Is The CDC’s Ascendency To The Wheel Of State Power Truly A Revolutionary Takeover In Liberia?

We have been bombarded with this fantasy that the 2017 Presidential election that resulted to the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) taking the wheel of power means a revolution has taken place in Liberia. By contrast and within the true sense of the word revolution, we do not agree with such conclusion. A revolution is not just a change of leadership or political color within in a socio-economic system. For example, a revolution is not just a change from Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to George Manneh Weah in a bourgeois liberal Liberian democracy which is an intrinsic makeup of the superstructure of neo-colonial capitalism. Furthermore, a revolution is not Keynesian’s introduction of fiscal policy in a capitalist economy as a way of easing the repercussion of capitalist contradictions during the height of the Great Depression of 1929 -1938. President FDR introduced fiscal policy in his New Deal agenda as a way of rescuing the American ruling class from the wrath of the working masses. It saved and strengthened the privileges of the one percent of Americans that owned and controlled over 90percent of the wealth.

Revolution is a change from one social system to another. Such change in the social system takes place as the results of the explosion caused by the internal and external contradictions between the exploiting and exploited classes in a society. In this case, the former is overthrown by the latter and the social transformation of the society gets in full cycle. The crushing of the Roman Empire resulted into the end of the social system of Slavery which led to the emergence of a new social system- feudalism. This is a revolution. The overthrow of the Feudal social system in France and Great Britain by the revolutionary bourgeoisie that led to the emergence of capitalism in Europe is a revolution. And the anticipated revolutionary overthrow of the global capitalist ruling class by the global working class and the emergence of Socialism as the new social system of the world will be a revolution.

But let’s take the brothers’ argument that a revolution has or is taking place in Liberia at a face value. Is the CDC’s ascendency to the height of a Liberian state with its social system of neo-colonial capitalism a revolution? No! Firstly, the election that brought the CDC as a ruling party was not as the result of an intense class struggle. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s manipulation of the election and some of the people lack of faith in the former ruling Unity Party are the two determining factors that led to the ascendency of George Weah. Since he took over the state, has there been any revolutionary reconstruction of the Liberian society? No! Firstly, the neo-colonial capitalist system of production is still well in place and intact. In fact, there is assurance that the rotten social system in Liberia will be further strengthened instead of being overthrown. The fundamental levers of the economy are still being privately owned and used to accumulate super profits for foreign monopoly capital and the national false bourgeois class. The latter is a class with no productive contribution but lives off the state and is an official office boy for the owners of multinational corporations.

Also, the ingredients for the social transformation of society after revolutionary forces take power are lacking. There has been no roadmap for the transformation of the people’s consciousness which is the basis for the advancement of science, technology, arts culture and etc. in the new society. There has been no revolutionary action towards an agrarian transformation to take the peasants from the Middle Ages to the state of technological advances in agriculture. Someone may argue that the government is borrowing money to build roads in the hinterland. Firstly, no revolutionary government negates the reorganization of the productive forces and goes on borrowing money for infrastructural development. A revolutionary government will firstly take the means of production from the hands of the parasitic capitalists and place them in the hands of the people (the collective ownership of wealth). The means of production in the hands of the people will provide guarantees for the repayment of domestic and external debts. Without this revolutionary basis and not even taking into consideration the objective of elements like Emmanuel Shaw to siphon buck of the proceeds generated from the loans, borrowing from shady financial institutions for the so-called purpose of road construction is an exercise in futility.

If we elect not to take into consideration the negation of the old social system as a prerequisite for a revolution in Liberia, not even the personal lifestyle of the so-called revolutionaries that fought for the victory of the CDC does indicate the ascendency of the CDC to power is a people’s revolution. Within not less than three months of his presidency, President Weah initiated the reconstruction of three private properties. He accepted a private jet from a friend only to boast his morale. Now, he has rewarded this friend with a multimillion dollar road contract – a contract which funding is subject to the sale of a Eurobond issued by the government of Liberia. Nathaniel Mcgill, the former chairman of the CDC and now Minister of State and Presidential Affairs, took a loan of US$200,000.00 to buy a personal lucrative home. Obviously, he is looking up to plundering the people’s wealth to pay back the loan. Jefferson Koijee, the youth leader of the CDC and now Mayor of the City of Monrovia, rides the latest model of a Nissan SUV. He is seen traveling all over the world lusting in pomp and pageantry. Cadres of the party who are now junior ministers in the government are all over social media showcasing that they are now the new elites that are well prepared to turn the nation state into a casino.

In a revolutionary government, public officials are servants of the people. They work for the transformation of society and for the benefit of the mass of the people. They do not show contempt for the people. They do not parade in affluence while the people are left to perish in poverty, disease and ignorance. In a revolutionary government, public service is not where bureaucrats go to accumulate wealth. Public service is meant to provide the social services for the benefit of the mass of people. This is why every revolution that is geared towards the transformation of society has ensured that public officials do not make more than two times the average wages of the workers. Revolutionaries are selfless, humble and courageous species that place the interest of society above their parochial interests. Revolutionaries do not develop the appetite for material affluence. They dedicate their lives to the transformation of the society towards the value, dignity and honour of suffering humanity.

What we have in Liberia is nowhere near a revolutionary takeover. They are maintaining the parasitic state that lives off the resources and taxes of the toiling masses. The CDC –led government is nowhere near a revolutionary platform. It is a bureaucratic monster dedicated to the organized plunder of the people’s resources to satisfy the demands of the state and the officials of the government thirst for wealth. Now in possession of public power, these new elites have placed themselves above society. They have proven Engels argument about the origin of the state. The state originated as the result of class antagonism. Instead of the apparatuses (officials, armed bodies of men and etc.) of the state negating the antagonism and bringing society into harmony, the state is used as a tool of the possessing class against the non-possessing classes. “The ancient and feudal states were organs for the exploitation of the slaves and serfs; likewise, the modern representative state is an instrument of exploitation of wage-labor by capital.” (Engels). The Liberian state, under the leadership of the CDC is a tool for the unlimited exploitation and chopping of the country’s resources. It is not a revolution.

Moses Uneh Yahmia is a student of the University of Liberia. He studies Political Science and Economics major and minor respectively. He is also a staunch member of the Movement for Social Democratic Alternative. He can be reached via [email protected] .