By Paul Jeebah Albert      

I read an article published by the Daily Observer newspaper on February 6, 2018 concerning a symposium held at the Monrovia City Hall to mark the 61st anniversary of the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL).

The theme of the symposium was “Safeguarding the military’s integrity during democratic transitions to promote peace and stability.”  https://www.liberianobserver.com/news/afl-recruitment-on-hold/) 

Among the highlights of the symposium was the address delivered by the appointed minister of defense, Gen. Daniel D. Ziakahn, in which he explained a freeze on recruiting new soldiers until the living standard of the present forces is improved.

Given the present budgetary crunch which the government now faces, I think this is a laudable step. However, what drew my attention most was the reactions that came from various individuals relating to the General’s speech.

As I read through the comments, I noted that one writer’s justifications for advocating the acquisition of new military equipment for the AFL was the fact that Liberia could be assaulted by terrorist groups namely: Al Qaeda, ISIS, and Boko Haram; and unfortunately, the country could be unprepared to parry such a blow.

He asked, “Does Liberia have to wait for a catastrophic event to occur before action is taken? Should we sit as dead ducks and do nothing because of our poverty?”

The writer is not alone as his comments reflect a growing uneasiness among a cross-section of the Liberian population that the government is not doing enough to protect the country in case of a future terrorist attack. 

I hope that I am not misinterpreted as one who is against the country having a military to secure our national boundaries; because a military is an essential element of every state. Notwithstanding, while I respect the opinion of the writer, I chose to cast my angle of vision in a different direction for several reasons.

What will it take to convince Liberians that Liberia has long since been at war with Al Qaeda, ISIS, and Boko Haram?

It only takes a removal of the veil of indifference; a deeper introspection of the history of Liberia and the broadening of one’s intellectual scope to understand that Liberia wrestles not with a flesh and blood arch-enemy that is found outside its borders and ready to destroy its people.

Our Al Qaeda is not the Al Qaeda of the Middle East. It is the Al Qaeda of corruption and its crippling grip that has kept Liberia, one of Africa’s oldest republics underdeveloped; has left its citizens susceptible to dangerous diseases; dreadful civil wars and marginal survival.

Our ISIS is not the ISIS of the Middle East. It is the ISIS that has held and continues to hold the largest percentile of the populace below the World Bank poverty line — $1.25 per day.

Our Boko Haram is not the Boko Haram of Nigeria. It is the Boko Haram of the deepest impulses of deceit that makes our leaders to take decisions only to benefit themselves and their cronies, and thus perpetually impede the national progress.

Have not Liberians known by now that Liberia’s battle is with itself – kinfolks enslaving kinfolks in a viciously perpetual socioeconomic cycle?

The country wrestles with the endemic enemies of ignorance, disease and poverty wrought on by the unbridled greed of heartless individuals who only come in public service to amass wealth at the suffering of the masses.

For me some of the most poignant questions to ask at this very critical juncture of our country are when will Liberia cross the threshold from being a peripheral country to gain just a token status of a “semi-peripheral” country within the world’s order of global stratification?

What greater achievements can a nation boasts of if it fails to first prioritize the socio-economic development of its people and improve its indispensable human resources?

For clarity, according to the theory of Macro-level inequality, a periphery country like (Liberia, Haiti, Cape Verde, and so forth) is a country that is dependent on a core country like the United States for capital, and has no industrialization or urbanization capacity.

Unlike a peripheral country, a semi-peripheral country like (Nigeria, South Africa, South Korea, Brazil, Mexico, and so forth) is less developed than a core country like the United States, but is more developed than a peripheral nation (Emphasis is mine).

A peripheral nation like Liberia always hangs on the cliff precipitously. Just the least touch of a natural disaster like Ebola, tumbles it over because of the lack of basic health care infrastructures to manage the health care delivery system of its citizens.

According to the Daily Observer, another keynote speaker at the symposium was Mr. Rufus Darkortey, who gave some sound advice. He warned against politicizing the military as this could lead into destabilizing the country. Most importantly he emphasized on the training and education of the military so that it can be able to cope with the rebuilding of the country and the demands of civilian rule.

This latter statement by Mr. Darkotey for me became the climax of the entire symposium. Why? The Liberian military unlike the military of other West African countries has brought no positive development to the country.

The acronym, AFL, has been synonymous with acute illiteracy; death; torture; massive destruction of the country’s vital infrastructures; despotic leaderships; a conduit for cracking down on freedoms of speech and the press; and promoting an imperial presidency, tribalism and sectionalism. 

A primary example of a devastating legacy left by a military regime was during the reign of the late Samuel K. Doe. He was ill-advise to acquire millions of dollars of weaponry under the guise of fighting an unknown enemy from the late Nicolae Ceausescu of Romania who himself was later killed in an execution-style retribution because of the same policies pursued by the Doe regime.

The rest is left with history to decide whether such an unconscionable, useless transfer of wealth from a nation whose government could barely meet its public sector payroll demand, was a prudent thing to do. 

History does not have to repeat itself. However this is only possible under the condition that a leadership is willing to go beyond making a mere clarion call, to mustering the necessary courage and taking steps to correct the ails of the past and boldly face the challenges of the future.

While the military is an essential element of the state, budgetary allocations towards that end should not take precedence above the urgency of now.

The urgency of now is growing the economy and providing jobs for the millions of youths who have come of age and are endlessly roaming the streets of Monrovia and other parts of the country with no solutions to their plight in sight.