Constructive Engagement will Reinforce Peace – Pero Kerkulah

Pero M.K. Kerkula

“Constructive engagement and political diplomacy with concerned parties will reinforce and foster peace,” says a social and political commentator, PERO M. K. KERKULA.

Mr. Kerkula made the assertion in his speech, titled, “Rethinking the Development of Liberia: The Role of Government and Political Parties”, delibervered at the 165^th Independence Day celebration held July 28, 2012 LUA Event Center, 9560 Skillman Street, Dallas, Texas, USA.

According to him, constructive engagement will also ensure stability and national reconciliation thereby leading to private sector employment, human empowerment, and speedy economic growth and national development. See full text of Mr. Kerkulah’s speech as follows:

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A SPEECH MARKING THE 165^TH INDEPENDENCE OF LIBERIA DELIVERED BY: PERO M. K. KERKULA AS OBSERVED ON JULY 28, 2012 IN THE CITY OF DALLAS, STATE OF TEXAS, UNITED STATES

July 28, 2012

THEME

RETHINKING THE DEVELOPMENT OF LIBERIA: THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT AND POLITICAL PARTIES

On July 26, 1847, Liberia gained her independence. Officially, two days ago, Liberia marked the 165^Th anniversary, and we are today till tonight celebrating as required of us and by time. We have been able to assemble here tonight because the bonds that unite us as a nation are stronger than the political issues that divide us. Each of us has family members, relatives, friends and good neighbors in Liberia and in different political parties, or the other religion and ethnic group. But the deepest common interest that we share and protect with other groups as source of our unity is the – Republic of Liberia.

My fellow brothers and sisters, let’s also remember that our common interests – in our nation and people, and specifically in the future of our children surpass our political differences. Government in particular, political parties and their leaders have a cause to better protect the Republic from descending into another round of instability.

Fellow Liberians, let’s celebrate the tolerance and respect for varied political views as a means of furthering and strengthening democracy; and our coexistence as a people of common destiny. By all accounts, the struggle for political leadership led to the nearly a decade and a half of devastating civil war: 1989 – 2003. The nation-state extensively lost its human capital as well as its entire fabric that will take several peaceful years to retrain and reconstruct. Government, political parties and political leaders have got to play an increasingly patriotic role in returning Liberia to a continued democratic state by committing themselves to rule and order, encouraging; and assuring Liberian Diaspora professionals in particular and others of their security to return home and participate in the rebuilding process. 

Being a proud Liberian Government as well as a political party warrants practical commitment to the rebuilding process of the shattered nation-state. Political parties canvass for political leadership and are expected to do so by no other means in a democratic environment other than through: free, fair and transparent elections. Government and political parties gain legitimacy in Liberian public life when they effectively organize to avoid, or better yet, subordinate, the most contentious political issue for the general good. Constructive engagement and political diplomacy with concerned parties will reinforce and foster peace, stability and national reconciliation thereby leading to private sector employment, human empowerment; and speedy economic growth and national development.

Cognizant of the fragility of the institutional order, Government and Political Parties are expected to restore to a pattern of political dialog between and amongst them to prevent polarized party conflict from escalating into civil conflict that may hinder our ongoing stability and development. They should and must endeavor to settle, neutralize, or avoid the most controversy arising from political statements and actions confronting the peace, stability, and unity of the people and the land.

By now, however, a new brand of party politics – one that is more compatible with national sovereignty, equal access to opportunity, unity and stability made both by the restoration of peace in Liberia and by the entrepreneurial efforts of government and political leaders, who use public and party institutions to support employment, human capacity building, economic growth and; development must be encouraged.

By the dynamic political awakening of the Liberian people, we call on the government, political parties and political leaders, other stakeholders; and ordinary citizens who are concerned about the future of our country and people at home and abroad to take a positive path to national reconciliation and accept divergent political views for a sustained geopolitical stability. And without basic geopolitical stability, any effort to achieve the necessary reconciliation will falter. More importantly, Government should continue to promote a greater and broader unity between and amongst the Liberian people in a more vital and enlarged rural sector.

Ladies and Gentlemen, also, let me seize the opportunity at this historic anniversary to call on Liberian Diaspora Communities specifically in the United States and elsewhere around the globe to see reason to be reconciled over divisible tendencies that for so long kept us apart from achieving the needed opportunity and development for all persons.

My fellow citizens, I have an abiding faith in the desire of every Liberian, and especially every Liberian political party and government to see our country progress now and forever. I’m overweening government and political parties will collectively aspire to improve party coordination, increased reconciliation and commitment to national peace and unity. I urge Government, Political Parties and their Leaders; and Liberians to move with quiet dignity to our place on the MRU, ECOWAS, AU, UN, and global forum.

