Operation We Care for Liberia President
Bernard Gbayee Goah
Liberian President
Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf
In order for Justice to prevail in Liberia, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf should not be given a second term.
By Bernard Gbayee Goah
President Operation We Care for Liberia
Email: bgoah76@yahoo.com
The presence of United Nations troops has afforded Liberians the opportunity to find solutions to the ills plaguing the nation. Knowing full well these troops will not remain indefinitely; it is imperative Liberians lay the foundation for the rule of law; because it offers the best remedy for corruption, human rights violations, land disputes, armed robbery as well as other pressing issues. Crimes sponsored, masterminded, or carried out by a handful of individuals cannot be conferred upon an entire nationality, in this case Liberians. There is no better way to stabilize Liberia than to introduce a legal system capable of holding people accountable. Without justice, peace shall remain elusive and efforts to rebuild Liberia will not produce the intended results.
Cape Town — The former Nigerian president, Olusegun Obasanjo, has told African leaders who outstay their people's welcome that "time is running out" for them.
Speaking at the launch of the Africa Progress Panel's 2011 report at the World Economic Forum on Africa, Obasanjo suggested that such leaders "are really becoming extinct... how many of them do we have left today?"
Africa Progress Panel
This graph published in the Africa Progress Report 2011 shows how steady African growth was interrupted by the global financial crisis in 2009 but is expected to regain its momentum through 2011.
But he urged those who remain to be reassured that "there's life after the State House." However, he said some lived in "fear of the unknown" and urged that after retirement -- unless they had committed "heinous crimes"-- they should be given "something they can do usefully" for their countries or for the continent.
At the same news conference, former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan defended the International Criminal Court against criticism that it targets only African leaders.
"The ICC is not after Africa," he said. "Most complaints [about the ICC] are not from victims... often we say this in protection and in defence of the accused... [But] don't the victims of today... and potential victims of tomorrow need protection?"
He said most prosecutions against Africans had been initiated when governments were unable or unwilling to bring charges themselves. If Africa developed its judicial systems, cases would not need to be referred to the ICC.
"If the leaders stay ahead of the curve, reform or move on when their terms are up, and not try to hang on... we should be okay," he said.
The African Development Aid (ADA) project funded by now embattled Libyan leader, Col. Muammar Kadhafi with some US$30m to engage in mechanized production of rice in Foya District, Lofa County, has collapsed, and President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is presently seeking a new investor to take over the project.
Employees of ADA complained to President Sirleaf during her visit to Foya last weekend, saying the company owes them several months in salary arrears.
Officials at the Ministry of Finance say they do not have records for an estimated US18m out of US$29,948,027 earmarked for Domestic Debt, according to the General Auditing Commission (GAC).
Recent commentaries from human rights and governance organizations around the world suggest that Liberia is gradually moving towards democracy and fiscal accountability and transparency. But the former chairman of Liberia’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Cllr. Jerome Verdier, says those who compiled the various commentaries might have been under some delusion. The Analyst, reports.
Former TRC Chairman Jerome Verdier says executive tyranny and dictatorship and the timidity of the legislative and judicial branches of government were slowly overwhelming the rule of law in Liberia thereby, amongst other negatives, sending corruption through the roof.
Unless Liberians invest in democracy, utilizing the ten blocks for democracy building that he has developed, he says, Liberia is likely to go further downhill.
ISLAMABAD – Osama bin Laden was holed up in a two-story house 100 yards from a Pakistani military academy when four helicopters carrying U.S. anti-terror forces swooped in the early morning hours of Monday and killed him.
Flames rose Monday from the building that was the apparent target of the raid as it was confirmed that the world's most wanted fugitive died not in a cave, but in a town best known as a garrison for the Pakistani military. A U.S. official said one of bin Laden's sons was also killed in the raid alone with three others, but the official did not name the son or the others killed.
Pakistani officials and a witness said bin Laden's guards opened fire from the roof of the building, and one of the choppers crashed. The sound of at least two explosions rocked the small northwestern town of Abbottabad where the al-Qaida chief made his last stand. The U.S. said no Americans were harmed in the raid.
Once upon time in Liberia it was acceptable for government officials, including the President, to ‘take tours’ of concession companies operating in the country. Company executives, often with known ties in government, used these tours to shower the visiting officials with “coldwater” and praises for their ‘farsightedness’. With the advent of Liberia’s new political dispensation, the ‘coldwater’ and praise-singing culture has been discredited as official corruption. President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf knows it. But her attempt to reject a ‘coldwater’ or gratuity from an oil palm company last week in Grand Bassa County has caught the attention of the Liberty Party, and it is crying ‘Wolf!’ The Analyst, reports.
