[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 23 (Tuesday, February 28, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E208]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




ELLEN JOHNSON-SIRLEAF ELECTED AS FIRST FEMALE PRESIDENT OF INDEPENDENT 
                                 AFRICA

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 28, 2006

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, on January 16, Ellen Johnson-
Sirleaf was sworn in as the first elected female president in the 
history of independent Africa. Mrs. Sirleaf had run against Charles 
Taylor in 1997, but lost, at least partly due to the impression that 
Taylor would return to war if he failed to win the election. Following 
the election, Mrs. Sirleaf spent a great deal of time outside Liberia, 
and many observers felt her gender and her supposed lack of common 
touch would prevent her from ever being elected President.
  In 2005, former international soccer star George Weah captured the 
imagination of many inside and outside Liberia, who felt that his 
connection with Liberia's youth made him an almost inevitable winner, 
despite his lack of education and political experience. However, in the 
run-off election between the two, Mrs. Sirleaf employed modem campaign 
techniques, including polling, message development and targeted 
campaigning to achieve a stunning victory. Her connection with women 
voters may have made not only the difference in her election, but also 
may pave the way for other female candidates throughout Africa.
  Now that she is leading this West African nation, the question is: 
What can she do to turn it around from the chaos and poverty into which 
it had fallen? From its independence in 1847 until 1980, Liberia was 
ruled by the descendants of former slaves from the United States. They 
managed to turn this nation into an economic engine, using the 
country's wealth of natural resources. Abundant sources of water and 
fertile soil supported rubber, palm oil and tropical fruit plantations, 
as well as some of the richest timber supplies in Africa. Liberia's 
mountains contained some of the highest quality iron ore in the world, 
and there were significant deposits of diamonds and gold.

  Unfortunately, the so-called Americo-Liberians denied the descendants 
of the indigenous people their benefit from Liberia's natural wealth 
and their fair share of political power. The 1980 coup by then-Sergeant 
Samuel Doe led to the ascendancy of indigenous ethnic groups, but it 
also led to a poisonous political atmosphere and rampant official 
corruption. In late 1989, Charles Taylor, a former member of the Doe 
government and an escapee from a prison in America, began an insurgency 
that eventually toppled the Doe government in 1990. Several years of 
factional fighting devastated the capital city of Monrovia, as well as 
much of the country. Following a rather shaky cease-fire, a 1997 
election brought Charles Taylor to power. By that time, more than 
150,000 of his countrymen had died in the fighting, and more than half 
the population had been displaced.
  The Taylor regime was a disaster for Liberia. Taylor and his 
government looted the treasury and Liberia's natural resources. 
Political opponents were jailed, or in the case of Sam Dokie and his 
family members, they were killed. However, Taylor also was a 
catastrophe for its West African neighbors. Rebels who had been 
supported by Taylor have destabilized Sierra Leone, Guinea and Cote 
d'Ivoire.
  Taylor's crimes against his own people stimulated an insurgency that 
eventually led to his negotiated exile in Nigeria. His crimes against 
the region led first to United Nations sanctions in 2001 for his 
support of the Revolutionary United Front rebels in Sierra Leone and 
subsequently to an indictment for war crimes by the UN-sponsored war 
crimes tribunal in Sierra Leone in 2003.
  The issue of Taylor's extradition to the Sierra Leone Special Court 
remains high on the agenda of the U.S. Government. Nevertheless, there 
are internal issues facing the new government in Liberia that also are 
pressing, and that was the main focus of our hearing last week on 
Liberia and the impact of its election on West Africa.

  During the Taylor regime, and apparently also during the transitional 
government headed by Gyude Bryant, corruption became a way of life in 
Liberia. Illegal logging and mining and just plain theft of government 
resources were commonplace. In fact, the transitional government 
officials reportedly took furniture, computers and even rugs and light 
fixtures when they left office just a couple of weeks ago. In one of 
her first acts as President, Mrs. Sirleaf fired the entire staff of the 
Ministry of Finance for corruption and told the officials to stay in 
the country pending an audit. The ministry and the Central Bank 
significantly differ as to the amount of money on hand for government 
operations.
  Those funds are desperately needed to repair Liberia's roads, water 
systems and power supply--all of which suffered from years of warfare 
and neglect. The Sirleaf government will have to examine all contracts 
to determine if they are in the best interest of the nation and 
rationally exploit Liberia's resources. Too many of the population of 3 
million remain displaced, and 85 percent of Liberia's people are 
unemployed and 80 percent live below the poverty line. About 70 percent 
of the population survives on agriculture, which remains disrupted due 
to the lingering impact of the war.
  If Liberia is to recover from its long nightmare, the United States 
will have to take the lead among the international community to assist 
in that restoration. That will require focus and consistency in 
America's engagement.
  Liberians feel a kinship to America that Americans do not share with 
Liberia. Nevertheless, our country's relationship with Liberia is quite 
real and very important for the welfare of its 3 neighbors. The Bush 
administration and Congress must take these facts into account in 
developing policies and programs to respond to Liberia's new, post-
election realities.

                          ____________________