 Let no party refuse to contribute to our development because it is not steering the highest political office of the land. While it is true that parties should cooperate to solve common problems, it’s expedient on the part of government to facilitate transparency at all levels. Strengthening democracy will come through deepening and reinforcing a truly national system of accountability for the most part on the government and its functionaries.

Fellow compatriots, government authorities, political parties and political leaders, let’s be reminded of the fact that no one will rebuild Liberia other than Liberians. By and through our collective and sincere commitment in the rebuilding of Liberia, certainly, we’ll succeed in making Liberia a better, healthier, peaceful and productive nation-state to compete with other peaceful nations around the globe in the discussions of international politics, human rights, sciences; and production of goods and services for the betterment of the world’s population.

Long live Liberia with prosperity and happiness under Allah’s/God’s command. 

I thank you.

 About the author: In 2006 Mr. Kerkulah served as Director of Technical Unit, Department of Administration, Ministry of Finance, R.L., and as Teaching Assistant [Management] College of General Studies, University of Liberia in 2004-’05. He is former Student Leader of the Ibrahim Badamase Babangida Graduate School of International Studies - IBB at the University of Liberia in 2004, and in 2003 he serve on the delegation to the International Peace Conference on Liberia [Liberia Peace Talks] Akosombo-Accra, Ghana. He also formed part of the delegation of 2002 to the All Liberian National Conference held at Virginia, Montserrado County, Liberia, and in 2008, he served as chairman of the Vahun District Development Association, Montserrado Chapter.

Press Statement on the brutalization of Imam in Karnplay, Nimba County, Liberia

By Gibson W. Jerue
Journalist/Author

For Immediate Release

July 27, 2012

Gibson W. Jerue

Fargo, ND, USA, July 27, 2012: Another brutality has been reported; another callous act by the Liberian security apparatus, this time by Immigration officers, has been revealed. The Public Agenda Newspaper reported Wednesday, July 25, 2012 that an Imam of Karnplay, Gbehlay Geh District, Nimba County, identified as Ansu Kromah was brutalized by immigration officers on the orders of Commander Anthony Loleh and Deputy Commander Thomas Saye for reportedly not cooperating with inquiry on his nationality.

According to the report, the Immigration officers believe the Deputy Imam was not a Liberian citizen and that he was “rude” and failed to cooperate. And for the immigration officers, the only way to deal with Imam Kromah was beat him up and dehumanize him. Liberian security forces are always ruthless, untrained, heartless, uncouth, draconian, disrespectful of the rule of law, inordinately aggressive and excessive in their display of their naked power.

This callous and illegal act of the Immigration officers assigned in the Karnplay area is detestable and an abuse to the rights of Imam Kromah. No officer has the right to attack a peace citizen especially when there was not agitation from the Imam. Even appalling is the fact that the Imam is a voting member of the Liberian population, and he said he did vote during the last elections, as explained by the Imam that he had sent for his voter’s registration card when the immigration officers attacked and brutalized him.

The government of Liberia is held directly responsible for the hardnosed act of abuse. The government must ensure the safety of Imam Ansu Kromah, make sure that he is sent to the hospital to take treatment, and the government must underwrite the medical bills.

We cannot continue to witness our security forces brutalizing citizens of Liberia, and go with impunity. Therefore, the government must take every measure to launch an investigation and bring the perpetrators to justice for assaulting a peaceful citizen. It is even unthinkable that those untrained officers could maltreat a Minister of Allah, and think that they will go with impunity. Justice must be done now to serve as a deterrent for others in the future.

Thanks

“Ending AIDS and Poverty” - Jim Yong Kim

As Prepared for Delivery
World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim
Remarks at the Opening Plenary, International AIDS Conference 2012
July 22, 2012
Washington DC

“Ending AIDS and Poverty”

Your Excellencies and honored guests, ladies and gentlemen, colleagues and friends,
As we look back on the history of this epidemic, it is hard to say that there is any one moment when the tide began to turn. Because the truth is that we have been turning back the tide of AIDS, step by painful step, for 30 years.

And at nearly every turn, it is the activists, and their communities, that have led the way.
It was activists and communities who devised safer sex, promoted condom use, needle exchange and virtually all the behavioral prevention we use today. 

It was activists who transformed drug development and regulatory processes, and involved patients in clinical research, cutting drug approval times in half in the global north.
It was activists in Durban in 2000 who began to push for access to antiretrovirals in the developing world and who kept pushing and are pushing still for them to be affordable and available to everyone who needs them, everywhere.

And it was activists whose deep understanding of the communities most affected by AIDS has spurred a movement to promote the health and dignity of gay men, sex workers and drug users that has now reached every corner of the world.

