Wednesday, December 01, 2010
FIVE for FIVE
A new phenomenon never seen nor practiced before in Monrovia hit the Monrovian drinking communities hard and strong and soon spread across the greater Monrovia metropolitan area like wide fire. It is widely believed that this simple advertising scheme originated from a pub downtown Monrovia located on Gurley Street. I have visited that establishment and my experience was one of shock and awe. Shock and awe because a company of two could be seen with ten bottles of Guinness Stout between them on their table at one time. I am afraid to say, that ladies were engaged in the act equally with their male companions and or counterparts. The phenomenon is called “five for five.” Five for five has spread exponentially throughout Monrovia and its environs. What is "five for five?" Simply put, five US Dollar ($5.00), and that is the controlling factor, will give the buyer, five bottles of Guinness Stout. The gimmick was not only used for Stout, it expanded to small bottles of club beer and Heineken. The formula generated for the scheme was the total number of bottles followed by the dollar amount; hence, (# of bottles for $5). One could find four for five, five for five, six for five and sometimes seven for five, depending of the kind of drink and the nature of the establishment.
From my observation, the total number of bottles of drinks depended on three controlling factors, the nominal cost in Liberian Dollars of a single bottle of the drink in question, the exchange rate at any time of the US Dollar to the Liberian Dollar and the nature of the establishment. Every drinking outfit formulated its own strategy along with the fine prints. Five for five will be in bold letters but there will be the very fine prints at the bottom of the postal. Some fine prints would indicate, plus 25 Liberia Dollars while others might indicate plus 50 Liberian Dollars. The additional Liberian Dollars could range from $25 to $100. Some of these establishments are not really suited for the five 4 five challenges, but the advertising phenomena draws and lures costumers in their places of business; therefore, these drinking joints get in the act with such very fine prints for additional Liberian Dollars, what a joke!
I am not certain whether one could equate this scheme with the analogy of a quick nickel is much better than a slow dime. One thing I am certain is that the law of diminishing returns will swallow up this wave in the not too distant future. It is remarkable to note that there is even a music, which originates from the Cape Verde Island that is now been associated with the five for five challenge. Like everything else, Liberians have dubbed the music with a politically incorrect phrase, “the cripple music.” The rhythm or beat of the music is of such that the dance to the music must be of a high spirited one. It is of no laughing matter, but dancing to the beat of the music, one could easily shear away a few pounds of fat and do a number to his body mass index in one night’s session.
When this scheme began, the exchange rate of the US Dollar to the Liberian Dollar fluctuated between 71 and 72 Liberian Dollars to $1.00 US. At the time of this post, which is way overdue, the rate had dropped between 68 and 69 Liberian Dollars to 1 United States Dollar. As we all know in life, nothing lasts forever and one may just guess when this wave will come to an end. The holiday season is upon us and I do believe this “five for five” business will survive the Christmas Holiday Season, but how long after that, it is only time that will tell and my guess is as good as yours. One thing I do know, I will engage in the act one more time before it hits its demise.
Reporting from THE GROUND, this is Baby Rich.
Saturday, December 01, 2007
In Defense of Chairman Charles Gyude Bryant
I am in sympathy with Charles Gyude Bryant’s present state of affair. Chairman Charles Gyude Bryant was the head of a quasi pseudo government that came to birth as a result of a compromising pact between the 2003 Government of The Republic of Liberia (RL), the Liberian United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD), the Movement for Democracy in Liberia (MODEL) and the various Liberian Political Parties, to carry out the mandate of the Comprehensive Peace Accord (CPA) that was signed in Accra, Ghana on 18th August, 2003. That accord gave legitimacy to warlords and murderers to be part of an organized government with lack of strict fiscal discipline and loose ordinances to maintain peace and set the stage for an election for a legitimate government.
Gyude, as the chairman was affectionately called, was alleged to have indulged in corrupt acts as the Chairman of the National Transitional Government of Liberia (NTGL) and so were more than 50% of the work force that made up the Transitional Government. It is true that the buck stopped with him as Chairman, but almost every time a sound decision was proposed, from what I can recall, there would be far cry from every corner of the factional camps that made up the NTGL, that such proposal was not part of the CPA.
The amount of money that the former Chairman of the defunct National Transitional Government of Liberia was alleged to have embezzled, +/- US$ 1.5 million, and has now being charged by the present Liberian administration for economic sabotage, is chicken change compared to some of the monies other government officials have knowingly, suspiciously or accused of embezzling from the Liberian people for the past twenty years. Some of the officials of government that are members of various political parties, serving in President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s government, have blood on their hands and ill gotten wealth in their pockets; however, this present Liberian administration has not taken any punitive step to address the hideous crimes towards the Liberian people by those criminals.
