Movement for Social Democratic Alternative (MOSODA), a civil society group in Liberia, says, unbridled Corruption has dogged public sector in the country, especially in the areas of procurement, natural resources management, and the hydrocarbon, among others in the nation’s economy.
The Movement said this in a statement jointly issued by its Chairman and Secretary General, Leo Mannie Talery and Alfred Kiadii respectively in reaction to the recent report by Global Witness, about the acquisition of Bloc – 13, involving EXXON Mobil.
According to the Movement, the entire concession process was littered with kickbacks to some Public officials in the then Government by the oil giant saying that the misconduct by these officials was a classic betrayal of public confidence.
While welcoming CDC led government reaction to the report, the Movement expressed its strong belief that the stance would send a warning signal to others who might think that public office is an avenue for amassing wealth.
READ THE FULL TEXT OF THE STATEMENT
The Movement for Social Democratic Alternative ( MOSODA) purveys heartfelt revolutionary salutations to the Mass of the People, the Domestic Workers, the Petrol Attendants, the Working Poor, the Peasant Masses, the Patriotic Professionals, and the Working Class of Liberia—a huge segment of whom live on the margins of society as a consequence of the pitfalls and concentration of capital in the hands of the cliquish few of the exploiting class which is dominated by foreign capital.
This Movement is a vanguard in the struggle for the dignity of the mass majority of the Liberian people whose prosperity have been blurred and aspiration sapped by the cancerous malaise of corruption, orchestrated by vulgar elements of the ruling clique whose appetite for wealth is insatiably voracious . Such undesirable appetite has led to a big gap between the exploiting layer and exploited layer in the homeland, thereby leading to grinding poverty, huge inequality, and economic destabilization.
MOSODA seizes this moment to extend red salute and hearty appreciation to the progressive elements of the international watchdogs Global Witness for their capable leadership and incessant quest to expose unbridled corruption which has dogged the public sector of the homeland, especially in the following areas: procurement, natural resources management, the hydrocarbon sector, and other productive sectors of the feudal Liberian economy. It is with great delight that we are proud to salute this leading authority on global transparency for forming a bond with this Movement as our two fraternal organizations embark on the task of consciously exposing the economic parasites and pests that continue to feed on sick host Liberia.
In its recent report about the acquisition of Bloc-13, Global Witness revealed that the entire concession process was littered with the dissemination of kickback by oil giant Exxon Mobil to undesirable elements in the then government in order to flout the law, so that the oil giant can be awarded an opaque contract which doesn’t only violate Liberian laws but also subject the masses of our people to economic barbarism. The report further added that some past government officials were given bumper bribe in the tune of US$ 35, 000 each and more for facilitating such deal, which runs contrast to the interest of the generality of the Liberian people.
With great consternation and in absolute disgust at the sheer lack of patriotism on the part of those former officials, MOSODA says the misconduct on their part is a classic betrayal of the people’s confidence in the apparatchik of the state to deliver them from the bondage of despair to the height of social transformation. This action confirms the truism that in any society where a minority has monopoly over the instrument of power, it uses that power for its own interests and benefits.
The likes of Robert A. Sirleaf, Amara M. Konneh, Randolph McClain, Christina Tah, Patrick Sendolo, Natty Davis and so on present not only an existential threat to the survivability of this republic but are also clear and present danger to it. Those undesirable elements ruthless appetite for material possession contradicts the zeal of public spiritedness which is inherent in public service.
Meanwhile, this Movement welcomes the initial statement from the CDC-led government regarding the report, ordering the Minister of Justice in Cllr. Musa Dean to investigate the individuals listed in the report, to ascertain whether there exists probable cause to bring those individuals to justice. MOSODA believes this move will send a shockwave in the spines of individuals who think the public service is a casino for the amassment of wealth as opposed to rendering services to the people. Notwithstanding, MOSODA challenges this government to not only stop at mere public pronouncement, but it should get to the root of the matter so as to reinforce the people’s confidence in it.
On the other hand, MOSODA is taken no aback at the sheer economic banditry of the oil giant Exxon Mobil. It says this has been the modus operandi of Western multinational corporations, which do not only engage in a whole scale exploitation of the resources of oppressed people of the Third World, but also use local lackeys and the comprador layer of those societies to flout the laws in order to land contracts which only further exacerbate the living conditions of the urban poor and exploited social layer of those Third World countries.
A point in fact is that since the economic adventurism of Western imperialist corporations in countries of the Third World, beast-ridden corporations have not only exploited the resources of those countries but also reduced their peoples to wage slaves and appendages of machines. They have initiated coup d’états and other counter revolutionary insurgencies against progressive governments which refused to participate in and sanction the reckless looting of the resources of their countries. This is further validated by the fact that countries of the Third World with copious natural resources have either experienced the sclerosis of civil strife, or plunged into wars simply because those economic savages know that in order to launch their onslaught of ferocious plunder they must replace progressive governments with puppet and degenerate leaderships. That is why in the 60s and even now Third World countries with huge natural resources have experienced wars, and some are still experiencing western-backed civil crises.
In the 1960s, Western imperialism used double agents or agents of the American, British, and French secret services to eliminate any government with progressive leaning which abhors the super-exploitation of their resources by the West. Today, the strategy has changed in full cycle. They now sponsor discontentment from within under the guise of eliminating anti-democratic or authoritarian leaderships of Third World countries. However, the West cannot say this about the backward Wahhabi dictatorship of Saudi Arabia which does but not limited to the following: summarily execute citizens in an open spectacle, stone to death women who are perceived of engaging in fornication or adultery, and engage in atrocious purging of dissent. In addition, the degenerate dictatorship doesn’t uphold an iota of human rights, and its leadership is an old feudal monarchy. But the West will say nothing to them about regime change insofar as Saudi Arabia continues to buy weapons and ammunitions from them and give them unlimited access to their (Saudi Arabia’s) oil fields.
As the class struggle intensifies, MOSODA entreats Liberians to cultivate revolutionary consciousness by arming themselves with knowledge in order to understand the contradictions that are unfolding. In order to defeat foreign capital, MOSODA says the people must develop the awareness to understand that the ruling class along with its local lackeys is bent on keeping this system which offers nothing for transformation. We are aware that based on this determination to take along with us the people in the development of revolutionary consciousness, there will be a spiteful campaign of calumny against MOSODA. We take courage from progressive men before us in our commitment not to be swayed by the elements of reaction
MOSODA is aware that the reactionary swindlers named in the report of Global Witness have their stooges that are now vociferously defending them. This is however normal in a society eaten up by the creation of tribal cabals, coupled with the emergence of young people whose social behavior does not align with the collective aspiration of the people. This is why MOSODA has sent the challenge to the so-called pro-poor government to take this report seriously because it is a litmus test to its commitment to fight corruption both in words and actions.
Aluta Continua, Victoria Acerta!
Signed ______________________
Alfred P. B. Kiadii
Secretary General (MOSODA)
Approved: ____________________
Leon Mannie Talery
Chairman (MOSODA)
https://www.africaprimenews.com/2018/02/20/guess-post/unearthing-flaw-mandate-president-weahs-nine-member-committee-review-concession-agreements/
