Global Development: Views from the Center
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July 26, 2006
Liberia turns on water and electricity
Posted by Steve Radelet at 06:59 PM
Today is a great day for the new government and the people of Liberia. For the first time in 15 years, parts of Monrovia have running water and functioning electricity. This may not seem like a lot, but it is HUGE for people that have seen nothing but war, destruction, and theft for so many years. I have recently returned from Liberia, my fifth trip since the election of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, and while the new government is facing huge odds, they are making steady, significant progress. Budget revenues are up, misappropriation of funds is down, roads are being repaired, stores are reopening, and people are repairing and repainting their houses. The challenges are huge and the odds are long, but this government is making some initial small steps forward, and you know what they say about a lot of small steps…
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Comments
Liberia needs a dictatorship in its early stages of development, they will have to start over from scratch, there is no infrastructure, just plenty of money being used for random projects. The people are going to have to work for less then nothing in order for the country to survive. With brutal rule comes resistance, and with resistance comes an idea, an idea of change, but in a third world country, even change is a luxury. Take away a man's ability to walk, he will crawl, and many Liberians have been crawling for a long time.
Posted by: Pardonmypenmanship! at November 17, 2007 09:14 PM