Frontpage Africa

BRUMSKINE PUTS ELLEN IN CHECK

Political Leader of the opposition Liberty Party says incumbent Ellen Johnson-
Sirleaf

Monrovia -

On the eve of the sealing of his alliance with Senator Franklin Siakotr(Independent-
Bong County), his running mate in this year's presidential elections, Charles Walker
Brumskine, political leader of the opposition Liberty Party took aim at Liberian
President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf's State of the Nation address delivered Monday in
which he suggested that the President has done more great harm than good and that
she lacks complete interest in reconciliation.
Applauding the 2005 losers for not inciting and sponsoring another round of war
following their missed out in the 2005 Presidential elections, the candidate who
finished next to the Sirleaf during the first round of the elections by 6% less than
Sirleaf's 19.8% took on his annual task for the fifth time running when he said:
President Sirleaf is therefore correct the Machiavellian philosophy of 'the end justifies
the means' has done great harm to Liberians and Liberia!

Refrained from waging war

Dissecting the President's Monday's final Annual Message in a jam-packed conference

room at his private office in Monrovia Thursday, Brumskine the 05 losers who
refrained from waging war in Liberia, since the announcement of the 2005 election
results, suggesting that opposition figures who lost the 1985 elections were
instrumental in inflicting the 14 years of civil war five years later: Opposition
politicians and political parties who lost the election in 1985, reintroduced violence as
a means of achieving political power, brought war against the people and inflicted
hardship upon Liberians in unprecedented proportions. Following the 1997 elections
during which President Sirleaf lost her bid for the presidency, violence, war, and
mayhem were again visited upon the people.
Since losing out on the 2005 presidential election, Brumskine and his Liberty Party
have made it a tradition of critiquing the President's Annual Messages.
While Sirleaf may be contented with meeting her constitutional mandate in Monday's
fabulous speech that was more politically ambitious, her political rival did not mince
his words in providing his version of an analytical sector-by-sector critique of her
Sixth Annual Message to the National Legislature.
Questioned Reconciliatory Role: Brumskine, during a 45-minute address was also keen
to note that the President did not for once mention the name 'reconciliation' in her
entire Message which proves that she is not able to deal with the key issue he tied
with the country's future.
Says Brumskine: As in previous years, the President's Annual Message was silent on
the subject of national reconciliation. In fact, in this year's message the word
reconciliation was never mentioned. After five years of avoiding the subject, and
failing to institute a single national reconciliation program, one can safely conclude
that the process of national reconciliation is not likely to take hold during this
administration. The President is certainly handicapped by her political history to deal
with this issue; but the future of our country depends on the reconciliation of our
people.''

Reconciliation is said to be one of Liberia's post-war healing recipes following the

country's most recent bitter past. Sirleaf among several others have been named in the
erstwhile Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC)'s Final Recommendations that
recommend that they are banned from holding public office for 30 years but a recent
Supreme Court ruling has since quashed that aspect of the report that is said to be
headed nowhere.
The Liberty Party leader went on to say that Sirleaf's assumption that the division and
anger among Liberians will melt away by simply ignoring it would only cause what
he said is a bad public policy which does not augur well for the long-term peace of the
country: National unity must never be assumed as was done in the past.

On the President's back-turned approach on the TRC report, Brumskine said: Nothing
exemplifies the administration's failure to deal with the very critical issue of national
reconciliation than its failure to deal with the report of the Truth and Reconciliation
Commission (TRC). Not only has the President and her administration shown very
little interest in dealing with the issues raised by the TRC, but it is common knowledge
that the Chairman and most of the Commissioners have become virtual outcasts in
government circles.

Executive In Blame-Game on Corruption: Though the President told the nation in her
address that her government's approach to tackling corruption has been to adopt a
systemic approach, the Liberty Party's political leader said instead of Sirleaf's
allegedly shifting blame for slow progress in dealing with widespread corruption to
the Judiciary; it is the Executive branch that has failed to prosecute those 44 cases of
massive corruption brought to light through the hard work and diligence of the
General Auditing Commission.

