Running Africa

Dr. H.B. Fahnbulleh - National Security Advisor

As the secret leaked so as people became curious to know why did the government choose to send Liberians to China for security training based on their political affiliation and secretly? As a matter of their constitutional rights the people through the media wanted an explanation from the Unity Party-led government.

But the security advisor became furious about the people’s right to be informed from time to time about government’s activities including security, political, and military. But what makes the national security advisor nervous about the circulation of the news of China security training? Why Advisor Fanbulleh is threatening the media and people with punishment for circulating the news about their secret security training in China?

Those who follow Fanbulleh’s history carefully would not be surprised if he decided to take the law into his own hands and even lead the president to deviate from one of her campaign promises which is transparency. Secret training is far from transparency as far as democratic rule is concerned.

Most observers believe the secret training of only Unity Party members could extend to the national army and other security agencies. Still others are analyzing the latest development taking place in the national security. One analyst said with Fanbulleh being national security advisor, it is likely that the communist style security or dictatorial presidential guard will surface in Liberia.

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Although public corporations have been a part of our national life, they remain basically unproductive and obscure in the general policy approach toward national development, a status they no doubt find convenient. While toiling in obscurity, they manage communication, power generation, airport and seaport, petroleum, agriculture, housing and insurance. Public Corporations remain an important partner in reconstituting Liberia’s economy and in many ways the bedrock for economic stimulus. I am confident that Six Sigma can play an important role of reducing variations and defects in various processes and improve operational excellence at all levels.

Posted September 25, 2006

By Thomas Kai Toteh - Staff Writer

Beside his secrecy theory that he inherited from the Movement for Justice in Africa, Dr. H. Boima Fanbulleh, Jr. has the history of quick temperament, fascist, and somewhat authoritarian style of leadership. Like many other Liberian political gurus and champions of democratic reforms, he has managed to conceal this character until the erstwhile People’s Redemption Council came to power.

Fanbulleh’s show of intolerance for democratic values he has championed before the failed 1980 revolution started with a clash with public school teachers over salary arrears. Fanbulleh serving as the first post coup education minister sent the clear message out to the masses of the people that there is a big difference between politicians or political activists and human rights activists or groups.

Political activists advocate for political and democratic reforms to replace them with their own ideologies or philosophies when they come to power whereby human rights activists advocate for fundamental rights without any political platform and hidden motives and agendas.

This was the case in 1980 when Liberian public school teachers were threatened with dismissal by Fanbulleh for boycotting classes in demand for their salary arrears. Liberians were shocked by the then education minister’s utterances, a progressive advocate for justice and equality the years preceded the 1980 revolution.

When public school teachers briefly stayed away from classes after their appeals felt on deaf hears, Fanbulleh vowed in a furious speech he delivered on state-owned radio to dismiss teachers who fail to return to classes immediately. His threat was challenged by the teachers and in fact regarded by many observers as totalitarian method of dealing with national issues.

Ironically, late Samuel Doe gave Fanbulleh a surprise when he reduced him to public ridicule and disrepute when he assembled all public school teachers and stood before them and nullified Fanbulleh’s threat. Late Doe did not only scorn Fanbulleh before the huge crowd of public school teachers via ELBC, he proved himself more tolerant and sensitive to the plight of the teachers than Fanbulleh, a political scientist. What happened after late Doe’s speech?

Fanbulleh was “boohooed by pacified crowd of public school teachers.

After President Johnson-Sirleaf appointment of Fanbulleh as national security adviser which was unchallenged by the Liberian Legislature, some Liberians raised their eyebrows in suspicion over the appointee’s quick tempered character and past history of clandestine military activities in communist countries.

Not too long those who harbored such feelings were proven correct when the Executive Branch of government began to secretly send the ruling party battle cry group members to security training in China.