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| NEWS ARTICLE |
The Analyst
November 17, 2006
Posted to the web November 17, 2006
One of the bases upon which President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf was chosen over her stern political rivals in breach of Africa's "men only"
political tradition is her presumed ability to woo donor assistance for opportunity-starved Liberia in a relatively short time.
Initially the assumption was proven right when governments and institutions began flying in with commitment to Liberia's reconstruction.
But after 11 months of state power and more than five trips abroad all that the President is getting in abundance is more and more
commitment to goodwill, if the case of the debt forgiveness and bilateral project revival of the People's Republic of China are dismissed as
'isolated'.
Now, she is sensing the risk that is likely to accompany the extended time gap between commitment and cash delivery and is not mincing
words on the urgent need to ensure Liberia's human recovery.
The Analyst Staff Writer has been going through the speech the President delivered before delegates to the European Development Day
Forum.
President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf says even though her administration has initiated relevant reform measures in the areas of security,
infrastructure, and justice, the country was still behind and runs the risk of relapse into war.
The Liberian leader made the statement, Wednesday this week in the Belgian capital of Brussels, when she addressed the European
Development Day Forum against the backdrop of the forum's theme: "Enhancing Public Awareness about Cooperation."
She told the forum, which was attended by several African and European presidents and heads of state, Pres. Jose Manuel Barroso of the
European Commission, President Marjata Rasi of the EU, and representatives of Heads of States, that her government anticipated the
effectiveness of the European Union's economic assistance as the outcome of the forum.
"While clear in our vision, strategy and commitment, and despite the gains, we are still behind in the achievement of our goals," President
Jonson-Sirleaf noted.
She blamed the Liberia lag in the recovery efforts not to policy failure but to the enormity of what has to be done vis-à-vis what has been
committed by Liberia's friends.
"This is due to the realities of the serious dysfunctionalities that result from years of conflict - a bloated and deskilled civil service, a distorted
value system of violence, indiscipline and dishonesty, a lack of confidence in the commitment to reform," the Liberian leader emphasized.
Added to this, she revealed, were the risks evolving from the inactivity of a dismantled army and security sector long in need of restructuring
and reform.
She said the burden placed upon administration by the Accra Agreement brokered by EU and other organizations and governments and the
experience of the non-performance of the NTGL dictated that Liberia's post-conflict stability and recover programs must be attended by a
comprehensive reshaping of governance.
"We realize therefore that we have to do things differently, better and more quickly, as we strive to meet the raised expectation of our people,
and of women throughout Africa and the world," she said.
In just 11 months, she said, her administration made significant progress in budgetary, expenditure and revenue management and control,
besides reviving the banking system.
"At the centre of this effort is a comprehensive anti-corruption program, which aims to ensure that public officials and institutions conduct
their businesses with integrity and a sense of a new national ethos.
The adoption of a Public Service Code of Conduct will soon be submitted to our National Legislature for enactment into law," she noted. Still
on the progress made, she said a judicial system long characterized by lack of capacity and credibility is under reform spearheaded by a
changed Supreme Court.
She then added: "The GEMAP program itself is being revisited to include national capacity building, thereby ensuring sustainability in the
transfer of enhanced know-how and systems in all relevant institutions. Measures that promote a conducive environment for attracting
private capital and investment are underway."
The long-term aim of these efforts was to support her administration's Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy, which she said, was nearing
completion as the basis for a successor regime to the IMF Staff Monitoring Program which will be successfully completed by year end.
All of this, according to the President, would be incomplete unless the implementation of the nation's reform and reconstruction programs
goes well beyond the centers to embrace all of the fifteen administrative subdivisions with a view to enhancing local governance through
programs of decentralization.
"To meet these challenges will require that we practice good governance in all its dimensions by ensuring that principles such as
transparency, accountability and democratic values are more than just buzz words and clichés," the President said.
President Jonson-Sirleaf however noted that unless the dynamics of the relationship between donors and recipients were reexamined and
retooled to make them symbiotic and mutually beneficial, much stood to be lost in terms of the human resource development of Liberia.
"For example, it is clear that human resources being the most valuable resource of any nation, human recovery and human development are
the best way to ensure that development assistance will be sustained in the long run and will alter the quality of life in a positive way for our
citizens.
However, our experience shows that it is easier to get support for hardware than it is to attract assistance for some of the seemingly
intangible but critical needs of our people," she noted.
Another anomaly in the current aid flow, she said, was the fact that while much efforts and financial support were being trained on the
corruption, judicial reform that is key to stamping out corruption with impunity was receiving little attention.
"Clearly, judicial reform and strengthening of the pillars of integrity go hand in hand with any type of anti-corruption strategy. Thus, it is clear
to us that building the capacity of our courts and strengthening our correctional institutions are key elements in ensuring a functional
democracy and the rule of law.
The one should not be developed at the expense of the other but should be seen as interlocking and complimentary," she told the forum.
She drew parallel to the question of attracting the relevant professional Liberian skills to implement the required reforms and warned that
unless those skills were retained the implementation of reform measures would remain behind schedule thereby risking policy failure or
reversal.
"Thus, if we continue the policy line where emphasis is not placed firmly at the points where change and reforms are most needed and
critical," she noted, "the implication for many post-conflict countries is that if human recovery is delayed.
She said such nations run the risk of delaying the transition from dependency to self-sufficiency through the exchange of aid for trade; or run
the risk of the unthinkable, which is slipping back into conflict."
While her administration remained grateful to the international community for Liberia's successful transition from war to peace, President
Johnson-Sirleaf said, the lack of relevance of the activities of some bilateral and multilateral organizations to the overall development
direction of Liberia created the need for accountability to be what she called a two-way street.
"Recipient governments must be transparent, but we must respond to the demand of our people that we get the same level of accountability
from donors," she noted.
The Liberian leader said the reciprocity was necessary because in some instances, some of the development programs of the donor
community do not necessarily fit into Liberia's domestic development agenda largely because home governments are not always involved in
the planning stage for many projects, especially those implemented by international non-governmental organizations.
"In order to make our partnership more effective," she said, "some of these methods of doing business must change, that is the full
implementation of measures agreed in Paris to enhance aid effectiveness and in Glen Eagles in the level of aid."
She dwelled neither on the Paris agreement, nor on that of Glen Eagles but noted the challenges that faced the nation in terms of
strengthening government in its social dimensions required sustained financial support from Liberia's partners.
"In the Liberian experience, it is important that we change government and that government does not change us.
This is why the serious delays in the implementation of agreed programs must be addressed - the time between commitment and cash must
be shortened if the hope and confidence of our people is to be maintained as a means of building consensus," President Sirleaf said without
further details.
She said while she did not imply by her statement that the status quo should be challenged out of adventurism, the donor and recipient
nations needed to be more circumspect in analyzing the parameters that define the rules that govern the relationships that drive our global
society.
"The challenge is ours to find the fulcrum that will truly balance our various economic, social and political needs with our desire to live in a
world where good governance, accountability, transparency and the rule of law are accepted as universal and interlocking foundations on
which we build and sustain global peace," she noted.
It may be recalled that President Johnson-Sirleaf left the country to attend the two-day forum on the invitation of the European Union.
It however remains unclear what the trip will bring to the President's desperation for ready cash to embark on her human recovery agenda,
which she say is key to the continued stability of post-war Liberia.
But she believes there is much to be gained from continued partnership with the Union.
"The Liberian government will continue to strive to meet its part of the commitment to this partnership and we count on the European Union
and other international partners individually and collectively to do likewise," she said in concluding her speech.
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Liberia: "We Are Still Behind" Ellen Tells European Development Forum |