African Politics in the Diaspora - Liberia

For a while I have been trapped in a fog of ideas – caught between the steady stream of exciting events and my interpretation of these events. On Saturday, June 25, 2005, I attended a cookout for a Liberian presidential candidate, Mr. Charles Brumskine. After reading a Washington Post weekend feature on Mr. Brumskine about a month ago, I was curious as to why this one candidate had caught the attention of the Washington Post, a newspaper which has failed to take an editorial stand on issues of life and death in Africa.

I came to the event to see the candidate, hear his message, see his following and ponder his “electability.” I came to the event CURIOUS!!! The Wheaton regional park’s somber and reflective atmosphere proved an elegant backdrop for the hugs, kisses, chest butts and handshakes the candidate exchanged with his potential constituency. The simmering chicken and pork chops on the grills kept people busy between bites, smiles and tidbits. Basins laden with beverages stood at the center of the gazebo, to counteract the scorching heat of a thirst-inducing afternoon.

As I walked into the shade of the gazebo, I saw an elegant graying man in a white African lace “jumper” sitting in on a park bench in the shade of a tree in intense consultation with a woman who had the aura of a political operative. My Liberian friend, EVB, nudged me on the elbow and whispered, “There is no way he will talk with anyone that long if she is not a serious donor to his campaign or if she is not a big wig.”

I attended the event with EVB so he could help deconstruct the event’s verbal and nonverbal messaging. Then it was the candidate’s turn to speak. He welcomed his mother’s first outing to a political event, before plunging into his believed God-ordained mission to lead the post-Taylor Liberia. Reminiscent of contemporary African politics, Mr. Brumskine spoke for 10 minutes without mentioning the policy implications of his candidacy for the Liberia Yekepa, Harbel, Buchanan or Monrovia. His elocution reverberated the empty aspirations of an individually driven quest for political power. His promises were devoid of the substance needed to steer Liberia towards a sustainable peace. The difference he perceived between the other candidates and himself – his Love for Liberia.

I turned to a Liberian Washington lobbyist and asked why he had decided to jump on the Brumskine bandwagon. I could read the “greens” in his eyes as he explained the tenuous past relationship between Taylor and Brumskine to prove that Brumskine could stand up to Taylor again, if the case arose. This lobbyist, JLJ, claimed that the US government had reviewed all the candidates in the Liberian presidential elections. After careful consideration the Washington’s realpolitik computation made Brumskine the most feasible and effective candidate to support in this pivotal election in Liberia.

Mr. Brumskine could perceive himself as God’s gift to Liberia. He may even perceive himself as the most deserving Liberian, because of his previous altercations with Taylor. However, those two issues exclusively do not a president make. It is time to elevate the discourse and treat the electorate as a thinking entity capable of identifying issues and not just candidates within the political process. I came out of my first encounter with Mr. Brumskine without the slightest idea as to why he should be Liberia’s next president.

For 15 years, Liberia was embroiled in civil war. In the shadow of these elections, Charles Taylor lurks in exile in Nigeria. These elections will deliver Liberia to a candidate who would lead Liberia over the next 6 years. In post-conflict reconstruction, this is the most important temporal space for building a sound foundation for a sustainable peace. Liberians need to seize the opportunity, read the tea leaves and vote for peace and not a return to war.