Liberia's Sirleaf: getting down to business

MONROVIA - Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is hardly celebrating her impending election victory that secures her a second term in office as Liberia's president.

"What's there to smile about?" she said, posing for a photograph in the presidential office on Friday just before the election commission results gave her an unassailable lead. "It just means there's work to be done."

The Nobel Peace laureate, whose landslide win was marred by violence and an opposition boycott, has set serious targets for her second term.

It will start with an effort to reconcile with an angry opposition and end with a 50 percent reduction in poverty, double-digit economic growth, and job creation on the back of foreign investment in Liberia's resources, she said.

The task is huge. Liberia still bears the scars of 14 years of intermittent civil war that claimed nearly a quarter of a million lives. Few people have access to electricity or running water, and more than half the population lives on less than 50 cents a day.

But the foundation is there, she said.

"The general prosperity of Liberians and the living conditions of Liberians will be sharply enhanced by the end of my next and last term," she said in an interview with Reuters.

"We've already done all it takes to build the foundation for that, and now is delivery time. I am confident that we will deliver."

Johnson-Sirleaf became Africa's first freely elected female head of state after winning elections in 2005 and has won international plaudits for maintaining peace and slashing the country's debt burden during her first term.

But her critics have said the pace of rebuilding the country from its 1989-2003 conflict has been too slow and that she has neglected the nation's poorest, including its thousands of former fighters.

The criticisms grew harsher after security forces cracked down on an opposition protest on the eve of the vote, killing at least two people.

The vote was also marred by an opposition boycott in protest over alleged fraud in the first round, which may have contributed to a turnout rate of less than 40 percent in the run-off.

Analysts have said the violence and low turnout pose a threat to Johnson-Sirleaf's ability to govern in her second term - a prospect she flatly denies.

Tough start

"I think my credibility has been established over many years. What it does, is it did undermine the country's victory.

"The support I got from the elections demonstrated to me that I still carry a lot of popular support and I still have the confidence of the people."

"My task initially will be a bit harder because I now have to reach out to many of those who, particularly young people, may feel disaffected and may feel marginalized. But I intend to do that, to reach out to them to understand some of their needs and concerns and to respond to it," she said.

Her efforts to reunite the country will include reconciling with rival political leaders.

She said she would seek to create new jobs in the short-term with public works projects and would aim to develop longer-term jobs by supporting vocational training programs aimed at employment in the minerals and agricultural sectors.

Liberia's top export industry is rubber, but international mining companies have been drawn to its vast iron ore reserves. ArcelorMittal, the world's biggest steel maker, started iron ore output from Liberia in September - the first company to do so since the end of the war in 2003.

"Many of those young men, many are ex-combatants, many have been child soldiers, many have been bypassed on their education and their skills. That's what we have to address." she said.

The government was also in the process of reviewing revenue management laws for the resources sector but she stressed the changes would not necessarily alter the contracts of firms already operating in the country.

"In some cases there will be benefits. For example we are harmonizing our corporate tax along with the region. It was 35 percent and we are going to 30 percent, so companies will benefit from that," she said.

"But in cases where some of the corporations, we have assured them that there will not be any changes to certain things like imposing additional taxes or additional responsibility on them, we will respect the sanctity of contract," she said.

Resources development, including potential oil projects offshore, will drive robust economic growth, help fund badly needed infrastructure projects and form the backbone for new employment, she said.

"I will maintain our double-digit growth rates. I will build a lot of infrastructure, paved roads - more neighborhood roads and market roads," she said.

"I'm confident that the benefits of our natural resources will show results in terms of improving the lives of our people," she said. 

Reuters