Liberia: President Johnson-Sirleaf Evades TRC
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The Analyst (Monrovia)
6 March 2008
Posted to the web 6 March 2008
Monrovia
The single most utter of justice peace and reconciliation chosen by Liberians at the Accra peace talks was the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). It was one of two options - war crimes court or TRC.
The 2003 meeting of Liberian stakeholders including warlords, politicians, women, youth, religious and pressure groups chose the path of TRC to document the Country's past profligacy, political chicanery and military brutality against the peaceful and hapless and unarmed citizens.
The TRC, since its establishment, has been working and holding hearings in Monrovia and other cities in the leeward counties.
Victims and perpetrators have gorged out their experiences, but those who commanded the forces of rebellion and bear the greater responsibilities are yet to dignify the Commission by appearing and testifying.
Although President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has reiterated her support for the TRC process, comments made by her Tuesady morning during her regular "Talk with the President's radio program, indicate that she is not prepared to submit to the TRC process and tell her people what she knows about the war and the period dating to 1979.
She says she does not want to make the TRC a spectacle. The Analyst looks at the President utterances and their implications.
President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf gave a shortcut response to a question as to whether or not she would appear before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and tell the Liberian people and the world what she knows about the 14-year war and the events before it dating to 1979.
"I've said that I will appear, but I don't want to make spectacles of the process. You know I am doing a book which will be out next year and most of things people are talking about will be there".
According to the caller, the TRC process in Sierra Leone was successful to some extent because former President Kabbah appeared and explained his role in the conflict.
The President made the assertion during her regular "Talk with the President" program on the state-owned ELBC radio, and relayed by various local FM stations in the Monrovia and their affiliates stations in the leeward counties.
She spoke in a rather diplomatic tone which political connoisseurs say is an emphatic position of the President stating her un-readiness to gorge out everything that she knows and participated in during the period covering TRC mandate -1979 to 2003.
That single statement from the President dashed the hope and expectations that she would one day appear before the TRC to testify to what is within their certain knowledge. Many believe has a enriching experience to tell the Liberian people the events as they occurred between 1979 and 2003.
Although the President did not explain what she meant by not wanting to create spectacles, analysts deduced that she is evading the TRC apparently to avoid sparking controversy and huge argument following her testimony.
Another reason President gave is that she is writing her book that is expected to be released by next year. She says things she should have testified to at the TRC hearing are already the chief contents of the book.
President Sirleaf did also give a hint of what are some of issues she discussed in her book, but observers opined that there little the book the president will be publishing has to do the her testimony before the Commissioners of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC).
Several individuals and institutions and/or organizations have called on President Sirleaf to make a conscious effort to appear and testify before the commissioners of the TRC as a way of cementing the much-needed reconciliation drive that is yet to gain momentum in the country.
Former Senator Pro-Tempore during the regime of the former Liberian President Charles Taylor, Tom Woewiyou recently wrote an open letter to Madam Sirleaf urging her to testify.
According to Woewiyou President Sirleaf's voluntary appearance before the TRC will lift stormy clouds that will continue to haunt Liberians should key players in the Liberian wars like her fail to tell their stories.
The former spokesman and defense minister of the defunct National Patriotic Front of Charles Taylor insists that Madam Sirleaf should appear before the TRC on her on volition to state the roles she played in the protracted and horrific Liberian civil insurgency that allegedly killed over three hundred thousand citizens and residents.
Relevant Links
Referring to the precedent as having a domino effect on such greats of Liberia like Sawyer, Fahnbulleh, and Tipoteh amongst others, the former Senator of Grand Bassa county says the process would be emulative of the South African model of reconciliation, where Presidents Nelson Mandela and Frederik W. DeKlerk, appeared to speak the truth to free their consciences and to set laudable examples for their society.
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