On 2nd Thoughts: What do you expect when you elect broke men and women to public office?

By Othello B. Garblah

The Liberian electorates are amazing people. Each election year, they reshuffled broke men and women into public offices and yet expect them to act differently from the previous bunch.

They have turned politics, once a noble vehicle used to make rules and laws to manage human society properly, into a casino where broke men and women entered, dreaming of hitting the jackpot overnight.

These broke men and women see the National Legislature as an easy path to acquiring fast wealth. So, while there, they see bribery and corruption as opportunities to achieve their desired goals. Make no mistakes; these people are applauded in some quarters of Liberian society.

Believe it or not, every country gets the kind of leadership it deserves. When the electorates are not well informed and don’t know what they want, they elect crooks and criminals who have no respect for the rule of law and think they can get away with impunity at any time.

In nearly all cases, they do get away with impunity. People walk away with crimes while the institutions established to prosecute them stare helplessly. This is why bribery and corruption at the National Legislature continue to soar.

Nevertheless, bribery remains a crime under Liberian law and is a corrupt practice that undermines democracy-something which has seen many officials here placed under sanctions and US travel bans.

For example, Chapter 12 of the Penal Code of Liberia established the following conduct as “offenses against Government Integrity”: (1) bribery, which includes unlawfully rewarding public servants, unlawful compensation for assistance in government matters, trading in public office, and political endorsement.

Now, one would expect that the 47 elected members of the House of Representatives who allegedly violated this law on Thursday when they received advanced payments of US15,000 each in bribe money or as an inducement to sign a resolution for the removal of House Speaker J. Fonati Koffa would face immediate criminal investigation as being recommended by Human Rights Lawyer Cllr. Tiawan Gongloe.

However, because the institutions established to bring these alleged perpetrators to justice are weak, the prospect of the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) launching an investigation, for example, remains remote.

This is why corruption continues to be endemic in Liberia. It is within both the public and private sectors of Liberian society.

Scandals and allegations, including—but not limited to—manipulation of contract bidding, looting of state coffers, and the misappropriation of development aid by government officials, have continued to cast a dark cloud on the country.

Interestingly, these leaders have no idea how their spinless behaviors affect the lives of ordinary citizens in all aspects of life.

For instance, Liberia’s 78% US visa denial rate can also be attributed to the country’s endemic corruption, which affects growth and infrastructure development.

The lack of direct investment into the country can also be attributed to increasing bribery allegations at the first branch of government and at every level in the Liberian Government.

Lack of investments and high unemployment have ranked Liberia amongst the 10th poorest countries in the world despite its abundance of rich natural resources.

A few years from now, Liberians will once again go to the polls to elect a new set of leaders. There, they will once again choose popularity over competence and integrity.

So, what do you expect in return when you elect broke men and women to high-profile public offices? Or when you choose popularity over competence and integrity?