Saturday, July 24, 2010

‘WE WANT OUR PAY’: Recruited Teachers Protest GOL's Failure to Pay Salary Arears

07/24/2010 - M. Welemongai Ciapha, II






Source: FrontPage Africa

PROTESTING FOR PAY: The aggrieved teachers began their street protest at the Isaac Davis School situated at the ELWA Junction and later extended the demonstration to the SKD Boulevard, where officers of the Emergency Response Unit (ERU) of the Liberia National Police (LNP) clashed with the protesters by using rattan whip to disperse the crowds.

Monrovia -

What appears to be a peaceful 163rd Independence Day Anniversary celebration for Liberians as well as President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, who is celebrating the day in Sanniquellie, Nimba County turned bitter on Friday, when several thousands of recruited teachers took to the streets of Monrovia in protest of four months’ salary arrears, allegedly owed them by the Ministry of Education (MOE).

Spokesman Duncan alleged that it seems as though the Minister of Education, E. Othello Gongar and some of his principal deputies at the MOE have done something ‘fishy’ to delay the payment of the teachers.

The aggrieved teachers began their street protest at the Isaac Davis School situated at the ELWA Junction and later extended the demonstration to the SKD Boulevard, where officers of the Emergency Response Unit (ERU) of the Liberia National Police (LNP) clashed with the protesters by using rattan whip to disperse the crowds.

As a result of the demonstration, the already congested traffic at the ELWA Junction came to a standstill for several hours.

A spokesman of the teachers, P. Eric Duncan told FrontPage Africa that officials of the Education Ministry have been given ‘false promises’ until the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), decided opening accounts of US$ 4million for the teachers at the Ecobank.

Spokesman Duncan alleged that it seems as though the Minister of Education, E. Othello Gongar and some of his principal deputies at the MOE have done something ‘fishy’ to delay the payment of the teachers.

“We want our pay, we want our pay, so that we can enjoy the 26 with our family like President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf too in Nimba with her cabinet ministers,” the aggrieved teachers shouted in the hot sun as they march with placards and banners of all sorts.

Following several encounters with police at Congo Town back road, the teachers changed their tactics of engagement and decided to on board taxi cabs so as to back pass the police confrontation to go to the MOE on Broad Street.

Following several encounters with police at Congo Town back road, the teachers changed their tactics of engagement and decided to on board taxi cabs so as to back pass the police confrontation to go to the MOE on Broad Street.

A police officer with a rattan whip in his hand at the Congo Town Back road junction, shield and baton on his side, warned the teachers to halt their action because, he said, under the law it was unconstitutional on grounds that the protesters never obtained a permit from the Ministry of Justice (MOJ), prior to the protest.

It can be recalled that on Thursday night, Ms. Massa Washington, one of the commissioners of the TRC, walked into the Congo Town offices of FrontPage Africa and complained about similar behavior on the part of officials at the Ministry of Finance of denying them their salary checks ahead of the country’s festive season.

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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 truth – Bernard Gbayee Goah

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