President Sirleaf (L) and President Bush

Reports of his visit spread like a wild fire, and the people turned out in their numbers to greet the man who saved them from a falling despot who would not quit until he brought down everyone with him. First, it was President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf who took it to the floor; then, responded President George W. Bush who took it the left and right, to the tune of joy-overwhelmed cultural drummers and dancers. Reports say the over-populated city of Monrovia, Liberia’s capital, was bustling as though it was about to erupt, and what was expected to be an official welcome ceremony had turned into common Liberian traditional affairs, with President Bush solely stealing the show. The man who saved Liberians from war in August 2003 by simply saying, “Mr. Taylor must leave” (and indeed President Charles Taylor relinquished power and went into exile in Nigeria) has also become their greatest entertainer in February 2008.

Such was the visit J Yanqui Zaza tried, in the words of one observer, “ to place under a camera that has neither resolution, nor mega pixels.” Zaza insinuated in an article entitled: “Liberia: President Bush Says Sell Strategy Assets, Or No Money”, published on this website on March 27, 2008, that President Bush offered “penny assistance” to Liberia during his February 21, 2008 visit “because U.S. officials suspect President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf government to be corrupt.”

But one Liberian diplomat, who spoke to this writer on condition of anonymity, quickly pointed out that President Johnson-Sirleaf has consistently indicated that Liberia was fostering a new relationship with the United States, a relationship in which the country would be seen as a useful partner, not a beggar. “She made that point very clear when she addressed the United States Congress on March 15, 2006,” the diplomat added.

The diplomat said while it’s true that corruption is a big problem in Liberia, it would be farther from the truth to suggest that the Johnson-Sirleaf government is corrupt. He said fighting corruption is a priority of the government, pointing out that policies enunciated by the president to instill fiscal discipline are resulting into record revenue generation.

In his article, Mr. Zaza, among other allegations and insinuations, compared the functions of the World Bank to the functions of former colonial masters and suggested that President Bush, by pushing for “privatization or market reform”, was “seeking a new form of colonialism” in Liberia.

Following the publication, this writer contacted several Liberian professionals to solicit their views over the “issues” raised in the article. Professor Elwood Dunn, a seasoned Liberian diplomat and Professor of Political Science at the University of the South, Sewanee in Tennessee said, “The article lacks clarity and credibility.” Asked whether from his point of view there was any justification to equate the functions of the World Bank to the functions of former colonial masters, the erudite professor responded in a few words that spoke volumes: “An international financial organization and a nation-state proceed generally from different ‘givens’,” he noted.

On the question as to whether Zaza’s hypothesis laid any basis for concluding that President Bush was seeking a new form of colonialism in Liberia, Dr. Dunn said, “The basis for the article is not clearly presented.”

When asked to state his view on the article, former Planning and Economic Affairs Minister of Liberia, Dr. Byron Tarr, said he read the article but he did not understand what the author is arguing. “Some editing,” Dr. Tarr suggested, “seems in order.”

For her part, Deputy Minister and Minister Counselor at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cllr. Krubo Kollie, said she read the article but she could not “mark out anything sensible” that is being portrayed…”

Meanwhile, a former president of the Press Union of Liberia (PUL) says the visit of U.S. President George Bush to Liberia last month was a “great achievement for the Liberian people in their strive to rise from the ashes of war to a new height among the comity of nations.”

Speaking in an interview from his Lynn residence near Boston on Tuesday, Isaac Bantu, who is also founder and former president of the Association of Liberian Journalists in the Americas (ALJA), said President Bush went to Liberia to demonstrate his support for the people of the war-torn nation as they embark on the difficult tasks of peace solidification, national healing, and reconstruction. “The support President Bush has demonstrated and continues to demonstrate for the Liberian people cannot be measured in terms of dollars and cents,” the former PUL official insisted.

During his visit, President Bush donated one million books for the use of Liberian students.

On February 13, 2008, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced a huge debt relief for Liberia.

Speaking during a two-day “Liberia Partners’ Forum” held at the World Bank headquarters in Washington, Secretary Rice said the United States was implementing $391 million in U.S. debt forgiveness for the war-ravaged nation.

She said the United States has contributed over $500 million in humanitarian and development assistance to Liberia and now is “determined to continue and expand our support,” disclosing that President Bush has asked Congress for over $200 million for total assistance to Liberia for fiscal years 2007 and 2008, according to the State Department website.

Bantu said although the issues raised by Mr. Zaza are not crystallized, what is clear in the article is that the writer is sending out a message to the world that nothing good is happening in Liberia, although the facts point otherwise. He said patriotic Liberians have a responsibility not only to engage into activities that give their country an image booster, but to also show appreciation to the international community for standing by Liberia when all hopes seemed lost.

Liberia went through a 14-year devastating civil war from 1989 to 2003. During this period, the country became a virtual patchwork of armed factions, with towns and cities changing hands over and over. With the support of the international community, the West African states constituted a pioneering peace keeping force and dispatched it to Liberia.

The United States shouldered a significant amount of the huge costs associated with the operations of the multi-national force.

But what is important to note, according to one political observer, is that most Liberians are keen admirers of President Bush for the role he played in the ouster of former President Charles Taylor, the main instigator of the civil war that is said to have claimed more than 250,000 lives.

Mr. Bantu thanked President Bush for his visit to Liberia and said the visit of the U.S. leader was in fulfillment of his promise to oppressed people everywhere that when “you stand up for their rights, America will stand with them.”

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