Wednesday, December 1, 2010

DR. AMOS SAWYER NAMED TO HEAD PEER REVIEW TEAM TO KENYA

By Emmanuel Abalo and International Wire Reports from Nairobi, Kenya


Source:Running africa

Dr. Amos Claudius Sawyer
Former Chairman of the Liberian Interim Government of National Unity(IGNU) between 1990 – 1994) Dr. Amos Claudius Sawyer is among several eminent persons named to a team of experts charged with conducting a fact finding review mission to Kenya.


The former Liberian leader and political scientist will serve as the lead person of the team of experts which will be conducting the fact finding mission known as Africa Peer Review Mechanism (APRM).

This review will run from November 29th – December 1st in the Kenyan capital Nairobi.


According to the team quoted by reporters, the Africa Peer Review is the second of its kind since Kenya concluded a referendum which led to the adoption of a new Constitution for the east Africa country.

In 2003, Kenya agreed to participate in the APRM which is mechanism to which member states of the African Union(AU) voluntarily sign on to as a self-monitoring instrument which will look at Kenya's political, economic and management, corporate governance and social economic development .

Kenya's contentious elections in 2007 led to political and ethnic violence and the deaths of about 1,400. Following the violence and deaths a special mediator, former UN Secretary General and Nobel Laureate Kofi Annan was appointed to help resolve the contentious issues. As part of his work he recommended to the Kenyan Government of President Mwai Kibaki the prosecution of some principal actors who fueled and supported the violence. However, The Kibaki administration has been"dragging" its feet on the recommendation and this prompted mediator Mr. Annan to submit a sealed list of perpetrators to the International Criminal Court(ICC)for investigation. Judges of the ICC on March 23, 2010 approved a prosecutor's request to open a formal investigation into Kenya's 2007 post election violence. The Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo has already visited Kenya as part of his investigation. Some high profile Kenyans in the administration and private sector have been linked to the support of the Violence.

The US Government has also issued a visa bar to some un-named Kenyans alleged to have been "stonewalling" the investigation.

The Liberian scholar an astute political mind, to his credit, comes to the team of eminent persons on this panel with great credit especially in dealing with conflict negotiations and management. His experience of dealing of the decade plus Liberian civil war is expected to immensely assist the APRM in the successful completion of its work.

Dr. Sawyer is the current Chairman of Liberia's Governance Reform Commission. The Governance Reform Commission was established by Executive Order in Liberia following the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement of Liberia in Accra, Ghana in August , 2003.

Liberia's Governance Reform Commission was established to promote good governance and initiate the process of initiating the necessary measures for the efficient governance of the country among other stipulations of its mandate.

There have been speculations that Dr. Sawyer who supported incumbent President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in the 2005 elections is being courted to step into the position of Foreign Minister of Liberia in the newly reconstituted Cabinet. Former Minister Olubanke King Akerele has resigned following the issuance of an "administrative leave" to the entire Cabinet by President Johnson-Sirleaf nearly a month ago. That position still remains vacant.

News Headline

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

DISCLAIMER

Statements and opinions expressed in articles, reviews and other materials herein are those of the authors. While every care has been taken in the compilation of information on this website/blog, and every attempt made to present up-to-date and accurate information, I cannot guarantee that inaccuracies will not occur. Inside Liberia with Bernard Gbayee Goah will not be held responsible for any claim, loss, damage or inconvenience caused as a result of any information within these pages or any information accessed through this website/blog. The content of any organizations websites which you link to from this website/blog are entirely out of the control of Inside Liberia With Bernard Gbayee Goah, and you proceed at your own risk. These links are provided purely for your convenience. They do not imply Inside Liberia With Bernard Gbayee Goah's endorsement of or association with any products, services, content, information or materials offered by or accessible to you at said organizations site.