Lonestar State lights its beacon of hope
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Liberia President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to contend for second term as country looks to maintain continuity and international support after ending two decades of conflict
LIBERIA is principally known for its former use as the world's premier maritime flag of convenience, sprawling rubber plantations and the moral and physical devastation wrought by Africa's dogs of war during a sub-regional conflict spanning two decades. Now standing to gain immensely from any commercial oil discovery is Liberia's population of fewer than 4 million, many of whom believe that at last their ship has come in.
President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf presides over a country at the crossroads.
Set against the intrigues and simmering unrest in neighbouring Guinea and Ivory Coast, Sirleaf's Lonestar State appears like a beacon, promising hope and the rule of law for a people proud of their historic connections to the US.
Having changed her mind about contesting a second term, her ruling Unity Party is now attracting defectors from myriad contending parties keen to see continuity and maintain the support of the international community which shoe-horned her into power in 2005.
Senate Leader Cletus Wortorson, geophysicist and one-time lands and mines minister during Amoco's drilling campaign in the late 1970s, now doubles as Sirleaf's campaign manager.
"Don't change the pilot e'en we land" goes the refrain from billboards strung across Monrovia, and the idea resonates even with those accusing the regime of endemic corruption and doing little to stem rising crime.
Sirleaf's Independence Day message delivered in Lofa County on 26 July took due credit for repair of the physical infrastructure nationwide and promised improvements in education and health and governance - the political software without which no nation can prosper.
October's referendum on whether a presidential victory in November's polls can be won on a simple majority to avoid a run-off is unlikely to jeopardise a second Sirleaf term, but others believe the result is less predictable despite a dearth of outstanding candidates. Flag-bearer Industry observers will note former lands, mines and energy minister Jonathan Mason's bid for glory as flag-bearer of the Union of Liberian Democrats. He maintains links with Broadway Hydrocarbons, which is currently struggling to hold on to Block LB-13. Then there is international soccer hero George Weah, aka Mister George, the boy raised in a Monrovia slum who grew up to play for English teams Chelsea and Manchester City, and Paris St Germain of France, and last month gained a business management degree from Florida's DeVry University.
Weah is convinced his lack of education cost him the election last time round and he has considerable support in the streets, though few view him as a credible contender, especially since he rejected Liberty Party leader Charles Brumskine's offer of mentoring and a chance to contest as his running mate.
Weah now contends as running mate for Winston Tubman's Congress for Democratic Change, but his ability to woo the youth who still want him for the top job remains undiminished..
Companies arriving in Monrovia know Sirleaf defines Liberianisation as equality of opportunity, signalling to suitors that they should go out of their way to assist Liberian companies become internationally competitive, despite the formal absence of joint venture laws. The Lands, Mines & Energy Ministry now wields little influence - thieves stole all the phones several months ago with little impact on its workload. Advisor Rather it is National Oil Company of Liberia (Nocal) chief executive Chris Neyor who doubles as presidential energy advisor with - unlike his predecessor Fodee Kromah - a permanent seat in Cabinet. Officials and senators alike publicly lament the absence of experienced Liberian companies able to participate at a level needed to catalyse the emergence of an indigenous industry capability, but they forget the presence of Ethelbert Cooper, one of Sirleaf's top advisors and an original founder of UK-listed explorer Afren.
With producing assets in Nigeria and acreage positions across the continent, Afren seems well-placed to fulfil the patriotic role demanded by Monrovia's politicians while Upstream learns Cooper has lately taken to sitting in on production sharing contract talks with applicant companies. Still the most powerful figure in the mix remains the head of state's son and senior advisor, Bob Sirleaf, a former Wall Street investment banker who was nominated to the Nocal board in December 2010 and whose reputation as the eminence grise of Liberia's upstream scene is undiminished.
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The Article is written by www.ethelbertcoopernews.com providing Ethelbert Cooper. Visit http://www.ethelbertcoopernews.com for more information on www.ethelbertcoopernews.com Products and Services___________________________Copyright information This article is free for reproduction but must be reproduced in its entirety, including live links and this copyright statement must be included. Visit www.ethelbertcoopernews.com for more services!
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By :
Tom Jui
Submitted
2011-10-28 19:22:37 |
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