Photo: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Leymah-Roberta-Gbowee/261358187236905?fref=ts In the same breath that she berated vigilante justice and violence, 2011 Nobel Peace Prize co-winner, Leymah Gbowee, has called on lawmakers to "recommit" to their oaths of office.
Perhaps playing safe in apparent in efforts to avoid backlash, or stay above the fray, the Nobel laureate skillfully skirted the hot issues, which analysts say are whether the House of Representatives ran afoul of the law and whether the Executive Mansion's intervention showed leadership or placed a blockage in the path of the rule of law.
"The members of our 53rd National Congress need to recommit to the oath taken upon accepting their jobs given to them by the people of Liberia. They need to start actually supporting and defending the Constitution of Liberian, upholding the laws they swore to enforce, and faithfully discharging their duties," Ms Gbowee said in a press release she issued on February 28, 2013.
She lamented the prevailing conditions in the country, which she said have betrayed the hope of the Liberian people of overcoming past negativity, and noted that there was no question that the nation was headed to the "dark abyss". "[And] this is draining up our positive energies --? instead of a continuous rise to assume our rightful place amongst the comity of nations."
Ms. Gbowee fell short of saying whether the lawmakers contributed to the dismal picture she painted of Liberia. She neither said what prompted her call for them to renew their oath of office, but she insisted that the renewal was crucial.
The place to begin as they begin the process of renewal, she suggested, was not primarily at impropriety in government operations, but within the National Legislature itself.
"Our Lawmakers must take on positive fights, collectively or individually, for the constituents that they represent," she said. "It is important that the National Legislature takes a firm and proactive stance on Representative Edward Forh. I recommend the immediate suspension of Representative Forh from all legislative --? related matters, pending investigation."
She did, to the shock of observers, not say where she stood on the House-Kpaan saga regarding the exercise of the legislative contempt by the House, which sparked what many say has now become a potential constitutional crisis.
The feminist peace advocate however proceeded to take what observers called "controversial position" on a citizens' action at the Temple of Justice against two of those who face charges for undermining the rule of law. This is as though the scruple her chickening arouse in the minds of observers was not enough embarrassment.
"I would also like to categorically denounce the physical attacks on the persons of Ms. Miatta Fahnbulleh and Madam Mary Broh," she said but quickly noted that she did not support their attempt to rescue Superintendent Kpaan, Western cowboy style.
She, in passing, called for a legal approach to feminist advocacy in Liberia and then proceeded to lambast the youth of the country, whom she believed accosted Fahnbulleh and Broh at the Temple of Justice as they sought writs of prohibition from the Supreme Court against the House of Representatives. The House had issued arrest and incarceration orders for the two women for their alleged roles in facilitating the escape of Supt. Kpaan.
"As to the youth of the country, your frustrations are understood because those who should be your role models and show you leadership are continuously failing and not projecting as positively as they should be. However, respect for the rule of law can never be replaced by vigilante justice and violence. Those illegal options can and will never be an appropriate alternative. As future leaders of Liberia it is important that you always approach 'perceived injustice' from a non --? violent perspective," said the 2011 peace laureate, who recently abandoned the headship of the Liberia Peace and Reconciliation Commission on what critics called "flimsy excuses".
Critics say by that action, which blamed on non-cooperation from the Sirleaf Administration and nepotism in government, the laureate ceased to be a serious icon for peace and reconciliation in Liberia. But not many hold that view of her, this paper has found in a recent survey.
Meanwhile, Ms Gbowee say as Liberians struggle to institute the culture of rule of law, they also need to temper the rigidity of governance with the invocation of Divine intervention.
"We need deep, and most importantly spiritual, introspection across the length and breadth of this land. We need to do less talking and more investigation, indictment, and prosecution of corrupt officials. We need to ensure we are a nation of laws, and not one of preferred or untouchable individuals. We need great commitment to country and not to benefactors. We need patriotic and hardworking citizens, not individuals who are self-seeking. And, we need to do more praying for our country," she said.
Moreover, she said, Liberians needed to shed divisive attitudes and hold together as one. "This is the only Liberia that we have and we must continue to work – no matter how grueling it gets --? to uphold the hard earned peace and democracy we have fought for, and that which our loved ones have died for in our country."
Where Gbowee's choice of action and inaction places her in the issue at hand, especially regarding what President Sirleaf must do to avert the imminent constitutional crisis, observers say, remains part of the enigma surrounding the rise of the woman, Leymah Roberta Gbowee, to national limelight.
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