Why Liberia’s Political Parties Are Mute
Saturday, October 31, 2009 2:53
By Teah N. Jardia
President Charles Taylor of Liberia retains his guerrilla instincts and serious about to make good his promise to kill at will. A recent hit list published is a second since his presidency. Names mentioned on the first list included the late Nimba County Senator Samuel Dokie, Vice President Enoch Dogolea, Chieh Kadiea, among others.
Amid economic hardship and political turmoil in Taylor’s Liberia, therefore, leaders of political parties remain silent because none wants to be a martyr. Those politicians remain quiet also because they seek gravy for themselves, ignoring the people’s cause, a classic example of Charles Darwin’s concept of “survival of the fittest.”
Where are the political leaders who should be effective agents of change for social justice in Liberia? When does the unwarranted political gobbledygook end? When will those presidential hopefuls ever champion the people’s cause and speak against the continuing human indignities perpetrated against the masses by the Taylor regime?
When President Charles Taylor ordered the slaughter of Samuel Dokie, the mysterious disappearance and death of Madam Nowai Flomo and the flogging to death of Vice President Enoch Dogolea with impunity, not one of the political parties made any comment. No, not one had the guts to speak against such barbarities.
When Taylor flexed his muscle recently by flogging Dr. Amos Claudius Sawyer — Taylor’s partner in the killing business — and Conmany Wesseh in Monrovia, hardly any political party condemned those responsible for such human rights violations. One wonders why those many political parties sit by without urging the Taylor regime to do the right thing.
When will these political parties ever speak against the country’s economic hardship? When does the people’s cause take precedent over the desparate political ambition of a greedy few for state power? Where are their platforms, or do they have any? Why are they invisible? Have they migrated to greener and safer pastures in the West, abandoning their would-be constituents to live in Taylor’s’ hell?
Liberia’s political circus reminds me of a statement made by Dr. Cletus Wotorson: “There are a compendium of political irregularities in the Taylor government, but I want to see my children grow up.” Wotorson made the remarks at a meeting of the Alliance of Political Parties Abroad in Silver Spring, MD, a year ago. Shortly thereafter, he became one of Taylor’s principal advisers irrespective of summary killings and beatings of innocent people who challenged Taylor’s presidential authority.
There is a reason why leaders of Liberia’s political parties have decided to stay mute. They do not want to experience the fate of a Samuel Dokie, Enoch Dogolea, Madam Flomo Nowai and of late Amos Sawyer, James Torh and Conmany Wesseh. In lieu of confronting the large issues at bar, for example, the national leadership of the United People’s Party (UPP) has chosen the easy way out by condemning the recent UN-imposed sanctions against the Taylor criminal empire.
By issuing that statement, UPP Chair Wesley Johnson appears to be concerned about how the sanctions would “hurt the Liberian people.” All along, Johnson has conveniently chosen muteness on atrocities inflicted on citizens by Taylor and his thugs.
At least from the hills of London, England, a former presidential contender Dr. H. Boima Fahnbulleh Jr., in articles and discussions, exposes Taylor’s crimes. His descriptive narratives help educate those who are ignorant of the Liberian political fiasco.
While he lives in Liberia, Dr. Togba Nah Tipoteh devotedly writes sacred songs and directs the United Methodist Church choir at the expense not only of his Movement for Justice in Africa but also that of the Liberia People’s Party, thereby dashing the hopes of Liberians who desire sound leadership and political direction for their country. With due respect, Tipoteh speaks out every now and then in constrast to his colleagues who have yet to pose a formidable challenge to the evil Monrovia regime.
One has yet to hear from other political leaders as Alhaji G. V. Kromah, Dr. George Boley, Gayah Fahnbulleh, Dr. Cletus Wotorson, Dr. George Klay Kieh, Dr. George Toe Washington, Chea Cheapoo, to name a few.
We just might hear from them once again during the electoral period in 2003 when they return from safe havens in the West — a new way to represent the people’s interests after subjecting them to live in hell for six years under the world’s notorious criminals!