LIBERIANIZATION AGAIN

Madam President, it is good that the Liberianization bill has been withdrawn from the Legislature to facilitate the flow of more informed inputs to enhance its relevance. The presentation of the bill contained the view that Liberianization had not worked essentially because Liberians lacked capacity. This lack of capacity has been presented in the forms of inadequate management skills and poor funding.

In approaching the Liberianization problem, we must bear in mind that it has to be attended to in ways that improve national security through the empowerment of Liberians. Having just come out of civil war and not wanting to return to it, we find out that levels of unemployment and non-access to business are too high, therefore becoming violence proned. The substantial reduction of unemployment and opening doors for Liberians to do business are imperatives for a peaceful and better future. The way to solve the capacity problem in Liberianization is to provide capacity building elements for Liberians rather than allowing foreigners to do what Liberians can do in the employment and business areas.

Twenty-three foreign-owned businesses were contacted late last year to find out their views about the hiring of foreigners to do basic jobs that Liberians can do. Twenty-one of the businesses said that foreigners were preferred because “Liberians are lazy and they steal.” The other two businesses said that they had neither laziness nor stealing problems with Liberians, and that nearly all of their employees were Liberians. These businesses said that they paid their Liberian employees well, with the lowest at LD6000 (USD100 at the time) a month. The owner of one of these businesses said that he would leave USD2 – 3000 in his office, in full view of the Liberian employee, and the amount would be exactly as he left it whenever he returned to his office. In fact, he continued by saying that if some Liberians turn out to be lazy and rouges, not all Liberians would be like that. He also said that business people can show commitment to making things better in Liberia by taking time and other resources to help others to be hardworking and honest, demonstrating that such behavior is beneficial to the person who behaves well.

For nearly a year now, persistent public attention has been placed on the thousands of foreigners who continue to do basic jobs that Liberians can do. The government continues to place deaf ears on this public notice. On the average, 1000 of these foreigners continue to earn at least USD1 million dollars a month. There are many more thousands of Liberians who can benefit considerably from these jobs foreigners are doing and the money they are earning. With the strong relationship between unemployment and violence, it is really surprising that foreigners are doing basic jobs that Liberians can do. Government will have itself to blame for unemployment-related violence.

On the business side, foreigners continue to violate the Liberianization Law as it now stands and nothing happens to them. The one thing here that is really mind-boggling and vexing is the sale of ice and ice water by foreigners, not to mention dogafleh. There is absolutely no country in this world that has experienced any sustained improvement in the living standards of its citizens when foreigners produce and sell basic goods and services that citizens can produce and sell. Whenever people do not produce and sell goods and services that they can produce and sell and they are not able to produce and sell what other people need, then they are doomed to mass poverty and perpetual misery in a life without hope.

Once again, in making societal decisions, we must focus on what is good for the society rather than on what is good for a handful of persons. Focusing on what is good for a handful of persons is at once unlawful and undemocratic, and that is what got us into the civil crisis that we just went through. To do better, we must focus not on ourselves, the handful, but on the entire Liberian society.