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Monrovia — President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, 70, should be barred from holding public office for 30 years for abetting atrocities committed by one of Liberia's armed rebels, according to Liberia's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC).
She is said to have provided "moral and financial support" to the Charles Taylor-led National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL), said one of the leading dailies, the News, in its leading story today. Other papers were awash with stories from the TRC's final report submitted to the Legislature on June 30, 2009.
During her testimony at the TRC's public hearings, President Sirleaf admitted to allegations that she supported Taylor and his rebel movement during the civil crisis.
The Liberian President is among 50 Liberian barred from holding public office. The list includes prominent personalities in government, the Legislature, and those in the public who have served previous regimes.
Besides this, the TRC has also served a clampdown for others, recommending them for prosecution for war crimes, crimes against humanity and economic crimes.
Interestingly, this list includes Taylor currently being prosecuted in The Hague for similar atrocities committed in Sierra Leone.
In category for prosecution for war crimes also is Prince Y. Johnson, a seating Senator, who is described as one of the "most notorious violators" and accused of "killings, extortion, massacre, destruction of property, forced recruitment, assault, torture, forced labour and rape".
The implications for the report are far reaching. First of all, if implemented, it practically locks President Sirleaf from running for a second term in the 2011 elections and might put to rest one of the issues that remains the suspect of speculation - whether or not she intends to run. She herself has remained dodgy on this. It will be interesting to see how this debate now evolves.
In submitting the final report whose work took two years, TRC chairman Jerome Verdier expressed the optimism that the report's recommendations will be fully implemented.
"The majority of Liberian people, including members of the TRC who are victims or survivors of the massive wave of atrocities induced by the conflict, expect that all the recommendations contained in the report will be implemented," said Verdier.
TRCs' final report covers the civil conflict in Liberia from 1979 to 2003 and findings on the causes of the conflict and makes recommendations on how the country can move forward.
Some of these recommendations include reparations for groups affected by the conflict.
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What else could any true Liberian say to the TRC of Liberia? As for me, I say thank you and bravo. By being honest and given a report though, may never be implemented, the commission did serve well for the purpose for which it was set up. There is no wich hunting but once the names of the financials and the executors of the war are published and relevent recommendations given there is some high level of fairness. Please forgive some of us who put the cart before the horse by critizing and relegating your work as fruitless. You have fought a good fight and those who think that Liberians will return to war again, are making the sadest mistake in their lives.
You write here "the commission did serve well for the purpose for which it was set up"...Do you think that you really know THE P U R P O S E>? If Hon. President in Office image`s is expired, another Americo Liberian will follow soon, a new and fresh one with the links to the "prosperous past"..Could it be Clrs Tubman? The stuff is that the Americo Political ELITE GROUP must take full controll of a secure country (sooner or later). The TRSs list will clear the country of the dangerous people to this Americo Liberian Political Elite. The rest ..ex. >>>The TRIBAL CHIEFS >>> can be corrupted, intimidated, etc.. and made to cooperate , even in doing the dirty jobs against their own aborigines people...in the name of peace! The real fear of the Americo Liberian Elite and chalenge are the names on the TRSs list.They have to get to get rid of them as soon a s possible in a "legal way"...I was looking at Mr. Verdier`s CV.Nothing can be found . I am wondering if Mr. Verdier and Co are aware that they are used in a game bigger than life itself ...with the result of...(@To-I -let paper@)
Please observe that the TRIBAL CHIEFS are making trips to Monrovia in an active and optimistic mood and that the Taylors Downfall is timed with the TRS s Final Report! IAll it is going acc to the "Above" Scheduling!
It is suspected that the TRIBAL CHIEFS are in the process to be persuaded to cooperate with the TRSs actions and with the election of the future president (It appears that they know the name of the Future president, already).. They will do so, as traditionally they are able to do all kind of bad things " against their own people for the sake of safe community".( or some petty gain...).So they believe!..for exchange of... glass beads, etc...as in the past when they sold the land to the Americo Liberians... for ...(To-i-Let paper)
Why are Liberians not sincere when they are given a task to perform? Why choose a path of more division over reconciliation when task given you was about bringing people together? The commissioners of the TRC have just misused the huge sum given to them and instead, have plunched the country into more division because of their one sided decision and partial implications of others. Yes, the commissioners misused the amount given to them because they were not working together as a unit and instead, they were divided over making concrete decision and other misused the confused situation to make revenge-made decision against other Liberians which they are against. The decision made was not the will of every member of the TRC and so the Liberian people are now faced with whether the decision was fair, made appropiately or jumped onto by few people who feel that what they say will stand.
Right now, the pronouncement of this one-sided decision by the TRC commissioners who left the path of reconciliation to honor more divisive direction; is already giving headlines to more confusion in Liberia and paving the way for the following to take place. The decision which was made based on group personal agenda has paved the way for more corruption by government officials who will now focus their attention on stealing because of their feeling that Ellen Sirleaf will be leaving office, government official will fail to obey rules because of lack of competent leader for the government, political players will capitalize on this pronouncement to insert more confusion thus forcing the Liberian people to rebel against the government and of course building more tension in this peaceful-fragile nation.
Was this what we expect from the Truth Reconciliation Committee for all the amount we paid to keep them on the job? What were the reasons for all the confession? Were people coming out to confess and apologize openly because they wanted to be prosecuted? How were the commissioners picked to do this job? Did they really know how we came to this whole civil war issue in Liberia? Did they know the reasons why Tolbert killed and many of his TWP officials were shot to death broad day in Liberia? Do members of the committee know that other Liberians were being hunted day-by-day in Liberia because of their tribal affiliation, party association and what have you?
I personally feel that the few commissioners decision is a joke in that it does not represent the truth meaning of reconciliation. The commissioners made a big mistake by implicating the president who sincerely stated her reasons for joining the rebellion and apologized to the Liberian people for what she thinks she did wrong. We were all in Liberia when the seated government at a time was looking for this president for other charges. She was out of her own country for years for her own fear.
Again Liberians, we are faced with another decision that is one-sided oriented. It happen before when Tolbert was killed and the hard working TWP officials were placed on the poles and shot to death. We were on the street dancing and rejoicing bout just to turn back few weeks later to regret their death. Ellen and others are faced with the same condition of poor decision by few people and we are left out there to bring about judgement on them. These folks did what they were faced with because of the condition surrounding them.
They need a chance to serve the Liberian people. Ellen herself has been doing a fine job and have move the image of Liberia far then any other seated Liberian leaders in history. She needs a chance to lead the nation for couple more years so that healing in the nation can take place with regular pay checks to families. We should not stopped her fine job because of jealousy or political motive to prosecute her and slide the nation back into working without pay again. Liberian is an old nation with young hearts because of the lot of wasted opportunities. We need to put our acts together to move the country forward and in doing so we need to forgo conditions that are not too damaging to the population and fight for the good image of our nation.
Remember, " The love of LIBERTY BROUGHT US HERE" and it is this freedom, togetherness and liberty that will keep us here.
THE STRUGGLE CONTINUES!
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