Liberia

Fellow cpmrades and the progressive class, "We can't be taking pleasure from the poverty-stricken condition and abject misery of our people then we say the struggle must end. We can't be in haste to get rich and pretend that the struggle is coming to an end. On our side, the struggle is just beginning" —Prof. Alaric Tokpa.

Liberia’s Redemption & Struggle: Progressives Are Not To Blame

September 23, 2019 admin2 Liberia, Progressives, struggle

The Editor, With all due respect, some Liberians have miserably failed to come to the realization that “every generation out of relative obscurity must discover its mission, fulfill it betray or it” as propounded by the black existentialist and revolutionary – Frantz Fanon. The progressive forces in the 70s, 80s, and 90s and today in Liberia have struggled within the context of their time just as many other revolutionaries. These men struggled with all the fibber of their bodies to redeem the people from the shackles and yoke…

During the Legislative conference, Professor Olympia Beko, head of the international criminal justice unit of the human rights law centre, University of Nottingham, and David Scheffer, first U.S. Ambassador at Large for War Crimes Issues (1997-2001), will provide expert advice to members of the Legislature and Liberian stakeholders working on the Draft Act to Establish an Extraordinary Tribunal for War and Economic Crimes for Liberia via video-conference.

Public Policy

Is Liberia ready to address war crimes?

September 23, 2019 admin2 Liberia, War Crimes Court

The essentials: Liberia’s President George Weah is making moves that may lead to the establishment of an economic and war crimes court. This week, Weah submitted recommendations to parliament and sought advice on addressing human rights violations, war and economic crimes committed during the 14-year-long Liberian civil wars which ended in 2003. The background: President Weah appears to be bowing to pressure from civil rights groups and Liberian citizens to finally address the injustices of the wars. Although the Liberian truth and reconciliation commission recommended the establishment of a special…

Op-ed

Samuel Jackson’s Dangerous Posture on The New Currency

September 18, 2019 admin2 Liberia, new currency, Sam Jackson

The Editor, There is an essential banality to one Samuel Jackson’s boast about challenging anyone who thinks the idea of printing a new currency is a waste of time and resources. This man lives for the spotlight and to be heard; that is: even when he is purposefully lying and engaging in material misrepresentations. This self-styled economic genius thinks that during a myriad period of economic uncertainties in our country, our concerns or desire to know how introducing a new currency is going to help stabilize our economy and…

The Minister, with no higher level public service experience in planning and development prior to this job, boasted he could take President William V.S. Tubman plans of the 1950s and build a nation like the United States.

Op-ed

Hanging on Thin Rope: Salary Harmonization or Salary Cut?

September 15, 2019 admin2 Economy, Liberia

In this first edition of my new writing series titled “Under The Sycamore Tree”, I hereby present this brief but strong case on behalf of approximately 70,000 civil servants in Liberia. This case has 3 basic parameters, namely: economic, legal, and logical. The new ruling class was overwhelmingly voted for by civil servants in December 2017. Their ‘Change for Hope’ slogan became so popular and enchanting among members of the working poor of Liberia. After just 18 months, this ‘Change for Hope’ mantra has completely lost essence…

Making sure that the rule of law is upheld and Taylor brought to justice for his heinous crimes, sadly not for Liberia, but Sierra Leone, James Verdier worked pro bono to helped indict the war criminal, currently incarcerated in England. His commitment to the welfare of the Liberian people has always been paramount and this character has been impeccable. Observers say as Liberia looks to buried it past and move away from leaders who are so easily consumed by power, as they quickly forsake the national interest for personal aggrandizement, Jerome Verdier are those kinds that Liberia needs, as is indicative in the TRC report which he released with his fellow commissioners.

Public Policy

Liberia: Gangsters’ Paradise says former TRC Chair

September 14, 2019 admin2 Liberia, Verdier, Weah

“The culture of impunity has emboldened criminals in government and in the corridors of power to new heights of violence and crime, fully aware that they will not face justice anytime soon under the Weah regime because the perverse President of Liberia champions impunity, supports injustice and will not bring his henchmen to justice…” Cllr Jerome J. Verdier, Sr (Cllr), Executive Director, IJG The International Justice Group (IJG) based in Washington DC has issued a statement condemning the rising tide of violence and heinous crimes occurring regularly in the Country and…

Based on the declining economic condition in Liberia, this new regulation will certainly contribute to the increase in hardship and make Liberians even more vulnerable to extreme poverty. So far, there has been a popular consensus by the people for the government to reverse this new policy. Let it be known that laws ought to be made for the general good of the people in order to promote their utmost interest. If this government insists on executing this harsh regulation which is against the interest of the people, it will pay a very huge price for such insensitivity in all impending elections especially 2020 and 2023 elections. If the people realize that their survival, safety, and wellbeing are further threatened as a result of harsh policies by government which mostly affect them, they could rise and institute a wave of mass civil actions.

