Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Gladys accuses officials of delaying party's registration .

Source: Liberiawebs

In Liberia, a female presidential hopeful told VOA the Foreign Ministry is denying her constitutional right to register a political party so that she can contest next year’s presidential election.



Gladys Beyan said she wants to register the Grassroots Democratic Party of Liberia because past and present governments have squandered the country’s resources.

But, she said Liberian officials may be delaying the approval of her articles of incorporation because she and her supporters refused to pay what she calls a $2,000US bribe.

“The difficulty is that I presented my articles of incorporation to the Foreign Affairs ministry since the 29th of October, and they are just deliberately delaying it. Everytime I went there, (they would tell me) it was in the legal section and the legal section was reviewing it,” she said.

Beyan said, when she tried to inquire from the legal office, she was told the document had been sent to the minister’s office for his signature.

But, when she went back to the minister’s office, she was told the he could not sign the document because the counsel in the legal office did not initial it.

“I don’t think one person can just pick up and lock the doors on a public document and put the keys in his pocket and go for a whole day. So, I told the Counselor Sirleaf there that this is deliberate to deny my constitutional rights.” Beyan said.

She said the officials are trying to delay the approval of her papers of incorporation so that registration of her party will not meet the election commission’s deadline for registering parties. Beyan said Foreign Ministry officials are delaying because she and her supporters would not pay a bribe.

“The first time my legal counsel went to that office with another friend of Gladys Beyan, this same man told them they should pay $2,000. So, my counselor said, ‘You are a lawyer and I’m a lawyer. Why should I give you $2,000 to register this paper?’

And he said, ‘Well, you don’t have money and you want to make (a) political party.’ I even told the minister that the constitution did not say that you have to be rich before you can form a political party in Liberia. Because we did not bribe him, this is why they are kicking it around. These are the reasons why I say it’s deliberate,” Beyan said.

Beyan said the fee to process papers of incorporation in Liberia is $50, which she said she has already paid. She said she is running for president of Liberia because past and present governments have squandered the country’s resources.

“I want to run for president of Liberia because I have the requisite knowledge and experience in governmental operations. And, the pace at which human resources, natural resources and national assets are being squandered by previous and present governments underscores the urgency of my desire to contest for this presidency so I can make Liberia a better Liberia for all Liberians,” Beyan said.

Beyan said she wants to register her own party because existing parties are “election parties” only.

“We want to form the Grassroots Democratic Party that will be (an) every day party, not just (an) election party. I was the only female founder of the NDPL (National Democratic Party of Liberia).

But, the way NDPL has been tarnished and many other parties, I found that I could not fit in there for what we want to do as grassrooters for Liberia. This is why we want to form a brand new party, a party that will be formed by Liberians in Liberia and that will cater to the needs of Liberia for all Liberians,” Beyan said.

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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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