Monrovia – President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is still going strong. As the first woman to lead an African nation celebrates her 79th birthday Sunday, October 29, memories of her early days as a young revolutionary icon, a polarizing and often times annoying critic of leaders before her, she continues to loom large, even as she limps toward the last leg of her presidency.
Report by Rodney D. Sieh, [email protected]
Love her or hate her, Sirleaf is defying a mother load of expectations in her final year.
Just when everyone expected her to be a lame-duck, she’s actually not.
Criticized for not handling the transition of her likely successor properly, the events of the ongoing Presidential elections play where she appears to be outsmarting the political game dominated by men, is drawing admiration from even her harshest critics and observers.
“An Undeniable Fact: President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is a maestro”, reads a post by Boakai M. Fofana Sr., host of the Capitol Breakfast morning show on 89.7 FM.
The post came on the same day that Prince Johnson declared his support to the opposition Coalition for Democratic Change and in the heat of critical elections when accusations have been flying around over Sirleaf’s perceived lack of support of her vice President, Joseph Boakai.
In April 2010, she penned the best-seller, “This Child Will Be Great”, a moving memoir which tells the story of her rise to power, including her early childhood; her experiences with abuse, imprisonment, and exile; and her fight for democracy and social justice.
She reveals her determination to succeed in multiple worlds, from her studies in the United States to her work as an international bank executive, to campaigning in some of Liberia’s most desperate and war-torn villages and neighborhoods.
Seven years later, she was the subject of the New York Times best-seller Madame President by the Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and bestselling author Helene Cooper.
The book tells the powerful story of her role in the Liberian women’s movement and how she broke a barrier few thought possible.
Following the 1985 Presidential elections, Silreaf was among a number of opposition political leaders jailed by Samuel Doe who had promised to guide the Africa’s oldest republic to freely elected civilian rule.
Sirleaf’s case drew particular concern from the US.
At the time she was high-profile and controversial. A Western-educated former minister of finance with experience both at the World Bank and on the executive staff in Africa of Citibank.
She had served the earlier government of William Tolbert and Doe’s government after the coup of 1980 as a technocrat–not as a political appointee, according to close associates.
She returned to Liberia to form the Liberia Action Party, and seek a senatorial post, but found herself under arrest in the post stockade under charges of sedition for making statements “detrimental to the peace and stability of Liberia.”
Ironically, at 79, Sirleaf is on the verge of overseeing a major democratic transition.
This year’s election marks the first time in 73 years that a democratically-elected President will peacefully hand over power to a successor chosen by Liberian voters.
Bearing any unforeseen glitches or legal wrangle, the end result could mark a defining moment for Liberia and possibly enhance Sirleaf’s legacy.
Despite her domestic woes, Sirleaf enjoys massive international support and respect.
Corruption remains a major problem with Liberia ranking 90 out of 176 countries in the 2016 corruption perception index by Transparency International.
Nevertheless, as she prepares her exit, Sirleaf says she has an opportunity to open the doors for more African women to hold high level political positions.
“Challenging because I represent the aspirations and expectations of Liberian African women, maybe women all over the world therefore the pressure is on me to make sure that I succeed,” she told Reuters recently.
Riva Levinson, who has has been the administration’s lobbyist in Washington for the past twelve years, has no doubt about Sirleaf’s place in the history books.
“When historians look back on the legacy of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, “she says, “They’ll come to appreciate that being the first democratically-elected woman to lead an Africa nation barely scratches the surface of her impact.”
Levinson adds: “They will realize that her election, in November, 2005, was an inflection point for a Continent, from war to peace, and from autocracy to democracy. And that in stabilizing Liberia, she heralded in the rebirth of a sub-region.
Then they will take a look at the tens and thousands of young girls in Africa who have decided to enter politics because of her inspiration.
But in the end, when they add it all up, they will acknowledge that her greatest achievement was presiding over Liberia’s post-conflict democracy, where institutions had no record of functioning, and turning over power constitutionally and democratically from one leader to another.”