It was TASO in Uganda, ACT UP in the US, TAC in South Africa, Grupo Pela Vida in Brazil, the Lawyers Collective in India, the Thai Drug Users Network, and countless organizations like them that have woven together one of the most extraordinary movements the world has ever seen.
Remember what ACT UP stands for: the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power.
This has been a movement that came together in anger, that thirsts for justice, that is fundamentally about unleashing the power of human solidarity, and that for 30 years has forged alliances to expand that solidarity and be ever more inclusive.
A movement that has grown to include pioneering governments from Brazil to Botswana, UN agencies, visionary donors and donor countries, and groundbreaking NGO treatment programs; a movement that has led to efforts such as 3 by 5 and the creation of the Global Fund and PEPFAR.
Thanks to this collective effort, we have seen remarkable gains in the fight. Prevalence has fallen steeply in many countries, new prevention strategies show great promise, and more than 8 million people are on treatment today.
As we gather here in Washington, we look towards the end of AIDS as something that is actually within our reach, a vision that to me and many others here seems less idealistic, less outrageous, than 3 by 5 did, just a decade ago.

Today marks the first time that a President of the World Bank Group has addressed the International AIDS Conference. I’m here because I know what this movement is capable of achieving. I’m here to bring you both a pledge and a challenge.
I pledge that the World Bank will work tirelessly with all of you here to drive the AIDS fight forward until we win.
And I challenge you to join me in harnessing the moral power and practical lessons that the AIDS movement has produced to speed progress against that other global scourge, poverty.

As the leading global development institution, the World Bank is concerned with all aspects of development, all the dimensions that are united in the eight Millennium Development Goals. We know that development challenges are interdependent. And yet our approaches to these problems often remain fragmented, limiting our vision and our results. That’s why the idea of bringing lessons from AIDS to poverty reduction is crucial. By breaking down siloes between these two efforts, we begin a process that will go much farther. Ultimately we’ll multiply the flows of knowledge and experience across all development sectors, accelerating progress on education for all, maternal and child health, environmental sustainability, and so many of our other goals.

Let me describe how the World Bank is applying its distinctive strengths to AIDS.
The World Bank’s mission is to build prosperity and eradicate poverty in countries around the world. The Bank supports countries with financing, but also with knowledge and analytic capacities that are often just as important. 

In 2000, under President Jim Wolfensohn, the World Bank worked with many of you here to put the first billion dollars on the table for AIDS. Today, in health, the World Bank’s comparative advantage is in systems building. Our health sector strategy is focused on supporting countries to create health systems that deliver results for the poor and that are sustainable. We also help countries build social protection systems that can mitigate the impact of events like economic shocks and catastrophic illness, including AIDS, on families and communities. 

As an example of our health systems work, the World Bank is helping governments implement performance-based financing, which gives local health facilities financial rewards when they increase delivery of essential services and improve quality. In Burundi, after a performance-based financing model was introduced nationally to strengthen the AIDS response, the number of HIV-positive pregnant women receiving antiretrovirals for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission increased by 65 percent in just one year. 

We know that HIV is more than a medical problem. AIDS has devastating economic and social impacts on individuals, families and communities. That’s why social protection is also a critical piece of a comprehensive AIDS response. Every year, worldwide, 150 million people are forced into poverty by increased health expenditures and lost income due to illness, including AIDS. To date, the Bank has helped 40 countries scale up social safety-net programs, including health insurance schemes, old age pensions and cash transfer programs that supplement the incomes of poor families. Our goal is for all countries to be able to implement basic social protection programs tailored to their specific needs. 

Success in the AIDS response depends on partnerships. On a very personal level, I am committed to strengthening the World Bank’s multilateral alliances with UNAIDS and the Global Fund; our partnerships with UN technical agencies, including WHO and UNICEF; and our collaboration with PEPFAR and other bilaterals. Moreover, strong partnership with civil society that delivers results for the poor will be a signature of my presidency. We’ll build on the lessons of the Bank’s MAP initiative, which recognized that civil society voice is critical to make programs work for poor and vulnerable people.

In 2008, the overall proportion of people in the developing world living on less than $1.25 per day was 22 percent, less than half of the 1990 figure. The Millennium Development Goal of halving the incidence of extreme poverty has been reached. But today 1.3 billion of the world’s people still live in absolute poverty. This is intolerable. We can and must end absolute poverty in our lifetime. To do so, we’ll need to share know-how across the boundaries of institutions and development fields. And we’ll need to use that know-how to build systems that can sustainably meet human needs. 

The AIDS fight has shown the world how to turn the tide of a massive assault on human life and dignity. We have a responsibility to ensure that lessons from AIDS inform and improve our efforts to tackle other social goals, above all poverty eradication. 

In some places, this is already happening. Governments and their partners are applying AIDS knowledge and resources strategically to beat the epidemic and simultaneously drive a broader anti-poverty agenda. Rwanda has used AIDS money and technical expertise from the World Bank, the Global Fund and others to build up its widely admired health insurance system, the mutuelles, and to expand secondary and vocational education. In Rwanda, AIDS resources are contributing to the strategic investment in human capital that has helped drive the country’s remarkable economic progress. From being an exception, this approach can become the rule. This will be a leap forward in our capacity to build systems and deliver results. 

