Can A Political Underdog, Dr. Moniba, Win Liberia’s Upcoming Elections?

When Dr. Clarence Moniba announced his presidential bid, many downplayed the threat his campaign would pose to the political establishment. 

But the 44-yr old whose name was not something most voters had heard of before, is now swelling in popularity as he blankets the country’s most populated counties selling his “New Liberia Vision,”  which borders on “populism.” For the last few weeks since the campaign opened on August 5,  voters in Nimba, Grand Bassa, and Lofa counties — all places that Moniba has recently visited — have begun to discuss his candidacy.

“I think that Moniba has a really good shot at the Presidency. He is highly intelligent and knows how to get his message across,” said Akoi Jallah, a working-class voter from vote-rich Lofa County, which is the fifth largest voting block in the country. 

Jallah is just one of the many working-class voters in Lofa who have bought into Moniba’s proposed populist policies, which focus on addressing the country’s growing economic inequalities — including the promise of creating a mortgage scheme plan to spur infrastructure development and home ownership. 

Under this plan, Moniba envisions constructing and refurbishing more than 1 million affordable homes across the country to boost the housing supply and reduce price pressures for renters and homeowners.  Also, he plans on implementing an agricultural policy aimed at making the country self-sufficient in food production, including rice, its staple food, as well as an educational policy that ensures that all high school graduates have an income-generating trade skill set upon graduation.

According to Moniba, introducing these and other policies would lead to the creation of a large middle class, which he says Liberia needs… since “productive or skillful workers would earn higher wages.”

These thought-provoking policies of Moniba, which center around his “promise of offering Liberians a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity towards the path of prosperity,” if implemented, would become the first in the country’s history.  His rapid rise, according to analysts, is driven in large part by his “policies” about equitable distribution of wealth, and the vast expansion of social safety nets, which everyday Liberians desire as economic suffering and inequality widen. His focus on a very large youth population is also helping to drive his growing popularity.

The candidates of the two main parties, President George Weah and former Vice President Joseph Boakai, come to the election with deep pockets, party structure, and name recognition. By contrast, Moniba is just building his political brand as he crisscrosses the country, which means he faces a heavy task to alter the course of the October 10 polls in his favor. 

His campaign events in Lofa, for instance, included town hall meetings where he encouraged voters to ask tough questions, which he argued was the only way people could get to know him better and understand his policies. Mercy Logan, a previously undecided voter in Grand Bassa electoral District 2, where a similar event took place a few days ago, noted that she likes how Moniba “stands his ground about his policy issues.” 

“He speaks the truth and is committed to his belief. His ideals are all about standing up for the common people,” Logan said as she expressed her admiration of Moniba’s populist policies. We have been left behind for far too long. Moniba seems to understand that struggle, and his promises give hope for a better future."

Several other voters who also attended the Bassa events also noted that Moniba is a breath of fresh air, as his policies genuinely bridge the gap between the rich and the poor in all aspects of socioeconomic development in this country.  Also, Moniba’s own record as one of the few individuals who worked in the notoriously corrupt government of former President Sirleaf to have never been featured in any corruption report for receiving a bribe is wooing voters. 

“One of the main priorities of my administration when I win is to put an end to the grotesque level of income and wealth inequality in this country,” Moniba repeatedly told voters in Lofa during a ten-day visit to the county, which ended a few days ago. “This is the national awakening that I am talking about so as to ensure that the government works for the people.

“One of the first things that I would do as president is to pursue the policies that I am communicating to the voters, which is key in bringing unprecedented change. Only this way can we have a New Liberia. The country and its people have suffered for too long in the hands of the elites and failed politicians,” he added.

However, not everyone is convinced of Moniba’s ability to live up to his promises, citing the country’s limited resources and complex challenges. Some skeptical voters argue that his lack of elected political experience may hinder his ability to bring about substantive change, as politics is about compromise, making it quite difficult for any radical change.

But Moniba disagreed as he cites his time during the Sirleaf administration, which include stints in foreign missions, the Trade and Investment Office, and the Cabinet as a compendium of experiences for the presidency. 

As an advisor and project manager to Sirleaf, Moniba was a leading figure on major investment and infrastructure developments in Liberia — overseeing the implementation of the Japan Drive and the Mt. Coffee Hydro projects — the latter of which he helped secure its US$250 million funding, and working to source funding for other sectors of the country, including the US$255 million MCC Compact in 2016.

By the end of the administration, he had become the President’s most trusted lieutenant and the youngest person in the history of Liberia to be named Minister of State without Portfolio, as well as the Chairman of the Board of the Liberia Electricity Corporation.

However, the more pressing challenge for Moniba is winning the election first, as he is up against experienced opponents backed by powerful political machinery. Personality and region will play a big role in the October 10 polls, which might leave him struggling to win votes in the populous counties despite the swelling of support he is receiving.

For Moniba to secure any outright victory, he needs to win 50  percent plus one of the votes of about 2.4 million registered voters — a huge task that is not impossible but requires a lot, especially if he can raise the needed capital to maintain the style and current pace of campaigning, as much as his policy agenda.

While the odds against Moniba may be stacked against him, he has already established himself as a potent force to reckon with as his evocation of a generational malaise seems to resonate, at least with the crowds that are teeming at his rallies and town hall meetings. 

Equally important is his anti-corruption stance, which has also attracted voters who are tired of systemic abuse of power. His promise to eradicate corruption and create a transparent government resonates strongly with those who feel cheated by the current state of affairs. 

On the campaign trail, Moniba constantly reminds Liberian voters that the country’s “so-called elite politicians have historically used kickbacks to grease the wheels of their personal machines,” but his administration will put an end to that. He insists that there will be no more vote-buying in the Legislature, skimming off the top of public contracts, or giving cabinet positions to unqualified power brokers purely in return for political support. 

“We’ve got a long way to go. Some call us the underdog, but I think we’re making progress. Our insurgent movement is this country’s best hope if we truly want change in this country,” said Moniba, whose late father, Dr. Harry F. Moniba, was a  former Vice President of Liberia from 1984 to 1990.

“I am driven by the passion to see a Liberia that works for everyone, and that is what I am offering Liberians. I believe that Liberians want something different, something fresh.  They want a leader who is accountable. Someone who is transparent and responsive to the needs of the people.  And that’s exactly what I bring to the table.”

The question, therefore, is: can Dr. Moniba truly emerge victorious in the upcoming elections and deliver the change that Liberians are desperately seeking? 

Only time will tell, as the stakes in this race are high. About half of the country’s population is in a deep malaise, with incomes stagnant and poverty, especially in the rural north, at shockingly high levels.