LIBERIAN PRESIDENT Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has been receiving mixed reviews for her criticisms of U.S. President-elect Donald J. Trump.
EJS Concerns Over Trump Extremely Valid
THE PRESIDENT in an interview with the BBC following the shocking election of Mr. Trump, expressed fears that the Republican would not make Africa a priority. “We are concerned as to whether president-elect Trump will have an African agenda, will be able to build bridges with Africa. “We can only hope that he will do so in due course.”
THE PRESIDENT HAS serious cause to worry. Mr. Trump has not spelled out a detailed agenda for Africa, particularly Liberia whose closed ties with the U.S. has existed since Africa’s oldest republic was settled by African Americans and freed slaves in 1822.
MOST IMPORTANTLY, Sirleaf whose reign enjoyed massive support from Washington went on to say: “I’m worried about trade deals for Liberia, for Africa. I’m worried about investment and the special programmes that have been put in place by President Obama and by President George Bush before him, and we just don’t know what the policy towards Africa will be.”
ADDITIONALLY, MR. TRUMPS campaign rhetoric and posture toward women, minorities and Muslims during his campaign for the White House has been a cause for concerns: “We are extremely saddened by this missed opportunity on the part of the people of the United States to join smaller democracies in ending the marginalisation of women,” Sirleaf told the BBC last Wednesday.
WHILE MANY WORLD LEADERS have taken the diplomatic approach, Sirleaf’s assailing of Mr. Trump has won admiration from some as a bold and principled response to a man who bullied his way to the U.S. Presidency, preying on the fears and vulnerabilities of a large portion of America still harbouring racist tendencies.
A NUMBER OF OTHER world leaders and politicians have also taken notice.
NICOLA STURGEON, Scottish First Minister told the Scottish Parliament last Thursday that she hoped President-elect Trump turns out to be a president who is very different from the kind of candidate that he was and that he reaches out to those who felt vilified by his campaign.
“During the campaign, I found so many of President-elect Trump’s comments to be deeply abhorrent, and I never want to be — I am not ever prepared to be — a politician who maintains a diplomatic silence in the face of attitudes of racism, sexism, misogyny or intolerance of any kind.”
NICOLA’S COMMENTS also echoed German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who pointedly noted in a pointed message to Mr. Trump that U.S.-German ties rest on a shared concern for human rights and the rule of law.
WOMEN LEADERS LIKE Merkel and Sirleaf have every right to express concerns about a man with a record of abusing and demeaning women. According to UN Women, Liberia is one of 17 countries with a woman head of state or head of government. Four women have been added to the list this year—May in the U.K., Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine, Austria Acting Joint Head of State Doris Bures, and Estonia President Kersti Kaljulaid. The
ACCORDING TO the World Economic Forum’s count, there are 20 female heads of state and/or government; it includes three that the UN does not count: Taiwan’s Tsai Ing-wen, Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi, and Zeljka Cvijanovic of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
BESIDES EXISTING strong ties between Liberia and America, there are scores of Liberians residing in America on the verge of deportation as the countdown to the expiration of Temporary Protective Status comes to an end.
JUST UNDER A FEW MONTHS, in May 2017, TPS will cease to exist.
THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION has already issued a word of caution to not just Liberia but citizens of Sierra Leone and Guinea to prepare to return home after it comes to an end. “Although TPS benefits will no longer be in effect starting May 21, 2017, TPS beneficiaries will continue to hold any other immigration status that they have maintained or acquired while registered for TPS. DHS urges individuals who do not have another immigration status to use the time before the termination becomes effective in May to prepare for and arrange their departure from the United States or to apply for other immigration benefits for which they may be eligible,” The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a statement in September.
TO SAY THAT LIBERIA is ill-prepared to welcome a wave of its citizens home will be an understatement.
POVERTY REMAINS HIGH, lack of electricity remains a challenge and many are still struggling to make ends meet and if the most recent assessment by the International Monetary Fund(IMF) is anything to go by, the outlook for the coming months and crucial transition could spell trouble.
AN ASSESSMENT by an IMF staff after a recent visit to Liberia concluded that despite the successful elimination of the Ebola Virus Disease, the economy is still not recovering. “The macroeconomic outlook is set to remain challenging as commodity prices, especially iron ore and rubber, remain low. GDP growth is projected to recover to about 3 percent in 2017 buoyed by the expansion in gold production and a rebound in agriculture and services as electricity availability improves thanks to the finalization of important projects, notably the Mount Coffee hydropower plant.
ADDITIONALLY, the report added: “The government is facing fiscal pressures. Revenues for FY2015/16 were lower than budgeted mainly due to the weakness in the natural resource sector, against the background of a decline in donor support for the budget. Revenue weakness is set to continue in FY2017 amid exceptional expenditures in the run up to the 2017 general and presidential elections, including for the organization of the elections and the take-over of security from UNMIL. Despite significant additional donor assistance, including from the Fund, further revenue and spending measures will be needed to maintain fiscal sustainability while safeguarding essential expenditures, particularly for health, education, and security.”
ONE CAN CLEARLY see why a leader of a nation that relies heavily on US support would express concerns and fears about a Trump Presidency.
ON THE OTHER SIDE of the coin, some believe that a Trump President would put more pressure for accountability and transparency on countries like Liberia with unfavourable anti-corruption record.
WHICHEVER WAY it ends, one thing remains certain, that unless Liberia begins to take stock of its past and reassess the way it has been doing business, particularly a reliant on foreign aid, Africa’s oldest republic could find itself in a lot of trouble.
HOW THE NEXT government assign responsibility to improving the economic outlook from reliance on foreign aid to investment in agriculture and empowering local businesses could make a difference between survival and hope for a nation with a history of holding out its hands for a handout to countries like America.
REGARDLESS WHO IS IN the White House, Liberia must begin to show the world that it can stand on its own and use existing resources to improve the lives of its people and not waste them on corrupt officials’ foreign travel and flash hotels without transparency and accountability.