The Editor,
I have known Dr. Mohamed Chambers for quite a while, when we were negotiating the Liberian peace process, shuttling from capital to capital. Although he was a junior Minister brought home by President Jerry Rawlings, he was literally in charge of the Liberian dossier as far as Ghana was concerned. Then he went to ECOWAS and is now what he is. His great negotiation skills are what got him there. He knows West African politics more than anyone else. He knows Liberia more than any West African politician. He would not jump on plane to come to Liberia just for fun. He came to bring a message from the UN.
That message to President Weah was clear and simple: Your Excellency Dr. Dr. the position of the UN is that your Excellency Dr.Dr. President must allow the people the freedom to demonstrate and say what they have to tell you. You have to protect them when they are marching against you. That’s why you are here Sir. The world has spent too much resources and lives for peace in Liberia and you have the responsibility to ensure that we don’t go back to those days. I hope my message from the UN as well as all your colleagues from the sub-region.
We are all worried but we are sure that Your Excellency Dr. Dr. President will seize this opportunity to assert yourself as the leader of all Liberians.
To COP, Dr. Chambas said they should try to limit their demands to some reasonable and achievable objectives. He worried that creating a situation of standstill for a long term would paralyze the country.
That would not help the country with the current economic situation. We know you are all responsible people and will ensure that things never get out of control. If you were to tone down the rhetoric on both side that would be very constructive. It’s your right. To demonstrate and nobody can stop that. We just want the whole thing to go on peacefully.
I don’t know what President Weah or the COP people said. I can’t figure out why and how we got here. Someone needs to be awakened.
Well, this is all my fictional account of Dr. Chambers said in Liberia. One day, in Addis Ababa, he said to me: “I read the piece you wrote on Blaise Compaore’s ouster.” How did he know it was me? Well, this is a pay back. I don’t expect him to say anything less.
But my problem here is why did he have to come in the Guidry place? Is everyone thinking that Liberians are so stupid they are ready to start another war because a group wants to voice its grievances to the powers?
All my years during President Sirleaf days we never had any international partner involved in issues of political nature. Dr Chambers’ presence means that although the UN pulled out of Liberia it doesn’t think the people are mature enough to hold a demonstration without setting the country at blaze. Who is so afraid of June 7? Are things that bad?
Liberians must be allowed to test their democracy. Everyone should just cool it and let the people demonstrate. Their government will respond and life will go on. Nobody in that country wants war or chaos but they have things to say.
All this international attention is tilting the perspective of Liberians, both the COP and the government.
So, Brother Mohamed, thanks for coming. Liberia will be ok. It is just a demonstration. We passed that point.
Abdoulaye Dukule
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