Corruption in Africa is endemic and Liberia is no exception. Africa’s oldest independent republic, Liberia, currently sits 120 on a list of 180 countries compiled by Transparency International. The list, referred to as the Corruption Perceptions Index, is based on the perceived levels of public sector corruption. Liberia’s position on the list means that corruption is an issue if not the reason for the country’s underdevelopment.
Liberia is a recovering post-war country that has gone through a lot of governance hurdles. Among all of the 100 plus reasons available for the lack of development in this West African nation, corruption ranks high. Every government decries the situation of the country and blames corruption. The citizenry is ‘disgusted’ and ‘fed-up’ with corruption. Corruption is disgusting to the extent that several adjectives have been associated with this menace, yet a victory in the fight against it remains to be seen. Corruption was rampant and then later became wilful, entrenched, endemic, and even public enemy number one. With all of these adjectives and the effort of the international community to combat this menace, several anti graft measures have been put into place and institutions established.
Theoretically, it is impossible to carry on corruption in Liberia. But if you are successful, you are certain to be prosecuted. Unfortunately, the practical reality is the direct opposite of the situation. Corruption has ranged from schools where teachers solicit bribes from students to obtain good marks, to the police, the business sector and just every fabric of the Liberian society. Up to date, despite all of these anti graft measures, a single person is yet to be tried and convicted for corruption. The fight against corruption is ironical. Part of this irony about our fight against this menace is that those who are placed in positions of trust to fight corruption are either corrupt or have interests in people that have committed acts of corruption and the conflict of interest has hindered or paralysed their judgements.
Liberia’s fundamental challenge has been the lack of will to implement laws that prescribe the relevant punitive measures against would be perpetrators. There are many persons who have alledgedly committed acts of corruption many of whom have not been tried while some have been acquitted through kangaroo arrangements. Our challenge in the fight against this menace has been filled with a lot of intermingling factors including but not limited to cronyism, favouritism, nepotism, political clout, patronage, greed, kinship, etc.
Liberia has been prophesized to remain underdeveloped until corruption is gotten rid of. Every Liberian professes to hate corruption, yet their actions are paradoxical of their speech. The fight against corruption in Liberia is basically considered won at the point of accusation. The actors who lead the way in the corruption fight are not sincere and honest about it. Either they are on a smear campaign, seeking vengeance or political clout. In every single case of alleged corruption in Liberia, at least since the civil war, has been as a result of someone getting at their political opponent or someone being deprived of their share. In the case where the intent was real, the citizenry who have benefitted from the spoils come to the defense and the courts and prosecuting team (either intentional or unintentional) falls short of winning a conviction.
Worse of all, the heroes and heroines of the day are those who are accused of corruption and are yet to be tried and those being tried of corruption. The ‘real enemy of the state’ are those who are not willing to share the spoils or loots with others. Philanthropists are Liberia’s victors. Whether their wealth is ill-gotten or not, it doesn’t matter.
When Madam Sirleaf took over in 2006, she began the process of fighting corruption leading to the activation and setting up of the relevant institution. As part of the process, she named Mr. John S. Morlu, II, as Auditor General. Upon taking office and without conducting a single audit, the regime was branded three times corrupt than its predecessors. Whether his assertions were real or not, he made the headline and was a darling of the opposition. Howbeit, there were several audits completed and reports prepared but not one conviction was made. The President (Sirleaf) who had pledged war on corruption was often caught between the rock and the hard place with Morlu’s audit reports and her officials. Given all of the unfolding that occurred during Sirleaf’s fight against corruption, it can be deduced that it was cosmetic and political.
Today, the trend of pretending to fight corruption continues. The laws are flagrantly violated, institutions are undermined and justice is being rendered partially. While it is true that in the fight against corruption one must be seen to be fighting, it is also important for one to actually fight. The fight against corruption will definitely face obstacles, therefore, the principle of equity must be implored to the fullest. Our ring leaders in this fight must not be on integrity life support when called upon to lead this fight. Sadly in Liberia, those with questionable characters, credentials, and resources are the ones who we call to ironically lead such fight. Liberia’s current bureaucracy and policies might not be the best but are adequate enough in this fight yet we undermine them.
The fight is not just ironical because the state and its officials are deceitfully fighting the menace, but the public or citizenry is the enabler-in-chief. Arguably, Liberia is the only country that its electorate vote to the office an accused person standing trial. The citizenry in Liberia honors every Peter and Paul because he or she has deep pockets. The support of an individual is dependent on his or her affluence. Most of our elected officials still have questions to answer (war or economic crimes), but the electorate is not bothered by that but yet claim that corruption should be fought. How ironic?
Liberia’s anti-corruption fight can be genuine and real if we want to. There are a lot of policy recommendations that must be taken into serious account. First, the Article 1 people must be real with themselves and avoid the thoughts of kinship, friendship, political affiliation, benefits and send a signal that once you are accused of corruption through an audit you cannot get an elected office until cleared. We must ensure the establishment of a specialized court to try corruption and make the act non-bailable. When one is convicted, harsh punitive measures should be taken to serve as a deterrence including restitution. There should be confiscation of wealth accumulated through corrupt means. People with history of corruption that have been proven through the court process should be barred from running for public offices. Teachers who are involved in corrupt practices should be prosecuted and if found guilty, should not be allowed to teach in any school across the country.
Importantly, a premium must be placed on respect for the rule of law. Every audit report must be adequately addressed through the judicial process. Until we pushed for the optimization of morality and integrity, our anti-corruption fight will only remain an irony. We shall only fight to lose.