President-in-waiting vows to revamp country

Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf for now is trying to avoid the limelight, waiting for the fraud allegations surrounding Liberia's election to be dealt with so she can be officially confirmed as the next president and Africa's first elected female head of state. But after that, the 67-year-old Harvard-educated economist has no intention of sitting quietly in the corner of the African leaders' boys club. "I am a woman, hear me roar" was a popular anthem of her campaign after all. "I could bring thousands and thousands of my supporters onto the street and they've been wanting to do that, but we wanted to show responsibility," she told IRIN in an interview this week. "When we tell our supporters 'Now is the time to claim victory'… you will see the rejoicing in the streets," she said, speaking at her beachside home in the capital, Monrovia, where she has been holed up for most of the past week. "The election… was a fine hour for Liberia and it should not be stolen by these bogus charges of fraud." The preliminary results from last week's presidential run-off put Sirleaf, a former finance minister and long-term political activist on 59.4 percent, more than 18 points ahead of soccer star and political novice, George Weah. Although international observers signed off on the poll as being free and fair, Weah, the former AC Milan and Chelsea striker, has alleged mass fraud and electoral authorities are investigating a formal complaint. But Sirleaf is confident that she will be declared the winner and is forging ahead with her plans to turn Liberia, a shell of a nation after 14 years of civil war, into one of West Africa's most prosperous. "We want first of all to get the government machinery functioning again… and that means a restructuring of the civil service," she said.

Sirleaf supporters at a rally

Cracking down on corruption Getting investment coming into the country is also crucial, and that means not only tackling the US $3 billion debt mountain but also the corruption that has plagued Liberia for decades. Sirleaf says she supports GEMAP, the three-year anti-graft plan drawn up by international donors that will install foreign experts in key revenue-generating institutions. But she is adamant that it will be only a temporary measure. "GEMAP will help us in the beginning… but our government is going to be a competent, honest government that's going to have the capacity over time to manage our resources well," she explained, wagging her index finger, still stained from the indelible voting ink. "That's not to say that we do not need some help. A partnership we welcome, but the ownership remains in our hands." As far as corruption goes, Sirleaf has practised what she is now preaching. She once resigned as finance minister after protesting excessive government spending and also refused to take a seat in the Senate, denouncing fraud. And the woman known as the "Iron Lady" for her tough political style hopes that good governance will persuade the UN Security Council to lift the embargos on exporting diamonds and timber. "We are going to work with the UN to see if we can get all sanctions lifted," she said. Except the one on arms, because we don't want arms here." The development challenges facing the new president are as daunting as the economic ones. Restoring power and water Even the capital, Monrovia, has no mains electricity or piped water. Unemployed youths lug jerry cans across the bridge into town to supply residents with water. People not wealthy enough to afford a generator depend on paraffin lamps and candles, and even at Sirleaf's church the generator is only switched on five minutes before the service starts so the choir has light to see. The president-elect has promised to restore mains electricity within six months of taking office in January and wants a well or hand pump in every village across the country within two years. Then there's providing free education and resuscitating the health system, two other priorities that virtually every Liberian puts on their wish list. "I know that expectations will be high and time will not be on our side. I know I have to hit the ground running," Sirleaf said, as UN peacekeepers patrolled the grounds of her compound. However, before any of these hurdles can be tackled, the foundation of reconciliation and national unity must be laid. "I want to make sure that nobody will ever again feel so affected that they will have to resort to violence," Sirleaf said. The president-in-waiting suffered first hand during the last quarter of a century of instability. She was imprisoned for treason after a coup plot against Samuel Doe. Her other cell-mates were taken out and shot one by one, while the guards would lean into her face and threaten to burn her hair off. Mindful of the divides of the past, Sirleaf now wants to form an inclusive government that crosses party, ethnic and religious lines, with young people and women strongly represented.

Sirleaf at church

New line-up Will there be a place for Weah in the starting line-up? Sports minister is one possibility she says, adding that she will be consulting with him to determine the right position. And Sirleaf is clear about not tolerating anybody who fails to perform. "I don't suffer fools gladly and I can be rough… in my handling of people who I feel have not met the requirements of a task," she warned. The mother of four knows she will have her work cut out, reaching out to those Liberians who blame the educated political elite for the woes of the past. Sirleaf, who flicked between American English and Liberian English throughout her campaign, makes no apologies for being educated but says she still has the common touch and will prove this by removing some of the mystique from the presidency. She has also promised to serve just one six-year term. "I have no interest in pomp and pageantry. I want to remain me, I want to remain accessible to the people," she said. "I want to be able to walk the streets and meet people; meet the market women and buy their fruit and vegetables off the sidewalks." But she cannot avoid the fact she is about to enter the history books as Africa's first elected female president. So how does it feel? "I am humbled by the awesome challenge but I think it represents a victory for women," she said. "A woman is finally breaking the barriers and entering this club, this male bastion. I think that Liberian women and African women will all be better off."