Sirleaf during her speech named the increase in civil servants' salaries, the
establishments of several anti-corruption agencies and the enactments of several anti-
corruption Executive orders as strides the Unity Party (UP) government has made in
addressing a situation she too has described as endemic.
'Belated' Adoption of Liberty Party's Economic Policies: The Liberty Party leader
attributed the government's recent economic adjustments such as the suspension of the
tax on certain basic commodities, the opening up of the market for more competition,
and the proposed reduction in top tax rate on personal and corporate income taxes to
his party's economic plans he said was adopted though belatedly: I'm pleased that
the President and her administration seem to be implementing some of our economic
policies. In 2008, we recommended several adjustments to fiscal and business policies
to deal with the then emerging economic storm. As can be seen, the government has
belatedly adopted some of our recommendations, such as the suspension of the tax on
certain basic commodities, the opening up of the market for more competition, and the
proposed reduction in top tax rate on personal and corporate income taxes,
respectively.
Liberians' Well-being, Not Economic Statistics: In grading the economic achievement
made in five years, the counselor said the current government's gains should only be
evaluated on the basis of the well-being of Liberians and not mere economic statistics.
Ultimately, we should judge the government's performance by the well-being of the
Liberian people, and not economic statistics. When the President took office, the price
of a bag of rice was US$25, it is now US$35. The price of a bag of cement was US$7, it
went up to $16 per bag, and after an outcry from the people; it is now US$10 per bag.
The exchange rate of the Liberian dollar to the US dollar was L$32 to $US1; it is now
L$71.5 to $US1. Yes, the government has increased salaries, but the cost of living for
the average Liberian has gone up even faster. So, the average Liberian is poorer today
than when President Sirleaf took office, he told journalists.

Shared Views: All of the criticisms, Brumskine who is looking to unseat Sirleaf in this
years election however acknowledged, for the second time, the government's debt
waiver success. He was also on similar note with the elections being a very crucial
period for Liberia.
Sirleaf had said: This year, 2011, is the long-anticipated election year, a crucial period
for our democracy

Another point of the President's message Brumskine disagreed with was matching the
reduction of poverty with realities for the ordinary Liberians to see.
By how much has poverty been reduced? Answers to these questions are necessary
because for many Liberians, poverty has not reduced much, if at all. Many Liberians
still struggle to make ends meet, he said.
Brumskine's Recommendations: Offering recommendations for solving some of his
critiqued points, he now added the following: Prepare and communicate to the
Liberian people a comprehensive assessment and performance review of the PRS prior
to embarking on a long-term plan; Begin the process of reconciling the people of
Liberia; Address corruption in government by acting on the various audit reports;
prosecuting offenders of the public trust and instituting systems that would curtail
corruption in the public sector; Hold local government and municipal elections so
that Liberians at the base of the governance pyramid would have their views reflected
in the eighteen year national agenda/vision. As it is today, no one would honestly and
independently represent the views of the people, given that no town, clan, or
paramount chief has been elected since the President took office; and city mayors are
now also appointed by the President.

Against Moving Capital to Nimba

On the President's 'concluded' plan to relocate the capital from Monrovia, he said: As
I read the President's Annual Message, I came across this passage, Given the effects
of climate change and expectation that rising sea levels will threaten coastal cities,
including Monrovia, we will have concluded the plan for a new capital city at Zekepa,
where the territories of Grand Bassa, Bong and Nimba Counties converge. I re-read
the sentence because I could not believe that was what the President of Liberia was
saying. But President Sirleaf actually said that in the face of grave threat to our
country, her solution is to relocate the capital, without indicating a plan to address the
safety and well-being of the people. So, what about the people who live in Monrovia;
would government not devise a plan for their relocation; what about Harper,
Barclaysville, Greenville, Cestos City, Buchanan, Marshall City, Robertsport, just to
name a few; are they too not part of Liberia? What plans, if any are made for their
relocation?

Brumskine and Siakor are both expected in Siakors hometown Saturday where they
will appear together for the first time since their recent decision to form alliance.