Sunday, June 7, 2009

We can’t resolve the problem in Liberia if we can’t hold anyone responsible

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We can’t resolve the problem in Liberia if we can’t hold anyone responsible.
 
A few days ago while sitting on my porch, I began to think about the 15 years of civil madness that took place in Liberia. As I reflected on everything that happened, I asked myself, who is responsible? Who is actually responsible for all of the killings that went on in Liberia?

We all know that although it is clear that these things happened, no one has been held responsible at all. No one is currently been held responsible, and perhaps no one will ever be held responsible at all if we as a people refuse to act.

We all know that although there is an answer to this question, there has not been one answer that has clearly pointed out who is actually responsible for the killings of the five beautiful daughters of grieving American mothers who were serving in Liberia as Catholic Nuns. These sisters went to Liberia to help the children of Liberia with their education and to give these children hope through spiritual guidance.

Those beautiful daughters of grieving American mothers who of all the continents in the world, did not prefer any other continent but Africa, and yet of all the countries in Africa, handpicked Liberia because of the love they had for the children of Liberia, only to meet the act of evil awaiting them right before the very eyes of the children they loved so much.

They meet the act of evil awaiting them before the eyes of the children they thought for years would have become good citizens of Liberia. And, who they hoped would someday become leaders of Liberia, so that Liberia would once again become a civilized nation amongst the nations of the world.

God fearing people as they were, only to  meet the act of evil awaiting them before the very eyes of little kids, but most painful is the fact that even though they were truly innocent, they were targeted and brutally raped and murdered in cold blood for nothing in Liberia West Africa. Up until now the killings of these innocent ladies has gone in vein, totally in vein.

The families of these innocent daughters, who only wanted to help the children of Liberia, continue to grieve now and forever. Although there is an answer to how and why all of these horrible and gruesome events occurred, no one has been held responsible, no one has been brought to justice, and no one has been questioned at all.

There has not been anyone held responsible for the killing of Dr. Stephen Yekeson of the Cuttington University College and others. Although there is an answer, and we all know there is…. and we know it, but yet up to this day, no one, not even a single person has been held responsible.

What we have become aware of is that it has become very difficult to heal the wounds of Liberia if no one is held responsible at all. We are all aware that it was not a ghost that initiated all of the killings of these innocent people in Liberia.

We all know that we cannot prevent the reoccurrence of these types of horrible acts if we refuse to hold those responsible for playing the highest roles in crafting or planning or publically endorsing such acts.

We all know that we cannot prevent the reoccurrence of these types of horrible acts if we refuse to hold those responsible for convincing and mobilizing groups of people to commit evil against humanity.

We all know that we cannot prevent the reoccurrence of these types of horrible acts if we refuse to hold those who hugely contributed considerate sums of money to a group or individual empowering them to carry out such acts, or physically committing such acts in person.

If no one can be held accountable for what happened in Liberia for 15 years, should there be anyone held responsible now or  in the future to come if anything of such happens again? Will such precedent bring peace to Liberia?

If key people who initiated the war that took away the lives of over 300,000 or more innocent Liberians are refusing to accept responsibility for the role they played, how do we as a people expect those who held the guns to accept responsibility?

Writing By Bernard Gbayee Goah


If we cannot hold someone responsible for initiating the killings of innocent Liberians, if we cannot hold anyone responsible for the raping if innocent women and children, if we cannot hold anyone responsible for committing all these acts of evil in Liberia, how can us expect to hold people responsible for stealing government money? How do we hold our senators and representatives responsible for misrepresenting us? How do we hold the government responsible if there are no good roads, hospitals, and schools? How do we hold the government responsible if civil servants are not getting paid on time?

If we as a people cannot boldly question people responsible for act committed in Liberia, why do we illusively think that investors will put their money in a place where no one can be qestioned or brought to justice for committing a crime?

If we as a people  cannot touch major architects who designed the war that took away the lives of innocient women and children in Liberia over the past 15 years; does it actually make any sense to go after Prince Johnson, George Dweh, George Boley, Adophus Dolo, and others that are currently working in the Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf Government? In my view the answer is a resounding NO!