As Rwanda shows, successful countries have tackled AIDS as a systems problem. They’ve responded to the epidemic by strengthening delivery systems for key social goods, and they’ve integrated those systems to address people’s needs comprehensively. 

Building systems is what the World Bank does best. We have decades of experience making systems work for all, but especially the poor. I want the Bank to lead the world in joining systems knowledge with clear moral values to help countries solve their toughest problems.

Two features of the AIDS fight with clear lessons for poverty work are openness and innovation. The countries that have achieved the greatest successes against AIDS have been open about their epidemics. They have shared information widely, challenged stigma, and encouraged public debate. They have refused secrecy and dispelled irrational fear. There are many lessons here for the way we fight poverty. As we at the World Bank continue to tackle corruption, increase transparency and freely share our data, we’re taking these lessons from the AIDS fight ever more fully on board.
Looking back over the last 30 years, we see that the AIDS response has generated continuous innovation. From the acceleration of drug approval protocols to task shifting within medical teams. From fixed-dose drug combinations to the hiring of accompagnateurs to deliver community-based services. 

We’ll need more innovation in the years ahead to finish the fight against AIDS. As President of the World Bank, I want to infuse that same appetite for innovation into the struggle for inclusive economic development. I’m convinced that if the practical know-how and the spirit of the AIDS movement can be brought to the poverty fight, there is no limit to what we can achieve.
On the front lines of the 3 by 5 initiative, I saw daily how HIV implementers were generating innovative solutions to practical problems: from supply chain management to human resources to creating space for community voice in program evaluation. But have we done enough to organize, analyze and apply this knowledge? Have we brought it to bear in every setting where it could be transformative?

All of us here know that a difficult fight against HIV lies ahead. We have come to Washington because we are determined to win that fight. We see our task through the lens of solidarity that has inspired the most ambitious AIDS activism and that we all feel today in this room. From the start, as they fought this epidemic, the activist pioneers knew they had to tackle the structural forces of prejudice, social exclusion and economic injustice. Their ambition to end unjust human suffering was as vast as the suffering itself. All of us here today must be just as ambitious.

The AIDS movement has rekindled values that show the kind of global development we’re striving for: development grounded in solidarity, courage, respect for the dignity of all people, and an unrelenting demand for justice. 

If we unleash the power of these values, we can overcome any obstacle in the fight for economic and social justice. If we unleash the power of these values, we can leave to our children a world free of poverty and AIDS.

We can end AIDS. We must end AIDS. The challenge we face is great. But as I look out at all of you today, I can actually see the end of AIDS.
Thank you, let’s make it happen.

What about Consumer Rights in Liberia: Cellcom Service and 4G Problem

By Ezekiel Pajibo

This is the first in a series of articles I am going to write in the next following days about my experiences with service providers in Liberia including the Government of Liberia. I know this may not be the experiences of others but I am attempting to document my experiences, in the hope that service providers in Liberia will not continue to take consumer for a ride, something they are wont to do.

My first port of call is Cellcom. Cellcom, one of several mobile phone and internet provider in the country, has inundated the airwaves and almost every breathing space in Monrovia with its advertisement about a new product, 4G. Do not ask me what 4G is because I have no clue. However, I have been led to believe that it gives you faster internet browsing; amongst several other benefits. Because I work for an international organization, the internet is our mean tool for communication. In addition we work on two different continents: Africa and North America, with as many time zones and communications have to be responded to in a timely manner in order for productivity to be optimal. As a result, we have internet provider for our company. So I do have internet service at my place of work. However, if there is no electricity at the office the internet does not work. (My next article will be about generators providers and services in Liberia for the many of us who are not yet connected to the vaunted LEC power grid). I also got one of those USB stick that has a chip which can allow you to have internet services on your laptop within certain parameters in and around Monrovia. However, it is risky to take your laptop everywhere with you as it may get stolen. I had one stolen from my house only recently. There is no secure place for laptop in Monrovia.

