Women's Petition Stage-managed

Women's Petition Stage-managed

Source: http://allafrica.com/stories/201006290317.html

Two of the many Civil Society Organizations in the country including the "Center for Trauma and Conflict Resolution" and the "Youth for the Promotion of Good Governance" have criticized women groups advocating for the removal of Bong County Senior Senator, Jewel Howard Taylor from the United Nations Security Council Traveling restriction.

The women groups including the Women in Peace Building in Liberia, the Coalition of Political Parties Women(COPPWILL) few days ago, presented a three page petition to the Leadership of the Liberian Senate for the lifting of the UN travel ban imposed on the Bong County Senior Senator and former First Lady Jewel Howard Taylor.

A copy of the petition which was sent to President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf among other things, urged the National Legislature and in particular, the House of Senate, the legislative branch in which Senator Taylor is a part , called on the Security Council to ensure that the traveling ban on Senator Taylor and others is lifted so as to afford the senator to efficiently and effectively work for those who elected her into office and the Liberian people as a whole.

The UN Security Council is believed to have taken the punitive measure as a way of bringing to book those who used the war to exploit the country's natural resources to the detriment of the survival of the ordinary Liberian citizens.

Though, majority members of the Liberian Senate opposed the women groups petition, during its Thursday's Regular Session, the lawmakers unanimously voted to turned the document over to the relevant committees for review and to advice the Senate Plenary on for appropriate action.

The two Civil Society Organizations who followed the women groups at the Capitol Building during the presentation of the petition over the weekend, called a separate press conference and informed the Liberian people that they were disappointed and discouraged in some mothers of the country who they said, are refusing to play twin motherly role, but decided to be selfish and cruel in the process.

Saydee Momboe, the Executive Director of the Center for Trauma and Conflict Resolution addressing a team of reporters, alleged that the women groups were given money by the office of Bong County senior senator to take the stance they took to advocate exclusively for her removal from the UN Travel ban list.

The right advocate who is widely regarded as anti campaigner in the fight against corruption, didn't give the specific amount the women may have received from Senator Taylor for the advocacy, but claimed further that the senator took advantage of the illiterate minds of the women and chose to use them for her selfish gains.

Speaking further, Saydee Momboe indicated that there are lots of good Liberians that were on the UN Travel restriction for almost a decade now, but that it was regrettable that some mothers at this time will choose to single the Bong County senator out from the rest of the other sanction victims, something he described as totally unacceptable, cruel and injustice to the highest order that must be condemned by every well meaning Liberian.

He named the other sanction victims as Cyril Allen, Montserrado County Representative Edwin Melvin Snowe, Nimba County Junior Senator Saye Adolphus Dolo, Rep. Kai Fallah of Grand Gedeh County, Benniod Urey, George Dweh and others who are all Liberians.

The rights activist noted that he and several other Liberians were surprised that some of their mothers decided to front for Senator Taylor alone, leaving out the rest of those who were positively contributing their quotas to the building of the country and squarely indicated that the petition was stage managed by the office of the Bong County senior senator who he said, was using the gullibility of the women and cash to influence them for her campaign.

Besides speaking on the benefits he claimed the women got from the senator, he also accused the Bong County lawmaker of eyeing bigger position during the pending 2011 General Elations, and if the traveling restriction remains in place, he said, it will trouble her political career and consequently, the only empirical formula was to use the illiterate mothers who are poor and want to see themselves out of poverty.

Saydee Momboe also maintained that the United Nations Traveling restriction imposed on Taylor Associates was in the right direction and justifiable, and that the women groups must see the world body action as a way of saving the country's resources from the hands of people he referred to as vampires and at the time, were bent on making bad use of the vast resources of the country.

He called on the United Nations Security Council and other auxiliary institutions not to lift the travel restriction on Taylor associates for now until the trial of former President Charles Taylor can reach a logical conclusion , and that in the absence of that, he said, lifting the ban will be detrimental to the country and the sub-region as a whole.

Mr. Momboe also called on women in the country to begin championing positive change that will benefit the larger female community, and that they must refuse to be used by politicians as it is been done in the case involving Bong County's Senior Senator Jewel Howard Taylor.

For his part, the Executive Director for the Youth for the Promotion of Good Governance, Tommy Goll who also spoke at the press conference , joined Saydee Momboe to say the women groups were given huge sums of money by the Bong County senator to advocate for her in removing her name from the UN Travel restriction.

Tommy Goll told women groups that Senator Taylor is not the only member of the National Legislature that continues to suffer the UN Travel restriction, and that their action to single out their female compatriotic from among the rest of the sanction victims amounts to segregation, bad governance and lack motherly care.

Tommy Goll warned Senator Taylor to stop using illiterate and poverty striking mothers for her selfish gains. He said the action on the part of the senator was tantamount to exploitation, and warned her further to desist from taking advantage of those women he said, were poverty striking, illiterate and ignorant of their own actions, something he claimed, has the propensity to bring their mothers and the larger the female community to public disrepute.

The Youth Executive also sent a caveat to the women group from Bong County informing them that they will be held liable for the underdevelopment of their county were they to elect the senator for the second time into office. He said the people of Bong County were fully aware of the travel ban placed on senator Taylor and others and that under such condition, he added, they should not vote her into office the next time because, he argued, will not be in the position to effectively serve them.

According to him, across the country, prostitutions, teen-age pregnancies and other vices were on the increased and that senator Taylor alone with other female Legislators must calve legislation that will get girls from the street and making them to go to school, a suggestion he said, when put into action, will be a positive step forward and will be greatly welcomed by the Liberian people.

Mr. Goll then used the medium and called on the Liberian Senate not to debate the women petition on the Senate floor, as it is segregative and disadvantageous to the rest of the male sanction victims who are also good Liberians like the Bong County Senior Senator.

He disclosed that his organization is writing the UN Security Council to maintain the traveling restriction on Senator Taylor and the rest of the Taylor associates until the case in the Hague involving former President Charles Taylor can be adjourned.