It is by way of choice, that he who plans and instructs an act or acts of evil against humanity is more cantankerous than he who was instructed to commit said evil. If the physical doer of the act is found guilty and punished, but the planner is left loose without any charge, the possibility for such a planner to carry out a more dangerous and sophisticated act is very probable.

How do we even come up with solutions to solve the problem in Liberia when no one can be held responsible?

In a country where no one can be held responsible for committing evil acts, anyone can do as he or she wishes and walk away without being held responsible and that is a definition of a cow boy camp. And if that is what we all want, than that is how Liberia will be. I however pray for the opposite.

Thank you for reading.

Bernard Gbayee Goah

Portland Oregon

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Inside Liberia with Bernard Gbayee Goah

Everyone is a genius

Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid. – A Einstein

Drawing the line in Liberia

Crimes sponsored, committed, or masterminded by handful of individuals cannot be blamed upon an entire nationality. In this case, Liberians! The need for post-war justice is a step toward lasting peace, stability and prosperity for Liberia. Liberia needs a war crimes tribunal or some credible legal forum that is capable of dealing with atrocities perpetrated against defenseless men, women and children during the country's brutal war. Without justice, peace shall remain elusive and investment in Liberia will not produce the intended results. - Bernard Gbayee Goah



Men with unhealthy characters should not champion any noble cause

They pretend to advocate the cause of the people when their deeds in the dark mirror nothing else but EVIL!!
When evil and corrupt men try to champion a cause that is so noble … such cause, how noble it may be, becomes meaningless in the eyes of the people - Bernard Gbayee Goah.

If Liberia must move forward ...

If Liberia must move forward in order to claim its place as a civilized nation amongst world community of nations, come 2017 elections, Liberians must critically review the events of the past with honesty and objectivity. They must make a new commitment to seek lasting solutions. The track records of those who are presenting themselves as candidates for the position of "President of the Republic of Liberia" must be well examined. Liberians must be fair to themselves because results from the 2011 elections will determine the future of Liberia’s unborn generations to come - Bernard Gbayee Goah

Liberia's greatest problem!

While it is true that an individual may be held responsible for corruption and mismanagement of funds in government, the lack of proper system to work with may as well impede the process of ethical, managerial, and financial accountability - Bernard Gbayee Goah

What do I think should be done?

The situation in Liberia is Compound Complex and cannot be fixed unless the entire system of government is reinvented.
Liberia needs a workable but uncompromising system that will make the country an asylum free from abuse, and other forms of corruption.
Any attempt to institute the system mentioned above in the absence of rule of law is meaningless, and more detrimental to Liberia as a whole - Bernard Gbayee Goah

Liberia's Natural Resources
Besides land water and few other resources, most of Liberia’s dependable natural resources are not infinite, they are finite and therefore can be depleted.
Liberia’s gold, diamond, and other natural resources will not always be an available source of revenue generation for its people and its government. The need to invent a system in government that focuses on an alternative income generation method cannot be over emphasized at this point - Bernard Gbayee Goah

Liberia needs a proper system
If Liberians refuse to erect a proper system in place that promotes the minimization of corruption and mismanagement of public funds by government institutions, and individuals, there will come a time when the value of the entire country will be seen as a large valueless land suited on the west coast of Africa with some polluted bodies of waters and nothing else. To have no system in place in any country is to have no respect for rule of law. To have no respect for rule of law is to believe in lawlessness. And where there is lawlessness, there is always corruption - Bernard Gbayee Goah

Solving problems in the absence of war talks

As political instability continues to increase in Africa, it has become abundantly clear that military intervention as a primary remedy to peace is not a durable solution. Such intervention only increases insecurity and massive economic hardship. An existing example which could be a valuable lesson for Liberia is Great Britain, and the US war on terror for the purpose of global security. The use of arms whether in peace keeping, occupation, or invasion as a primary means of solving problem has yield only little results. Military intervention by any country as the only solution to problem solving will result into massive military spending, economic hardship, more fear, and animosity as well as increase insecurity. The alternative is learning how to solve problems in the absence of war talks. The objective of such alternative must be to provide real sustainable human security which cannot be achieved through military arm intervention, or aggression. In order to achieve results that will make the peaceful coexistence of all mankind possible, there must be a common ground for the stories of all sides to be heard. I believe there are always three sides to every story: Their side of the story, Our side of the story, and The truthBernard Gbayee Goah

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