I therefore decided to get an upgrade on my “smart phone”. I am not sure how smart my phone is in Monrovia because I have only used it for two purposes: to make and get phone calls and to send and receive text messages. That is it! I therefore thought that I should take advantage of the other features on the phone including internet access. I went to Cellcom offices located on Capital Bye-Pass in the Bassa Community area. I arrived there few minutes before 11:00 A.M on Friday, July 6 to upgrade my sim card to the much publicized “4G”. I was informed by the security at the entrance that I needed to take a number, which is issued to customers in order to establish their position in the queue. When my turn came, my number was indicated in neon and loudly called out by the security personnel on location. I was directed to a woman who took my phone and attempted to do the upgrade. She went through the drills: got the message icon on, sent a text message to a number and simply wrote “4G” and then got a text message back. I was told that my phone had the capacity to use the 4G product. I was provided with a number of options ranging from USD10-30 dollars for a period of time. I took the $30 package which, as I was told would run for a period of 30 days; after which time, I would have to top it up. I began to entertain some excitement, as I could be answering my email from anywhere I was; for example in a boring meeting or in a meeting with someone, whom I did not really want to see. My excitement was short-lived; I notice two furrows on the brow of the woman who was serving me. She could not get the internet to work. She went across the room to another employee, this time a guy; he apparently could not figure it out either. She then went to the second guy who took a look at it for a while and appeared to be struggling to establish why the phone would not get connected to the internet. All this while, the clock was ticking away, 11:00 and then 12:00 and now it was already 12:30. I had no idea getting an upgrade for a product that was being massively marketed would eat into my lunch schedule.

Once it was established that the second guy could not fix the problem, he left the business hall and went behind closed doors. It may have taken another fifteen minutes when he returned. He muttered something to the effect that they may have a “system breakdown” somewhere. I informed him that I had a 2:00 meeting at the Governance Commission and did not have time to keep waiting. He told me, rather enthusiastically, that I should go and check my phone within two hours and see if it would work. I did within the two hours but it did not work. I phoned him and he asked me if I could come back to the office or if I could send someone to bring the phone. I told him I could not come to see him as I was still in my meeting. In addition, since I was not at my office, I knew no one I could trust to bring the phone to Cellcom. In any case it was already after 4:00; it was rainy and rush-hour traffic was already in full gear. As you may know, access to the city between Congo Town and Cellcom office is by two main arteries which are almost always painfully slow during rush-hours and even non-rush hours especially when it is the dry season.

As this was Friday, I could not get the access to the internet that I had paid for during the weekend and the following Monday because I had work-related activities that prevented me from going to the Cellcom offices. On Tuesday, July 10, I went to the office again. I went thru the usual protocol; got a number and then instructed to move to the next available staff. Again, I was directed to another lady, who was seated at her desk, next to the lady who had served me the previous week. She attempted to get me connected but to no avail again. Then she asked me; who previously attended to my need. I informed her that the staff next to her was the one who did. Incidentally, the staff person affirmed that she did, duly narrated the problem and how she had asked another person to assist. She named the person. I asked; where is the person and I was told that the person in question had gone home because “he is sick”. The staff person who was assisting me decided to go behind the same closed doors that the guy went thru during my Friday visit. She came back to say that the “only person” in the entire Cellcom corporation that could help me with my problem had gone home “sick”.

To say I was dumbfounded is an understatement. I was perplexed, angry, and above all saddened. Cellcom had promoted this product so much that it is impossible to miss the message if you travel on any of the pliable roads in Monrovia; yet the product was not meeting up to the hullaballoo that preceded it. Newspapers carried center page pictures of the Vice President of Liberia and the Speaker of the National House of Representatives at the launch of the “4G”. And here I was a plebian, a regular consumer that had forked out his personal hard earned money for a service that was not available.

I then thought that I could seek some compromise with the Cellcom staff person. I politely requested for the service to be turned off. The woman said it cannot be done. I became exasperated. Since obtaining the service that was not a service at all because I could not access the internet, the life span of the battery between charges appeared to be fast diminishing. In the past, once my phone was charged in the morning, I would not have to charge it again until the following morning. Now, I have to keep my phone on charge continuously, else it would run flat within less than an hour. This was extremely inconvenient for me. I therefore, thought that by deactivating the service, I would be spared the problem. That was not to be. No service and a phone with an imperiled battery life. What have I done to deserve this? Next time you hear 4G or you see 4G, do not think your internet access problem has been solved. It might give you more problems than you bargained. Where is Ralph Nader? We have a job offer for him in Liber

Statement on the Arrest of three people From Grand Gedeh County as Persons of Interest

July 18, 2012

                                                             PRESS STATEMENT

Gibson W. Jerue

In less than 24 hours, we have learned that the Government of Liberia has arrested three people, said to be “people of interest” in the recently shooting at the Liberia-ivory Coast border that led to the murder of seven UN peacekeepers and two Ivorian security personnel. Those arrested according to media reports were Neezee Barway (sometimes called Joseph Dweh); and Morris K. Cole (sometimes called Edward K. Cole).

All Grand Gedeans around the world welcome the progress being made to address the incident at the border, and must assert that they are peace-loving people, and are interested in living their lives in peace. That is why Grand Gedeans were always the first to embrace for peace. They are cognizance of the indispensable need to live peaceably with their neighbors. By loving peace and working for it, they will welcome any scrupulous means by which trouble makers are directly targeted and rooted out from among the innocent and law-abiding citizens.

