Written by Bernard Gbayee Goah - President Operation We Care for LiberiaAn estimation of more than two hundred thousand innocent people were killed, hundreds of thousands uprooted from their homes, and hundreds of thousands more displaced in foreign lands as a result of Liberia’s brutal war.
Atrocities committed in Liberia are so grave, personal experience of the war is not required to understand the magnitude of what took place. Youtube Recorded videos of the level of madness that visited this country, and how countless number of innocent people were raped, tortured, enslaved, and killed are so dehumanizing; there can be no statue of limitations. As such, the demand for justice by those who experienced such unacceptable nightmare is genuine, and must be respected and not brushed aside.
With such unacceptable merciless acts carried out against the people of Liberia, it is unbelievable that not a single person has been held accountable! Worse of all, those accused of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity are the ones running the affairs of victims of war in Liberia today. And behold, it's all happening no where else, but under the very nose of the United Nations, in violation of its own Human Rights Chapter.
I want the United Nations to know that the rights of those who were killed during the Liberian civil war were not protected, and the rights of victims of war left to tell their stories are not yet protect in Liberia today.
Suspects of war crimes are now dictating the pace of a “government favored reconciliatory process” that holds no one accountable.
I want the United Nations to know that, the kind of reconciliatory process currently favored by the Liberian government cannot be a substitute to justice for war victims. International crimes were committed in Liberia by people holding top government positions. A reconciliatory process backed by a government infested with war crimes suspects is an impediment to peace in Liberia. The United Nations must pressure the Liberian government to buttress the demand of its citizens for justice irrespective of the situation. The establishment of a Liberian war crimes court must also be supported by the United Nations.
The people Liberia must reject any kind of process aimed at protecting a few powerful people against the will of the masses. The government of Liberia must strengthen its national capacity to house a war crimes court.
Regardless of the ruckus that comes with it, Liberians must demand that their government prosecute perpetrators of war crimes, and crimes against humanity. They must in the strongest possible terms state that they deserve no less, and are ready to resist the contrary.
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
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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