At this crucial, critical period approaching national, democratic elections scheduled for October 10, 2017, it is worth noting the facts of our (Liberia’s) historical experience punctuated by citizens’ demonstrations, protests and up-risings, often met by armed, military actions of destruction, human suffering and death, culminated in the historic protests of the events of April 14, 1979, the Rice Riot and April 12, 1980, Military Coup d’état.
It was hoped and expected that the shock of the military adventure of April 12, 1980 will awaken our political rulers from slumber and the 133-year of miss-rule.
But the miss-rule, the December 1989 illegal invasion by insurgents of the historical political rulers and the nightmares of the resultant civil war continue to this day.
For, throughout the 170-year history, our political rulers have beaten, battered and dragged this nation and people through socio-cultural, economic and political indignities – denial of basic civil, political and human rights and liberties, since July 26, 1847. They are lined up, now, to take this nation and people through the nightmares with rigged elections results.
In an Article entitled – The Power of the President of Liberia (Analyst Liberia, March 3, 2013), we held that “The National Elections Commission (NEC), the Nation’s Referee and lawful manager of the Electoral Process that determines the most powerful chief executive in the land, is seen by the Liberian People as being manipulated and controlled by ruling, political parties”.
For, “The NEC’s lawful responsibility for (1), registration and management of political parties; (2), over-sight of parties’ financing; registration of voters, control of political campaigns and management of the Electoral Process; (3), tabulation and announcement of results; and (4), adjudication of complaints have not been free, fair, transparent, democratic and legal, as we have seen and experienced”.
Example was, and is “the recent unusual abandonment of his position as Chairman of the NEC, and the secret un-announced departure from the country while in the midst of several allegations of electoral fraud” by the individual that Cllr. Korkoya succeeded, “is a case in point”.
Cllr. Korkoya Taken to Court
It came to pass, recently, that the eminent Economist, Political Leader and Candidate for President of Liberia during the October 10, 2017 Elections, Dr. Togba Na Tipoteh; leading democratic watch-dog Civil Society Organization, National Democratic Coalition (NDC); and prominent Political, Civil & Human Rights Attorneys, Counselors-at-Law, Tiawon Gongloe & Lavala Supuwood dragged Cllr. Jerome Korkoya, Chairman of the nation’s National Elections Commissions (NEC), to the Supreme court on charges of being citizen of a foreign country (USA), in contravention/violation of Liberian Elections Law and lied under oath during confirmation hearings.
The evidence adduced or proof in support is overwhelming and validated, including identity of the US Passport (number) in the name of Cllr. Korkoya with date and place of naturalization. In this light, conclusion of a guilty verdict and removal of Cllr. Korkoya as Chairman of the NEC are inevitable.
But in response to these allegations, Cllr Korkoya, who neither admitted nor denied the charges, told the High Court that “those making the claim (of charges against him) are opening a Pandora Box – why come after me – take the issue up with the Executive government (represented by the President) that appointed me (Front Page Africa, June 20, 2017)”.
Accordingly, moreover, indications which follow, reasonably, from the evidence provided, are:
That in this crucial case, a direct, inevitable guilty verdict against Cllr. Korkoya with several, national implications will be, and is, the proverbial rope which, when pulled, pulls bush and that the President of Liberia should and must be prosecuted for the offense of accessory, because she knowingly-appointed Cllr. Korkoya who is legally-incompetent to hold such position and, thereby, aided/abetted Cllr. Korkoya in the commission of the offense.
If she pleads lack of fore-knowledge, she is still liable for not knowing that which she should have known, as President of the nation.
Therefore, with Cllr. Korkoya’s guilty verdict, the President’s guilt is, also, an inevitable conclusion.
She must be asked to resign or be impeached upon refusal. Now is the time for the Liberian People to summon the “courage”, “political will”, “guts” and “patriotism” to wipe the national slate clean, including “opening”, fixing and closing Liberia’s “Pandora Box”.
For example, during the 1927 Presidential Elections the Presidential candidate of the People’s Party opposed to President Charles D. B. King’s True Whig Party, was Thomas J. R. Faulkner.
President Charles King won the elections with a landslide victory that earned him a place in history.
The Guinness Book of Records (1982) qualified the elections as the most fraudulent ever reported in world history.
Suffrage was constitutionally limited to some 15,000 citizens, all Americo-Liberians, but according to the official election results some 240,000 votes were cast in favor of Charles D. B. King.