President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has renewed Liberia's commitment to peaceful co-existence between Liberia and Cote d'Ivoire and within the sub-region. The President reiterated that Liberia will not allow its territory to be used for any insurgency against Cote d'Ivoire or any neighboring country. The President said Liberia will remain vigilant at its borders, ensuring that those who attempt to undermine the security of the sub-region will be dealt with under the laws of the country.
Opposition political parties in Liberia are currently rallying support to defeat the forth coming referendum that is expected to pave the way to smooth elections this year, said a press release issued by the Office of the Standard-Bearer of the New Deal Movement.
Briefing the press, the Standard Bearer of the New Deal Party, Amb Prof. Dew Tuan Wleh Mayson said the referendum does not only go against the letter and spirit of the Liberian constitution, but that it is also tailored to qualify President Sirleaf to run for a second term and to assist her party in winning seats in the National Legislature.
From the onset of its re-emergence, the reformed General Auditing Commission (GAC) has attracted controversy. The nature of its role and functions, as conceived by donors, amongst them the European Union, has placed it at the center of bitter duels with several government officials who see it as a meddling and reckless entity designed to ruin their careers and reputation. The substance of its work is lost in haranguing radio talk shows and stupefying polemics better suited for high school debating contests. The GACÃs worth in restructuring the countryÃs terrible financial management system, on which any country should rely if resources are to be accounted for the benefit of the population, is recognized largely by outsiders accustomed to dealing with issues of probity, as in the case of US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Bruce Wharton, who declared that:
"Although public financial management has improved, corruption remains prevalent and a significant threat to Liberian democracy. Liberia's Auditor General has aggressively and thoroughly tracked government revenue from practically every ministry, but the government follow-up has been very disappointing. Some crucial bills affecting key resources such as timber and maritime revenue have been passed without adequate attention to key details. Furthermore, the government must begin addressing a wide variety of issues affecting national reconciliation."
Retired Supreme Court Associate Justice K. Gladys Johnson says she leaves the bench 'saddened' by an avalanche of corruption charges against the Judiciary, adding that she, too, was subjected to bribery attempt involving a law firm she did not name.
Correction officers at the Monrovia Central Prison Friday arrested an ex-NPFL fighter, Dust Utenzi, at the prison gate with narcotics drugs, which he admitted he was carrying as "gift" to some inmates.
It would have been far more convenient for falling on the mode of travel the ancestors had at their convenience--the hammock--through which 'lesser' men carried dignitaries on their heads from village to village. But for President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf in this 21st Century, it must have been odd and unbelievable that Africa's oldest republic, independent since 1847, lacks basic roads on which its president can travel.
OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso – Burkina Faso's president has named himself defense minister after a mutiny that threatened his 24-year rule in the impoverished country.
President Blaise Compaore announced late Thursday he will remain president but is now also a member of his 29-member cabinet.
Compaore tried to stem last week's unrest by dissolving the government and removing the country's security chiefs.
The mutiny began when members of the presidential guard began firing into the air, demanding unpaid housing allowances. By Monday, soldiers in several cities north, south, east and west of Ouagadougou joined in and students followed suit.
Experts say hostilities in the landlocked West African country have been simmering for a long time. Student uprisings began this year in February.
Reuters – Ibrahim Coulibaly (C), head of the "Invisible Commandos", walks with his troops through the …
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast – Ivory Coast's new army turned its guns Tuesday on a former ally who helped liberate Abidjan and install the democratically elected president, military sources said of a major setback as the country was beginning to return to normal.
Residents said heavy machine-gun fire rocked the working-class suburb of Abobo about 12 p.m. EDT (1700 GMT) Wednesday around renegade warlord Ibrahim "IB" Coulibaly's headquarters. Residents scattered and ran to lock themselves into their homes. Coulibaly orchestrated two failed coup attempts in 1999 and 2002 before starting a rebellion.
About 90 days before campaign begins for the impending Referendum on 4 clauses on the proposed constitutional amendment ahead of the general and presidential elections, opposition political parties seem to be in disarray over a collective plan to oppose the vote.
Preliminary results of an audit conducted by GAC to investigate how Independence Day celebration funds have been used over the last four years have been released, with the results indicating that huge sums purportedly spent cannot be accounted for.
An audit of the Independence Day celebrations began some months ago, with initial indications that an estimated US2.5m was hanging in money budgeted for Margibi, Grand Bassa, Bong and Nimba Counties.
Amidst calls for Liberians in the Diaspora to return home and contribute to the nation's reconstruction process, UP Chairman, Cllr. Varney Sherman, has told Liberians living in the United States that they pose a serious threat to Liberians at home because of their skills and experience, coupled with their American accent which he described as "cerease."
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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