The shadow of socialists in Liberia
By Ben Mensah
If the military leadership in Liberia had any claim to democratic credentials their claim that trained socialists had infiltrated the Liberian society to overthrow the government, institute a socialist government and establish the Libyan People's Bureau as well as change the Liberian's way of dressing, would have received sympathetic hearing at both local and international levels.
Defence Minister Gray D Allison's allegations at a press conference that former Ministers of Foreign and Planning G. Baccus Mathew and Dr Togba Nah Tipoteh respectively, had made certain weird proposals whose implementation at the overthrow of the Tolbert regime on April 12, 1980 could have led to widespread bloodshed and chaos have instead been received with skepticism.
Some of these proposals reported by Minister Allison were: the elimination of all church leaders and the subsequent turning of the churches into markets, schools and shops. The conversion of the Providence Baptist Church of Ashmun street into the headquarters of MOJA. The breaking off of diplomatic relations with the United States of America, nationalisation of all private property, abolition of the free enter- prise system and the institution of a socialist government and establishment of a Libyan Peoples Bureau.'
While noting the Defence Minister's words that these proposals were rejected by the Peoples Redemption Council (PRC) it must also be pointed out that not less than thirteen ministers and officials of the overthrown regime were executed by the same PRC after President Tolbert had been killed during the coup operation. Their assets and those of numerous others which were expropriated were only recently restored to the owners.
Nevertheless, the essential accusation being made by the military government needn't be drowned in uproar. On the surface, Gen Doe has done enough to give the impression that his plans to usher Liberia into a democratic society are still on course. A time table drawn up for this exercise appears to be working with the public endorsement of a new constitution in a referendum, the lifting of the ban on politics followed by the formation of political parties, two of whom have registered with the elections office.
The latest action of Gen Doe which might confirm the impression that he is unalterably committed to multi-party democracy was his firing of his Minister of Information Alhaji Kromah for, in the words of Gen Doe, "his persistent references to the establishment of a dictatorship and a one-party system in Liberia and which gave the impression that the government was contemplating the introduction of a one-party state."
The logic in Gen Doe's reason for dismissing a Minister who had constantly criticised the one party system and declared, "if multi-party system is bad, the Liberian people are aware that a one-party system is worse," is difficult to grasp yet there he is presenting himself as a democrat and placed. someone determined to contest the 1985 elections as a leader of one of several parties.
In this posture he arrested Dr Amos Sawyer, a University lecturer and a leader of a political party and seven others for allegedly plotting the overthrow of his government. If this overthrow had taken place, the march towards a democratic Liberia would have been squashed. its place another regime would have installed itself and ruled without popular consent of Liberians expressed through the ballot box. This regime, it turned out to be the one 'feared' by Gen Doe, Minister Allison etc, then people of Liberia would be compelled to cohabit with the Libyan type of socialism which does not tolerate dissent and would be as dictatorial ruthless as the military regime it replaced.
All the other plans revealed t Minister Allison in his press conference would have been implemented to revolutionise the Liberian society.
Whereas this international campaign deserved the support of all who believe in human rights, its credibility was in a way undermined by the fact that it was headquartered in Accra, capital of Ghana which is currently reeling under a military dictatorship that was originally installed with Libyan assistance.
Dr H. Boima Fahnbulleh and Mr G Baccus Mathews, the two former ministers who were accused of making private arrangements to train wh Minister Allison referred to as saboteurs in Ethiopia and Cuba have treated the whole episode with derision while a man described as the spokesman for those who went to train in Ethiopia in 1981, Mr John Wally ba denied the government statement.
Dr Amos Sawyer who was detained for several weeks in connection with the coup plot has since been released. But this development was preceded by an international campaign for his release and all other political prisoners in Liberia.
Whereas this international campaign deserved the support of all who believe in human rights, its credibility was in a way undermined by the fact that it was headquartered in Accra, capital of Ghana which is currently reeling under a military dictatorship that was originally installed with Libyan assistance. The Ghana link, unfortunate as it may be, tended to lead people to ponder over Gen Doe's accusations of Libyan support to overthrow his government.
Gen Doe and colleagues are not exactly well equipped with the requisite credentials to enable them to sustain their battle against those who indulge in coup attempts and advocate mass executions and revolution. They themselves came to power through the barrel of the gun and even though they can claim to have overthrown a non-democratic regime of Americo-Liberians, and have drawn up a programme to return the country to a civilian multi-party democracy, Gen Doe's decision to contest the elections whilst he has compelled every other government official to resign his post has soured the fairness of the contest.
Yet having failed to muzzle the opposition to his candidacy, Gen Doe now has adopted the well-known tactics of giving his opponents a bad name in order to hang them. This is why his alarm over the activities of his socialist opponents, if they can be described as such, has not been taken seriously.
For the argument is that if Gen Doe is manoeuvring to perpetuate his rule, then the sham of his democratic elections must be exposed so that genuine democracy can be introduced to Liberia.
There is however a feeling, borne out of events in Burkina where military government of Major Ouedrago was on its way to hand over power to a constitutionally elected government but was overthrown in a Libyan and Ghana inspired coup, to demand from Dr Sawyer and the other so-called socialists an assurance that they do not seek to replace Gen Doe with another dictatorship be it military, or one party.
