The NEWS (Monrovia)
C. Emmanuel Johnson
19 March 2008
Monrovia — The Deputy Chief of Mission at the United States Embassy near Monrovia Brooks Anne Robinson said if Liberia is to achieve true security, justice and lasting development, the government must correct those ills which permeated the security sector in the past.
Speaking at a two-day policy seminar for Liberian security agencies held at the Governance Commission on Capitol Hill, Ms. Robinson noted that these problems range from security agencies being politicized, military not respecting civilians' rights to army and police forces preying on citizens instead of protecting them.
She also indicated that another historical problem was the inefficient judicial system that failed to deliver justice to the population.
Madam Robinson said both the police and courts should do better in order for government to sustain its credibility and commitment to human rights and the rule of law.
She noted that as the Liberian government embarks on its Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS), it needs to design the necessary framework to be injected into the security pillar which is one of the important components for the enhancement of the PRS.
Also speaking, the SRSG of UNMIL Ellen Margrethe Loj said without vibrant security apparatus in any country, infrastructural development is elusive. As such, she wants government give keen attention to the security pillar of the PRS.
She urged government to infuse the essential outcomes of the seminar into the security pillar of the PRS to ensure its successful implementation.
For his part, the Chairman of the Governance Commission Dr. Amos Sawyer lauded the facilitators for responding by coming to Liberia to attend the seminar.
He recounted that Liberia's strive to reform its security apparatus was still ongoing and attributed its success to assistance from the international donors and cooperation among stakeholders involved with the process.
He averred that the reform of the security sector was one of the cardinal works of the commission.
The seminar was aimed at sharing experiences on the security sector of other countries that have gone through similar reform.
Facilitators came from Ghana, Sierra Leone, Uganda and Liberia.
The Chairpersons of the National Legislature committees on defense and intelligence were also in attendance.
The seminar was presided over by ECOWAS Representative to Liberia Ansumana Cessay.
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