02/05/2010 - Samwar S. Fallah, sfallah@FrontPageAfrica.com, 077-920-058Sorce: http://www.frontpageafrica.com/newsmanager/anmviewer.asp?a=10594&z=3
Gbarnga, Bong County - After pronouncing her bid for a second term of office, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf looks set to employ every means possible to achieve her goal of seeking reelection with the introduction of new political variables.
“Each one of you will now have to help us by creating two jobs each in very offices for our partisans”, President Sirleaf told her Cabinet at the Convention of the ruling Party in Gbarnga, Bong County Saturday.
The President whose administration is already being haunted by the rightsizing and downsizing policy introduced in 2006 upon the inauguration of her government where some civil servants were dismissed in the name of reforming government has issued another mandate to her cabinet ministers and other senior partisans of the UP which could without doubt create more unemployment opportunities for ordinary Liberians who are not members of the ruling Unity Party (UP).
The UP seems to be employing the same tactics as former President Charles Taylor National Patriotic Party (NPP) and other previous political parties when members of ruling parties had the opportunities over oppositions to public jobs, a situation that led to the mass exodus of Liberians into ruling parties of time past.
During the regime of former President Samuel K. Doe, Liberians were made to sing the slogan “who do you want? Doe, Who Do you want? Doe”, only to get public jobs.
Also during the regime of former President Charles Taylor, his main base, Gbarnga was the focus point for seeking job as every Liberian wanting to work in the public sector will have to visit Gbarnga during the weekends when Mr. Taylor is on his farm to lobby by either joining the NPP.
Already under the criticism for creating jobs for Diaspora members of the UP, leaving out partisans who have been on the ground and struggled for the party to ascend to state power in a closely contested election in 2005, President Sirleaf in what political observers have described as preparation for 2011 and reverting to the old tactics of recruitment Saturday told her cabinet Ministers In Gbarnga, Bong County that each one must create two jobs for UP partisans.
Although the Liberian leader did not say how the cabinet Ministers will create the needed two jobs each with the Civil Service Agency in charge of recruiting civil servants but other oppositions witnessing the convention described the statement as an attempt to carry out forceful recruitment for the UP ahead of 2011.
The Liberian leader statement received applauses from UP partisans who wore t-shirts under the theme “Uniting to up Lift Liberia ”.
The ruling unity party by plagued by internal wrangling with some partisans complaining that only those from abroad are given lucrative jobs over other members back in Liberia.
Shortly after the UP was defeated by the opposition Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) in a Montserrado County senatorial by-election recently partisans of the UP stormed the party’s headquarters demanding jobs and insisting on change of policy in giving out jobs.
Charles Clarke, Chairman of the UP publicly stated that imported government officials were partly responsible for the defeat of the UP in the by-election which was duped a test race for 2011 elections.
Some of officials of government who returned to the country to take up positions condemned the statement by the UP Chairman, contributing to the internal squabble in the party.
At least two cabinet minister who spoke to FrontPageAfrica on the basis of anonymity expressed dissatisfaction over the President pronouncement.
“How are we going to do that? Does that means we will increase the number of employees with the budget already drawn up? Or are we going to sack and please, no my brother I do not want to comment”, one Cabinet Minister told reporter.
Another Cabinet Minister said the true meaning of the president pronouncement is yet to be understood.
Political Coercion
Opposition lawmaker George Mulbah of Bong County and the NPP told FrontPage Africa that the President statement is intended to coerce Liberians to join the ruling party only to secure jobs amidst hardship in the country.
“You know I see this as an attempt to force people to join the Unity Party that is coercion”, Representative Mulbah lamented.
The lawmaker said the President is trying to put aside other Liberians and opposition members and bring onboard up partisans as a means of forcing them to crossover only to main their jobs or get jobs.
“I think the President should remain with what she said was a politics of inclusion but this is serving as the beginning of threatening people jobs who are not members of the ruling party”, Representative Mulbah noted.
Monday, February 8, 2010
News Headline
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.
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.
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
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
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 truth – Bernard Gbayee Goah