Rabbi Prince Joseph Tomoonh-Garlodeyh Gbaba, Sr., Ed. D. Exiled Liberian Playwright & Artist/Scholar

Transcription

1 Dr. Gbaba s July 26 Day Message to All Liberians: Liberians Are Tired of Being Held Hostage by Liberian Warlords and Want a Legal Way Out! What Do You Think? Rabbi Prince Joseph Tomoonh-Garlodeyh Gbaba, Sr., Ed. D. Exiled Liberian Playwright & Artist/Scholar Salutation and Introduction Madam President, Mr. Vice President, Speaker, Chief Justice, Justices of the Supreme Court of Liberia and members of the judiciary; members of the Legislature, cabinet members, members of the diplomatic corps accredited near Monrovia, fellow Liberians at home and abroad, especially those in refugee camps around the world, as well as those in Liberia who cannot find a cup of rice to eat on Liberia s 165 th Independence Day; friends, ladies and gentlemen: Greetings in the blessed name of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob! May Dehbior Younsuah guide us and give us the strength to overcome our common foes in the persons of Liberians and foreigners who continue to plunge us into the depths of selfdestruction, lawlessness, divisiveness, and lack of progress. Amen. 1

2 The Time is Ripe to Take Action or Mayhem and Human Carnage Are Likely to Recur! Ladies and gentlemen and fellow compatriots while I may not be the official national orator of Liberia s 165 th Independence Day celebration, yet it justly behooves me as an exiled Liberian playwright and scholar to share a few words of wisdom with all Liberians and members of the international community because the time is indeed ripe to do so. Like most of my compatriots, I was forced into exile from Liberia more than fifteen years ago based on rebel activities: fear of persecution, ethnic cleansing, and wanton or motiveless destruction of human lives and properties that were spearheaded by most of those in power today. Above are skulls and skeletons of victims of the Liberian civil war that was perpetrated by Sirleaf and others. Lifting travel ban for Liberian warlords is a big blow to the Liberian peace process. Now Liberian warlords can reunite with their cohorts abroad and cause more damage to the Liberian nation and its citizens, as well as to citizens in the West African sub region. Beware Faked Peace in Liberia! Thus, while there seems to be some semblance of peace in Liberia at this time, I want you to beware faked peace in Liberia for such peace is sitting on a time bomb! That is, violence and mayhem may erupt as soon as the peacekeepers leave Liberia because we have not put into place the proper legal and democratic bases and mechanisms that are necessary to deal legally with perpetrators of injustice and mayhem in our society. This is the reason why the Liberian peace process came to a complete halt when the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was established and its findings made public several 2

3 years ago. Subsequently, the United Nations, African Union, ECOWAS, and other international peace brokers abandoned the ECOWAS Peace Plan for Liberia and everybody started seeking and eating gblorteh! Let Bygones Be Bygones Will Not Solve Our National Problems But Rule of Law Can! Also, another reason for the collapse in the Liberian peace process was because Liberians in their so-called truest wisdom elected those who killed their mas and pas in support of the Let bygones be bygones philosophy, thus making Liberians the laughing stalks of the entire universe! Against this backdrop, I strongly believe we should genuinely pursue and reinstitute the rule of law to govern ourselves as law-abiding citizens before it gets too late. Further, we need to follow the footsteps of our brothers and sisters in Sierra Leone who left no stones unturned when it came to dealing with rebels and perpetrators of heinous crimes against the people of Sierra Leone. On the contrary, Liberians are regrettably caught in a web of glamorizing mayhem and lawlessness as a way to reward those who destroyed lives and properties in Liberia. Therefore, my rhetorical questions to you are: (1) without instituting rule of law, can the philosophy of Let bygones be bygones save the day when the peacekeepers pull out? And (2) will Liberian warlords not purchase more weapons to rain terror on innocent and vulnerable Liberian women and children and the elderly now that the travel ban on Liberian warlords has been lifted? These are my questions; and, can anyone please answer them? By UN lifting the travel ban on Liberian warlords, it is possible that the flood gates of war have been reopened to empower Liberian warlords to purchase more weapons and to rain more terror on innocent Liberian civilians, and vulnerable women and children and the elderly. UN, what have Liberians done to you? Is UN now in the pockets and pocketbooks of the Old Ma and her cohorts? Ay, God, please come to our rescue yah. Your children are dying and suffering with no food to eat and no safe drinking water on Liberia s 165 th Independence Day. Yet, the UN is lifting travel ban so Liberians can suffer more and more! Ay Allah! the Mandingo man laments. 3