Gyude has a fighting chance to beat this rap as to the amount of money he was accused of misappropriating. His one and only defense from my point of view is to stress that the money was used unsparingly and inappropriately for security reason. The blanket reason of security that made Liberia peaceful during his chairmanship that guaranteed peaceful sleep for many Liberians could be a strong and legitimate reason for the misappropriation of the +/- US$ 1.5 million.
Gyude's crime was his naivety of the enormous lack of power to govern as a legitimate manager with fiscal and economic discipline within the framework of the Accra Accord and his gross lack of accountability of the Liberian people's money since it was a free for all government in some corners of his administration. Gyude should be credited for achieving the Accra Accord’s mandate while working in an uneasy environment with criminals who should have being incarcerated or executed for the many hideous crimes they committed against the country and the armless, loving and forgiving people of Liberia.
An individual must be held accountable and take full responsibility for any questionable act he engages in during his service to the nation; moreover, if that individual is the leader, he must take the fall for his troops under his watch; however, Gyude must be a special case since in reality the troops were never his.
There comes a time when we as a nation should draw the line and start to hold any person of trust, responsible and accountable for his attitude of misappropriation. When do we start? We can start now but not with the chairman of the defunct Transitional Government if the amount of money in question is the amount he is accused of stealing. Well, since he has being charged with a crime, let us leave the case with the courts.
It is my honest opinion that anyone suspected and accused of alleged corruption; that accused, must be charged and sent over to the courts so that jurisprudence may decide the guilt or innocence of the accused. If the accused is found guilty, he must face the full weight of the law. Let us begin from the root of corruption from my view. The following questions should suggest the pros and cons for the temptation for corruption. Are the employees being paid appropriately in accordance to their skills, along with the cost and the standard of living? Are the employees being paid regularly at an appropriate date of each month? Are the working conditions conducive and all the tools available for work? Are the guidelines concerning corruption perfect and equal across the board? If any one of the aforementioned points is not met, then the fight on corruption is a losing battle and will fail in every step of the way.
From where I sit, I am in no way encouraging corruption; in fact, I am of the opinion that if one is allegedly accused and found guilty of corruption in the appropriate judicial setting, he must face the full force of the law. On the other hand, the situation that might encourage corruption should not prevail in the work place. The way things are at present on the ground, corruption is the order of the day and will be for a long time and that is the reason and the only reason I am in defense of Chairman Charles Gyude Bryant. The fight on corruption is not perfect. Make it perfect and Liberia will prosper in all her endeavors.
Thursday, November 01, 2007
The HELP that is not HELPFUL
There are major developments been undertaken by the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf administration in Liberia in all phases of nation building and human advancement but they are not visible to the common man on the street. And if the common man on the street cannot see them, feel them, taste them and touch them, then the vicious wheel of poverty will keep spinning around and around.
The core reason why the four senses have not realized the developments in Liberia is the debt burden of a little over 4.5 billion dollars that overshadowed the growth of the country for many years. Loans were taken and loans must be paid. If they are not paid, interest and penalties are levied and arrears are accumulated and before you know it, you become a high-risk borrower and Liberia enjoys the dubious pleasure of ranking top in that category.
Let’s do the math:
Exports ~ +/- $115 million
Imports ~ +/- $275 million
Total external debt US +/- $4.6 billion
Life expectancy ~ +/- 40 years
Population: ~ +/- 3.2 million
Liberia’s debt burden will be handled down continuously to the third generation of any present generation. What a sad state of affair for the children yet unborn. Liberia needs help and the help that is not helpful is the help of talk without substance. Liberia deserves the help and must demand the help now if she is to succeed in achieving the eight Millennium Development Goals. Our story is not hidden. It was played out globally for all to see and everyone knows about our plight. It is time that our friends come to our help and take us out of our slump.
The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank are squeezing Liberia to cough out the almost two billion US$ she owes in back payments, accumulated interest and penalties, which seem to be an above face stance, since the funding bodies played blind eyes to the repayment efforts or lack of, and kept providing illegitimate loans masterminded by previous rogue leaders, while at the same time playing lip services to well meaning nations that were calling for debt relief or cancellation of Liberia’s debt.
Due to the cry of the present government, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the African Development Bank are now painfully talking shop and working on modalities to relieve Liberia of its bilateral and multilateral debts.
