*Senator Siakor

By: Nat Bayjay, nbayjay2010@gmail.com

A Liberian group named the ‘Campaign for Change’ based in the United States of America (USA) has petitioned the Junior Senator of the central Liberian county of Bong, Senator Franklin Siakor, to run for president in the upcoming presidential elections slated for 2011.

According to the Minnesota based group, its decision to nominate Senator Siakor is based on the betrayal of trust by other high profile politicians who the group says have succumbed to corruption, greed and provided failed leadership. The USA hosts one of the largest Liberian communities in the Diaspora most of whom fled there during the country’s decade long civil war.

Senator Siakor finished second behind Senator Jewel Howard-Taylor during the senatorial race in 2005 as an independent candidate. Since his entry into the National Legislature, Senator Siakor, though quiet, is known for being one of the senators that declined an offer of a donated pick-up from Arcelor Mittal, popularly known in the country as Mittal Steel, which was part of a consignment of vehicles given to individual members of the Senate and the House of Representatives.

The Liberians, while expressing disappointment over the country’s past political leaders, spoke of their confidence in the Bong County lawmaker who they believe can help raise them out of poverty and foster good governance.

“Therefore, we have come together, sick and tired of corruption, broken promises and failed leadership, to draft Senator Franklin Obed Siakor to contest in the 2011 presidential election, to provide the leadership necessary to ensure zero tolerance for corruption and create opportunities that will raise Liberians out of poverty as well as foster good governance and the rule of law”, the group said.

The Chairman of the ‘Campaign for Change’ group, Abraham G. Massaley, stressed the need for Liberia to change its political taste and orientation towards what he termed as unconventional faces that embody real hope of change for a better tomorrow. “We urge you to join this Campaign for Change in Liberia”, the group said.

The group of exiled Liberians said bad political governance and impunity have made it easier for corruption to flourish in a country that is among the 10 poorest countries in the world with a life expectancy of just 43 years for males and 46 for females, among the lowest in the world.

The group noted that with nearly US$1 billion expanded by the present administration so far, the government has not shown any tangible progress toward long term development whether in education, health care, infrastructure, communication, road construction, agriculture or other sectors.

“The few government sponsored projects such as the much publicized neighborhood roads around Monrovia and construction work at C. H. Dewey Central High School in Bomi County are steeped in embedded corruption, substandard, quick-fixes, non-durable and waste of public money as evidenced by the rapid wearing within six months of the SKD Boulevard, Jamaica Road and the other neighborhood roads as well as the controversy that is already brewing over the C. H. Dewey project.

The group rejects the issue of ‘old hands’ as a way forward on the country’s political landscape, thereby stating that veteran politicians have betrayed the trust of the Liberian people.

“It is not the matter of a veteran politician because so many of our high profile politicians who have assumed national offices have betrayed our trust, succumbed to corruption and greed, and provided failed leaderships”, the Liberian group said as it attempted to justify its reason of opting to choose the soft-speaking and quiet lawmaker.

Since the inception of multi-party democracy in the country, the Liberian nation has produced several prominent political figures with most of them acquiring vast wealth of experience in the country’s political landscape. This has led to most of them being dubbed veteran politicians.

The group continued, “A brand of new leaders must step forward who are willing to take risks, accept blame, reach out, collaborate, build coalitions and put their own self-interest aside for the greater good. Senator Siakor has proven that he has these leadership characteristics. It is an established fact that the Liberian electorates have been divided on the issue of veteran and non-veteran politicians taking over the gavel of the state. Some have said that the nation’s current plight needs a veteran politician while others maintain that they have outlived their usefulness and therefore it is time for non-veterans to lead.”

-END-