Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Liberia: Security Tension Mounts

Winston W. Parley
 
Source: The New Dawn
 
The Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General to Liberia Ellen Margrethe Loj says the Security Council has extended UNMIL's mandate here, due to concerns of threats to sub-regional stability, particularly in Liberia, posed by illicit drugs trafficking, organized crimes and illicit arms, among others.
SRSG Loj, who is also head of UNMIL, said the UN Mission will remain deployed in Liberia until an elected government is inaugurated in 2012.

She told a news conference Monday that the Security Council's mandate was in accordance with Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's recommendation, ordering UNMIL to deploy a technical assessment mission to Liberia after the inauguration of an elected government next year that will develop detailed proposals for the next stages of UNMIL's draw-down as well as the handover of security responsibilities to national authorities.

Focusing on several challenges across all sectors, including continuing problems with violent crime, the Security Council said it recognizes that the instability in Cote d'Ivoire continues to pose cross-border security challenges for Liberia and Cote d'Ivoire itself.

Among other things in the mandate prolonging the UNMIL's deployment here, the Security Council has asked the UN Peace Keeping Mission here to assist the Liberian Government in consolidating peace and stability with national institutions that are capable of maintaining security and stability independently of a peace keeping mission to ensure the future stability of Liberia.

The Council stressed that the holding of peaceful, timely, credible and inclusive elections in accordance with the Constitution of Liberia and applicable international standards, are a key conditions for the consolidation of democracy, national reconciliation and restoration of a stable, peaceful environment, among others.

Asked whether or not UNMIL foresees violence coming out of the elections, SRSG Loj told journalists that all UNMIL wants to ensure is peace. “No, we want peace; you have reported a lot of incidences even before these elections are held, and so we are hoping that nothing goes wrong,” she noted.

Notwithstanding, Loj has disclosed that talks are ongoing to get few forces from its sister mission country Cote d'Ivoire to be deployed in Liberia during the conduct of these elections; but said agreement has not been reached.

Commenting on reported attacks at the Liberian-Ivorian Borders, the UNMIL Boss said she has no knowledge whether or not, the attacks came from the Liberian side of the border.

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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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