After the successful election, which ushered in the first female African leader, the UN and the funding bodies have not fully lifted all of the sanctions that were levied on Liberia, which has suffocated the country from accruing needed exported funds to meet her commitments to her creditors.
This is the time for our friends to show their support and come to Liberia’s aid and agree on a financial plan to alleviate the country's foreign debt and not stray away due to donor fatigue. We know you have been there for us and we plea that you come to our help now. If there ever was the time, now is the time.
It is no secret that an agreement on writing off Liberia’s debts has been delayed by power struggle amongst member countries on how the deal should be financed. One sticking point in this whole saga is that the IMF has been unable to approve any loan program for Liberia until the outstanding 1.5 billion in arrears be repaid.
We are all aware that the major creditors have all pledged to forgive Liberia’s debts, but the ball was stuck in the IMF’s court, where their Board had been debating, over a year now, how to share the costs to cancel this enormous debt of a little over $4.6 billion. There is a likelihood that donors could divert development funding for Liberia to pay off the 1.5 billion dollar arrears to the IMF, World Bank and the African Development Fund. That is a scary thought.
It is widely believed that Liberia’s total debt may be cancelled if she enters the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries initiative, a debt relief program administered by the World Bank and the IMF. For that to happen, Liberia must first settle her outstanding arrears to the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the African Development Fund.
Three close friends of Liberia, the UK, Germany and the US, have offered to waived the total debt owed them under the context of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative; however, for the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative to kick in, Liberia must agree to undergo significant economic and social reforms, and also write a Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper endorsed by all segments of Liberian society.
There is a revolving door within financial institutions that could convey perturbing apprehension when considering a case for debt relief; that is, monies earmarked to pay off multilateral debts on behalf of Liberia could be funneled out of existing donor funding pledged towards Liberia’s development.
From where I sit, as I apply risk management theory to Liberia’s fiscal nightmare, two terms come to light in my mind, enlightened caution and enlightened gamble. Let us as a people make all efforts to help ourselves and not rely on the extended powers to come to our aid to correct our own mistakes, when we are truly responsible for our own present state of affairs. We have the land and we have the people. Let us farm our land and feed ourselves. Most of the foods we eat are imported and that take up a huge chunk of the country’s import burden. The government must stay away from luxury expenditures. Everyone should lend a hand and be part of the solution and not rely on the government for everything. What assurance do we have to indicate that the cancellation of the debt will really make any change for Liberia and for Liberians? What assurance do we have to suggest that Liberia will not find herself in similar debt situation in the next fifteen? In risk management, we call this constructive insubordination, formulating and answering the right questions. We need a new mindset, a new way of thinking and a new way of working. Let us all hope for the best and may God bless the Republic.
The core reason why the four senses have not realized the developments in Liberia is the debt burden of a little over 4.5 billion dollars that overshadowed the growth of the country for many years. Loans were taken and loans must be paid. If they are not paid, interest and penalties are levied and arrears are accumulated and before you know it, you become a high-risk borrower and Liberia enjoys the dubious pleasure of ranking top in that category.
Let’s do the math:
Exports ~ +/- $115 million
Imports ~ +/- $275 million
Total external debt US +/- $4.6 billion
Life expectancy ~ +/- 40 years
Population: ~ +/- 3.2 million
Liberia’s debt burden will be handled down continuously to the third generation of any present generation. What a sad state of affair for the children yet unborn. Liberia needs help and the help that is not helpful is the help of talk without substance. Liberia deserves the help and must demand the help now if she is to succeed in achieving the eight Millennium Development Goals. Our story is not hidden. It was played out globally for all to see and everyone knows about our plight. It is time that our friends come to our help and take us out of our slump.
The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank are squeezing Liberia to cough out the almost two billion US$ she owes in back payments, accumulated interest and penalties, which seem to be an above face stance, since the funding bodies played blind eyes to the repayment efforts or lack of, and kept providing illegitimate loans masterminded by previous rogue leaders, while at the same time playing lip services to well meaning nations that were calling for debt relief or cancellation of Liberia’s debt.
Due to the cry of the present government, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the African Development Bank are now painfully talking shop and working on modalities to relieve Liberia of its bilateral and multilateral debts.
After the successful election, which ushered in the first female African leader, the UN and the funding bodies have not fully lifted all of the sanctions that were levied on Liberia, which has suffocated the country from accruing needed exported funds to meet her commitments to her creditors.
