Monrovia – When President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf first ran to become President of Liberia in 1997, she was 59.
Report by Lennart Dodoo, [email protected]
“We have young people that are vying for leadership, that have the capacity, that have the passion and the capability and it’s time for them to take over and we’ve to make way for them and if we are going to practice democracy which we all want to do and we all strive for do, the we’ve got to do it by example” – Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, President, Republic of Liberia
Her victory was far fetch as former President Charles Taylor had an unprecedented victory. But his tyrannical regime, marred by civil conflict came to an abrupt end in 2003.
In 2005, Liberia was ready for another democratic elections, Madam Sirleaf returned and was ready and ever prepared than before to lead a country almost in ashes. She was 67 by then, but referred to herself as the “The Iron Lady”, as she dared to tread the steps of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. A Soviet journalist dubbed her “The Iron Lady”, a nickname that came to be associated with her uncompromising politics and leadership style.
Being the continent’s first female President almost at age 70, President Sirleaf had almost nothing but a country of debris to rebuild.
Her age at the time really didn’t matter. Her years of experience in government and diplomatic missions, coupled with her strong rapport with the international community rather mattered.
In her first tenure which lasted six years, President Sirleaf already had some achievements she could boast of, in the face of many wild expectations of citizens who had experienced lack for decades.
By the conclusion of her first term in 2011, she was already 73. She had promised not to go for a second term. But she went back on her word, noting that there was still much that needed to be done. In her Annual Message to the Legislature in 2010, President Sirleaf said, “I know where we are today, I know where we ought to be tomorrow and I know how we will get there.”
Whether President Sirleaf has landed Liberia where it ought to be or not remains the question, but her time is almost up and by the dictates of the Constitution, she has to leave. She’s now 79.
President Sirleaf has agreed to set another history in Liberia, being the first outgoing President of the country to hand over power to a democratically elected President in 71 years. This isn’t happening in many African countries.
The Call For Generational Change
For President Sirleaf, stepping aside at the end of her tenure is not only a strong signal that the Constitution and laws must be respected, but also amplifies the need for generational change.
Generational change by view is turning power over to the young people on the continent and giving them the chance to lead.
“We have young people that are vying for leadership, that have the capacity, that have the passion and the capability and it’s time for them to take over and we’ve to make way for them and if we are going to practice democracy which we all want to do and we all strive to do, then we’ve got to do it by example,” she told CNN Christine Amanpour last Thursday.
President Sirleaf is credited for appointing many youngsters in her government; some even hold ministerial positions with a lot of them serving as deputy and assistant ministers.
But her Vice President, Joseph Nyumah is no young man. He turns 73 on November 30 this year.
President Sirleaf has on several occasions expressed her support for Vice President Boakai wanting to be her successor, though the public sees little or no commitment from her in this regard.
From the inception of the political season, there have been doubts over her endorsement of Boakai being her successor. For instance, it’s left with only 15 days left to election, but the standard bearer emeritus of the ruling party is yet to make a public appearance with her vice President who seeks to replace her.
Adding more magnitude to the public doubt of her backing of Boakai, President Sirleaf prioritized a ground breaking ceremony for a clinic in Bomi County over the launch of the Boakai’s election campaign in Monrovia.
“Thousands of people go rally, thousands of partisans go to rallies, and not many people spend their time going way to a rural village to break ground for a clinic for a community that has never had it.”
“If that’s a wrong priority in the views of some, I accept their view, I respect their view,” Pres. Sirleaf said in an interview with the Cyrus/Pat Fame Show on September 15.
Members of Boakai’s campaign team are yet to publicly respond to President Sirleaf’s assertion, but in an interview with FrontPageAfrica, the Deputy Spokesman of the campaign team, Mohammed Ali, said the call for generational change by the President has absolutely no bearing on the Vice President’s chances of becoming President of Liberia.
“In fact, it has increased our chances. I am a part of this generation and I believe Vice President Joseph Boakai is going to head the transition to our generation of young leaders,” he said.
Mr. McCarthy Weh, head of Legislative Information Service, agrees with the call for a new generation of leadership, but criticized the President for not doing much to ensure that this happens.
“Had Madam President carefully planned for generational change, she would have either pushed for it by allowing a prepared young person to take over from her in 2011 following her first term or asked VP Boakai in 2011 to give to a younger person to run as her vice President for the second term,” he said.