There were many other such “elections” that characterized the entire history of our country, including the very latest elections results that involved chief warmongers, warlords, rebels, killers and human rights violators, now the retired with active so-called “politicians”, standing as candidates for President of Liberia. (Highlights mine).
The Tragedy
The continuing tragedy of rigged elections in Liberia and other equally critical areas of national decisions-making, historically, are due to several critical factors, we wrote elsewhere, including “(1), Ignorance of or consciously-planned refusal or neglect to apply knowledge of Liberian History in the planning process on the part of the nation’s historical rulers; and (2), apparent ignorance of knowledge of Liberian history or the conscious refusal or neglect to apply, on the part of our young academics/intellectuals, the future leaders in whose hands rests the future of the nation”.
“This tragedy of the historical and prevailing condition is crucial, critical and profound socio-political problem.
For, knowledge of the past does not only provide answers to the ‘whys’ of the mistakes of history, but also the ‘how’s’, necessary in planning for the present and future, and avoiding repetition of the mistakes of history”.
Therefore, opening Liberia’s Pandora Box is not only a must, but also, mandatory; in that, Liberia must expose the identities of Evil Decision-Makers/Implementers and the basis for so doing, during these 170 years of our history that brought mind-boggling under-development and illiteracy, poverty, hunger, disease, untimely deaths and devastating/disastrous war of looting, destruction of properties and infrastructure, citizens displacement and refugees, human suffering and deaths of an estimated quarter of a million Liberians.
The Exposure
This exposure may, very well, include Mrs. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, the 12-year term President of Liberia, now retiring, may, perhaps, have served illegally as President of Liberia in violation of Article 52(a-c) of the 1986 Constitution.
Moreover, there appears to be several, troubling questions regarding diplomatic, political, economic and executive management decisions that require answers.
First and immediate will be, and is, exposure of all the Honorable holding management positions in the political leaderships of government who are, also, citizens of foreign countries in violation of Law:
This includes the First Branch of Government, the National Legislature, now apparently dominated by foreign citizens in flagrant violation of Article 30(a-b) of the 1986 Constitution. Some current members, even, boasted openly that they are foreign citizens.
The Executive Branch of Government leads with, almost, all ministers, agency heads and top executives of state enterprises who, apparently, are foreign citizens:
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Liberia’s “diplomatic face” to the world, is apparently infested with foreign citizens and “Liberian permanent residents” of foreign countries.
The Super Ministry of Finance & Development Planning (or Development Stealing) is dominated by foreign citizens. This Historic corrupt agency is over-staffed, over-paid and the senior-most dishonest agency of government.
The Liberia Revenue Authority (or Revenue Stealing), the off-shoot of the Ministry of Finance & Development Stealing, is, also, dominated by foreign citizens, over-staffed, over-paid Revenue Stealing Authority.
State-owned, revenue-generating Enterprises – notably, the NPA, LPRC, NOCAL, LWSC, LEC and related others – are known enclaves for foreign citizens, public dishonesty with corrupt practices.
The National Elections Commissions (NEC) will occupy the spotlight of this very important undertaking, because the NEC makes, apparently, subjective, corrupt decisions about issues, the objective facts of which are hidden from the people.
Law against Dual Citizenship
Dual citizenship, unfortunately, is not new in Liberia. But it was characterized by political infidelity to the Liberian nation, public/private dishonesty or corruption had been, and is, in practice in Liberia since the days of founding of the nation in 1847.
Almost all government officials, their families and related socio-economic classes were, and some are today, dual citizens, especially, of developed countries, with the United States at the top of the preferred countries (Thomas Toteh, Diaspora-based Liberians – Voice of Liberia, October 19, 2012).
Alien & Nationality Law
Until 1956 or more than a century (109 years) after declaration of political independence, there was no written law in Liberia for or against dual citizenship.
As has been the case throughout our history, almost, all of our laws, indeed, the 1956 Liberian Alien & Nationality Law is modeled on US 1952 Law of similar title.
This law was enacted not only because of Liberian, political leaders’ political infidelity and rampant dishonesty that gave rise to the nation’s continuous (up to this day), socio-economic and political under-development, but also, because almost all other nations, including the United States, have adopted such legal conventions designed to protect and preserve the vital interests of the nation and its citizens.
However, noting hypocrisy, disobedience and blatant violations of the new law, mainly, by prominent personalities and officials of the Liberian government, many of whom were dual citizens; the 1956 law was amended and approved in 1973 to its present form, in order to provide specificity and diligent enforcement.