This is the time for our friends to show their support and come to Liberia’s aid and agree on a financial plan to alleviate the country's foreign debt and not stray away due to donor fatigue. We know you have been there for us and we plea that you come to our help now. If there ever was the time, now is the time.
It is no secret that an agreement on writing off Liberia’s debts has been delayed by power struggle amongst member countries on how the deal should be financed. One sticking point in this whole saga is that the IMF has been unable to approve any loan program for Liberia until the outstanding 1.5 billion in arrears be repaid.
We are all aware that the major creditors have all pledged to forgive Liberia’s debts, but the ball was stuck in the IMF’s court, where their Board had been debating, over a year now, how to share the costs to cancel this enormous debt of a little over $4.6 billion. There is a likelihood that donors could divert development funding for Liberia to pay off the 1.5 billion dollar arrears to the IMF, World Bank and the African Development Fund. That is a scary thought.
It is widely believed that Liberia’s total debt may be cancelled if she enters the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries initiative, a debt relief program administered by the World Bank and the IMF. For that to happen, Liberia must first settle her outstanding arrears to the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the African Development Fund.
Three close friends of Liberia, the UK, Germany and the US, have offered to waived the total debt owed them under the context of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative; however, for the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative to kick in, Liberia must agree to undergo significant economic and social reforms, and also write a Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper endorsed by all segments of Liberian society.
There is a revolving door within financial institutions that could convey perturbing apprehension when considering a case for debt relief; that is, monies earmarked to pay off multilateral debts on behalf of Liberia could be funneled out of existing donor funding pledged towards Liberia’s development.
From where I sit, as I apply risk management theory to Liberia’s fiscal nightmare, two terms come to light in my mind, enlightened caution and enlightened gamble. Let us as a people make all efforts to help ourselves and not rely on the extended powers to come to our aid to correct our own mistakes, when we are truly responsible for our own present state of affairs. We have the land and we have the people. Let us farm our land and feed ourselves. Most of the foods we eat are imported and that take up a huge chunk of the country’s import burden. The government must stay away from luxury expenditures. Everyone should lend a hand and be part of the solution and not rely on the government for everything. What assurance do we have to indicate that the cancellation of the debt will really make any change for Liberia and for Liberians? What assurance do we have to suggest that Liberia will not find herself in similar debt situation in the next fifteen? In risk management, we call this constructive insubordination, formulating and answering the right questions. We need a new mindset, a new way of thinking and a new way of working. Let us all hope for the best and may God bless the Republic.
Monday, October 01, 2007
Flirting at the edge on the other side of PRESERVATION
The vehement language sprouting out of some of our country men’s writings, demonstrate that if there was a division or a pseudo division that existed or exists today in our society, it seems to be perpetrated more than ever before; even, after all of the changing of the guards, it did not prove to mend the division, a far cry from what we had expected.The dark past we experienced as a people has not proved to be a lesson learnt and apparently we would love to see any authority of the day fall flat on its face to the ground as we sit on the side line and criticize without providing any sound alternative to whatever grievances, concerns, knowledge and solution to the crisis, problems or state of affairs.
There are a few intriguing questions that should be asked and be answered honestly by all. Are we one people of a common destiny or a common cause? Are we a divided people without a cause or a destiny? Should this hate that we endure for one another continue to eat up the country and shred us as a people without a vision and devour each other because of the sins of past? What have we learnt as a nation from history, from our own history, past and present and history of other nations with similar dark pasts? Are we a doomed society? What are we leaving behind for our children and our children's children?
From where I sit and when I read some of the hatred filled and war toned writings and reflect on the past half century I have survived on this planet we call home, I can say without any fear or favor that some of my countrymen are flirting at the edge on the other side of preservation. Are we not satisfied with the destruction of our happy land? Let us preserve what we have. Liberia is the only country we have. We who traveled to other parts during the mass migration of the war years, we experienced first hand what a glorious land of liberty we left behind. Some of the places we landed did not welcome us as we were accustomed to welcoming strangers within our shores and we were treated inhumanely. We must learn to live with one another and stay away from all of the vices of inhumanity; hence, disagreeing with one another but respecting each other.
Let us put aside our bitter differences and not put Daniel Bashiel Warner (1813 - 1880) to shame. We need to listen to the words he wrote that we have sung over and over as a people. Maybe it is time we really read and understand the words and make them personal. All hail, Liberia, hail! All hail, Liberia, hail! This glorious land of liberty shall long be ours. Though new her name, green be her fame, and mighty be her powers. In joy and gladness with our hearts united, we'll shout the freedom of a race benighted. In union strong success is sure we cannot fail! With God above our rights to prove we will o'er all prevail, with heart and hand our country's cause defending we'll meet the foe with valour unpretending. Long live Liberia, happy land! A home of glorious liberty, by God's command! A home of glorious liberty, by God's command!
