Winner Take All
Today is Liberia’s run-off Presidential election and I am up early because of an uncomfortable case of pink eye, which I seemed to have acquired while visiting refugee camps in Grand Gedeh. This has happened before. I am not the best hand washer plus in the field, sometimes the primordial mix of dust, contact lenses, sleeplessness and dirty water makes for the nicest of eye infections. I don’t have the right antibiotic. Lucky Pharmacy only had gentamicin drops, which frankly treat bacteria more likely to be in my ass. I have oral amoxicillin, which theoretically treats the gram positive organisms infecting this typing Cyclops, but does medicine in the stomach eventually reach the eyeballs? I’m taking both. It can be arguably said that I am not a very good eye doctor. I suppose I would be worse if I lost binocular vision.
Sirleaf supporters
Work is cancelled. The CDC is boycotting the election though it ran a strong second to Sirleaf’s Unity Party in the primaries. But Prince-Johnson who came in third with 11% of the vote has backed Sirleaf and CDC knows it cannot win, so is claiming fraud and is promising mass demonstrations. Prior to the primary, Prince-Johnson actually stated that in a scenario where his constituents could swing the vote as in this one, he would support CDC. But then CDC Presidential Candidate, Tubman ran a justice in Liberia campaign, promising to initiate the international war-crimes tribunal process that President Sirleaf chose not to do in 2006. In response, last week by radio, Congressman Johnson declared his support for Sirleaf, choosing the “lesser of two evils”. Of course Prince Johnson, who is a Congressman, is most famous for cutting off the ears of former Liberian Dictator Samuel Doe in 1990, arguably starting Liberia’s fourteen year Civil War. In short, Prince Johnson has more to lose with Tubman as President than Sirleaf whom he hates.
It’s strange to be caught up in political situations that you cannot understand. Yesterday, I watched from my office window CDC supporters obstruct traffic by building bon-fires in the street (very effective) and attempt to pull down a large metal Sirleaf for re-election sign in front of our drug ware house (very ineffective). Frustrated by the inability to dislocate the sign, the crowd began throwing medium and large sized rocks at the sign, which ricocheted back at them making them angrier. A flame was taken to the sign but the adherent poster paper was thoroughly fire proof. Then the riot police advanced and the crowd ran. Then the riot police advanced too far and the crowd came back. UN Helicopters meanwhile buzzed overhead surveying and relaying the action from up top. The ebb and flow of crowd to peacekeeper, the roar of flying engines, reminded me of a game of political tag. There were even smiles on the faces of some participants. This was really fun! This included a group of expatriate photographers and reporters with flimsy ID’s hanging around their necks. In one instance, a few of them, apparently from rival media outlets, upon seeing one another, exchanged kisses and hugs and a little conversation as if they were meeting casually at a party or bar. It was really kind of strange. The crowd meanwhile ignored them, concentrating their efforts on the devastatingly sturdy metal sign.
UN helicopter kicking up dust
In the spring of 1999, I marched in El Salvador against the inauguration of an ARENA backed President whose name I cannot remember. What I remember was the initial solidarity that I felt with my CIS colleagues who were FMLN supporters. Then there was chaos, my colleagues were suddenly sporting bandanas on their faces and a soldier was pointing a gun in my face and I thought very clearly two simple sentences: I don’t want to die. This is not my cause. Just like that, the idealism, the excitement, and certainty with which I began the march drained. I had turned into the worst kind of patriot! When faced with adversity, I put up my hands and backed away. “No problema,” I said, “me voy.”
Maybe no one has the final say on the exercise of leadership. Che Guevara died for what he believed in but had to do so in Bolivia because Cuba had become too pragmatic for him. Guevara wanted Cubans to cut sugar cane for the moral incentives of the revolution, but instead Castro had to promise beach vacations in Verdedero to the fastest cutter. This made Che Guevara really mad. At the Kennedy school we were taught that it is hard to lead when you are dead. But, it seems harder still if you are leading without risk and conviction. You might as well be dead.
The prevailing attitude is that there is rarely violence on election days, but only after votes are tallied and a winner declared. Yesterday’s events did not bode well for Liberia and I am ambivalent about the effect of the buzzing helicopters in the sky on this day. The BBC reports three dead. This morning’s situational report from the IRC reads situation quiet, UN Military patrolling, people are voting, polling stations protected by police. I would go outside and play tennis if I could see but I can’t so I’ll hope. Liberians deserve better but Sirleaf, see too.
Sirleaf will win
