Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, a widow mother of four and grandmother of seven, the first democratically elected female president in continental Africa, can be reelected. Yes, because she announced the decision to be a candidate for president in the up-coming 2011 general and presidential elections. And her background is positive.
At the past four years, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, who is called `The Iron Lady`, has introduced a program to improve transparency and make the best use of public funds. She has also taken steps to attract foreign investors and help rebuild the country – so, the nation’s economy had recovered remarkably, but the situation is still quite fragile.
A former World Bank and United Nations Development Program (UNDP) executive, she was elected the president of Liberia in October 2005 – with a difficult job to do. Between 2000 and 2004, Liberia’s economy recorded a negative growth figure of -9.6%. The country and its population were suffering. A civil war had just finished, and the peace was not well stabilized when Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf assumed her post. Indeed, peace is not a well understanding word between the Liberians. On March, for example, there was ethnically-based violence with religious undertones.
The situation seems a little paradoxical. The meaning of the name Liberia, the only country in West Africa that was never a colony of western nations, is “Land of freedom”. However, the country`s history has been marked by conflicts since its inception. Founded in 1847 by an organization established in the United States to create a home for freed slaves, and to avoid racial strife, Liberia was born a republic with a constitution inspired by that of the USA.
The problem was that, since the beginning, there was too much concentration of political power and wealth in the hands of the former slaves and their descendants. The consequence was a coup led by Master-Sergeant Samuel Doe that suspended the constitution and established military rule in 1980. Doe held power for 10 years in a regime marked by rising inflation, unemployment and human rights violations.
Then, in 1990, a civil war removed Sergeant Samuel Doe from office – and the things did not get better. The country`s next ruler was Charles Taylor, a member of the minority American-Liberians. He was arrested in 2006 and sent to the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands. Charles Ghankay Taylor faces an 11-count indictment for crimes against humanity like pillage, terrorism, murder, rape, outrages upon personal dignity, and conscripting children under the age of 15 years into armed forces.
Estimates are that during 14 years of war, over 270,000 people died and hundreds of thousands were displaced. The country’s economy and basic infrastructure were destroyed, including its roads, ports, factories and communications systems. Although endowed with natural wealth (fertile soil; minerals including iron, diamonds and gold; and rubber and wood), Liberia experienced a sharp descent into poverty and remains one of the poorest countries in the world.
Whereas the International Criminal Court in The Hague can put an end to the career and political ambitions of Charles Taylor, there is a real possibility for Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf to win the next presidential elections in 2011 – and establish lasting peace in her country.
This text is a version of an article published at Odebrecht Informa Magazine, on http://www.odebrechtonline.com.br/materias/01601-01700/1641/
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