Liberia’s Legislative Disaster: A Revelation Why the TRC Report Was Thrashed in Dustbins by Liberian Lawmakers! By Rabbi Joe Gbaba, Sr., Ed. D. Introduction I cried when I first saw the recent video clip that revealed some of the day to day background scenes and selfish in-house power struggles that occur among Liberian lawmakers in the national Legislature. The video in my belief was a first degree flashy display of poor parliamentary ethics, rebellious behavior, and sheer neglect of the constitutional and legislative mandate of Liberian lawmakers. Overall, the video clip was a poor representation of the Republic of Liberia to the outside world, and it vividly explains why the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Report was thrashed into dustbins by the Liberian lawmakers most of whom in essence are not lawmakers but law breakers! To my utter dismay, I observed that the root cause of the recent commotion among Liberian lawmakers from the Lower House was not centered on a nationalistic cause, such as enacting legislation for the mandatory repatriation of Liberian refugees stranded in deplorable refugee camps around the world, or appertaining to the approval into law of the TRC recommendations in order to establish a war crimes court to try Liberian warlords and economic criminals. Regrettably, the commotion was based on some insignificant issue—that is, Liberian lawmakers were arguing among themselves to decide who should be appointed to profitable committees to secure their self-interests —even though some lawmakers argued in the video that their contention was based on a corruption allegation involving the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honorable Alex Tyler. Even if that were the case, are Mr. Tyler’s accusers themselves clean of corruption charges in order to cast the first stone? Additionally, were there not more crucial issues like the request Liberian students recently made to the Legislature regarding their parents’ inability to pay tuition at this time; or, is the demand of Liberian teachers for the Liberian government to revisit their salary scale not more important than the usual scramble for quick wealth among Liberian lawmakers? Legislative Broils May Be Allowed if Hinged on National Interests! Also, while I do not approve the recent fracas in the Lower House, it is wise to admit that throughout the universe legislative broils may be allowed if they are hinged on national interests. In other words lawmakers usually engage in heated debates—maybe not on inconsequential issues like who gets appointed to lucrative committees—but on matters of national interest like a legislation of a bill to legalize dual citizenship in Liberia, for instance. Nevertheless, I want to express grateful thanks to the individual (s) who freshly captured the activities of some Liberian lawmakers to give the Liberian people a clearer picture of the types of lawmakers they have elected in the first branch of the Liberian government. Notwithstanding, it may not be prudent to cast an blanketed verdict on all Liberian lawmakers based on the video clip in question because there are indeed some honorable ladies and gentlemen in both Houses of the Liberian Legislature. Nonetheless, moving forward, I propose it is time for Liberians to rethink the caliber of individuals they shall elect in the future to represent them in the Legislature so as to preserve the dignity of Liberia’s First Branch of government, as well as the other two branches of government—the Executive and Judiciary. How Can You Give Goat Your Cassava Leaves for Safekeeping? In view of the foregoing, the incident under scrutiny refreshes my long standing doubt about the credibility of the Liberian legislature and the Liberian peace process based on the type of peace negotiations that were made that eventually led to the present constitution of that august body. In light of this I have always had my doubts that electing as lawmakers rebels or law breakers or Liberian warlords and perpetrators of heinous crimes against the Liberian people and humanity was like giving cassava leaves to goats for safekeeping. Furthermore, my doubt about the hanky-panky behavior of Liberian lawmakers and international peace brokers was also sparked by the fact that Liberians had elected some former warlords, combatants, and perpetrators of heinous crimes and their surrogates to the Legislature but yet Liberians expected these war criminals to enforce the ECOWAS backed Liberian peace process, enhance reconciliation among Liberians, repatriate struggling Liberian refugees that are still lingering in refugee camps in foreign nations around the globe, rehabilitate former Liberian warlords, child soldiers, and combatants, and establish a strong meritorious system where the qualified and the best trained minds that Liberia has available will be placed in positions of public trust to spearhead the reconstruction process in post war Liberia. Have any of these bullet points of the Liberian peace process been implemented as planned? Well, you be the judge. However, in keeping with my guts feelings I sensed for quite some time there was something going wrong in the national Legislature and the Liberian peace process that was prohibiting Liberian lawmakers from enacting appropriate legislations that may help to end rebel activities in Liberia and reinstitute genuine rule of law and maintain sustainable peace and tranquility throughout the length and breadth of Liberia. One school of thought was that Liberians played the fool to elect rebels to represent them in the Legislature and yet expect those who perpetrated crimes against the Liberian people to pass laws to prosecute themselves. Even a “too-too” would never prosecute himself in this instance. So it was foolhardy of Liberians to think in that direction. The other argument for electing rebel leaders and their accomplices in Legislature was that it would help to rehabilitate them and probably lead to a change of heart in order for former rebel leaders and their accomplices to become law-abiding citizens once again; but Liberians forgot the parable that “A leopard never changes its spot.” So, here we are going round in circles! For reasons mentioned above, I noticed that Liberians were neither