The views of Liberians back home on alleged acts of corruption in the Sirleaf-led government has received a different perspective from one of their kinsman, Dr. Emmanuel Bravy Daykeay, an educator based in the United States of America.
Addressing Journalists in Monrovia Thursday, Dr. Daykeay said the corruption epidemic which has become systemic, is a scourge every well-meaning citizen needs to stand up to in eradicating, but quickly pointed out that doing so must be void of blame-shifting.
Explaining this further, Dr. Daykeay intoned that since his return home, he has keenly observed most accusing fingers of corruption allegations pointed directly at the President of the Republic of Liberia, Madam Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, which he said is wrong.
“It is improper for people to be easily singling out the President in accusations or allegations of corruption, because the bus does not stop at the President. Before and after her, there are established anti-corruption institutions.”
The young Liberian educator named the institutions of corruption as being directly responsible for fighting the menace of corruption, and not the President, and by this, called on his fellow kinsmen here to stop throwing out unproven open allegations at the President when she cannot be the head of state and the anti-graft institutions at the same time.
“The President can only be in one capacity at a time, and we should stop blindly multiplying her all over the place in the name of corruption.
Dr. Daykeay told newsmen that while every well-meaning Liberian including himself sees corruption as cancerous to developing the infrastructural, human resource and institutional capacities of the Country, his recommendation to fighting corruption head-on is doing with what he calls ‘blame-game’ and putting the matter squarely at the feet of government officials facing corruption allegations or charges.
“What happened to naming and shaming the actual government officials who could be hooked by corruption allegations resulting from the various checks and balances carried out by institutions like the LACC, IAA and GAC? We need to take the war directly to those servants who would abuse the confidence of the President by pointing the accusing fingers at them and supporting their prosecution, and stop substituting them for the President”, he said.
Dr. Daykeay who is completing studies for his second Doctorate Degree in the US, has, as well, sounded a clarion call on the General Audition Commission (GAC), Internal Audit Agency (IAA) and the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) not to wither their robustness in digging out corruption wherever it exists in government regardless of the name (s) involved in this unpatriotic act.
He is meanwhile calling on Education stakeholders including the Ministry which plays the supervisory role to place more focus on weeding the competence educators bring to the table in consideration for jobs in the classrooms which is the baseline for having a literate society.
Dr. Daykeay observed that this is the surest way to turn the corner in breaking away from the low ebb the Liberian education sector is experiencing.
He is supporting the construction of adequate learning facilities across the Country, but wants strong emphasis given to a competitive environment of qualified and competent teachers at all levels of education in Liberia.
Since his return, Dr. Daykeay has been working with some secondary schools in the greater Monrovia area by training their instructional and administrative staffs to boost their capacity to deliver more professionally.
Accordingly, he is planning to extend the program to other parts of the Country to include higher (tertiary) institutions of learning through his non-governmental organization named and styled: ‘Education For Liberia.”