The Race to Mortgage our Future "A Catastrophic Tragedy in the Making"

Condition of Science Building, University of Liberia

By Stephen O Adams

A few short years ago when incendiaries and gravity bombs rained down on the helpless population of Liberia dispensing carnage, many of us thought that things could never get worse. During this period of despair and hopelessness, what appeared to be a promising relief for the destitute people of Liberia was unfolding in the neighboring state of Ghana. This air of hope finally cumulated with the election of what was portrayed then as a neutral progressive individual whose primary mandate was to manage the affairs of the country and preside over an Election after a two year cooling off period. The resulting extra constitutional election together with the sight of the Tyrant Taylor boarding a Nigerian jet for a prolong exile was at best uplifting. These developments led many Liberians, including me, to believe that we were poised for a return from the Abyss.

Eighteen months after theses promising events, the Liberian people have yet again been duped and let down by those entrusted with managing the affairs of our State. The administration of the NTLG from the onset engaged in perhaps some of the worst corruption Liberia has ever seen. The current crops of so-called Interim Liberia leaders can easily and correctly be referred to as the "Fellowship of Thieves."

This gang of corrupt criminals is now in overdrive in an attempt to mortgage the future of our Country.They are being facilitated by unscrupulous elements that are using the corrupt interim government counsel to constrict the entire economic lifeline of Liberia. Without a doubt, these cadres of corrupt characters have disengaged themselves from the suffering of the masses and have concerned themselves simply with looting the meager resources of the country. In their unfettered attempt to dole out all facets of our revenue generating business sectors before the elections in October, the people of Liberia only hope lies within the legal realm of our society. Particularly, we must ask ourselves the following questions: Is it legal for an extra-constitutional authority to form long-term agreements with rogue companies? Will it be wrong for the next duly elected government to abrogate all of these contracts that have been awarded in a less than transparent fashion? While I do not have the legal acumen to discuss this intelligently, I would hope that some of our legal scholars would look into this issue. On the surface, I believe there is a strong argument that would support the claim that the NTLG's caretaker government does not have the mandate to extend these long-term agreements.

One would have hoped that the NTLG would have concentrated on improving the meager lot of our destitute population. For example, instead of focusing on the purchase of half a million US dollars armored vehicles, conniving with Lebanese to prevent Liberians from participating in promising business ventures in the country, and receiving bribes to carry out the simplest of government functions, perhaps the Interim government should have focused on paving the road from capital bypass to Paynesville, renovating the University, and cleaning the filth from the streets of Monrovia, to name just a few simple, low cost projects that would immediately improve the appearance of our capital as well as uplift the moral and pride of Liberians in our country. This government and its Fellowship has simply focused on enriching themselves at the expense of the Liberian people. Prioritizing such things as a privatization scheme for LTC, among others, is simply a crocked ploy to obtain bribes from unsuspecting foreign ventures. Simply put, the NTLG's Fellowships of Thieves are mortgaging the very life blood of the people of Liberia.

Life on the streets of Monrovia

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