Monrovia – The Center for Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding (CECPAP) is urging President George Mannah Weah to act swiftly on the General Auditing Commission (GAC) audit report by bringing to justice individuals involved in the mismanagement of the USD 25 million intended for the Mop-Up Exercise.
CECPAP described the GAC report as an alarming circumstance that sends bad signals to the international community about Liberia’s recovery programs. The Center said the GAC report has the propensity to stall the flow of donors’ assistance to Liberia and its people, a situation, the peace advocate group said, will further increase the hardship and suffering of Liberians.
According to a release, CECPAP averred that any attempt by President Weah and his administration to downplay the GAC audit report is a recipe to bring back the dark days of conflict in Liberia, and further undermines the country’s quest for genuine peace and reconciliation.
The release quotes the peace advocacy group as saying that Liberia is currently suffering from credibility and image problem among the comity of nations. The Center added that one of the many measures that Liberia could adopt to redeem itself from this international image problem is President Weah’s swift action against corruption. CECPAP said it is about time President Weah puts the priorities of the country above friendship. “President Weah needs to fight corruption by allowing those serving in his administration and subsequently accused of corrupt acts to have their days in court. Doing this will tell Liberia’s international partners that the CDC-led government is serious to crack down on corruption and that the country (Liberia) has no place for corrupt people,” CECPAP boss, Charles Crawford added.
CECPAP lamented that it is unthinkable and very much absurd that few individuals will concoct a sinister plan to rub Liberians of USD25 million at a time the nation’s economy is at the verge of collapse, health care centers are shutting their doors to Liberians due to the lack of fuel and medical supplies, parents are finding it difficult to provide daily meal for their families and not to even mention sending their kids to school.
Meanwhile, the Center for Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding says the current wave of corruption and political tension in Liberia is the result of negative peace the country is at the moment experiencing. Negative Peace, CECPAP argued, has been dogging Liberia for a good while dating back the days the bullets were silent in Liberia.
The peace advocacy group blamed the prolong impact of negative peace on Liberia to the failure of past and current governments to take Liberia to the stage of positive peace. According to CECPAP, positive peace is when Liberians from all walks of life assemble under the banner of a national conference to discuss the causes of the 14 years of civil unrest and subsequently find a way forward.
The Center said if Liberia is to move forward with its post war reconstruction programs, the holding of a national conference in Liberia to discuss and identity the root causes to Liberia’s problems and find a way forward for genuine peace and national development can never be overemphasized. The Center calls on the George Weah administration to become more proactive in making sure that Liberia leaves from the stage of negative peace to positive peace.