2017 Quest for President: “President John Morlu . . .?” Some Thoughts

The New Democrat newspaper reports (Newdemocratnews, February 19, 2016) that the former Auditor-General of Liberia, Mr. John Morlu, announced that: “Nothing will happen in Liberia unless corruption is stemmed . . . After President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, the country needs a person (President, him) with credibility . . . that can create the jobs and install faith in public institutions. No one in opposition is seriously pushing an anti-corruption and anti-impunity agenda. So, I (as President) will take a few good men and women to carry out a principled-driven agenda . . . cleaning the corruption mess . . . in Monrovia . . .”

Proposed Justice & Anti-Corruption Party This announcement is followed by a full, two-page spread of a proposed Justice & Anti-Corruption (political) Party,with a Statement of Principles, captioned: Contract with Liberia.

Mr. John S. Morlu, II, Candidate for President of Liberia Firstly, to achieve qualification and his ambition, Accountant JohnMorlu, the publicly-announced citizen of a foreign country, must regain his former, Liberian citizenship, as required by statutory law and article 52 of the Liberian Constitution. At this point in time, Mr. Morlu is ineligible to stand as candidate for election as President of Liberia.

Secondly, thoughroaring in Liberia with profound, devastating impact on the economy and, therefore, the lives of all Liberians,corruption, impunity, etc. aresub-sets, as well as effects, of themajor, much more inclusive public policy, a “system”, than an un-informed, campaign rhetoric; indeed, that which will demand and occupy the attention of a President John Morlu is critical and compelling.

Therefore, “fighting (corruption)”, to reduce, control and, eventually, eradicatecorruption, impunity, etc.,as candidate Morlu now says and commits,requires and demands much, much more concentrated effort, just to come to terms and grapple with the major, controlling public policy, than control and reduce corruption/impunity, let alone eradicate the vices.Elsewhere, we wrote recently:

Human Existence &Historical Change

Success or failure of that which men and women in society do today, plan to do tomorrow and the future depends, to large extent, on knowledge of the facts of history of their past. That is the reason for the adage that “those who ignore the mistakes of history are likely to repeat them”. The application of this thought to this knowledge during the rapidly changing, modern society is the “Art” of Management, with particular respect to Organization Theory.

Reflections on the inevitable, historical change and the art of management, with respect to organizational structure show that Liberia’s successive political leaderships created and enshrined in law, a structural “System”, controlled exclusively by aBrotherhoodof the political class, with all power – socio-economic and political – arrogated to itself, this Brotherhood, at the head of which was, and still is, an imperial presidency.

This structure, the Unitary Structure – of the Liberian Government – influenced, continues to influence today, the performance behavior of executive functionaries and all employees in government.

This Unitary Structure has been, and is, the “major public policy”, the source and cause of all socio-economic and political ills in Liberia, for examples:

The prevailing “failed state” condition of the Liberian State; resistance to decentralization of administrative, economic & political power for election of regional officials & local governance; public dishonesty & corruption; dual citizens, driven by dishonesty in stealing public resources and escaping to foreign countries in which they are, also, citizens; dual citizens’ domination and control of the political economy of Liberia during more than a century, since 1847; Liberia’s excessive demand for and dangerous dependence on imported goods and services; selective obedience/disobedience of the nation’s statutory laws, including the Constitution.

Indeed, each and every flaw/deficiency in public policy development, implementation and operation flow from this undemocratic doctrine of the Unitary Structure of government.Therefore, Liberia’s major socio-economic and political, developmental problems had been, still are, S T R U C T R A L.

Is it, therefore, not reasonable, indeed compelling, that any trained/experienced and reasonable political leader-politician would seek change, reforms and transformation of the structural“System”, in the light of doing the same thing for more than a century with disastrous results? We think, convincingly, so.

Declared Candidates for President But all declared, opposition candidates for President of Liberia, including the Honorable John S. Morlu, II, of the proposed Justice & Anti-Corruption Party, premised policy and operation of their governments, if elected, on the 169-year old assumptions– of the Unitary Structure of government. That is, that they will “stay the course”, locked in the “System” and continue the century-old, failed policy, with obligations to some hustlers, con men & women, rebel honorables, dual citizens & corruption, Inc., thieves, killers and bandits, now in government offices and parading the Liberian nation and the international community as “honorables”.

All that the Liberian people hear and get from the “politicians” is talk, talk, and talk, with no action but “chopping” public resources and dishonesty. However, talk is cheap, no matter how loud. We argue that the prevailing national realities demand rational, dedicated research and analysis, designed for development/implementation and reform of existing, non-productive, public policies.