Saturday, September 01, 2007
Run-off Election in Sierra Leone
From what I have observed and according to the information reaching my desk, the run-off election in Sierra Leone could have been avoided, if the various parties that participated in the first round election on August 8, 2007, had conducted massive voters education to their supporters prior to Election Day. One main reason for run-off elections is the disqualification of thousands and thousands of ballots that were wrongly filled out by the many voters who were blindly ignorant of the entire process. Electoral processes in third world countries are anything but flawless, but when the voters shoot themselves individually in the foot, it makes the electoral process looks like the Boston Tea Party.
In my opinion, many voters in some developing countries stay away from run-off elections because their 100 percent enthusiasm and excitement during the first round election drop down to less than five percent because run-offs are foreign and are not fully understood; moreover, voters believe run-offs will not change the original result.
The voting process is not the many hours voters stand on lines at scarce voting polls to cast their votes; rather, it is the many months of preparation and voters education organized by the Sierra Leone National Electoral Commission and the various political parties leading to the casting of the correctly filled out ballots on election day.
The contestant who will lose the election should accept the result and take it in stride and prepare his team for a better showing the next time around and should not hold grudge for his own poor showing against his opponent to have won the race.
The contestant who will win the election should honor his campaign promises to the people and should consider his opponent as a partner in the nation building process. The winner must develop a new mindset as to the outcome of the result; that is, he won the election but he did not defeat his opponent. An election is not a battle in which the terms victor and defeat are the norms; in an election, the terms winner and loser should be the preferred nomenclatures. If the participants consider the usage of winner and loser, animosity and grudge will not prevail between opponents and civility will certainly be the hallmark of the exercise.
After a fairly smooth first round election, it is heart breaking to witness the outbreak of violence between opposition party supporters whilst awaiting the run-off presidential election. There were errors during the first round election and I hope the Sierra Leone National Electoral Commission learnt their lessons to correct the many errors that frustrated and disfranchised tens of thousands of voters on Election Day.
From where I sit, I urge my brethren of Sierra Leone to turn out in full to the limited polling stations provided by the Sierra Leone National Electoral Commission on Saturday, September 8, 2007 and perform your civic duty by casting your votes, and not to subscribe to violence, mayhem and even death; furthermore, not to rob your Muslim brothers and sisters of Ramadan which is right around the corner, because when all is said and done, in the grand scheme of things, nothing will really change in that country – Sa Leone.
I admonish you to take heart and reflect on these parables, HOWεVA TIN TRANGGA TETE, I DE DכN; IF YU WANT כL, YU DE LכS כL and NכTO εVRI DE NA KRISMES. It is my wish that when you enter the secret sanctuaries to cast your votes on Election Day on Saturday, one sacred thought that should cloud your minds should be the first stanza of the National Anthem.
“High we exalt thee, realm of the free;
Great is the love we have for thee;
Firmly united ever we stand,
Singing thy praise, O native land.
We raise up our hearts and our voices on high,
The hills and the valleys re-echo our cry;
Blessing and peace be ever thine own,
Land that we love, our Sierra Leone.”
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
The epiphany of a coup d'état
Who are the alleged key players of this plot? Who all had knowledge or any inclination of the alleged plot? Who blew the whistle of the alleged coup plot? What do we know of those implicated, arrested and charged for this alleged crime? What do we really know about the whistle blower? It is no secret, that we as a people have experienced similar plights in the past, and all I can do is raise my hands in the air and say, here we go again! We have heard rumors of alleged coup plots, we have seen some of our country men arrested and hauled in prisons for being players of alleged attempted coups, we have also heard and seen whistle blowers being paraded in front of cameras revealing secrets of coup plots and I can say with frustrated conviction that we are tired of being shadowed by the threat of coup plots on either side of the spectrum. Let us as a people leave this case with the court system and let jurisprudence takes it course and hopefully the truth shall be revealed.
