Liberia: Taylor's first year report card

Contemporary Review, Nov, 1998 by Abiodun Onadipe

That Charles Ghankay Taylor is an enigma is no longer in doubt. As warlord, Taylor began a seven-year war in his quest for power that literally destroyed Liberia. In an unusual twist of events, Taylor with the backing of his erstwhile military adversary, the Nigerian-led West African Peacekeeping force, ECOMOG, claimed the prize he believed was divinely ordained by becoming Liberian president last year. He adopted his African middle name to appeal to a wider section of the Liberian population and, for good measure, added a traditional title 'Dhakpanah'. As president, Taylor has been no less enigmatic, especially when he reviewed his administration's first year in power in August. He admitted that he had failed to do an 'effective job' during this period.

Taylor was honest enough to admit that he had failed to deliver on many of his promises. 'You elected me one year ago, but I have to admit (that) I am catching a hard time, and I have failed you in my first year,' he candidly told delegates to a three-week government-sponsored national conference held in Monrovia, the capital, which ended on August 12, 1998. The conference, ostensibly to give Liberians the opportunity to chart the country's future, was partly a jamboree to celebrate Liberia's 150th anniversary (providing a good dose of feel-good factor) and partly an attempt to foster the on-going process of national reconciliation. It drew delegates from all over the country and from the Diaspora including friends of Liberia from around the globe. Donor countries and organisations were also represented.

This admission was surprising, not because the facts on the ground are hidden, but because it was delivered by President Taylor himself- a man not known for his modesty or his humility - a 'second generation' African Big Man. And, what is more, he did not take all the blame for the failure. He pinned part, if not most, of the blame on the reluctance of the international community to honour its pledges of assistance to Liberia. 'Our people want to go to school, they want hospitals, roads and other things, but all we get from the international community is promises, as if they want to see Liberia torn apart again.' Donors still appear to be continuing their wait-and-see attitude towards the Taylor government's 'good governance' achievements, while a decision on debt relief is not forthcoming. According to media reports, Liberia has a US$3 billion foreign debt burden on top of US$200 million in domestic debt.

In fact, Taylor's tone while admitting failure was in sharp contrast to the cocky, self-assured resonance of his inaugural speech on August 2, 1997, following his landslide victory in the July 19 elections (Taylor won 75 per cent of the votes as Liberians chose security and stability above all else). During this speech, Taylor promised to 'restore the years the locusts have eaten', an oblique reference to the destruction visited on Liberia during the seven-year war he started in December 1989.

During the war, Taylor made it clear that he had been 'chosen by God' to lead Liberia and without a shadow of a doubt, the 'will of God' has been fulfilled. However, since this fulfilment, there has been a glaring absence of divine direction in Taylor's government. Liberians continue to face economic hardships with little prospect for improvement any time soon.

The cost of living has shot skywards and has remained there, for example, the cost of rice, the staple food, is exorbitant - a 50-kilo bag costs almost 1,000 Liberian dollars (US$1 = L$40). Unemployment is high, while salaries for those with jobs are abysmally low. For instance, a senior journalist at the state-owned radio station earns about US$25 monthly. Government ministers are said to earn about US$20 but are driving flash cars. 'Inspite of the visible realities facing ordinary Liberians, cabinet ministers and other senior government officials ride in flashy cars at the expense of taxpayers,' remarked one Liberian friend. Corruption is said to be prominent in the public sector as there appears to be a very fine line between personal and public assets. The situation is worsened because Liberia's wealth of precious stones, especially diamonds, is being illegally mined and smuggled through the country's porous borders with very little revenue accruing to the national treasury. Nevertheless, the government has been able to clear seven months' arrears of salaries of its workers.

Added to this is the fact that Liberians in most parts of the country, including Monrovia, have no access to potable water (a priority development area for the European Union), electricity or even proper shelter (there are thousands sheltering in bombed-out and looted government buildings, waiting to be re-housed or evicted as the government tries to reclaim the buildings) - all of which Taylor promised to restore quickly during the election campaigns. The situation is made worse because of the staggering numbers of internally displaced persons, as high as 500,000. This figure excludes an indeterminate number of refugees who are being repatriated from neighbouring countries in trickles. (In 1997, the population of Monrovia, normally around the 700,000 mark, was estimated at 1.5 million out of the country's 2.2 million citizens.) The problem with the rehabilitation of former combatants (or veterans, as the government refers to them) especially the disabled and mentally affected amongst them, compounds the situation and is not being treated with the seriousness it deserves. All these issues together paint a very depressing picture of the difficult lives Liberians live in the postwar era.