Joint Forces
Source: http://allafrica.com/stories/201006281510.html
New Democrat (Monrovia)
28 June 2010
George Weah's Congress for Democratic Change (CDC), Charles Taylor's National Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr. Alhaji Kromah's disqualified All Liberians Coalition Party (ALCOP), along with Winston Tubman's Liberia National Union (LINU} and the New Deal Movement, last week announced a merger in their bid to defeat the ruling Unity Party.
The National Elections Commission (NEC) has however barred ALCP because, it says, it has failed to meet the requirements for a functioning political party, amongst them having national offices.
At a ceremony held at the NPP's newly built Congo Town headquarters, leading members of the groups, many former executives of the NPP who crossed carpet to the CDC after their party disintegrated with the arrest and current trial of its founder and looming leader, Charles Taylor, they said their primary objective is to defeat President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in a "united front".
LINU was established by late Vice President in the Samuel Doe regime, Dr. Harry Moniba, while the New Deal Movement was founded largely by disaffected political University of Liberia activists, amongst them Dr. George Clay Kieh, who lives in the US.
Cllr. TC Gould, NPP chair, speaking for the new "united front" parties, said they stand no chance of defeating the UP without mustering their forces together.
This is the second major merger of like-minded political parties in preparation for the 2011 elections. The first was when the UP merged with the Liberia Action Party and the Liberia Unification Party for a common stand in 2011. The third likely group is the planned Democratic Alliance, in which several members of the above two parties are present and in leadership positions.
Mr. Gould, a long-time NPP executive, said there are plans to link-up with other opposition parties for a grand alliance.
But Mr. Weah has made it emphatically clear that he is no position to concede the presidency to anyone because, he has said, he has the numbers. He said the people have chosen him as their leader and that he cannot disappoint them, although he did not say which people. His comments drew sharp rebuke from LINU's Tunman, who challenged the former football star's claims to numbers. "We all have our supporters", the former Liberia UN ambassador and Justice Minister declared.
Gould: "...We will be calling upon the Liberty Party (LP), New Deal. We will also be calling upon the leadership of the Democratic Alliance (DA) itself to ensure that we get together and prepare ourselves for a better future, for we believe if the opposition is fragmented, there is no possibility of winning any state power very soon.
News Headline
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.
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.
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
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
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