberians while millions of dollars are pumped into the Health Ministry under this man’s watch. What we are doing with this very old man in these modern days is, in the first place, the US$64 million question.
By the way, where are the results of the “performance contract” that this minister signed with the President last year? It was publicized. We need to know the results.
The Minister of Education must go and go now if our educational system should improve from the “complete mess” nomenclature that President Sirleaf rightly ascribed to it recently. Few months ago, President Sirleaf referred to the Education system as a “complete mess.” As a corrective measure, the President fired all Deputy Ministers of Education. Interestingly, she did not touch the “captain” (minister) of the failed ship, Ms. Edmonia Tarpeh. Therefore, the education system remains a complete mess. Majority of our college graduates cannot write a simple love letter. Now, for a Ministry that receives over US$50 million annually in Government and donor funding to perform this dismally beats my understanding. The departure of Minister Tarpeh is long, long, long overdue, and can no longer continue being on hold. The President should wear her “iron lady” jacket and retire the Minister. She must go now! This lady has shown absolutely nothing for the hundreds of millions of United States dollars pumped into the Education Ministry by the Liberian Government and donors. We see no achievement and no new idea at the Ministry. One wonders where all of the dollars pumped into the education sector is going. What we are doing with this very old woman in these modern days is, in the first place, the US$64 million question. The green light is lit. She must retire now, and give way to fresh ideas and productive skills.
By the way, where are the results of the “performance contract” that this minister signed with the President last year? It was publicized. We need the results.
The Minister of Justice is another excess baggage of the president that must be off-loaded without any further delay. As corruption sucks out millions and billions of dollars from public service, the Minister who should be the frontline commander in the President’s war on corruption is apparently sleeping. The Justice Ministry is missing in action in the President’s war on corruption. As a result, there has been no casualty or prisoner of this war.
Besides her office, cars, and bodyguards, Minister Christiana Harmon-Tarr has shown nothing else to prove she is THE Minister of Justice, attorney-general, and frontline commander in the President’s war on corruption.
Many audit reports from various ministries and agencies provide probable causes for indebt investigations and possible prosecution. But the Minister has all of the legal justifications in the world not to go after anyone. Either this lady does not know what to do or she lacks the will to do what is right. In either case, Liberia does not need a sleeping justice Minister in the wake of rampant corruption. As such, the President should wear her “iron lady” jacket and fire the Minister. She must go now! This lady has shown absolutely nothing for the hundreds of millions of United States dollars pumped into the criminal justice system by the Liberian Government and donors. We see no achievement and no new idea at the Ministry. One wonders where all of the dollars pumped into the education sector is going. What we are doing with this sleeping minister in these hot days is, in the first place, the US$64 million question. The green light is lit. She must go now, and give way to fresh ideas and productive skills.
By the way, where are the results of the “performance contract” that this minister signed with the President last year? It was publicized. We need the results.
The departure of the Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Florence Chenowealth, is long, long overdue. She must go now! This lady has shown absolutely nothing for the hundreds of millions of United States dollars pumped into the Agriculture Ministry by the Liberian Government and donors over the years. We see no achievement and no new idea at the Agriculture Ministry. We continue to depend on imported food for our survival. One wonders where all of the dollars pumped into the Agriculture sector is going. Also, Dr. Chenowealth co-signed the controversial PUPs that led to the firing of then FDA managing director Moses Wogbeh and others. Why she is still keeping her job is the US$100 million question everyone seeks answer for. What we are doing with this very old woman in these modern days is, in the first place, the US$64 million question. The greenlight is lit. She must retire now, and give way to fresh ideas and productive skills.
By the way, where are the results of the “performance contract” that this minister signed with the President last year? It was publicized. We need the results.
More on other non-performing ministers and heads of agencies in our next article. Keep tuned!
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