14 August 2008
When the intrusion of war and criminal violence in Liberian politics is discussed, its genesis is often traced to the slaying of President William R. Tolbert, the execution by firing squad of 13 members of his kitchen cabinet and kin, and their burial in a mass grave.
Not only is the genesis traced to these dramatic events, but many also cite them as justifications for the December 24, 1989 invasion of Liberia by Charles Taylor - believed by some to represent the vindictive stock of the Congo hegemony.
But testifying before the TRC hearing yesterday, an executive member of the defunct Progressive Alliance of Liberia (PAL), D. Kahn Carlos, said the political killings and the desecration of the dead that haunted Liberia for close to two decades got their thrusts from the Tolbert Administration.
Our Roving Reporter was at the hearing yesterday and compiled this report.
An executive member of PAL, D. Kahn Carlos, told the ongoing TRC Thematic and Institutional Public Hearings, yesterday, that dozens of PAL members were murdered and buried in a mass grave by the Tolbert Administration.
The slaying of the PAL members and dozens of other innocent bystanders occurred on April 14, 1979 when police and other military operatives opened fire indiscriminately on a crowd that had gathered to take part in a peaceful rally.
The ends of the rally, according to him, was to inform the government of the hardship in the country, of the pending increase in the price of a 100-lb bag of rice despite the hardship and mass unemployment, and of what would happened to poor Liberians if the Agriculture Minister's planned rice price increase was allowed to go ahead.
Kahn, the fourth former member of PAL to appear before the TRC, could not give an exact number of those killed and desecrated though mass-grave burial; but according to him, the killings represented the largest peacetime killing in the history of Liberia's political intolerance.
He said when the Tolbert Administration completed its wicked deeds, it dug large hole behind the building presently housing the Ministry of Gender and Development, dumped the bodies there, and covered them. The area in question is near the Palm Groove Cemetery on Gurley Street, a stone's throw from where PAL had its offices.
He recalled that Health Minister Kate Bryant announced on behalf of government that only 79 persons were killed in the police's action, but he discounted that, insisting that the number was much, much larger.
"What I want you to know, Mr. Chairman is that our members were buried in mass grave, and buried behind the Ministry of Gender and Development. They did not only bury them in mass grave, but they also brought them to our door steps to abuse, to humiliate us.
And somebody in the country say PAL brought the confusion and should apologize. Mr. Chairman what is the true meaning of this commission, what is it supposed to do?" he asked rhetorically, carefully tailoring his question on what he said happened to a number of "revolutionaries".
Mr. Carlos is the first PAL member to claim in his testimony that victims of the so-called infamous 1979 rice riot were desecrated and buried in mass grave even though they were acting in keeping with law - reportedly though without government approval.
Messrs Oscar Quiah, Chea Cheapo, H. Boima Fahnbulleh and Jesus Alieu Swaray made no mention of the incident that many say represents one of the darkest chapters in Liberia's search for democracy and social justice, let alone to talk about burial in mass grave.
Whether that added to or subtracted from his testimony, analysts say, needs careful examination. This is, because they say, bringing up the missteps of the Tolbert Administration is crucial to the study by the TRC of what actually went wrong and how succeeding stage actors added to the destruction of Liberia.
Besides the killing and mass burial, according to Carlos, 500 of PAL members were arrested, put behind bars, and subjected to harsh treatment
The former political activist gave no details of the "harsh treatment" but alleged further that a number of dead from among the 500 PAL members detained at the Post Stockade military facilities was buried on the grounds of the Post Stockade.
"Mr. Chairman, I want you people to seek permission to go the Post Stockade to dig up that place because I am of the conviction that our members were buried there," he emphasized. Following the bloody rice riot, outstanding members of PAL including Oscar Quiah, G. Baccus Matthews, Sam Jackson and others were rounded up and jailed at the now disbanded Post Stockade at the Barclay Training Center.
They were released on June 27, 1979, according to him, following the intervention of prominent Liberians in the clergy and decided to rest and watch the trend of events.
Following a resting period during which they reviewed the situation, according to him, they went to the 'mass grave' of their fallen brothers and sisters, performed libation and other traditional rituals to their memories, and assured them that they would not betray the struggle.
Following that, he said, they began active service, and this time around, decided to transform PAL into a political party. The new decision, though, did go down well with the ruling True Whig Party (TWP). He said in September of 1979, they wrote President William R. Tolbert of their decision to form a political party, but did not say what Tolbert's response to their request was.
However, with determination and resolve, he said they succeeded in registering the party on January 8, 1980, having completed the requirements put forth by the government.
Following the transformation of PAL into political party, Carlos said the government intensified the campaign to bully them into cowardice by insinuating that they had planned a coup to topple the government, noting "We were arrested in March and thrown into the Post Stockade."
He said while at the Post Stockade, they were maltreated and humiliated, noting: "They beat us and we thought that would have been the end of us."
The PAL architect said it was unfortunate for a group of law-abiding Liberian citizens who underwent such rough treatment by their government to be branded "foolish trouble-makers".
"Let me make it clear that we in PAL were not troublemakers, foolish and destroyers. We were not looking for money; we were not doing it to build houses for girl friends, or we were not doing it to generate huge bank accounts," he said.
Meanwhile, . D. Kahn Carlos has called on the TRC to ensure that the judiciary is transformed so that it can serve the interest of every Liberian. He said his appeal is against the backdrop of the difficulties members of PAL experienced with the judiciary when they were denied justice, not once, but on many occasions.
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