Backwards Metamorphosis of Corruption in Liberia

In my thinking thoughts last night I reflected on President Sirleaf’s Annual Message especially the assertion that corruption had become a blood sucking vampire in Liberia. The assertion caused me to reminisce; when the President first assumed leadership, she declared “Corruption” as number one enemy; 10 years later instead of eliminating this enemy, corruption has metamorphosed into a supernatural vampire that sucks blood. For those of you who were around back in the day, there were several episodes of a movie at Roxy and Gabriel Cinemas entitled “Dracula” Dracula was half human, half bat and had two protruding canine incisor teeth that sucked blood from his victims. Surprisingly, as soon as Dracula sucked a victim’s blood, that person suddenly metamorphosed into another Dracula more vicious and ready to suck other victims’ blood. After sucking blood, Dracula would falsely take on human features simply to lure other victims to their destruction. Truly, Dracula was a vicious, wicked blood thirsty vampire.

Construct of Metamorphosis

I actually understood the process of metamorphosis under Mrs. Esther Kpor, my 10th grade Biology teacher at Tubman High School. Metamorphosis according to Ma Kpor, was generally a change from something ugly to something beautiful.

It begins with a very ugly, grotesque caterpillar with all kinds of itch on it. The itchy ugly caterpillar later covers itself with films and fluid apparently intended to mold, smoothen, nurture, protect and transform itself into a cocoon. After some time, the ugly, grotesque, itchy caterpillar further transforms into a beautiful butterfly that flutters away with exceptional exuberance, as if emancipated from a spell cast by a wicked witch that was finally removed by a gentle fairy godmother. Behold, King Solomon in all his splendor was not as donned and regaled as the butterfly neither would his chief architect Haram Abeef of Tyre be able to decipher the architecture of the intricate cocoon.

Backwards Metamorphosis

Unfortunately, metamorphosis in Liberian terms has taken on a kind of peculiar backwards construct; from a beautiful butterfly instead, to an ugly, grotesque, itchy caterpillar or from public enemy to wicked vampire. Now, one thing I admire about this President is how she usually does not sugar coat. When education under her leadership spiraled downwards, she declared it a “mess”; now that she has realized that the whole country, both government and public sectors are corrupt, she has declared it a bloody blood sucking vampire. Seldom would a leader criticize her own government.

How Corruption the Vampire Destroys

Before I begin receiving writs of summon, let me hastily submit that all of the following ways blood thirsty corrupt vampires are sucking the blood of our economy, are all allegations.

Firstly, there are government officials who take expensive vacation trips under the guise of official business while some of them place their girlfriends and relatives in positions for which they hold no qualifications, and award them fabulous salaries. Secondly, some government officials and lawmakers change the license plates of GOL vehicles and take ownership while businesses deliberately remove price tags from shelves and bribe commerce inspectors to be silent; these are all corruption.

Further, allegations from the University of Liberia is that when students take the entrance exam, they must bribe US $150 to pass while there are people who sit the WAEC for other people; teachers and civil servants fake credentials and divert GOL funds while students pay sex and money for grades; witnesses lie in court while jurors are bribed to award judgment; some married men have deputy wives for finance, operations and administration while young girls conjure more than one godfather for the rent; procurement procedures bidding processes are stink with bribery while police compromise traffic violation penalties with bribe from taxi drivers.

It was alleged that a lawmaker, Representative Forh, confessed to a recording of his voice saying, “you eat some I eat some” County Development money; it is alleged that Speaker Alex Tyler was involved in a corrupt deal with a contractor and his fellow lawmakers were questioning his authority to reside over plenary while his deputy was placed under pressure to submit expenditure reports of a huge sum of GOL OIL money. If all of these allegations are proven, it is stink corruption, and all of the culprits are the band of vampires who are sucking the blood of the economy.

Rendezvous with Corruption the Vampire

Now, in the vampire movie, Dracula the blood sucking vampire was not the protagonist but rather the antagonist or the “main bad man” In the movie neither guns, nor bombs could stop Dracula; hence ridding him of the community was a near dilemma as he continued to suck blood and kill. Luckily, a way to stop Dracula the Vampire was finally discovered, by driving a 3-foot wedge into the middle of his breast and piercing him so badly that he too bleeds and disintegrates from his supernatural evil body.

Those who concur that corruption is a vampire must therefore set up a rendezvous bout with vampires at their locations. As President Sirleaf takes the lead, each Liberian must therefore take up arms of 3-foot wedges and drive them in the middle of the breasts of vampires in their ministries, agencies and business places. But mind you, to drive your wedges, you must have willpower, and blind your eyes to relationships, favoritism, cronyism, and nepotism.

A Charge to keep, a corruption to fight

When the President took over, she had vowed to meet corruption head-on as enemy. Probably she had thought over the years, the country would have transformed from a corrupt system to a more stable transparent system where accountability would be commonplace. To the President’s surprise, the country plummeted down an abyss of corrupt schemes, shenanigans and chicaneries. And so instead of transforming her country into a beautiful butterfly, it metamorphosed backwards into an ugly wicked Vampire.

Howbeit, the President has a charge to keep, and a band of alleged corrupt vampires to wrestle and evict; an ever dying embattled economy to save, and fix to the sky, to “Cement her Legacy” And that charge she must keep; fight corruption tooth and nails with all her mind, body, and soul. With all hands on deck, we will certain help her win. Will you join the President in the fight against corruption? Please do so, fellow compatriots.

I am simply thinking thoughts.

About the author:

The Rivercess Village man, Moses Blonkanjay Jackson is a triple Ivy League product, and a Jesuit protégé; Mr. Jackson is a Yale University Mathematics Curriculum Fellow, and a University of Pennsylvania Physics Curriculum Fellow. Mr. Jackson holds a Master of Education degree from Harvard University and a Master of Education with Secondary Mathematics concentration from Saint Joseph’s University. Blonkanjay Jackson is a candidate for the Doctor of Education (EdD). He was recently in April 2015, dismissed from his “will and pleasure” position of Assistant Minister for Teacher Education after serving diligently for three years. Blonkanjay can be contacted at 0886 681 315 or 0770 206 645; email: Blonkanjayjackson@gmail.com