Ganta, Nimba County – Harrison Karnwea never expected to be here. But the tall, lanky man from vote-rich Nimba County is however determined to make the best of his moment in the sun as the vice standard bearer of the opposition, Liberty Party.
Report by Rodney D. Sieh, [email protected]
“I feel sad when people are dividing us on Country-Congo Line, it undercuts true reconciliation”
“Looking back at my life as a child whose father died when I was 14 years old; a child who was a rubber tapper; a child who was a shopkeeper; I have never expected to be here,” Harrison told a crowd of teeming supporters in this growing business area which has produced a President and two Vice Presidents, Enoch Dogolea and Moses Blah.
Moses Blah succeeded Enoch Dogolea as Vice President and Charles Taylor as President.
Many Liberians including Nimbaians believe that these were not normal times and Dogolea was President for few months.
He turned over to Interim President Gyude Bryant. A citizen of Nimba told group of Liberians in Ganta.
“I have not made up my mine who to support, but I think we can quickly get a Vice President in Karnweh than to get a President in Prince.
Both are our sons but Harrison stands a better change becoming Vice President than Prince becoming President and when all is settled, I believe Nimba will vote for their son Karnwea and this is where I may be leaning.
But Harrison is up against a wall of iconic proportion in Prince Y. Johnson, the former warlord-turned Senior senator has for the past two elections won the county’s overwhelming support in his bid for Senator and in 2011, the Liberian presidency.
In 2011, Johnson ran as the candidate of the National Union for Democratic Progress party, placing an impressive 11.6% of the vote as Sirleaf sailed through her second successive term as President.
All this despite being on a list of figures recommended for a ban from political activities by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission for 30 years.
Johnson slammed the TRC’s conclusions as a “joke,” noting the absence of several other combatants from the list while vowing to resist any charges brought as a result of the report.
Johnson, who headed the Independent National Patriotic Front of Liberia during the civil war returned to Liberia in March 2004, following the resignation of Taylor as President and the installation of a transitional government as he announced his intentions to get involved in politics.
He contested the general elections in 2005 and won a seat in the Senate.
Chipping Away at PYJ’s Base
Johnson’s popularity has made it difficult for any other resident of the county to chip away at his popularity, giving Harrison an uphill battle in his quest to bolster Charles Walker Brumskine’s Liberty Party’s quest for state power.
For Harrison, the new venture is a surprise but quickly charges that no one should underestimate his standing in the vote-rich county.
“I had never thought that I will come this far in public service and had no plan whatsoever for running for any elective position until Cllr. Brumskine approached me on the night of February 12, 2017 and it took me sometime to consult my wife, children, family, sympathizers and friends about the proposal.
“It took me sometime but I finally made the decision.”
Harrison’s humble beginnings started in a small town called Buanplay in Gbao Chiefdom, Zoe-Gbao Administrative District, Zoe-Geh Statutory District, Nimba County.
At age 10, he moved to Firestone with a relative in hopes of trying to enroll in school.
“There was no school in our town at that time.”
“I couldn’t enter the Firestone School System because I was not born there nor registered as a dependent of the relative I was staying with. I later enrolled at an evening school where I attended for a year.”
The following year, Harrison says his father sent him a message saying that a school had gotten started in his hometown and urged him to return to his village.
“I came home in April of 1965 and started formal school at 11 years of age.
By then I started helping my mother as her first son in cutting palm nuts and pulling down all the kernels from the palm tree to crack and sell for living.
She would hang the bamboo up a palm tree for me to climb and if it was hanging higher above the ground that I could not reach, she would stoop low for me to climb over her shoulders to enable me grab the bamboo to climb.”
Harrison’s father, the late Moses Karnwea was a town chief who dedicated his life without salary.
“He had to follow President Tubman wherever there was a council at his own expense thereby rendering him unable to provide adequately for the family including making farm regularly.”
“We came up under difficult circumstances.”
Head of the Family at 14
Three years after returning to his village, his father died, on October 10, 1968.
“I was only 14 and in fourth grade,” Harrison recalls.
As the first child of his mother, he was force into becoming the head of the family.
“Relatives helped us to make farm for two years. I started making my own farm in 1971.”
“I graduated from Bahn Public School that year and could not go to school the following year.”
‘I made the second farm and at the end of the season I asked my mother to let me leave her and my younger siblings to go to work and continue school otherwise all of us would remain down there without making any serious progress.”
