By Bruce James

Having successfully elected its leaders in the October/November 2005 polls, Liberia witnessed the inauguration of its president and government on 16 January 2006, just a few days ago.

After all the fanfare that characterized the presidential inauguration, Liberians are now settling down to see how their new government is going to work in making their lives (not just those of the leaders) less of a living hell.

In her inaugural address, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, promised that the government will do its best to ensure that the average Liberian’s life will be improved. And that dignity will be brought to the institution of the family thus enabling parents to provide for the well being of their children.

The President also promised that her government is going to wage a serious war on corruption. In her words corruption is going to be public enemy number one. She even went a step further by decreeing that she, along with all members of her cabinet, will be required to declare their assets. Madam President this move is very laudable.

Madam President has thrown down the gauntlet and she needs to go a step further in ensuring that a code of conduct for civil a public officials is drawn up and strictly adhered to. This code should specify punishment for those who fail to make full disclosures of their assets and fall foul of the law.

If a new day is to dawn in Liberian history and governance, where graft is at is barest minimal, state officials will have to be made to do the right thing even if they prefer to do otherwise. Transparency and fair play most be the order of the day in the new Liberia.

But while many Liberians are contemplating the improvement of the general economic atmosphere of the nation, there are others who are only concerned about their personal well beings. The members of the new Liberian Legislature are just one such group of people. Instead of these lawmakers concentrating their efforts on the transformation/improvement of the lots of their constituents, they are concerned about receiving fabulous ‘resettlement benefits’ from the depleted state coffers.

In this sea of ingrained poverty, it is nothing short of a high degree of selfishness that will make a segment of the country’s leadership to request for fabulous US dollar remittances from the national coffers when there are huge salary backlogs due civil servants.

It is worth noting that during the period of political campaign, none of these legislators ever made their duties of serving their constituents contingent upon being paid ‘resettlement benefits’. If they were so overly concerned about personal comfort, they should have simply stepped aside and allowed others to fill the void. But it is worth assuming that these men and women became lawmakers because of their actual interest in serving their people. So if this assumption is true, then they out to be in the forefront advocating for the material benefit of every Liberian instead of only themselves. Their argument ought to be that everybody’s (including the common man) life must be improved concomitantly.

But it is a very shameful situation for the law makers to make the issue of resettlement benefits the cardinal issue of discussion during their very first session.. This ugly tendency of grabbing from the national coffers and not seeking the welfare of the general population must be frowned upon by the Liberian masses.

Liberians must ask themselves whether or not these legislators are actually leaders who intend to seek the general good or whether they are fortune hunters who only concerns are using the legislature as a point of amassing riches. For anyone to start asking for pay even before they have started any real or meaningful work is nothing short of appalling.

Liberians must be thankful that they have at the helm of power in their country a strong-willed person like Mrs. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf who has vowed to ensure transparency in the running of the affairs of the Liberian state. With this seeming guarantee in mind, the Liberian people can go to sleep knowing that their government will be made to work equally for everyone of them.

President Sirleaf must at all cost remain steadfast in ensuring that the general welfare of Liberia is her concern and not the selfish interest of a few legislators. Madam President, please do not disappoint.. The Liberian people are watching your every move and holding you to your pledge of working to improve their lives, while waging a serious battle against corruption.