going hither nor tither after the elapse of more than a decade since the cessation of hostilities in Liberia because the ECOWAS Peace Plan was aborted to accommodate Liberian warlords and the UNMIL’s initial mission of overseeing the implementation of the Liberian peace process was converted to serving as an occupation force to protect the political and economic interests not of the Liberian people but to protect the interest of Liberian warlords and their cohorts. Initial Stern Political Backlashes from Rebel Supporters and Short-Sighted Liberians and Some International Negotiators In view of the circumstances supra I along with patriotic Liberians that shared similar views initially received stern political backlashes from Liberian rebel supporters and short-sighted and gravy-seeking Liberians and their international cohorts (‘peace negotiators’) who argued that Liberians should “let bygones be bygones” (a type of restorative justice that has not worked one bit but that has thrown Liberians into the abyss of lawlessness and corruption), while other patriotic Liberians and I were calling for punitive justice (bringing Liberian war and economic criminals to justice so they may have their day in court). Against these varying conflict resolution backdrops, sympathizers of Liberian rebels and most international peace brokers contended that the Liberian people’s woes would come to an end if perpetrators were included in the peace process; whereas elsewhere in the western world the same peace brokers applied the opposite method of conflict resolution by going after perpetrators of heinous crimes, establishing war crimes courts and prosecuting war and economic criminals so that they may face the consequences of their actions and to put an end to lawlessness and corruption in western societies. So, pray tell me: even a blind man can tell when he is walking in the dark! Not so? A Deceptive Conflict Resolution Process in Liberia Consequently I find the deceptive conflict resolution process in Liberia that was initiated by international and African peace negotiators in Liberia very frustrating. That is the principal reason why the United Nations Peacekeeping force in Liberia has been converted from monitoring the peace to being an occupation force that no longer ensures the implementation of the ECOWAS Peace Plan but that secures the interest of Liberian warlords and their cohorts while the Liberian people languish in abject poverty and economic and political suppression under the watchful eyes of the United Nations, African Union, and the Economic Community of West African States. Thus, I contend there is a vast difference in the conflict resolution theories applied on the continent of Africa (particularly in Liberia) and that employed in conflict situations in the western world by the United Nations or regional peace-keeping groups on the continent of Africa. In addition, the end results of both theories are like the difference between day and night because the western world uses force and every legal means possible to rid their societies of war and economic criminals but they are lenient on African warlords and perpetrators of heinous crimes against the African people so as to further subjugate Africans to untold human suffering, neo-slavery, as well as political, social, and economic deprivation. This action on the part of western negotiators is to continuously exploit the massive wealth of Africa for the ultimate good of the western world. To add insult to injury, some western powers may go the extra mile to award an African war criminal the Nobel Peace Prize or the U.S. Congressional Medal of Honor to send a clear message that Black or African lives are not valued as are Caucasian lives. Obviously, this sends a mixed signal to African youth that being violent and destructive will gain them the spoils of war and may equally grant them a laissez-passer to roam the corridors of power with impunity in their native lands. On the contrary, war and economic criminals in the western world are locked up for life time to ensure the maintenance of sustainable peace and rule of law in western societies. Therefore, the conflict resolution module applied in Liberia by the United Nations, ECOWAS, and the African Union is a recipe for chaos and the glamorization of war crimes in Liberia. Conclusion Accordingly, electing Liberian rebel warlords and their associates in the Liberian Legislature, or appointing warlords to the Judiciary or the Executive branches of government is considered rewarding criminals for rendering mayhem and atrocities upon Liberians instead of trying them in a war crimes court to face the consequences of their actions. That is the reason why I was not surprised when the video about the fracas in the Lower House surfaced because what do you expect of a hog but a grunt! Who knows, it is no telling that what we saw recently may only be a prelude to worst situations to come; but all we can do as law abiding citizens of the world is to advocate for the speedy trial of Liberian war and economic criminals who are sinking Liberia into deep seas of chaos, corruption, and lawlessness. As I have repeatedly said to Liberians in particular and Africans in general, Liberians or Africans must not wait on strangers to ensure the security of Liberians or Africans. That initiative must come from Liberians and Africans themselves. President Banbagida of Nigeria and other West African leaders started a wonderful peace initiative by establishing ECOMOG. Now it is left with us to resist the evil forces that are working against the success of this African initiative by implementing the ECOWAS Peace Plan for Liberia and to bring to speedy trial all Liberian warlords and their accomplices just as Charles Taylor was tried for the atrocities he committed in Sierra Leone. He and his accomplices should also be charged and tried for the atrocities they committed against the Liberian people and humanity so as to set the record straight that Liberia is a land of freedom, justice, and rule of law and not a dump site for corrupt rebels and economic criminals. Rabbi Prince Joseph Tomoonh-Garlodeyh Gbaba, Sr., Ed. D. January 19, 2015
Posted on: Tue, 20 Jan 2015 05:43:11 +0000
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