9 January 2008
editorial
IN EARNEST, THE long awaited but inevitable process of truth telling of the heinous crimes committed during the sanguinary fratricidal war opened yesterday at the historic Centennial Pavilion. The process is expected to expedite the national healing and reconciliation mandate of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). Public hearings or the occasion for victims or perpetrators of the war to voice out their experiences began with the first horror stories, under the full glare of local and international journalists, President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and her government officials, with the full bench of the TRC. At least, the country is seemingly molting from jungle justice to the envisioned paradise of "One Nation, One People; One Destiny" that many political establishments of the country tout.
HOWEVER, LISTENING TO the earlier truth telling processes, this paper observed that while some victims or survivors demonstrated courage by disclosing names of their alleged perpetrators - institutional or individuals - others tactically chose to dodge that essential procedure, apparently as a self preservation measure. Truth telling or transparency, according to our reckoning, requires that all aspects of the victims' stories are related and that the alleged perpetrators are confronted with such disclosures to make their own responses thereto. In this way, the two sides of the same coin will be considered or understood by the public. This process broadens the knowledge of citizens and refreshes their memories and redirects them to holistic national pursuits. From this, the perpetrators moved by the guilt of their past actions, as a natural course render apologies for their misdeeds and seek forgiveness.
THIS IS THE juncture, for a great number of Liberians; at which this process terminates. It means that the apologies rendered by perpetrators to victims will serve to restore broken relationships during the war. But that is the simplistic view, considering the long haul that the TRC Act requires commissioners to document the abuses and recommend various reforms against the discordant chemistry of the country.
BUT AS THE truth telling process goes on, the fear factor that causes testifying victims or survivors to veer towards quietude or partial disclosure must not be allowed to bloom uncontrollably. If truth telling or full disclosure will help to anneal the nation, it is counterproductive for anyone appearing before the commissioners to hide their genuine feelings because of fear that someone, somewhere has a fall back position of strength to inflict harm upon them. This fear hinders the completeness principle, wherein the kernel of truth is kept under the carpet because someone is perceived to still harbor the power to reduce others committed to truth to nothingness as was the state of affairs during the war era.
NOW, THIS LEADS us to the issue whether or not the Commission should be kept as a docile theater of hearings, without muscle flexing power in defense of those committed to telling the truth before it. The TRC must be supported to the fullest to meet up with the responsibility of safeguarding the lives of those who testify before it. This defense mechanism must buttress the commission's authority so that no fear will overwhelm those testifying before it. We think that a neutral and capable force could do an effective job in destroying this fear factor. For the time being, that force can be provided by the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), who must mentor the restructured police to do their best in the future for the wellbeing of victims against the perpetrators..
ALL IN ALL, the government must make sure that the commission is protected and that those appearing before it are equally protected. While the commission has a large scope of authority, at least on paper, the safety of commissioners and their victims and perpetrators must be foremost in the national security consideration. We believe that this moment of truth telling must be braced with adequate security guarantees for citizens to muster the courage to relay the truth as they felt it during the heartless era of our civil upheaval.
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