However, Grand Gedeans are aware of the enormous pressure being exerted on them by external forces to subdue them. They have and continue to experience un-necessary incrimination and recrimination from both government and none-state elements. This has caused them not to rush to conclusion when any of their kinsmen are accused or arrested for any alleged criminal acts.

What we have been advocating for is for the Government of Liberia to be responsible and professional in dealing with the situation in Grand Gedeh County. Yes, we agree with some commentators that the arrested and detention of Charles Julu (the late) and Andrew Dorbor created a bad image for the Sirleaf administration. Grand Gedeans were traumatized by that blatant act of abuse of the rights of their kinsmen. The Government should not have arrested and detained Julu and Dorbor in the first place. More interestingly was the fact that the government could not lift a valid evidence against them, hence the sedition charges tumbled upside-down. This was a bad memory for all Grand Gedeans. We must make it very clear that we are watching with eagle's eye as the Sirleaf regime has arrested yet another batch of Grand Gedeans.

We must remember that those arrested are only persons of interest. They have not been charged, they remain innocent until proven guilty in the court of Competent jurisdiction. At the same time, we do not expect the Government of Liberia to keep them in detention for more than 48 hours without being formally charged and/or indicted for prosecution.

Keeping them in jail for one minute beyond 48 hours is a violation of their rights, and we will condemn same. In fact, as persons of interest, they have not been accused yet. Describing them or characterizing them as criminals will be a gross violation of their fundamental rights. They cannot be considered guilty and must prove themselves innocent. That is not what the laws of Liberia call for. They must be treated with dignity and respect.

Meanwhile, we will hold the Sirleaf administration, UNMIL, and all members of the four parties collaborating responsible if those Grand Gedeans are mistreated, violated, and dehumanized for any reasons. Their lives will be personally required of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. Meanwhile, we are talking to lawyers to ensure that if Isaac Taryon; Neezee Barway (sometimes called Jospeh Dweh); and Morris K. Cole (sometimes called Edward K. Cole) are kept in jail one minute beyond the statutory period of 48 hours and not charged, we will take advantage of the legal process to demand their living bodies. This is a caveat!

Gibson W. Jerue
Journalist, Author & Grand Gedean
President, North Dakota Chapter of Grand Gedeh
Association in the Americas
[Note: I don’t speak for National GGAA or the national administration]

Jerue Complains Liberian Govt to UN Human Rights Commission

Gibson W. Jerue

Journalist & Author

North Dakota Chapter

4701 17th Ave SW, Apt 306

Fargo, ND 58103

July 12, 2012

Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
Palais Wilson
52 rue des Pâquis
CH-1201 Geneva, Switzerland

Attn: Navanethem Pillay

Dear Madam Commissioner:

My name is Gibson W. Jerue, a Liberian journalist of 24-year experience, an author and President of the North Dakota Chapter of the Grand Gedeh Association in the Americas (GGAA). I do not speak for the national association of the GGAA neither do I speak for the national administration. I presently reside in Fargo, North Dakota, United States of America. Foremost is I am a citizen of Grand Gedeh County.

I write to request the United Nations Human Rights Commission to institute an independent investigation into the incident leading to and resulting from the June 8, 2012 alleged shooting and killing of seven UN troops and two Ivorian security officers along the Liberia-Ivory Coast border. Not only that Grand Gedeans condemn the act of killing UN personnel and citizens of another country, but the people of Grand Gedeh have also sought to live in peace with their neighbors, since the end of the 14-year madness that broke down the social, political, moral and economic fabric of our country and reduced our people to nothing.

Following the incident on June 8^th, the Government of the Republic of Cote D’Ivoire reportedly submitted a list of several people, including eight individuals, all of whom are sons of Grand Gedeh County. Without properly investigating the list or its veracity, the Government of Liberia declared the eight (8) Grand Gedeans “most wanted”, only to realize that some of those already declared criminals by the government of Liberia have had nothing to do with the incident and they are living right there in Monrovia. My understanding is that some the alleged criminals or “most wanted” people have been issued clearances and are freely moving about their normal business. However, some have claimed that their families have been harassed. Mr. Amos Chayee, a Grand Gedean residing in Buduburam Refugee Camp in Central Accra, Ghana, has claimed that he had put his wife on the plane and repatriated to Liberia, but that she was harassed by Liberia Government Security upon her arrival in Monrovia. The alleged submission of a list of wanted people by the Government of Alhassan Ouattara of Cote d’Ivoire, the publication of the names of wanted people in Monrovia, and the alleged harassment of the families of the accused by Liberian security forces are very important issues and concerns for investigation.

