The U.S. Institute for Peace (USIP) organized a forum entitled "Eye
of the Hurricane: Liberia and Instability in West Africa" on Monday, December 7,2002.
Platform guests included Dr. Amos C. Sawyer, former Interim President of Liberia, the leader of the opposition
Unity Party of Liberia, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf; Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for African Affairs at the State Department
William M. Bellamy; and USIP board Chair and Professor of Strategic Studies at Georgetown University, Chester Crocker, who
was himself an Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs during the Reagan Administration.
At that program, the Liberian speakers unanimously called for the removal of President Charles Ghankay
Taylor regime in Monrovia and his indictment at the Sierra Leonean War Crime Tribunal.
The accusations and allegations against the current president
of Liberia, Charles Taylor are so well documented that for most Liberians at home, in exile, refugee camps and displaced centres,
it need not be over emphasized in every article submitted on the Internet. It has become like the typical Liberian Spider
story. Our attention should be focused on the post Taylor era and the vision for a new and vibrant Liberia that once was the
champion for Freedom and Justice in Africa and the World at large.
The main focus I want to draw in this paper is that the Liberian
speakers pointed fingers in only one direction (Charles Taylor) and forgot to mention themselves as being part and parcel
of the current problems of Liberia. It would have been fair and proper to the family and love ones that perished and generations
unborn were our politicians to call for the trial of all of actors in the 1989 present crisis Let the Law clear them all of
the sordid charges against the Liberian people. But, presenting themselves as Dr. and Madam Good and only Mr. Taylor as the
Bogey-man is a great injustice to Liberia.
Mrs Johnson-Sirleaf has gone to explain her part in the death of over 250,000 Liberians by telling the
world that she provided a meagre $10,000.00 at the inception of our nightmare and that only few privileged members of the
Association for Constitutional Democracy in Liberia (ACDL) were aware of the operations of the National Patriotic Front of
Liberia (NPFL). She is also on record for instructing the NPFL to level Monrovia at all cost.
Typical of Liberian Politicians innate behaviour of shifting blames and pointing fingers at others for
their own calamity, Johnson-Sirleaf further went on to accuse the United States of America of losing interest in Liberia since
the end of the Cold War.
The law recognizes that, ordinarily,
anything a person can do for himself may also be accomplished through direction of another person as an agent, or by acting
together with, or under the direction of, another person or persons in a joint effort.
So, if the acts or conduct of
an agent, employee or other associate of the person are wilfully directed or authorized by the person, or if the person aids
and abets another person by wilfully joining together with that person in the commission of a crime, then
the law holds the person responsible for the conduct of that other person just as though the person had
engaged in such conduct himself
Similarly, several men, women and children were hacked to death in what became known as the Carter Camp
Massacre in Harbel, Margibi County in 1993. A Kenyan jurist named Amos Wako, Chairman of the United Nations Panel of Inquiry
appointed by the Secretary-General at the request of the Security Council to inquire into the Harbel
Massacre concluded that the Armed Forces of Liberia under the command of then C-I-C
Dr. Amos C. Sawyer committed the atrocities because goods looted from the dead were found dumped around AFL positions in Firestone
rubber plantations.
Furthermore, Dr. Sawyer told Liberians that "Corruption is a trade off for Peace", and the Interim Government of National Unity (IGNU 1990-1994), thereby started a spree of rampant corruption. The erstwhile Editor of Inquirer Newspaper in Liberia, Mr. S. Togba Slewion exposed the whole clandestine
deal of Dr. Sawyer's purchasing a house in the United States. Almost the government assets were divided amongst its officials
and many received huge bonuses for so called services provided the Liberian people.
The point I am raising is that many of the stooges of these failed
politicians would never see the ills and backward trend that their benefactors has plunged our country but would always keep
singing their praises typical of the story of The Emperors New Clothes They lack the vision to take the initiative themselves.
For someone who sees corruption and other societal ills as trade-off to peace to chart the course of our destiny again spell
DOOMSDAY for a new Liberia.
Have Liberians ever wondered why the Americans dont take our politicians seriously? American Administration officials have been telling allAfrica.com,
that while they would like to see Taylor gone, they see no leaders capable of taking up the reins of government afterward.
Bellamy also went further to say the United States will do everything we can to enable and empower democratic opposition.
Sanctions will also continue and possibly be extended These comments should be seen as a challenge to every Liberian. I believe
that there are better Liberians out there than the few crooks and criminals that have brought nothing but misery and destruction
to our common patrimony.
Over the past thirteen year of madness, Liberia has produced a new breed of intelligentsia (Doctors, Lawyers,
Engineers, Economists, Scientists, etc) in every sector for national development. So, the way forward is that this new breed
must now organize and take up the responsibility of engaging the United States Administration constructively to bring our
nightmare to an end The writing is on the wall crystal clear that the politicians lobbying in Washington presently on our
behalf are old wine in new bottles and with their track record, only a fool would want to do business with them again.
This New Year 2003 should begin a dawn for us all to put our homeland first above all else. There is nowhere
comparable to that sweet land of Liberty. Let us begin by working together to make this word PEACE a reality and genuine one.
Happy New Year to Liberia and God bless us all!!!
