I have scanned social media of late and I have observed that many Liberians seem to think that George Weah is the least capable of the candidates in the race. I don’t believe this is entirely true even though Weah does have some challenges and limitations.
However, I think those challenges are mainly related to articulation and oratory skills. But again, in politics, rhetoric and your ability to articulate your points are key ingredients to winning an election even though they are no proxy or indication of one’s ability to effective govern or lead.
It is also very sad when the Weah supporters try to pretend that education is not important simply because they believe that Liberia have had educated leaders before and the country is still economically and developmentally challenged. While the Weah supporters may have a point, they are missing the trust of their own argument and thereby shooting themselves in the legs.
They are mistaken correlation with causation. It is unreasonable and ludicrous to say that education is not important. What is true is that former education and leadership are two different and separate things and that just because someone doesn’t have a PhD or doesn’t possess the same oratory skill as Martin Luther King means that they cannot lead. This reasoning is flawed and out rightly wrong because leadership is a skill that is far removed from oration.
However, these are beside the point that I am trying to make. Reading from the first debate of the candidates, one can only wonder whether those who were on the stage are our best and brightest in our country because I found each of them wanting in several respects. None of them really showed that they have a grasp of the issues and how they would fix them.
Additionally, the moderators did us enormous injustice when they were very weak in their ability to follow up properly so that those who wanted to make up their minds from the debate could have sufficient to chew on. Maybe the moderators themselves were limited in their understanding of the issues but to have someone come and say, “I will raise the national budget from $500 million to $2 billion” in the medium term” and then you don’t ask what that person meant and how they intend to achieve that, is really injustice to those who wanted to know more. Or another candidate says, “I believe in balance budget” and then you don’t ask him what that means and what it portends for the infrastructure development of the country is really a demonstration of the lack of depth of the issues.
But sad enough and troubling as it may sound, I think those at the bottom of the political ladder seem to have little bid of capacity than those at the top of the political ladder.
As it stands, the next president will either be George Weah or Joe Boakia and I see these two candidates as the ones with the most intellectual challenges. Even though Weah’s deficiencies are clear, what is more troubling and what most people don’t want to say is that Joe Boakia’s capacity is seriously questioned. I don’t know whether this is due to age but the old man has absolutely no understanding and appreciation of the issues.
In fact, what has been coming from other international leaders whenever they meet with Joe Boakia is that “he is unable to do the job.” Leaders from Guinea to Ghana to South Africa and at one point in time, China, all questioned whether Liberia was really serious and that Joe Boakai was the one that Madam really wanted to leave in charge of the country?
In fact, very recently, the Campaign Manager, Ngafuan, insisted that Uncle Joe doesn’t go to the debate because he (Ngaf) never trusted the old man’s capacity to handle the issues. Ngafuan was right even though this has landed him in lots of trouble with the Joe Boakia people. For intents and purposes, Ngaf’s role in that campaign is done.
If you have noticed, Joe Baokai doesn’t talk long on any issue because he doesn’t understand the issues. Imagine that he states that his three priorities are road, road and road. This is fundamental lack of understanding of the issues that confront the country.
And for a sitting Vice President to be so much out tone with the constraints that face the country is more telling than anything. There is a “constraint analysis” that was done as part of the MCC Compact program. Just read it!
Now, what is more worrying is that the man is also 73 years and had been Vice President for 12 years so it is means that there is no room for him to learn so no one can argue that he will learn. If he has not learned anything by now and at this age, then it is unreasonable for anyone to argue that there is room for learning.
The problem is that no one in the Joe Boakia camp is prepared to tell him this. Many of those who are there believe that the power of incumbency will take the old man to the presidency and then they will have their share of the pie. Everyone there believe that the “Uncle Joe” syndrome will win him sympathy and then the Liberian people will elect him and then the party begins.
As for Weah, one can always argue that there is room for growth and learning but this is possible if, and only if, he opens himself up for that. He has been senator for less than three years and has started learning the ropes so the prospects are there as compared to Uncle Joe. For Uncle Joe, everything is already baked in and it seems that on one likes the cake once they cut into it. It seems that there is nothing beneath the icing.
Robin Lee Tarpeh, Political Consultant and Strategist
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