Dr. Sawyer: ‘Rice Riots, 1980 Coup, Were Unnecessary’

“There was never a need for violence,” Sawyer explains. “The Liberian government then failed to negotiate with the people on the increment of the price of rice, the country’s staple food.”

 

For the last half-century or more, Liberia has suffered from one crisis after another, ranging from economic down-turn to hostile politics, civil war, poor healthcare delivery, pandemics, ‘messy’ education system, among many others. But which country hasn’t got a few of these? 

However, for Liberia, the much talked-about 1979 Rice Riots in Monrovia and the subsequent April 12, 1980 Coup D’état that toppled the government of President William R. Tolbert, Jr. and ended more than 100 years of a one-party system of government, has been a messy point of contention that seems to have riddled the country’s sense of direction.

While some hailed the two deadly crises as transitory events that ushered in the era of pluralism in Liberian politics, others regret those incidents and wish they had never occurred. One of those who believe the events were unnecessary is Dr. Amos Claudius Sawyer, a seasoned politician and scholar of political science who recently retired after decades of active participation in the field.

1979 Rice Riot

According to Sawyer, both the 1979 rice riots and 1980 coup could have been avoided, had the government listened and given the needed attention to its people.

“There was never a need for violence,” Sawyer explains. “The Liberian government then failed to negotiate with the people on the increment of the price of rice, the country’s staple food.”

Sawyer explained that the Progressive Alliance of Liberia (PAL) was a political movement, led by Gabriel Baccus Matthews, which had no idea of what their protest against the increment in the price of rice from US$18 to US$25 could have done to the country’s peace.

“Before the PAL-led protest against the increase in the price of rice, we, the Movement for Justice in Africa (MOJA), were celebrating the founding anniversary of our organization when Matthews announced at that gathering that he and his supporters had planned a protest and that it was ready to go. That announcement took us all by surprise. Lots of top people went out to advise PAL to stop the demonstration,” he said.

“PAL called the demonstration but had no idea of how it could have gone,” Sawyer said. “People came out in their numbers and flooded the streets. The police went out fighting. They fired gunshots. On Camp Johnson Road, where there was a Police Barrack, the first casualty came about and all heads went loose.”

He said prior to the demonstration, he spoke with Matthews (now deceased) and asked him to call off the protest so as to avoid the unexpected. According to Sawyer, Matthews agreed, but decided to wait until the following morning, April 14, 1979, to call off the protest via radio announcement. 

However, by the morning of April 14, people from all walks of life had crowded the streets, ready to protest, in adherence to the original announcement. 

“The leaders of PAL had thought that there would have been a different scenario. They never had a way to control the people. It was an unfortunate situation,” the retired Liberian politician told the Daily Observer. “Also, why we condemned the protest is because it led to violence and loss of lives, there is also this thing about our government. They think that no one should challenge them or question them.”

Dr. Sawyer said in Liberia, the government, from time to time, has always wanted to have everything its own way, rather than considering the views of the people who have the power to institute or dissolve it.

“It’s always about everybody waiting for the government to make a decision but people were not patient anymore to wait, mainly when the price of rice jumped from US$18 to 25 and the salaries of the working population did not improve,” he pointed out.

He said further that President William R. Tolbert, Jr. then thought that using the police and the military to remove the protesters from the streets forcefully was the way forward, but the President’s calculation also fueled the tension and escalated into a horrifying experience that later cost him his life and set the country on the path of subsequent crises.

April 12, 1980 Coup

Dr. Sawyer said the April 12, 1980 coup d’état, “another political miscalculation, came on the back of the April 14, 1979 Rice Riot”. 

“When I heard about the Coup, I went into hiding,” he said, noting that he became afraid and worried about the ensuing calamities at hand. Sawyer further narrated his encounter with Master Sergeant Samuel K. Doe after the Coup.

“The morning after the Coup, Samuel Doe had sent some military men to my house. I was in hiding from about 5 am up to 3 pm. I went up to the Executive Mansion. There was a crowd in the streets jubilating.  Doe said to me: ‘Dr. Sawyer, you know me?’ I said no. ‘You remember at Marcus Garvey School, someone asked you a question: why, when some of you people learn book, you people don’t like to join the army?’ I said yes, I remember that question, and he said it was he who asked the question,” he narrated.

Dr. Sawyer said that interaction between him and Master Sgt. Doe opened up a new era of understanding that those in the military then had come to know that they had a stake in the governance system of the country and that they were truly the custodians of power in the country.

“That Marcus Garvey class was a MOJA initiative. We taught at no cost many young people who had no fees to go to school. This class was on Clay Street in Monrovia and soldiers, including Doe and many other common people benefited,” he explained.

Sawyer said Doe offered him to become the Mayor of Monrovia, most especially so that he (Sawyer) and his like minded colleagues once campaigned for there to be an election for the Mayoral post because the Constitution of 1847 prescribed for the municipality to have its own structures and control mechanisms.

“I turned the offer down because that was not the reason why we advocated. I had never been in politics for my personal benefits rather than seeing that there is freedom of participation for all citizens and ensuring that the draconian laws are removed from our law books,” he said.

He added that Doe further offered him an office at the Executive Mansion so he could have worked in a different capacity but, again, he turned down the offer.

When asked as to whether he believed the account that it was Doe and sixteen other uniformed soldiers who killed Tolbert, Sawyer said he had not much to say because he, too, was not on the scene when President Tolbert was murdered but accounts from Mrs. Victoria Tolbert (Tolbert’s widow), stating that she saw white hands kill her husband, are worth considering to a reasonable extent.

“That incident was tragic. Based on ignorance, people were in the streets jubilating but, for people like us who knew better, we foresaw the impending consequences ahead. However the accounts are narrated, Doe was the highest ranking officer at the Executive Mansion and he probably was forced into accepting the role of head of the People’s Redemption Council (PRC). Yes, he became head of state and the rest is history,” the political scientist noted.

He said it was expected that things could have returned to normal after the Coup, but everything became even more scary and worrisome.

“In a short period of time, meetings were held and Doe and his men began hunting down former Cabinet members of Tolbert’s government. A list was drawn and thirteen men were executed on poles along the beach behind the Barclay Training Center (BTC) without any constitutional court trials. Many other dead bodies were being found in the streets of Monrovia. Carnage overtook justice and rights to free and fair trials,” Dr. Sawyer explained.

He re-emphasized that there was no need for the Coup as there was no need for the Rice Riot. The retired political scientist and scholar concluded that Liberians should never return to those ugly episodes that ravaged the country and led to successive conflicts, mainly the civil wars.