Just yesterday, we were shouting "Happy New Year". In few hours time we will be shouting "Happy New Year". It seems like yesterday, but we are talking about 365 days of national life filled with challenges; governance, politics, and fiscal discipline just to name a few.
The most memorable feature of governance was the "administrative leave" declared by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf for the purpose of performance review. Though, many termed it as the President's way of offloading "corrupt officials", the point is that a new precedent for governance was set by the President who is used to making history.
Politically, 2011 will go down in our national history as one of the election years if all goes well. The activities leading to this major event are in record breaking proportion. One time rivals; The Unity Party (UP), The Liberia Action Party (LAP), and The Liberia Unification Party (LUP) joined forces make the 2011 General Elections "a must win" event. Contrary to this merger, other parties are still struggling for form.
Throughout the many years of her leadership, the ONLY elusive force that President Sirleaf is still struggling with is "corruption". All of the institutional measures taken has not deterred some of her cabinets from corrupt practices. It is worth mentioning all those allegedly caught in the corruption net have not been brought down guilty, except for one who challenged the guilty verdict. Some court cases are ongoing while other are declared "not guilty" to the disbelief of the Liberian people.
Judging from the above, one would ask "how we got over". The truth is Liberians are resilience people and nothing will stop them from going forward. Therefore, crossing over is just another usual event. Like 2010, the New Year (2011) will be dealt with in the context of its challenges. Are you preparing for the challenges which include the General Elections?
See you on the other side.
