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.
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.
In his letter to President Sirleaf, Woewiyou said, "This letter is to express the anguish that I and most Liberians are experiencing with the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) as a direct result of the lackadaisical and inconsequential treatment given it by your administration."
He said, that based on the belief that the TRC approach will produce a lasting-healing effect, Liberians and the International Community concluded that a War Crimes Tribunal or a prosecutory resolution to our problem would do nothing but exacerbate the pain and continue the anguish among the people.
"Had you been interested in genuine-lasting peace and reconciliation among all the people of the Republic of Liberia, and also, had you being conscious of the deep seated pain caused by the 135 years of minority domination of the Liberian society.
"A principal cause of the war, your administration could have declared and sponsored a broad based National Mourning and Memorial Service across the country for the almost 300 thousand lives lost as a result of the 14-year civil war to include the two Presidents (Tolbert and Doe) that were killed under grotesque circumstances including the 13 Officials of government of the Tolbert administration who were executed in 1980."
In his conclusion, Woewiyou wrote that the Liberian people elected Madam Sirleaf in 2005, "even though in 1990, you went on the BBC to order Monrovia burnt. The Liberian people accepted your apology and elected you. Most of us who have been and are still in the upper layer of our National Public Lives have come there from the benevolence of our people."
He urged the President, "While some us may have committed serious wrongs including murder and Mayhem while prosecuting a just war, our people still find us worthy of governing them. Hence your appearance before the TRC will be a great step in the right direction. It will go down in history as one of your greatest achievements."
The Prisoners and Assistance Program (PAP) says it is interested in the Truth and Reconciliation achieving its mandate with dignity and suggested President Sirleaf practicalize her support for the TRC process by appearing and testifying to all that is within her certain knowledge from 1979 to 2003.
PAP said it believes the appearance of President before the commissioners of the TRC will help heal the wounds of the 14-year bitter civil conflict and will provide useful information as to her involvement with the defunct National Patriotic Front of Liberia.
Liberians who talked to The Analyst yesterday following the President's statement said they do not believe the book that the President is expected to release next year will answer all the questions that the TRC would need.
Some believe there is little that the TRC and Madam Sirleaf's book have in common since the President will only include in the book issues and events that she believes is useful to her, while TRC commissioners would want her to answer certain question that could help seal the history of the Liberian war and the period before it.
Stephen Bacoon, a physically challenge said, "The President is still dodging the TRC. She should show the political will to appear and say what knows about the war or the period between 1979 and 2003."
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