The_Open_Door_deel1

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"Uhile the performance of the economy recorded phenomenal
gains during particularly the past two decades, the quality
of rural life and the rural environment deteriorated.
Such deterioration was reflected in the desperate relatively
large exodus of the rural school age population
and the rural active population to the few urban areas
where schooling and employment opportunities were already
limited for the ill prepared immigrants. The social and
economic cost both in the rural and urban areas has been
grave" (77).
Such criticism of the official policy was' unheard of in the
Tubman era. Several years later the Four Year National Socio-
Economic Development Plan 1976 - 19 80 was launched.
Preparation for this Development Plan was begun in 19 74, the
same year in which a National Census of Population and Housing
was carried out. It is interesting to note that initially it was
planned to draft an Eight-Year Development Plan which would cover
the years 1976 - 1984,
"which coincides with the next full term of President
Tolbert's Administration beginning in 7976" (78).
As this was written in January 1975 before the Presidential
candidate had even been nominated by the ruling political party
it serves as an illustration of the general predictibility of the
outcome of elections in Liberia.
In the Foreword to the 1976 - 1980 Development Plan William
Tolbert, elected in the October 1975 Presidential elections in
which he was the only candidate, stated that
"when I became. President of Liberia, I (...) realized thai
Liberians were living at vastly different levels of increasing
wealth and accelerating poverty. The infusion of
the money economy into the rural agricultural sector
created forces which widened the chasm between those who
abundantly possess and the majority who barely exist" (79).
The stated basic long-term objectives of the Liberian
development strategy were now described as: (i) diversification
of the production; (ii) dispersion of sustainable socio-economic
activities throughout the country; (iii) total involvement of
the entire population in the development efforts, and (iv)
equitable distribution of the benefits of economic growth,
development, and diversification so as to ensure an acceptable
standard of living to all Liberians (80). The language used
sounds very similar to that used in the abortive 1967 - 1970
Development Plan but an important new concept was introduced in
this first Four Year Development Plan of the Tolbert
Administration. With respect to the objective of diversification
of production it was emphasized that the cornerstone of the
diversification strategy would be "integrated rural development"•
It was recognized that this philosophy would involve the design
and implementation of comprehensive programmes for raising
agricultural productivity and improving associated rural
economic activities such as marketing and providing social and
Physical infrastructure so as to enhance the quality of life in