IT IS BECOMING a recurring theme in Liberia that whenever things begin to go wrong, Liberians tend to lay the blame on those around the leader.
WHEN SAMUEL KANYON Doe seized power on April 12, 1980, he soon found himself surrounded by some prominent figures of the progressives era – Dr. Togba Nah Tipoteh, Gabriel Baccus Matthews, George Boley, Samuel P. Jackson and a host of others.
DOE CAME to liberate Liberia from the grips of the Tolbert-led True Whig Party and in the progressives, who were among Tolbert’s strongest critics, he found the perfect ally to demonize decades of Americo-Liberian rule and set Liberia on a path to prosperity and an end to corruption, nepotism and greed.
DOE SOON FOUND that the trappings of power had its own limitations and it wasn’t long before members of the progressives who sat by his side as he read that famous speech ushering in the dawn of a new era began slipping away.
OVER THE YEARS, Liberia has survived multiple leaders who often, always surround themselves with a lot of people. Some mean well and others, do not. Then there are what many regard as the sycophantic surrogates notorious for praise-singing their way to the feet of the leaders in hopes of cementing access and enjoying the ears of the presidency.
CHARLES TAYLOR, who formed a rebel group and invaded Liberia to rid the country of Samuel Doe, eventually succeeded in his quest to become president. During his reign, he, too had his followers. Today, many of those who sang Mr. Taylor’s praises are still around. A few have found the courage to defend him when they can while others are often noted for telling folks, “we told him X, Y and Z but he did not listen.
THE SAME CAN be said of former President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf who ruled Liberia from 2006 to 2017. Her reign was dominated by sycophantic followers many of whom are reinventing themselves to the new political dispensation and rapidly succeeding in winning uncontrollable access to the seat of power.
PRESIDENT GEORGE MANNEH, head of the Coalition for Democratic Change appears to be enjoying and tolerating the glorification of his presidency by many who are just happy to have a job or adequately seated at the helm of power.
SIMILARITES ARE quickly been drawn with former President William V.S. Tubman who led Liberia for 27 unbroken years.
THE LATE A. DORIS D. GRIMES, wife of former Secretary of State, J. Rudolph Grimes, reflecting on the day Tubman died, wrote: “The area from Roberts International Airport to Monrovia was lined with folks, with drums and other musical instruments on both sides of the road and also traditional dancers, devils, etc., etc. It was, however, very eerie – you could hear a pin drop – a tribute befitting a President of Liberia, yes, one who sycophants felt “slavishly grateful to – dynamic, far sighted, God fearing, sagacious leader – a leader whose policies made the blind see, the lame walk, and the deaf hear”. Typical Liberians talk …” a leader who had been tried by water, by fire …”
THE LIBERIAN STUDIES journal edited b Dr. D. Elwood Dunn opined: “The present usually incorporates characteristics of the past, and is pregnant with those of the future. That is why to appreciate these recollections, we might discern the leit -motif of the emerging opposition to the TWP in the Tolbert years, 1971 -1980.”
THE BOOK WHICH ATTEMPTS to describe a material difference between Tolbert era opposition politics with its organizational potentials and those of earlier periods suggest that in view of prevailing sycophantic optimism in the True Whig Party and its ancillary institutions, including the freemasonry, traditional Christian Churches and the officer corps of the military, the path to power was to consistently question the credibility of institutions and slogans that nurtured the hegemony.
TODAY, the ruling CDC finds itself in a precarious situation, one which if not carefully guarded could contributed to the making of another dictatorship.
WHAT WE ARE witnessing today is the massive glorification and idolization of President Weah by sycophants and surrogates blinded by the realities before their eyes. Realities of a crippling economy, massive hardship, an unstable monetary exchange rate and declining confidence in government.
IRONICALLY, IN STATEMENTS and on paper, the President’s office presents a posture that the administration is tolerant to criticisms while at the same time allowing key members of the administration to openly go after critics who have a different view of what is unfolding.
IN A STATEMENT AT THE WEEKEND, the President’s office trumpeted last week’s meeting with the opposition declaring that it is a rarity in Africa for sitting Presidents to bring opposition parties around one table in six months of leadership in the cause of unity, reconciliation and political open-mindedness and welcome their inputs in the governance process for sustained national development and cohesion.
THE PRESIDENT’S OFFICE went on to say that the one-day forum with the country’s opposition leaders is a long step towards ‘busting the myth’ and leading by example. “The one-day red-lettered meeting with political leaders only sheds light on his desire for a united, peaceful, reconciled and developed Liberia.”
IT DIDN’T TAKE long for the dust of the forum to settle when Deputy Information Minister Eugene Fahngon took to Facebook to denigrate Mr. Abraham Darius Dillon for walking out of the forum.
MR. FAHNGON’S cheap sycophantic stunt contradicts the president’s own stance asserted in his opening remarks: “We had a peaceful election in 2017 and it’s that elections result that has brought us here today; it is overdue because we were engaged. We are happy to have this opportunity in which we all can better share ideas, as we want to receive suggestions from opposition political leaders on how we move our country forward”.
THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER is, utterances from the likes of Mr. Fahngon goes contrary to the President’s plea when he states that “Liberians should all strive to put aside our differences and join hands in the task of nation building,” and that “we must learn how to celebrate our diversity without drawing lines of divisions in our new Liberia. We belong to Liberia first before we belong to our inherited tribes, or chosen counties.”
PRESIDENT WEAH must muster the courage to discourage his sycophantic followers from contradicting his message and intentions. If these actions by his surrogates are not condemned in the strongest possible manner, the President’s critics will assume that he endorses their actions and in fact sanctioned the utterances of his followers against his critics.
PRESIDENT WEAH cannot and must not allow power to get to his head by inserting himself in a bubble thinking and believing everything is good when the realities on the ground point to something else. The government must say what it means and mean what it says and the President’s supporters, surrogates and sycophants must strive to be on the same page or risk setting this government up for failure.