As If this was not enough, scores of security forces were dispatched to Grand Gedeh by the Sirleaf Administration and had made the hell of the lives our people in Grand Gedeh County. Stories that members of the Joint Security Operations of Liberia, including units of the newly constituted Armed Forces of Liberia, special operation police units, immigration agents and border officers have been harassing the people of Grand Gedeh abound. Our relatives and friends have persistently called [or whom we have called] and told us how security officers are drinking and getting drunk in entertainment bars, taking away personal effects of peaceful and innocent citizens, snatching away ordinary hunters single barrel shot guns and taking away even the deer, etc they killed for their wives to cook delicious meal for their families. Other allegations included but not limited to intimidating and harassing drivers and demanding free transportation from one area to another. Most unfortunately, peaceful citizens in villages and area adjoining and including the diamond mines in Grand Gedeh County have been affected. Our brothers and sisters are said to have fled those areas for fear of their lives. These claims are grave and have ignited another round of suffering of the people, driving them from the only thing that puts food the table for their families.

In a nutshell, the Liberian security victimized innocent and peaceful civilians, arbitrarily arrested and detained, mercilessly beat and/or flogged young and older men, harassed and intimidated the residents of Zwedru, the Capital City of Grand Gedeh, and other towns and villages in and around the border line that separates Liberia and Ivory Coast. Liberian security forces are usually uncouth, untrained, zealous, arbitrary, draconian in their action, and disrespectful of the rule of law. The US State Department country report on Liberia 2011 has been critical of Liberian security forces.

To add insult to injury, military units of the Ivorian Government have been firing rocket propel grenades and other automatic weapons, including GMPG, Caliber 50 automatic machine guns, and other light weapons into Liberia, directly into Grand Gedeh County which is directly proportional to endangering the lives of the residents of the County. Most surprisingly, instead of the Ivorian Government denying the act it was the Liberian government saying it was untrue that Ivorian military fired rockets into Liberian territory. Now that the Ivorians have admitted and the media has provided clips and reports of the territorial violations of the Liberia’s sovereignty, it does not matter to the Liberian government to seek explanation from the Ouattara regime. The Sirleaf administration is deliberately ignoring the blatant action by the Ivorian security because the shots are being fired into Grand Gedeh, and President Sirleaf has developed overtime the tactics of witch-hunting Grand Gedeans. Therefore, whether those rockets and shots injure or kill any Grand Gedean, it does not matter to the Sirleaf Administration. See my ten (10) reasons why Madam Sirleaf is witch-hunting Grand Gedeans. See copy attached.

I must hasten to point out that Madam Sirleaf does not seem to see herself President of the people of Grand Gedeh; as a result an iota of collective guilt is permeating and may soon engulf the people Grand Gedeh. And instead of identifying, arresting and prosecuting the main wrongdoers, all Grand Gedeans seem to be guilty of the alleged shooting and killing of UN and Ivorian security personnel. This is unacceptable to say the least.

Madam, I have also written recently, specifically on June 20, 2012, to the U.S. Government by and thru the Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton requesting for similar investigation to be conducted by the U.S. Government. Although my letter had not been responded to, I believe the office of the Secretary of State is scrupulously considering my concerns. See copy of my letter to the U.S. Secretary here attached.

In view of the foregoing, and other circumstances that may break down law and order in our country, and in order to stamp impunity I am appealing to your offices to constitute an independent commission to immediately launch an investigation into the situation. If you don’t act, not only will the people of Grand Gedeh face yet another enormous devastation, having already been traumatized by the 14-year civil wars, but it also could embolden miscreants using the County as their launching pad thereby endangering Grand Gedeans and placing them in harm’s way. In the same vein, the Liberian government must answer to its excesses committed in Grand Gedeh so as to secure this fragile peace and fledgling democracy currently prevailing in our country.

Awaiting your response and action on the concerns mentioned supra, I remain.

Yours Truly,

Gibson W. Jerue

Phone: 612-607-9281

Emails: mongboe2002@yahoo.com

            zokowleah@yahoo.com

            monzoko67@yahoo.com

>>>>>>>>
The response:

Re: Letter to UN High Commissioner to Investigate security situation in Grand Gedeh, Liberia 3

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FROM:

• Civil Society

TO:

• Gibson W. Jerue

CC:

• InfoDesk@ohchr.org
• nationalinstitutions@ohchr.org
• Press-Info@ohchr.org
• Registry OHCHR  

Message flagged

Friday, July 13, 2012 1:43 AM

Dear Sir,

Your letter addressed to the High Commissioner is acknowledged with thanks.