4 With the Travel Ban Lifted on Liberian Warlords Liberians Should Be Prepared for Another Round of Viciously violent Cycle! Will the lifting of travel ban on Liberian warlords have an impact on the Liberian peace process? Will Liberians be able to go for another round of violence that may ensue without law and order first being established in post-war Liberia? Against this backdrop, I am wondering what will happen to the so-called peace and stability in Liberia when the UN pulls out. Consequently, it is clear that the Let bygones be bygones philosophy will not solve our national problems but rule of law can. Thus, through rule of law as well as the reinstitution of law and order, Liberians will have a back up plan as a nation and people to correct the wrongs of their society. In this light, Liberians can jointly seek peaceful and legal methods to resolve our conflicts rather than using the barrels of guns to attack our enemies. What You Do for Peter You Must Do for John! In view of the foregoing, it is safe to say that the concept of Let bygones be bygones promotes a vicious cycle of violence in society. For instance, today, Ellen and her cohorts committed heinous crimes against the Liberian people and here we are after more than twenty-two years we have no electricity, no paved roads, no good hospitals and clinics and no well equipped schools. Further, there are no good farm-to-market roads; no accountability of our meager resources and Liberians are even poo-poo-ning on our beaches that should serve as tourist sites. Yet, instead of putting into place a system backed by rule of law, we have chosen to base the resolution of our national crisis on mere friendship, selfish interests, and Who know you, in utter neglect of the bigger picture Liberia and its citizens. In this light, we have consequently rewarded our oppressors with big public jobs so that they may be more empowered to kill us and destroy the little we have worked for all our lives. Therefore, my question to all of you is: if we say Let bygones be bygones today because Ellen and her cohorts are the cause of death of more than a quarter million people, will we be willing to say Let bygones be bygones when Yanquoi and Moses Johnny kill a hundred thousand more Liberians tomorrow? 4

5 In view of the foregoing, the best way to resolve a national crisis is to hold each citizen responsible for his or her actions through the rule of law. Yes, restoring law and order in post war Liberia is a must and that is what we want for Liberia forthwith! Therefore, I would like to appeal to all Liberians and the international community to help us achieve this goal as soon as possible. National Unity and Progress Cannot Flourish in Lawlessness but They Can under Rule of Law! Instead of giving our children guns to kill, we should give them pencils and books to read and write so that they may be able to make informed decisions for themselves in the near future. Further, it is important to note here, brothers and sisters, and friends of Liberia, that no nation and people can succeed in a society that is lawless and where the people believe in force of arms to resolve their conflicts. Indeed, no nation and people can flourish without putting into place legal and peaceful mechanisms that will deter perpetrators from committing heinous crimes against their own citizens. So, in the Liberian situation, I can rightly say national unity and progress cannot flourish within an atmosphere of lawlessness but Liberians can collectively achieve under the rule of law. Additionally, no nation and people can succeed where there is ethnic cleansing and the disposition of justice based on collective guilt. Rather, a nation and people can always succeed like here in the United States where the rule of law exists and where each individual citizen is held accountable for the consequences of his or her actions. Liberians Are Feeling the Pinch and Pain in Their Shoes! Today, most Liberians are feeling the pinch in their shoes and this pinch causes serious pain that Liberians can no longer bear. In view of the foregoing, Liberians are tired of being held hostage by Liberian warlords. That is why Liberians should all jointly fight against perpetrators of heinous crimes in Liberia. 5

6 The Lord Will Judge His People I know that certain individuals that are responsible for our suffering are threatening that bamboo will divide kola if they are brought to justice. However, I want to advise any man or woman who has destroyed human lives and properties in Liberia not to ever attempt to take up arms again to destroy our national peace and tranquility. Any man or woman who defies this warning will be dealt with according to the laws of the land, irrespective of their UN, ECOWAS, or international connections. Furthermore, I want the oppressors of the Liberian people not to forget that the voice of the people is the voice of God. Thank goodness our God reigns supreme and he never sleeps! Therefore, take courage in the Lord and wait on his appointed time. Nevertheless, for those who sing their famous rhyme: We will always be up and they will always be down, I also want you to remember that just yesterday Tolbert was up but where is he today? Yesterday Doe was up but where is he today? Yesterday, Charles Taylor was up but where is he today? Therefore, can Liberians not realize before it gets too late that the Lord will judge his people and that our downfall will come like a thief in the night if we do not obey and respect God? Do Not Continue to Allow Rebels To Threaten You and Make You Live in Fear for God Almighty Is on His Throne! Ladies and gentlemen, fellow citizens, please do not permit rebels to threaten and scare you. Do not allow them to make you live in perpetual state of fear for God Almighty is on his throne! Such persons will be dealt with in accordance with the Constitution and laws of Liberia, as well as with international humanitarian laws.! Therefore, you and I should not continue to live in fear because justice for us will not be possible if all Liberians continue to sit down supinely and expect foreigners to babysit and provide us security when we ourselves should be manning our own border posts, heading our national security networks, and implementing national policies and projects that will empower all Liberians to be productive and nationalistic. This I believe is where we now stand as a nation and people. Liberian Warlords Have Bought the UN System to Lift Travel Ban So They Can Escape! Fellow Liberians and friends of Liberia, we should be vigilant because Liberian warlords now have the UN system in their back pockets and pocketbooks. That is why the travel ban on Liberian warlords has been lifted so they can escape when Liberians begin to corner them to the wall for stealing and killing and for destroying our national security systems overtime! Remember that Liberian warlords are not sleeping: they are planning how to destroy more lives and properties in the near future. They are preparing to rain another 6

7 round of terror on all of us in order to disenfranchise us and make our future bleak. That is why those in power have now lifted the ban on the travel of Liberian warlords abroad because they are preparing to run away with the millions they have stolen. Therefore, we should seal our borders, our air, sea ports and other ports of entry in Liberia to make sure that those responsible for the mayhem and human carnage do not escape with our money. Conclusion: My 26 on Your! Ladies and gentlemen, this is my July 26 Day message to you. Therefore, I would like to close by saying: My 26 on your oh, my people! I miss your plenty and I look forward to returning home someday soon by God s grace. God s peace and blessings be yours always. Amen. Rabbi Prince Joseph Tomoonh-Garlodeyh Gbaba, Sr., Ed. D. Exiled Liberian Playwright & Artist/Scholar July 25,