Heritage (Monrovia)
One of the Special Guests of President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf at this year's July 26 celebration, former President of Nigeria, H. E. Olusegun Obasanjo, has termed corruption as a very bad cancer in the body politics of any country.
Obasanjo, who congratulated the government and people of Liberia on the 166th Independence Anniversary, differed with this year's National Orator, renowned Liberian lawyer and politician Cllr. Harry Varney Nambi-Gboto Sherman that corruption can ever be wiped out, noting that there are many societies in the world where corruption is not a way of life. "What Liberians must try for is that corruption is not a way life within their society," he said.
The 166th Independence Anniversary, co-hosted by Bomi, Gbarpolu and Grand Cape Mount Counties, was held with the theme: "Consolidating Peace and Reconciliation for Transformation."
Speaking further, he recounted having experienced a civil war, participated in one, and concluded one, and believed that, after ten years of peace, Liberia was doing very well, though civil war is not a good thing for any country.
On poverty, he urged Liberians not to play with it because it is strange bedfellows with development, peace and progress. "You all need to do everything humanly possible to end abject poverty within our society," he said adding that in doing that one must not leave behind infrastructure development, education, capacity building, energy, health care, and agriculture.
The former Nigerian leader added that if Liberia is going to deal with the issue of youth unemployment, agriculture is one way to tackle that, but pointed out that the government has to make the business appealing to the youth to engage in as a profession.
Delivering the National Oration of the 166th Independence Anniversary earlier, Cllr. Sherman touched on a number of issues, including corruption in government, widespread poverty in Liberia, and the need for reconciliation. He advanced a number of recommendations as a way forward.
The National Orator urged the government to take practical steps to fight corruption. He acknowledged President Sirleaf's commitment to fight corruption, but noted that the country cannot be transformed when public service is evaluated by the Liberian people as a place where corruption exists, persists and is practiced as a matter of course and with impunity.
"All the good you do, Madam President, all what you achieve and accomplish will not be recognized and appreciated if corruption remains on the lips of our people the day you retire from office in January 2018," he warned, urging her to remain resolute and strong in her conviction and actions to stamp out corruption. Cllr. Sherman urged the National Legislature to reconsider its decision and to empower the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission to handle corruption issues.
The National Orator suggested that the major cause of the civil war that is often ignored is the poverty, social-economic deprivation and drudgery that too many people suffer from. He urged the government to pay serious attention to poverty which, he said, is being experienced by the average citizens which are fertile grounds for unrest by unscrupulous people. He acknowledged the measures that government has taken through its poverty reduction efforts, but urged them to curb poverty, including through job creation to make an impact on citizens' lives.
Cllr. Sherman, who is also the Chairman of the ruling Unity Party (UP), further suggested that in order to alleviate unemployment among the young people, especially young university graduates, the government should consider a program where all university graduates, regardless of class, social status or otherwise, be deployed to counties other than their counties of origin and work for a period of three years. Such a program, he predicted, would relieve the pressure on government to find or create jobs in Monrovia for the thousands of graduates each year, as well as provide staff for local government administration and services in areas such as health and education.
Also speaking, President Johnson-Sirleaf said ten years of uninterrupted peace, progress and stability is enabling Liberia to continue on the path of reconciliation and reconstruction, disproving the dire predictions of the pessimists about the fate that awaits a post-conflict nation.
According to an Executive Mansion release, the Liberian leader observed that a "Decade of Peace," had been possible through regional and international support as well as Liberians' commitment to peace and reconciliation.
"Thanks go in no small measure to the regional and international support we have long enjoyed, and also because we,
Liberians, a resilient people, have declared, "No More War," and have committed ourselves to peace and reconciliation to develop this gift that God has given to us," President Sirleaf declared. She admonished Liberians to continue to make the sacrifices for the development of the country.
Speaking on the theme, "Transforming Liberia through Reconciliation and Responsible Citizenship," President Sirleaf said Liberia needs to be transformed from a system in which the government has all the responsibilities and the citizens have only rights and privileges, and that being responsible citizens means Liberians do not stand in the way of progress.
"Responsible citizens do not build homes in such a way that construction of the roadway is delayed, and building the railway to transport the iron ore cannot proceed. We should not threaten the start date of bringing cheaper electricity to our people because construction of the hydro is hampered as a result of people having planted rubber trees in the basin where the water will flow," she pointed out, noting that such actions cost government additional money it did not budget for, in order to settle the many claims.
President Sirleaf reiterated that Liberians can only become responsible citizens by changing their attitudes and behavior. "We need, as Liberians, to think positively; to balance criticism with constructive solutions; to love our country and ourselves; to want to uplift ourselves and everything around us; to be patriotic. That's what citizen responsibility is all about. That's what progress is all about."
President Sirleaf used the occasion to respond to several recommendations advanced to the Government by the 166th Independence Anniversary National Orator, Cllr. Sherman, including the recommendation that serious and consistent attention be paid to the systematic disposition of the Truth and Reconciliation Report, which he termed a facilitator for genuine peace and reconciliation.