Business News

Socio-economic impact of canceling three days free calls

September 12, 2019 admin2 Liberia, Nws, telecommunication

The Editor, This is what I think as a Student of Economics. These are 10 visible dangers or risks of canceling ‘3 days free call’ and other bonanzas in my opinion. The government stands to risk a lot if this new regulatory policy of imposing an additional 5% fee on GSM Companies is not urgently reversed. Personal inward remittances from Diaspora Liberians will fall because most Liberians in the country will be unable to foot the high cost of communicating through voice calls and SMS. As a result,…

The party is calling on UL administration to ensure the immediate issuance of ID Cards to all students before the resumption of normal academic activities. Additionally, the ban on student political activities must be immediately lifted while urgency be given to the holding of ULSU general elections in this coming semester. As the 2019/2020 Draft National Budget is under legislative scrutiny, SUP is calling on the National Legislature to substantively increase the budget of UL and all public tertiary institutions in the country.

Op-ed

Student Unification Party expel militants for indiscipline

September 5, 2019 admin2 Famuleh, Kollie, Liberia, SUP, Tingba

Press Release In a release, the Student Unification Party, has expeled few pf its partisans for gross indiscipline and breach of party constitution – describes the so-called expulsion of Chairman Carlos Tingban Edison as “a Blatant Lie and a Cheap Gossip only good enough for Monrovia City Corporation Trashcan” Issued in monrovia, the militant student organization called on: sons and daughters of shantytowns, ghettos and hamlets, civil society actors, marketers, motorcyclists, taxi drivers, pen-pen riders, rock crushers, car loaders, shoeshine boys, casual laborers, conscious students, public school teachers,…

“It is very very important to work with Liberian coaches. So I am not thinking about bringing coaches [backroom staff] from outside. There is a huge amount of talent here. “From my experiences of working in English, Asian and African football and trying to enhance the level of the league here and from a development perspective, the ultimate goal is to improve [Liberia’s] Fifa rankings and qualify for Afcon.”

Op-ed

Liberia: What we know about coach Peter Butler so far

August 30, 2019 admin2 Coach Peter Butler, Liberia, Lone Stars

During his tenure at the helm of Zebras for three years, the British coach and former West Ham United player did not achieved much. In essence many local football pundits would agree that Butler is more suited to development than managing a senior national team. Despite failing to qualify for any top tier competitions including Africa Cup of Nations and FIFA World Cup, Butler proved to be an outstanding talent scout. Bold, brash and confrontational, the Englishman has also proved to be a hard worker having scoured…

Op-ed

The historical revisionists Vs. the progressive class

August 30, 2019 admin2 Fahnbulleh, Liberia, Progressive Class, Sawyer, Tipoteh

The Editor, The historical revisionists, many of whom are remnants of the outmoded, True Whig Party oligarchy think they have succeeded in laying blame on those we call the “Progressives” of Liberia. We often hear them say, Liberia was OK until April 14, 1979 when PAL and MOJA called for a rice riot. But what these right-wing reactionaries deliberately failed to tell our people is that April 14, 1979 was a necessity that happened through accident. Suffice this to mean that April 14, 1979 happened not because…

Again the Congo elite found this new ethnicity unwelcoming, seeing it as a threat to their power. They complained to the president and suggested for him to go slow with the changes. Despite the complaints and suggestion, Tubman continued with the reforms as they increased his popularity in the country. He wore a country gown at tribal functions, and particularly in his home county Maryland, people called him a Grebo native man. Tubman, a native man, and no one complained or accused him of tribalism.

Public Policy

Chaos and brutality in Liberian politics Part III

August 30, 2019 admin2 Americo Liberia, Liberia, Tubman

By Dagbayonoh Kiah Nyanfore II 1955 election The election of 1955 can be called in Liberia the election of the century. It was a race between the teacher and the student or the father versus the son. Former president Edward Barclay challenged President Tubman. Why did Barclay, who was comfortably retired, come out to challenge his in-law and protege? The narrative below answers the question. Having resisted petitions to challenge Tubman and having patiently tried and unable to change Tubman’s mind regarding the reforms, Barclay finally agreed…