{"id":39189,"date":"2023-06-28T17:04:34","date_gmt":"2023-06-28T17:04:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/all-news\/animal-farm-redux-the-liberian-case"},"modified":"2023-06-28T17:24:38","modified_gmt":"2023-06-28T17:24:38","slug":"animal-farm-redux-the-liberian-case","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/all-news\/animal-farm-redux-the-liberian-case","title":{"rendered":"Animal Farm Redux: The Liberian Case"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Liberia. <\/strong><\/span>In the annals of political absurdity, few stories can rival George Orwell’s satirical novel \u201cAnimal Farm.\u201d The farmyard analogy seems fitting when observing Liberia’s political scene where good governance is nothing more than a utopian fantasy.<\/p>\n

Much like the animals, the Liberian electorate has been subjected to a never-ending cycle of empty promises and deceptive tactics. It\u2019s as if the pigs, aptly representing the political elites, have hypnotized the other animals into believing that tribal loyalty is the paramount qualification for leadership, rather than competence and integrity.<\/p>\n

While Orwell\u2019s novel was a satirical critique of the Russian Revolution, it fits neatly in the case of Liberia \u2014 a different form of political revolution, one driven by tribal voting \u2014 and the dire consequences it entails. The animals (the citizens) have willingly surrendered their critical thinking abilities, opting to align themselves with tribes where political power becomes a zero-sum game, rather than a means to uplift the nation.<\/p>\n

The pigs, adept at exploiting the animals\u2019 tribal tendencies, play on historical grievances, stirring up emotions and fostering a sense of tribal superiority. Political discourse is then drowned out by tribal chants and the rationality of governance is traded for the chaos of tribal loyalty.<\/p>\n

As a consequence, the ideals of good governance and national development have been trampled upon while the pigs, who engage in endless charades, feeding their own pockets while the farm suffers, are celebrated as saviors and heroes.<\/p>\n

The farm roads remain dilapidated, schools struggle to educate other animals, and healthcare systems falter under the weight of corruption and incompetent leaders. Yet the issues are conveniently sidelined in the name of tribal unity as if unity can only be achieved by overlooking the needs of the nation.<\/p>\n

The tragic irony lies in the fact that tribal voting has not only perpetuated the cycle of poverty and underdevelopment on the farm but has transformed the country into a battlefield, where the animals, blinded by their allegiance, engage in bitter rivalries and animosity. The very concept of \u201cfarmhood\u201d is lost amidst the tribal cacophony, and the possibility of forging united farmland remains a distant dream.<\/p>\n

The situation leaves one bewildered and exasperated as to why President Tolbert’s administration was overthrown in a bloody military coup d\u2019e\u0301ta\u0300t allegedly by Master Sergeant Doe and a few other soldiers who argued that the coup signifies Liberians rising against so-called oppression with the hope for a better future.<\/p>\n

This was the same argument put forward by warlords like Charles Taylor and Prince Y. Johson in a blood fight to overthrow Doe \u2014 and later Sakou Damate\u0301 Konneh \u2014 to get rid of the Taylor administration. But what the animals on the Liberian farm did not know is that they were replacing the old tyrants with a new set of despotic pigs, bound not by ideology or vision but by tribal loyalties and in whose mind the issues of good governance is nothing more than a utopian fantasy.<\/p>\n

The pigs, having tasted power and realized that they have failed, have become adept at manipulating the masses to solidify their grip by surrounding themselves with a tribe of sycophants. These loyal followers blindly follow their leaders without questioning their actions or policies. They worship their tribal idols, celebrating their every move, regardless of its consequences for the country, and, as a result, meritocracy and competence are thrown out of the window, leaving governance in the hands of the unworthy.<\/p>\n

The animals \u201cstupidly\u201d turned blind eyes against the pigs plundering the farm resources while making corruption an acceptable norm, but have the mouth to criticize, insult and blame a few \u201cconscientious animals\u201d who go against the pigs for the woes of the farm.<\/p>\n

Their animal loyalty lies not with the farm but with the tribe and their high level of stupidity is forcing the few \u201cconscientious animals\u201d to watch in disbelief as their once-prosperous farm falls deeper into chaos \u2014 seeing how tribal politics had fractured it \u2014 and eroded the very fabric of the society.<\/p>\n

They suffer the most as their cries for justice are drowned out by the tribal drums played by the pigs who exploited the farms. With their wisdom and experience, the few \u201cconscientious animals\u201d attempt to reason with the masses \u2014 highlighting the dangers of tribal voting, but their efforts are met with ridicule and scorn.<\/p>\n

They then watch helplessly as the majority of the animals bark when their masters command, and attack anyone who questions their authority. Among all this, the few conscientious animals carry the burden of the farm\u2019s hopes for a better future but they are losing steam as the animals are expected to repeat the cycle by electing the pigs once more as elections are just three to four months away.<\/p>\n

It is not that there are no other animals who have competency and integrity, but the animals of the farm\u2019s loyalty to tribe have made them ignore competence, and integrity, and vote along tribal lines. At the end of the day, they expect the pigs \u2014 who never hide their trace of corruption \u2014 to bring about any real change, which is inherently impossible.<\/p>\n

The sad irony is that while the animals of the farm celebrated their tribal victories, the rest of the world watched in amusement, pity, and concern. They see a farm blessed with abundant natural resources, yet cursed by the divisive forces of tribalism. They see a farm with immense potential, squandered by the shortsightedness of its people \u2014 sticking it in a never-ending cycle of political folly.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh God, when will this end,\u201d are the rallying cries of the few conscientious animals \u2014 hoping for a better future as the farm turns 176 this year. But in reality, the pigs are in control and the animals’ loyalty to tribal power means the farmland will remain poor for the next 100 years to come, no matter how rich it is.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Liberia<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Liberia. In the annals of political absurdity, few stories can rival George Orwell’s satirical novel \u201cAnimal Farm.\u201d The farmyard analogy seems fitting when observing Liberia’s political scene where good governance is nothing more than a utopian fantasy. Much like the animals, the Liberian electorate has been subjected to a never-ending cycle of empty […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":39188,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,6],"tags":[233,237,234],"class_list":["post-39189","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-files","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-liberia","tag-liberia"],"yoast_head":"\nAnimal Farm Redux: The Liberian Case - Liberia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In the annals of political absurdity, few stories can rival George Orwell's satirical novel \u201cAnimal Farm.\u201d The farmyard ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/all-news\/animal-farm-redux-the-liberian-case\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Animal Farm Redux: The Liberian Case\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In the annals of political absurdity, few stories can rival George Orwell's satirical novel \u201cAnimal Farm.\u201d The farmyard ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/all-news\/animal-farm-redux-the-liberian-case\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Liberia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-06-28T17:04:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-06-28T17:24:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/liberia\/sites\/37\/2023\/06\/sm_1687960308.951535.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/all-news\/animal-farm-redux-the-liberian-case#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/all-news\/animal-farm-redux-the-liberian-case\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Animal Farm Redux: The Liberian Case\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-06-28T17:04:34+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-06-28T17:24:38+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/all-news\/animal-farm-redux-the-liberian-case\"},\"wordCount\":1000,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/all-news\/animal-farm-redux-the-liberian-case#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/liberia\/sites\/37\/2023\/06\/sm_1687960308.951535.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Africa Press\",\"Africa Press-Liberia\",\"Liberia\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"files\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/all-news\/animal-farm-redux-the-liberian-case#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/all-news\/animal-farm-redux-the-liberian-case\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/all-news\/animal-farm-redux-the-liberian-case\",\"name\":\"Animal Farm Redux: The Liberian Case - 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