Best regards,

OHCHR Civil Society Section

Visit the Civil Society homepage, consult our Handbook and sign up for our mailing list :
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/AboutUs/Pages/CivilSociety.aspx



From:        "Gibson W. Jerue" <mongboe2002@yahoo.com>
To:        "InfoDesk@ohchr.org" <InfoDesk@ohchr.org>, "Press-Info@ohchr.org" <Press-Info@ohchr.org>, "nationalinstitutions@ohchr.org" <nationalinstitutions@ohchr.org>, "civilsociety@ohchr.org" <civilsociety@ohchr.org>,
Date:        12/07/2012 20:04
Subject:        Letter to UN High Commissioner to Investigate security situation in Grand Gedeh, Liberia

---

Attention: Navanethem Pillay, High Commissioner , UN Human Rights Commission:

Madam, I have written and posted a letter from the United States of America to your offices requesting you honorable offices to constitute an independent commission to institute a an investigation in the current security situation in Grand Gedeh County, Republic of Liberia, and along the Ivory Coast-Liberia border arising from the June 8, 2012 shooting and killing of seven UN personnel and two Ivorian security officer. Please see self-explanatory letter, and attachments. Thanks for you attention.

NOTE: I AM USING THESE EMAIL ADDRESSES BECAUSE I COULD NOT GET THE OFFICIAL EMAIL ADDRESS OF THE HIGH COMMISSIONER. I WILL APPRECIATE WERE YOU TO PLEASE TRANSMIT THESE DOCUMENT TO THE OFFICE OF THE MADAM PILLAY.
 
Regards,

Gibson W. Jerue
Journalist and Author

Jerue Complains Liberian Govt to U.S. Government

Gibson W. Jerue

President, Grand Gedeh Association in the Americas

North Dakota Chapter

4701 17th Ave SW, Apt 306

Fargo, ND 58103

June 20, 2012

Hillary Rodham Clinton

United States of America, Secretary of State

U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20037

Dear Madame:

My name is Gibson W. Jerue. I am the President of the Grand Gedeh Association in the Americas, North Dakota Chapter. I am also Liberian journalist and author, residing in Fargo, North Dakota. I hailed from Grand Gedeh County, but had spent most of life in Monrovia since 1972, before coming to the United States.

I write with tears in my eyes for my country in general, and the people of Grand Gedeh in particular. As I write this letter, scores of security forces dispatched to Grand Gedeh are making hell of the lives our people. They are victimizing innocent civilians, arbitrarily arresting and detaining, mercilessly beating and/or flogging young and older men, harassing and intimidating the residents of Zwedru, the Capital City of Grand Gedeh, and other towns and villages in and around the border line that separate Liberia and Ivory Coast. Grand Gedeh is bleeding again for no reason, other than somebody believe the people of Grand Gedeh might be connected to the alleged shooting and killing of some United Nations troops and some Ivorian security personnel. Liberian security forces are usually uncouth, untrained, zealous, arbitrary, draconian in their action, and disrespectful of the rule of law. Please refer to the US State Department country report on Liberia 2011.

The situation in Grand Gedeh County was provoked by a list of ten individuals, two Ivorians and eight Liberians, all members of the Krahn ethnic group, accused of being involved with the shooting in la Cote d’Ivoire. Without further investigating the list, the Sirleaf Administration declared MOST WANTED the eight Grand Gedeans. Within hours, two of those on the most wanted list appeared at the Information Ministry in Monrovia and demanded explanation of how they were involved with the trouble in neighboring la Cote d’Ivoire. The Information Minister, Lewis Brown, a protégé and trained political combatant of the tyrant, now imprisoned Charles Taylor, had nothing to explain but to declare them not wanted. Another Grand Gedean, Amos Chayee, who was preparing to repatriate back to Liberia was also on the most wanted list. As we speak, Mr. Chayee is currently at the Buduburam Refugee Camp in Central Accra, Ghana running his shop to survive. He had sent his wife to Monrovia on the same repatriation program. He alleged his wife and kids are being harassed by security forces. Others who are on the most wanted list are still in Monrovia, said to have nothing to do the Ivorian shooting.

Madam Secretary, no Grand Gedean will harbor war makers and mongers. As a matter of facts, our people are tired with war, and they want to have their lives back. As such they have always advised their children to refrain from violence. We are also committed to peaceful resolution of differences, having learned a bitter lesson for the 14-year madness that claimed 250,000 of our country’s population. We believe had the government liaised with our people, they would have achieved much to help them hunt out the trouble makers. But sadly, innocent people are the ones being victimized. This is troubling and humiliating, to say the least.

I firmly believe this is witch-hunt. I have recently written and published on social media, specifically on Facebook forums, ten reasons why President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is witch-hunting Grand Gedeans. The series of articles are hereby attached for your perusal.

In view of the foregoing, and other circumstances that may break down law and order in our country, I am appealing to the United States Government, through your offices, to launch an investigation in the situation. If you don’t act, the people of Grand Gedeh may face enormous devastation and death much worse than what they experience during the wars. This act by the Sirleaf Administration is condemnable, and we cannot allow her to slip Liberia back into chaos.  We need our life in a serene and civilized society where our children can grow up in a tranquil society.

Thanking you for your attention, I remain.

Yours Truly,

Gibson W. Jerue

President

Phone: 612-607-9281

Email: mongboe2002@yahoo.com