Weh believes generational change should be a gradual process at this critical juncture that requires having a guiding angel, like Boakai.
Speaking on the topic, the Chairman of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), Mr. Nathaniel McGill, told FrontPageAfrica that his standard bearer Senator George Weah is favored by the voting population because he is a young man and by virtue of that, he best fits in the call for generational change.
“We have long discussed generational change before even the President and so we are not carried by that. Let it not be that because the President made the statement and in fact that is why we are going to win on first round,” he said.
Who Is The Youngest Candidate?
There are 20 candidates seeking to replace President Sirleaf. The top five among the 20 are Vice President Joseph Boakai, Senator George Weah, Alexander B. Cummings, Cllr. Charles W. Brumskine and Benoni Urey.
Though Boakai is the oldest amongst them, none of the candidates is below 50 years.
Senator Weah of the CDC is 51. He became Senator for Montserrado County in 2014 – his first experience in government. Weah became prominent in Liberia due to his legendary soccer skills that took the country on the world map of football.
Upon his retirement from the game, Weah ventured politics and became a founding member and leader of the grass root-based Congress for Democratic Change (CDC).
Alexander B. Cummings, leader of the Alternative National Congress (ANC) is 61. Cummings is a former executive of Coca-Cola Bottling Company based in Atlanta, Georgia.
Though it’s his first time venturing politics in Liberia, he has overwhelmingly gained constituents and is now regarded as the dark horse in the race.
Mr. Benoni Urey is 60. He heads the All Liberia Party which was launched in 2016. The upcoming October election is his first venture into politics. Urey is a successful Liberian businessman.
During Charles Taylor’s regime, he served as Commissioner of Liberia Maritime Authority. Until recently, Urey served as the chairman of the LoneStarCell/MTN Board. He stepped aside to focus on his pursuit for the presidency.
Cllr. Charles W. Brumskine of the Liberty Party, a renowned corporate lawyer and a former Senator, is trying a third time charm on the presidency, after giving upon the failure of the second try. But at age 66, he has bounced back confident than ever before to get hold of political power.
Vice President Boakai turns 73 in November. With his age comes over 30 years of experience in government.
Having served as Vice President for 12 years, he believes he has gained more than sufficient experiences to put Liberia on track.
What Liberians Think
Liberians from all walks of life have been weighing in on the President’s statement. Some are requesting for her to be more open and exact as her definition of generational change remains broad. For many Liberians, there is no youthful candidate in the top five seeking to be her replacer.
Elijah Willington, a resident of Sinkor Monrovia told FrontPageAfrica, “Look at all those in the race, which one of them is a youthful President?
None of them, so we really don’t understand what the President was referring to. She has to come out clear and explain what she means.”
Mable Yancy: “Maybe she’s talking about Cummings. He looks young and full of energy. Maybe he’s the one the President was referring to because Joe Boakai is already old so I don’t think he’s the one President Sirleaf was talking about.” Mabel lives in central Monrovia.
“The only young person in this race is George Weah. He’s the one Madam Sirleaf was talking about, but will Liberians really vote for who she wants?
It is not for President Sirleaf to decide who becomes the next President, it’s the Liberian people’s decision through the ballot box on October 10,” said Alieu Kamara who runs a small business in central Monrovia.
Lorpu Johnson, a resident of Bannersville said, “As far as I’m concern the only young person in this race is Macdella Cooper but she’s not even among the top three candidates, so I don’t know who the President Sirleaf was talking about.
Weah is more than 50, Cummings may look small in the body but I believe he has some age, Urey is not a young man, as you can also see old age in Brumskine.
For Joseph Boakai we all know that he’s old, so I can’t really figure out who exactly it will be.”
“For me, the only two young people in this race are Weah and Cummings. I strongly believe President Sirleaf is pushing one of them agenda, that’s why she made that statement. It’s either she’s supporting Weah or Cummings.
In fact, we’ve heard rumors that she’s supporting both of them secretly,” Obadiah Mataldi, a resident of Vai Town opined.
For Larmi Foday, he believes the presidency should not be about change but ability to deliver and integrity.
He told FrontPageAfrica, “The young people may be energetic and capable, but they may also be capable of wrecking our already spoiled system due to their lack of experience and eagerness to acquire wealth.
Therefore, the President should rather be wishing for someone of integrity, experience and willingness to serve. Someone is passionate about Liberia, whether old or young.”
Henry Karmo contributed to this story