In her response, President Sirleaf suggested that a country moving away from the conflict requires a two-pronged approach: political reform and economic development, both of which need to be fully inclusive in terms of geographical and social scope, enabling greater "voice" and space for participation by citizens of Liberia in political processes and economic empowerment.
She said oftentimes when the discourse turns to reconciliation, diehards exclaim that reconciliation cannot take place because the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) have not been implemented.
"Let me reiterate that our government is fully committed to the implementation of the TRC recommendations in those cases where they are in compliance with our Constitution and laws," she confirmed.
She explained that the Peace-Building Office in the Ministry of Internal Affairs has completed a detailed study which shows the action already taken on the 200-plus recommendations and suggestions that had been made by the Report. The Liberian leader said although this remains a work in progress, the results will be released to the public.
President Sirleaf noted further that the Independent National Commission on Human Rights (INCHR), which has the mandate, under the TRC Law, to ensure the implementation of the recommendations, submitted a work plan to the Executive and the Legislature over a year ago, including the Palava Hut System, an essential ingredient of the reconciliation process. "A reconstitution of that body will help us to accelerate the implementation of those recommendations," she said.
In her response, the President disclosed that, as regards the involvement of young Liberians in activities outside the capital city, the government has already initiated a program that recruited young people to work in the areas of health and education in the rural areas.
"We see this as the start of a National Youth Service Program, and we join the Orator, who has suggested same and will work with the concerned ministries to ensure the continuation and expansion of the program," the Liberian leader said.
She further said that in partnership with the Peace Corps Volunteers, new Liberian Volunteers will be placed alongside Peace Corps Volunteers in high schools throughout the country, beginning next month, to improve student performance. A total of 120 college graduates are now being trained by the Peace Corps to participate in this program.
To the National Orator's recommendation regarding the need for a strong private sector investment to provide economic growth, the Liberian leader responded that in order to promote the private sector, new regulations are being proposed under a
Liberianization program, including an established minimum for local participation in the procurement of goods and services.
"The proposed local content policy will include, but not be limited to, the establishment of policies regarding foreign and domestic ownership in registered companies, the President said, adding, "Everything we are doing is specifically targeted for the growth and development of our small and medium enterprises, and is necessary to provide a clear, focused direction for Liberia's private sector development. We only ask that those targeted for such benefit act responsibly and honestly in their operations."
For his part, the Doyen of the Diplomatic Corps and Guinean Ambassador to Liberia, H.E. Mr. Abdoulaye Dore, on behalf of the Diplomatic and Consular Missions as well as representatives of international organizations in Liberia, extended to the government and people of Liberia hearty congratulations.
He said the co-hosting of this year's Independence Anniversary by the people of Bomi, Gbarpolu and Grand Cape Mount is a demonstration of solidarity and collaboration."
Mr. Dore added that the anniversary is not only of the founding of the Liberian nation but also the celebration of 10 years of peace in the country following the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in Accra, Ghana, on August 18, 2003.
Other guests of President Sirleaf included the Vice President of the ECOWAS Commission, H.E. Dr. Toga Gayewea McIntosh; the President and CEO of the Liberian Education Trust-USA, Dr. Deborah Harding; and a medical doctor, Dr. David Knight.
During the program, four persons were recipients of Liberia's highest honors: the 166th Independence Day National Orator, Cllr. Sherman, who was admitted into the Humane Order of African Redemption with the Grade of Knight Grand Band; Educator and Administrator, Dr. Deborah Harding, admitted into the Humane Order of African Redemption with the Grade of Dame Grand Commander; Medical Doctor, Dr. David Knight, admitted into the Star of Africa with the Grade of Knight Grand Commander; and a Roman Catholic Priest in Bomi County for over 35 years, Rev. Father Gareth Jenkins, Humane Order of African Redemption with the Grade of Knight Grand Commander.
The Investiture Ceremony continued at the new West African Examinations Council (WAEC) Building in Tubmanburg, where 10 persons were recipients of Liberia's highest distinctions, two posthumously.
They included Post-Centenarian (101 yrs) and senior citizen, Madam Nongbor Gbormee, who received the Grade of Dame Commander, Most Venerable Order of the Pioneer; the Dean of Paramount Chiefs in Bomi County for the past 36 years, Chief Boima Gbotoe, Knight Grand Commander, Humane Order of African Redemption; Educator, Rebecca Ware Wilson, Dame Grand Commander, Humane Order of African Redemption; Historian and Prominent Citizen of Gbarpolu County, Mr. Malike Siryon, Knight Commander, Humane Order of African Redemption.
Others were Medical Doctor, Dr. Kanda Golafale, Grand Commander, Star of Africa; Senior Citizen, Madam Bendu Varney, Dame Commander, Humane Order of African Redemption; Post Mistress for Bomi County, Mother Grace Davis, Commander, Star of Africa; and Professional Midwife, Maima Kiazolu, Commander, Star of Africa.
Those who were decorated posthumously were a Medical Doctor and Public Servant, Dr. Jupiter David Mark, Knight Commander, Humane Order of African Redemption; and a Dedicated Public Servant, Mr. Glarkon Blodell Jackson, Knight Commander, Humane Order of African Redemption.
No comments:
Post a Comment