Pot calling tea kettle black
By Dennis Jah 
First off, may I register my profound condolence to the family of Mr. Thomas Eric Duncan who lost his battle with the deadly Ebola virus in Texas today. I literally broke down in tears this morning when I heard that the brother didn’t make it. The CNN report breaking the tragic news did not “leave fear in my heart” as we would say in my hometown.
While on his sick bed, the Liberian government had planned to prosecute Mr. Duncan because he allegedly lied on his exit questionnaire at the Roberts International Airport that he had NOT been exposed to the often-fatal Ebola virus. When I heard that a possible prosecution for lying was the official position of the Government of Liberia, I only chuckled and said to myself “look at Pot calling tea kettle black.” For a country that institutionalizes lies and falsehood to conduct official business threatening to prosecute a dying man for telling lies really fits our Liberian sarcasm of “pot calling tea kettle black.” The first thing my mind ran on was the ghost names that dominate the payrolls of most government ministries in Liberia. By ghost payroll, employees that don’t exist appear on most payrolls so that corrupt officials can pocket the paychecks of those imaginary employees. That is a lie and so how can this government that institutes a ghost payroll system charges any of its citizens for lying? Wouldn’t the baby bird eat whatever the mother feeds it with? Had the Government of Liberia been truthful about EBOLA when it first hit the country at the beginning of the year, it would have not had the devastating effect it is having now.
I also think of the 66 out of 68 bogus concession agreements that the government has signed. By bogus, the government lied to the people it leads on top of stealing their money. So what moral grounds has this Pot got to accuse Tea Kettle of being black - their trade mark? The certificate of Immunization, the so-called Yellow Book that is issued by our health authorities is often fraudulently acquired as immunizations are often not given and that is an open secret. And so why is pot calling tea kettle black? Even birth certificate which is often obtained during the adult lives of many Liberians is filled out based on whatever information is provided as long as money talks. No doubt why the names of Liberians are not unique as anyone can make birth certificate at any point of their lives as long as money changes hands. Not only that, driver license can be acquired by anybody; auto insurance policies which often cover nothing are sold and bribes-seeking police officers are happy to make sure all motorists get those unscrupulous plans. All lies. Students who fail their classes in one school jump from class to class in other schools. Specific schools dubbed as “come let’s graduate” gladly take in those students as long as they pay the required fees to keep the registrars’ pot boiling.
Top officials lie about their academic and other credentials, yet they are hired. Even when they are rejected by the senate and not confirmed for providing fake papers, just allow few days to pass for the back door deals to be complete and the rejected ones are finally confirmed with a filibuster-proof majority. When the president’s son breaks the law, she bypasses the justice system and picks a university lecturer to investigate. When a newspaper reports the truth, it risks being closed or the publisher charged for contempt.
The system that the government of Liberia presides over is all soaked with lies, falsehood and deception. Government officially submits false reports to keep the door to donor funds open forever. When audit and special reports speak the truth, they are often rejected or dismissed. When little Shaky Kamara was shot and his legs broken by a government soldier using gun to fight Ebola, the official position of Government represented by the Defense Ministry was that it was the result of a barb wire. The president and Chief Executive will be heard off-record planning to set up fake investigations to cover the rear ends of her cronies. Government contractors set up fake companies to milk the government as the money recycles back in the accounts of those corrupt officials. The list is endless! And this same government wants to prosecute someone fighting for life for lying on an exit form? Look at “pot calling tea kettle black.”
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http://healthcaretechnocrat.blogspot.com/
http://allafricawrite.com/
“The butchering of a rat begins from the tail.” Grebo proverb
Category: Editorial, News Headlines
