Thursday, March 17, 2011

Liberia: SON OF FORMER NIMBA COUNTY SENATOR EYES PRESIDENCY

By: Gonda Duo
Washington, DC
Is he a chip off the old block? That’s what people are asking nowadays wherever politics is discussed and the name “TQ HARRIS” comes up. This name has become a household word.

But who is THOMAS QUELLEN HARRIS, JR.? And what sets him apart from the other politicians? In seeking answers to these questions, I decided to research this rising star who happens to be the son of a famous Nimba citizen – the late Hon. THOMAS Q. HARRIS, SR.

The elder HARRIS’ political career began as a paramount chief. As the leader of his people, he worked diligently to effect meaningful changes which brought development not only to Tappita District but the entire county and the nation as a whole.


At the time of Hon. HARRIS’ entry into politics, Nimba was part of a larger geographical area called the Western Province. He and the elders fought hard alongside other outstanding individuals such as the Twazamahs, Vokers, Twehs, Dahns and Farngalos (to name a few) in order to create the great County of Nimba. For his inspiring leadership the people of Nimba elected T.Q. HARRIS, SR. to the Liberian Senate with such large numbers of votes that he became the first Senior Senator.

The prominence Nimba County holds today among Liberia’s 15 political subdivisions is a result of the hard work, commitment and dedication of the great leaders of the past, amongst whom T.Q. HARRIS, SR. was an integral part.

In the dark days of Liberia’s checkered past oldman Dokhazeh - grandfather of presidential candidate T.Q. HARRIS, JR. - was captured, bound and sent off to Fernando Po to perform forced labor. However, he miraculously returned to his small village in what is now Nimba County where he died shortly thereafter.

Today, T.Q. HARRIS, JR. – the grandson of oldman Dokhazeh and son of the famous Nimba Lawmaker - is poised to become Liberia’s next Head of State. He brings to the table qualities that are uncommon in the current political setting; among these are, belief in hard work, honesty, commitment, patriotism, loyalty, sense of purpose, and genuine love for Liberia and its people. It must be noted this successful business man and inventor who has been pressed into politics is not named on the infamous TRC list – a rogue’s gallery of persons who killed, maimed, raped and tortured Liberians and also illegally peddled the country’s resources for little of nothing in order to advance their selfish ambitions.

T.Q. HARRIS in 1997 showed his true color in humbling himself in the spirit of unity and solidarity by giving in to Dr. Harry Fumba Moniba in an effort to defeat those responsible for the war and the carnage visited upon tens of thousands of unarmed civilians. Faced with mounting pressure to breakaway, he exhibited the same qualities that made his father and the men and women of that generation great. Mr. HARRIS during the 1997 Election resisted calls to split the Liberian National Union (LINU) Party; instead, he stood firmly with Dr. Moniba as a loyal partner and supported him to the end.

To conclude, T.Q. HARRIS is confident that his message of CHANGE will carry the day in the 2011 Presidential Election. He believes Liberians spoke loudly in their overwhelming response to the truth-telling approach to national healing. Therefore, the will of the people must be respected!

Says HARRIS: “The TRC’s recommendations must be acted upon in a timely manner and those responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity are held accountable. Because there will be no peace in this country without justice!”

Like his father, the Presidential contender believes when you put the people’s interests first they in turn will honor you; in this light, T.Q. HARRIS, JR. is a chip off the old block. Watch Out!!





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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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