That Law is as comprehensive, a legal treatment, at that time, as may be expected from Liberia, a developing country with limited resources and expertise, such that updating, by amendments, on the basis of changing/changed socio-economic and political conditions is not unexpected.
The Constitution of 1986
After the 1980 Event, the 1986 Constitution followed with Article 28, reinforcing, implicitly, earlier prohibitions against dual citizenship explicitly forbidden by the Alien & Nationality Law.
According to the following constitutional provisions, a Liberian who is a naturalized citizen of another country and, therefore, has lost his/her Liberian citizenship (now an alien) may not engage in the political process and/or stand for and hold elective as well as appointive, public office. Such Liberian, who, in fact, is an alien, is ineligible to:
- Become a member of the Legislature, Article 30 of the Constitution
- Hold the offices of President and vice President, Article 52(a-c)
- Become member of the judiciary, Articles 68(a) & 69(a)
- Vote and engage in the political process, Article 77(b)
There is profound, negative impact of Dual Nationality felt, in Liberia, in two notable areas, namely, National Security and political-economic:
National Security
The word “allegiance” means that we promise loyalty. It also carries with it the expectation/obligation that this loyalty will be exclusive and unrestrained.
Because citizenship carries with it the responsibility and, also, obligation to be exclusively loyal to one country at a time, the concept of Dual citizenship raises questions about which of the dual citizenship has priority.
This is extremely important when and where the two countries have opposing interests.
In the case of a declared war or real threat of a conflict, for example, our allegiance to the Republic should and must preclude any other interest, be it another country or political ideology.
It can be a deadly problem when a dual citizen is in a high position in our Liberian Government. Can one imagine a dual citizen of an opposing foreign country serving in the Ministry of National Defense during a conflict with that country?
Today’s conflicts are at Liberia’s door-steps. Liberia is surrounded by nations with governments dominated by militant Muslim-Islamist Boko Haran, with Weapons of Mass Destruction, which Liberia does not possess.
Political-Economic
Historically, dual citizens controlled and dominated Liberia’s political economy as well as the nation’s Political Decision-making and Rule, during the 170 years of Liberia’s political independence.
Through control and absolute domination of Liberia’s Politics and Economics, fabulous salaries and related incomes, generated in Liberia by dual citizens had been, and are being transferred, regularly, out of Liberia to purchase and purchased homes, maintain families and educate children in foreign countries, the simultaneous, second home-countries of these Liberian, dual citizens.
They travel, very often, to and from these countries to which they owe exclusive allegiance, loyalty and patriotism, and in which they hold and maintain fabulous bank accounts.
As citizens of given foreign countries, notably, the USA & closely-related others and, simultaneously, citizens of Liberia who are political leaders with major policy/decision-making power, it is in their (dual citizens’) best political/economic interest for Liberia to depend continuously, excessively and dangerously, on buying imported goods services from these foreign countries, rather than take planning/development decisions for establishment of entities for production of goods and services for domestic consumption and the export trade.
It is important to note that there had been, and is, profound, historical attachment to and emotional, personal preference of the US greenbacks, with relative demand for the British pounds, German marks, French francs, etc., by Liberia’s elite, the social, economic and political class that constitutes the sole decision-making body of our society.
Now, the political actors and rulers, the so-called “politicians”, but in reality, crooks, liars, deceits, thieves, rebels, killers; and civil, political and human rights violators are now lined up with hundreds of millions of US dollars, apparently, from the LISCR, foreign-owned banks, insurance companies, five-star hotels, UNDP, USAID, IMF, WB, etc., with some local “politically-connected wheelers-dealers to lead this nation and people, again, to “planned and stacked Elections” for October 10, 2017.
In the light of the foregoing and because “Prevention is better than Cure”, we recommend the following rational, peaceful and patriotic action designed to inform planning process for the present and future:
That Cllr. Jerome Korkoya be prosecuted and removed as Chairman of the National Elections Commission;
That the President of Liberia be prosecuted and, if found guilty, as the overwhelming, validated evidence suggests, be asked to resign or be impeached upon refusal;
That the entire corrupt NEC dominated by illegal dual citizens be removed and that a new NEC be re-constituted;
That the October 10, 2017 scheduled Presidential/General Elections be postponed to a reasonable date to include superintendents and chiefs of counties, and mayors of cities in keeping and consistent with the announced Policy of National Decentralization & Local Governance for Change, Reforms and credible Transformation, for the survival of us all.
Bai M. Gbala, Sr., Contributing Writer
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