By Gibson W. Jerue
PART VI:
“I
hereby declare corruption public enemy number one,” said Africa’s first female
President, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. The announcement was made on January 6, 2006
when she was being inaugurated as President of the first black republic soaked
in corruption and graft. With Laura Bush and former US Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice watching just few steps behind her, Madam Sirleaf swore to her
body, soul and spirit that she would fight corruption head on. Corruption is
such an ambiguous term. Let’s narrow it down to stealing of public money,
misuse of public properties [even using telephone your office to discuss love
affairs with your girl/boyfriend], misapplication of public funds, reckless
disregard to public properties, etc. Everyone leaped for joy…a new invigorated
heroine is here!
Few
months later, the first big incident of graft took place. Her longtime friend
Harry Greaves struck an oil deal with Nigeria. Actually Nigeria donated a
hundred of barrels of crude oil to Liberia. Harry Greaves allegedly redirected
the funds in his own account. Then when John Morlu’s audit team carried out
forensic audit at the LPRC, Greaves was found wanting. Madam Sirleaf told a
Ghanaian journalist, Joe Noutuoa Wandah of Modern Ghana on May 16, 2011 that
Greaves was clean. Today Greaves has not been prosecuted based on the GAC audit
report. Reference: http://www.modernghana.com/news/329193/1/controversial-nigeria-oil-deal-president-declared-.html.
The
GAC also exposed her brother Ambullah Johnson, Varbah Gaflor, and tens of
others holding them accountable for millions of public funds that disappeared,
mismanaged, misdirected, unaccounted for, or siphoned by government officials.
Then when in January 2011, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf told the National
Legislature that there were 64 cases of corruption on her desk. None of those
cases were brought to court. In fact, at some point the President who vowed to
fight corruption told the Liberian people that some of the audit reports needed
further investigation. Liberians cried and demanded for action that was not
forthcoming. The official rogues were walking around with heads high up. She
even promoted some of them, like Madam Gaflor.
With
all the corruption cases and no action from her, the first name that popped up
in her head to punish was Benson Bah, a Krahn man serving as deputy minister at
the Ministry of Health. In a statement she issued sacking the Krahn man, she
said he was being relieved of his post for acts of corruption. She did not send
him to court. It was already determined by the president that Benson Bah was
dismissed for corruption, and even when Mr. Bah demanded for his day in court
the government would not send him to court to prove their case against him.
What President Sirleaf was trying to do was to destroy the hard earned
reputation this one Krahn man who has a medical degree. What Ellen was
interested in was to disgrace him. At first many thought it was an isolated
case, until recently when she axed another Krahn man.
I
have read from many people that the arrest of the former Superintendent of
Grand Gedeh, Chris Bailey, was not an act of witch-hunt. Yes, it is! Let me open
your eyes a bit. When there were no audit reports and officials were stealing
here and there, Madam Sirleaf dismissed Benson Bah for corruption. We thought she
was going to follow up by dismissing others who were conspicuously siphoning
government funds. But no, the only person she wanted was Benson Bah, a Krahn
man. Now when the audit report reveals tens of corrupt officials, Madam Sirleaf
promoted some and maintained others in their positions, but the first man she
will punish is Chris Bailey, another Krahn man. Why didn’t the president order
the arrest and prosecution of Rennie Jackson, the man who plundered the Bong
County development funds? And the thing about it, Rennie was the first to start
misusing development funds way before the audit, and the audit report confirmed
that. Why didn’t the president arrest and prosecute Ambullah Johnson, her step
brother? Why is she not following Antoinette Sayeh, former Finance Minister to
question her for the millions that audit report said got missing during her administration?
Why is she promoting Varbah Gaflor who audit report said misapplied public
funds? Why is she not going after Harry Greaves? Why is she not prosecuting the
64 cases of corruption that she told the Legislators about? No, she won’t. The
person she is looking for is Chris Bailey. And guess what, the government
declared him wanted too. What most people don’t know about declaring someone
wanted in Liberia that I know is it exposes the person to security risks and
endangers his life. Take for instance the way and manner our security forces
behave. Once the word goes out that someone was wanted, the first impression is
this person is a state enemy. That is why some people get victimized easily. I
bet if a pro-Ellen zealous security officer sees Chris Bailey in the corner and
nobody is around, he could shoot and kill the gentleman.
If
you go back to our working definition of witch-hunt, you will realize that is
exactly President Sirleaf is doing to Chris Bailey. She will continue to
harass, intimidate, arrest and detain Krahn people in the name public interest,
but the real reason is to make them timid, scare them, destroy their reputation
and brand them corrupt group of people. People may argue that Mr. Bailey is a
member of UP so it is not witch-hunt. Are you kidding me! That is what a gamer
does, use peculiar conditions to inflict harm and annihilate. The dragnet on
Chris Bailey is an act of witch-hunt. In part seven, I will also show how the
replacement of William Karyee is also an act of witch-hunt. Again, here is the
definition of witch-hunt, which is “an investigation carried out ostensibly/supposedly to uncover
subversive activities but actually used to HARRASS and UNDERMINE those with differing/disagreeing
views. It is also defined as a rigorous/difficult campaign to round
up or expose DISSENTERS on the pretext of safeguarding the welfare of the
public.”
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