Taylor beats Ellen

-Nathaniel Barnes

First it was Speaker Alex Tyler, a little known figure who rose to prominence on the back of the ruling Unity Party. And now, it’s Liberia’s former Ambassador to the United Nations Milton Nathaniel Barnes, a man from whom more clarity is required about his dealing with the National Social Security and Welfare Corporation or NASSCORP, a benefactor of this very regime after his failed attempt at the Presidency in 2005.

Barnes has been talking, he says the present Sirleaf led government of which he was recently a part is a failure and that the regime of jailed ex-President Charles Taylor was much better. Barnes says the rogue regime in which he serves as both Director General of NASSCORP and later Finance Minister is by far better in terms of the living conditions of the ordinary citizens, he told this paper in an interview on Tuesday.

Barnes said though the NPP administration operated in a terrible terrain which included; combating rebel groupings, economic sanction among others, the price of the nation’s stable food was kept constant as compared to the Harvey trained economist, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s regime that is enjoying all the donor supports.

Barnes said despite these international support and the growth in the national budget, the Liberian people are not really feeling the impact. He noted that the Unity Party government can be praised for maintaining the peace and creating the corridor for international recognition, but the plight of the people should also be considered moving ahead.

He said the NPP government created the environment, where every citizen would have managed with living conditions. Barnes the 2005 standard bearer of the Liberia Destiny Party says if the NPP government had been given the opportunity like what the UP enjoys, the NPP would have done far better.

During the interview, Barnes disclosed that he has taken a membership in the NPP with key interest to contest for the party’s standard bearership. Giving his reason for joining NPP, he explained that the NPP is more of grass root and well organized as compared to any political institution here.

He says the NPP if given the opportunity by the Liberian people again to lead the country, is poised to perform better and that the livelihood of the people here will improve greatly. When Presidential Press Secretary Jerolinmeak Matthew Piah, was asked to comment on Barnes comment, in a mockery, he said the assertion made by Barnes is true in that the NPP did well for the Liberian people by ruining their lives with wars, poverty, destruction of properties, and chasing human rights activists and journalists out of the country.

Mr. Piah said it is unfortunate for Barnes who was given the opportunity to serve in many capacities to have come today with such false analysis. He said if one was to consider Barnes criticisms of the current regime, then it would mean that he joined the failed regime only to amass wealth at the expense of the Liberian people.

Mr. Piah wonders if Barnes only realize that this government is a failure after he was kicked out.

By E. J. Nathaniel Daygbor-Edited by Othello B. Garblah