Former Auditor General John Morlu has sounded the alarm on Liberia’s dire political and economic state, urging President Joseph Boakai and opposition leader George Weah to put aside their differences and tackle the country’s crippling unemployment crisis.
Morlu, a respected voice on Liberian affairs, painted a bleak picture of the West African nation’s political economy, noting that the country’s political risks associated with doing business are off the charts.
He warned that Liberia is viewed as a “high-risk, economically oppressive environment” by international investors.
Addressing Boakai directly, Morlu implored the president to take decisive action against corruption, which he said is the “true architect of our misery.” He argued that Boakai’s legacy hinges on his ability to create jobs and bring peace to the country, rather than focusing on “diplomatic photo ops” and global travel.
“Only jobs can bring peace, and corruption is the relentless executioner of those jobs,” Morlu wrote. He pointed to the staggering $66 million spent on county development funds in post conflict Liberia without creating a single job, calling it a failure of “voodoo economics.”
Morlu’s plea for unity between Boakai and Weah, the standard-bearer of the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) party, underscores the fragile political landscape in Liberia. With the opposition commanding nearly 50% of the population, Morlu warned that Weah’s actions will “either stabilize or destabilize Liberia.”
The former Auditor General urged the two leaders to put aside their differences and sign an anti-corruption communique, holding their respective allies accountable. He suggested that even former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and convicted war criminal Charles Taylor could be consulted to find a path forward.
“Only a united Liberia can solve Liberia’s problems,” Morlu wrote, calling for strong leadership from Boakai, Weah, and Sirleaf to tackle the country’s pressing challenges.
