Source: allAfrica.com
Outgoing Auditor General John Morlu has been petitioned by a US-based group to contest the 2011 presidency, with the widow of late General Thomas Quiwonkpa, Mrs. Tarloh Munah Quiwonkpa, at the forefront.
Contacted on the petition Sunday, Mr. Morlu simply said, "no comment."
But in a press release from a group called the Liberia Renaissance Campaign (LRC), the petitioners said they want Mr. Morlu to contest the presidency in October this year, adding that the move "is a humanitarian call, and not a political aspiration or ambition, to rescue their country."
The release: In her text message to the Liberia Renaissance Campaign in the United States, Mrs. Quiwonkpa said, "Bravo!! Sign me on if permissible".
Mrs. Quiwonkpa's text message was in response to a mass text message sent out over the weekend to Liberians at home, in the United States and around the world, announcing Liberians would petition the Auditor General of Liberia, John Morlu, on 14 May 2011 to contest the Presidency of Liberia in the upcoming October 2011.
The release from the petitioners said Mr. Morlu should "continue the renaissance he started to go beyond the corridors of the General Auditing Commission to the halls of the Executive Mansion and calls on all true loving Liberians who want the best from their country to join this historical movement and effort."
The petitioners said they are "concerned about the future of Liberia and desire that the country continue the progress it has made by the robust fight against recklessness in public service and public management, an unprecedented trend never before seen in the history of Liberia, a trend championed by a dynamic young Liberian professional at the General Auditing Commission, GAC, John S. Morlu."
The group said it has envisioned what Liberia will look like if the Auditor General were the President of Liberia, as they are convinced, based on Mr. Morlu's record and character, that he means well for the country, saying, the renaissance he (Morlu) has started must not, and cannot, be stopped or thwarted by politics, for that would carry the country back to the past, a past where recklessness in public service and public management are accorded dignity.
"John Morlu's uncompromising love for country and bold stance to face Liberia's menace and the continent's cancer, corruption, demonstrated through his work at the General Auditing Commission shows there is cause to love Liberia and it is no crime for doing so," the press release said.
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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