The Peace Building office at the Ministry of Internal Affairs Wednesday announced a roadmap for national healing, peace and reconciliation in Monrovia.
Mr. Wilfred G. Johnson, Executive Director of the Peace Building Office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) made the disclosure in Monrovia Wednesday at a joint press conference involving representatives of the civil society organizations and the Governance Commission.
The event, which is expected to kick-off in the central Liberian city of Gbarnga from July 29-31, is part of an Awareness Forum on Strategic Roadmap for National Healing Peace building and Reconciliation.
The National Peace Building, Healing and Reconciliation roadmap is a post-TRC instrument which focuses mainly on restorative and distributive justice, rather than the TRC recommendation, which is a combination of the two components, including retributive justice, a segment of the commission's recommendation which urged perpetrators of hideous crimes to account for their actions carried out during the country's 17 years brutal civil war. The gathering is expected to assemble several actors including representatives from government and civil society organizations, including Liberia's traditional community, the media, and the international community and the UN peace Building support section, as well as the international community. "Our discussion today is going to be focused on few key points, which is to say how important our national healing and peace and reconciliation process is," Mr. Johnson said. Adding: "We're going to talk about the national reconciliation roadmap and its implementation plans. And, of course, more critically, is the mass media awareness."
He said the process would look at the role of institutions that will be implementing the roadmap including civil society institutions, as well as the function of other institutions of government.
"Peace Building and Reconciliation in this country remains fundamental to the government of Liberian and all Liberians," Mr. Johnson said, vowing that together, "reconciliation is possible because we have no options but unite and reconcile our people."
Since 2006, he said a lot has been done to consolidate reconciliation and peace building process in the country. Since then, he said several conflict management exercises have been undertaken by the National Reconciliation Roadmap steering Committee, including identification of the root causes of conflict in the country, as well as the formulation of key policy documents intended to attain lasting peace in the country.
He rallied Liberians to support the entire exercise, promising that, once again, "It's possible for us to achieve lasting peace in this country." He also clarified that there's no confusion between his office and Geroge Weah-headed Peace Initiative, noting, "We're closely collaborating and everything is on course. This is part of 18 years peace plan, and we want the public to understand this." --Varney M. Kamara
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Liberian Leaders are not serious about reconciliation and peace because they live in America and work in Liberia. Again, this country might not hold together if the causes of the civil war, payment, punishment, reconciliation, good governance, and the fight again corruption is real and addressed. The international community is holding Liberia together, but the country leaders are not interested in a vibrant country after the UN leaves because the leaders live in America and work in Monrovia, Liberia. This is why cabinet ministers, deputies, etc. don't want to relocate their families to Liberia. Rather, they are stealing Liberian tax payers' money and receiving kickbacks from concession agreements to support their bad habits. About 98.5% of Liberian government officials has a home in American. The country has no electricity and safe drinking water. The president, members of the legislature, cabinet ministers, deputies ministers, ect. receive per-diem to come to America for medical check ups. The Liberian Healthcare System is in a mess because our leaders don't use the system. But RIA, Ghana, Nigeria, and America are places their medical doctors resides. So why full the Liberian People about any peace process when your bodies are in Liberia and your hearts are in America or elsewhere? Our leaders are not interested in peace and reconciliation. Those that committed crime should be punish, those affected should be paid. For example, some good results of a peace and reconciliation would be " Free education for all Liberians from the kindergarden to the 12th grade. Next, the government provide low interest loan to students to attend colleges and universities in Liberia. Second those who committed crime must serve for at least 3-8 yrs prison term. The elderly, children, students who don't have income should have free healthcare. The government invest in building news schools, universities, building our roads, decentralizing government with resources, fighting corruption cases, fighting nepotism, and placing behind bars the guilty. Third, the judiciary must be strengthen so that corrupt judges, court officials, state prosecutors, and defense attorney are prosecuted and place behind bar for corrupting our system of governance. Good governance must be promoted at all cost. But what we have today is the total opposite. One of the causes of our 16 yrs civil war was corruption. Corruption in governance and the abuse of the public trust and bad governance led us to the civil war. Our recent government is promoting more corruption by refusing to investigate and prosecute their friends who have become millionaires over night within the Ellen's administration just within 7.5 years of her rule. Nepotism is very high in Liberian Governance. The budgeting our national budget between President Sirleaf and members of the legislature and the symptoms of the old day that led to our civil war are all back in play today. The only thing that is holding Liberia together is the international community and the UNMIL troops and police in that country. When UNMIL withdraws her forces and have only few of their officers in Liberia, whomever the President might be will go back to the old days. President Sirleaf has already started that process, but her hands are tie in that she cannot grab her opponents and lack them up for trying to over throw her. These are excuses African leaders use when they are ready to go full dictatorship in their countries. Only time will tell as the UN leaves Liberia and their attention goes elsewhere.