In any crime, for which an attempted coup d'état is no exception, three main objectives must be met. The three objectives that must satisfy a crime and satisfy the jury are the motive, the means and the opportunity. Let us ask ourselves, what were the motives of the alleged key players; the motives of all who had knowledge of the alleged plot; and most especially, the motive of the whistle blower of this alleged coup plot? I do not know the motive of anyone in this alleged crime, but it will be suicidal for a group of people to give a nudge or thumbs-up of support to would-be coup plotters to carry out their devious crime. Was there or is there any opportunity to actually carry out a coup d'état in Liberia right now? The answer is a resounding NO and let my naivety be my paradigm for my logic. With the overwhelming presence of the UN and with the mindset of the majority of Liberians on the ground; moreover, with the raw clear and past dangers of the various wars of the past years, the opportunity is a dead ZERO. What were their means? I reckon the “farming tools” for the “peanuts and cassava sticks.” Means, well, it was the means that the whistle blower decoded and interpreted; consequently, declared to the world of the alleged plot to overthrow the peaceful government of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and the forgiving citizens of Liberia.
What do we know of the alleged coup plotters or anyone that have allegedly being linked to the plot and have been arrested to face trial? What do we know of the whistle blower and what is his real motive? In cases like these, there are so many questions with little or no answer at all to satisfy our desired thirst for the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. The real truth never comes out, never, no never.
From where I sit, I urge the nation not to be blinded by sentiment but to step back and let the court determine whether the accused had abundant means, motive and opportunity to commit the crime of treason against the state; moreover, that there are compelling evidence to prove their guilt or innocence. Although a couple of the names involved in this saga have questionable and colorful characters and have also played active roles in the past conflicts, and therefore are no strangers to the general public, the evidence of guilt must be proved in this case beyond all reasonable doubt; so that, if the accused are found guilty, the maximum punishment must be rendered to these criminally insane bandits. This case will be a landmark case, which will set the precedence for jurisprudence in a truly new Liberia, and the verdict will set the pace for good governance and the distinction and the separation of the three branches of the government will be respected and honored. If this case, the epiphany of a coup d'état, is solely based on the whistle blower’s decoded messages, then God bless us all.
Sunday, July 01, 2007
Instruments of Knowledge
When the instruments of knowledge join the rank and file of the tutored and engaged in acts that are common to and associated with that of the tutored, then it is my honest opinion that there has not been any lesson learnt from our recent past; consequently, history will slap us in the face as a people and I pray that God bless us all.
When I read the reason why the University of Liberia Faculty engaged in a strike action, which in a way parallels the bogus reason given by the coup leaders for the reason why they toppled the Tolbert government and took over the seat of power, it leaves me with one conclusion, that in all likelihood, the thought of another major uprising in Liberia is not farfetched.
I deduced my conclusion of this notion because of the news release that was issued by the University of Liberia Faculty Association (ULFA) on June 15, 2007 in Monrovia calling for a strike until the Government of Liberia met their demands and also due to this quote that was attributed to the ULFA President, Mr. Clifford J. Young. "We have exhausted every effort to solve these problems but to no avail and so, we believe that this is the only means we can use as a tactical move to draw the government's attention to our plight." Mr. Young said their action was predicated upon the President of the Republic of Liberia who is also the visitor to the University’s failure to honor her obligation.
Mr. Young noted that too long the government had neglected the university, as resources have not been infused into it. He concluded by saying that, "If no money, there will be no negotiation with the government because as you can see, the faculty appeared dejected and frustrated and are hungry while faculty staff members are dying monthly due to poor services at the University."
Are we, as a people, can honestly tell each other and ourselves that violence or acts of violence are the only way out when there is an impasse or dissatisfaction or disagreement amongst any grouping in Liberia? I hope, if we all believe that the long sought peace that we presently enjoy, which is still in its infancy I may add and is very much fragile, then why are these volatile actions sprouting all over the place? We hear fracas between security forces, UN forces, civil servants including government officials, religious groups and conflicts between employees and employers, school administrations and students, school administrations and faculty and the list goes on and on.
From where I sit, I had envisioned every citizen would do everything in his power to avoid signs that smell conflict; however, if such conflict was unavoidable, then one must follow the legal or civil course of action by using the court system for redress. On a broader scale, groups must avoid disturbing the peace and engaging in any volatile action that may lead to the destruction of properties and the lost of lives. We should all remember that there are laws that govern us all, individually, collectively and nationally and we all must respect and obey the laws; anything short of that, we will be held accountable and suffer the consequences.
As a product of Lux in Tenebris (Light in the darkness), it brings tears to my eyes to read of the country's highest institution of learning, the University of Liberia being struck with another academic impediment following an immediate indefinite suspension of classes until the faculty/student strike is brought under control. The university is an open society and does protect academic freedom, human rights, justice and democracy and when acts of shame are perpetrated from such unique society, then the people are doomed.
