The Editor,
Democratic politics is a game of fierce competition for (a), Political Power and wealth traditionally-assumed to be associated with such power; and (b), Leadership of the citizens, all citizens, supporters and non-supporters.
This competition, should and must be and, in fact, is expected and governed by good manners – honesty, truth, fairness, openness, honor, civility, cordiality and respect or high moral rectitude. This is known in the realm of political kingdom as “political correctness”.
Now comes Mr. George M. Weah, politician, President of Liberia and Leader of all Liberian citizens. Therefore, it is expected that he should, will be and must abide by all required rules of decency and high moral behavior.
Political Campaign Mode
During political campaign in the competitive mode, Politician Weah is proper and right to call into question acts and activities (deviant, anti-social pattern of behavior) by political competitors, past or present, relevant and related directly to political leadership, but must be mindful that he opens himself up to retaliatory response in kind.
Regarding the issues of “killing and thievery ”, the unlawful taking of lives of innocent, unarmed citizens and the stealing of public resources are proper and relevant issues as raised by Politician Weah against competitive/opposition Politician Benoni Urey and others.
Indeed, according to UN report, Mr. Benoni Urey, as Commissioner of Liberia’s Maritime Commission (now Liberia Maritime Authority) in collaboration with LISCR, Liberia’s shipping agents, took hundreds of millions of US dollars being Liberian public funds and purchased arms and ammunitions for the Charles Taylor-led civil war of Mrs. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf’s ACDL which took the lives of an estimated quarter of a million Liberians. The UN report showed, also, that former President Taylor and Maritime Commissioner Urey used or took Maritime Commission’s public funds and capitalized the-now Lone Star telephone company.
In return, Politician Urey, similarly, will be and is proper and right to call into question politician and President Weah’s prevailing acts and activities regarding his proven alliances/associations with major civil warlords, civil war battle-front generals, killers and thieves now holding high-level positions in his government, including thousands of former child soldiers as his close confidants and aides.
Liberia’s Pandora Box
Formal opening/exposing the contents of Liberia’s Pandora Box is not a necessity at this point in time, because the contents are already known, generally, and that such opening will not and does not yield the long-expected/expecting lawful remedy for living victims and living relatives of dead with some level of economic relief – and punitive action against the hundreds of thousands of killers, human rights violators running around with impunity.
Regards,
Bai M. Gbala, Sr.