His mother, reluctantly agreed and escorted him to Cocopa on September 4, 1972 to sell my palm oil in a bid to raise money for transportation fare.
“That money was enough to reach me to Division 4 Firestone where I stopped and did some work for Mr. Johnnie Mankermia, a relative to get additional money to reach to LAC.”
Harrison recalls that there were two friends who made the journey with him. Augustine Newongbay and I, and were expecting at least US$5.50 because each of us needed US$2.75 to pay from Division-4 Junction to LAC through Harbel and Buchanan.
Mr. Mankermia gave us only $2.50 for both of us. I, therefore, decided not to continue to LAC but chose to return to Kakata and finally went to William E. Dennis’ Rubber Plantation where I had a relative and started tapping and going to the Junior High School on the plantation after work.”
Guidance on the Plantation
Several months thereafter, Harrison says Mrs. Daniellette Gibson-Dennis, the owner of the plantation apparently having observed his diligence to details and hard work, enquired as to where he had come from and why he was in Kakata.
Harrison says he explained his plight and after seven months of tapping, she offered him on in her shop as shopkeeper.
Fifteen months later, Mrs. Dennis offered Harrison a transfer to plantation supervision under guidance with arrangement for Firestone’s Farm Advisory Service to train him on the job.
In 1976, Mrs. Dennis died, dealing a major blow to Harrison who recalls that the painful incident that led to her death.
“She unfortunately died from a kerosene ice box accident in 1976.”
Mr. William E. Dennis, Sr., her husband and proprietor of the plantation, would put Harrison in charge as superintendent.
“He bought me a motor bike for the work and to continue school in Kakata. I completed High School at the Jackson F. Doe Academy in Kakata and went on to obtain a Bachelor Degree in Management from the Century University in New Mexico, USA.”
Harrison recalls that he never had the slightest idea that he was going to be anything other than a subsistence farmer.
“With the possibility of having several wives and many children, most of whom were going to end up like me as well had God not helped me.
This is why I feel sad when I hear people dividing our country along the Congau – Country divide.”
“We are all family and the best thing to do is to call ourselves Liberians. I would have probably remained a tapper if it hadn’t been for the encouragement and assistance that I got from the Dennis family, a Congau family.”
Harrison’s reference to the Dennises was a deliberate stab at the ongoing debate looming over this year’s Presidential race.
Many indigenous politicians including Senator Johnson have been advocating for an indigenous person to succeed President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf as President.
It is against the backdrop of his humble beginnings that Harrison says he accepted the offer to serve as a running mate to Brumskine.
“I have created the desire to be and am therefore desirous of being the Vice President of the Republic of Liberia.”
“I am humbled by your confidence and fully commit to support you in changing the lot of our country for the better.”
Karnweah is hoping that his humble beginnings and vast experience as a farmer, thanks to the trust of a Congau woman, he will form part of a team and party that will resurrect the reconciliation debate many say have lost its way in the past eleven years.
“Having worked all over this country starting with the Dennis Farm on Borlorla Road, Margibi County, moving to the Bureau of Reacquisition at the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), Liberia Rubber Development Unit (LRDU) in Salala, Bong county; Sinoe Rubber Corporation, Agriculture and Cooperative Development Bank (ACDB), Cavalla Rubber twice as its General Manager, Cocopa Rubber Plantation twice as General Manager, Superintendent of Nimba County, Minister of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Liberia and Managing Director of the Forestry Development Authority (FDA), I come to support you as one of the most experienced and successful grassrooters in this country.”
Farmer, Businessman, Politician
Harrison reminded partisans of his lengthy career of service and one he is certain qualifies him to form part of the next leadership team in Liberia. “I served with distinction in all these places and have never been dismissed. As a matter of fact, 99 percent of the jobs I have done were offered to me based on what the employers knew about my work record and not that I applied for them.
In FDA, I brought more money to the sector than any managing director before me including using grant money from the UK government to renovate the FDA Headquarters building. The Norwegian grant of US$150M made headlines across the world.”
Besides his life of service, Harrison says he has commercial buildings in Pleebo, Maryland County, Saclepea, Nimba County; a home in my hometown, Buanplay and a residence in Paynesville, Montserrado County.
“With my experiences and preparedness to serve, I commit myself to work with you Mr. President in waiting, as your partner, your go getter, your adviser to enable us accomplish the task of improving our country to benefit this and future generations.”
“I will not wait, sit and do nothing serious to help you and our country for years just for me to later say that I was only a mere Vice President.”
“I will ably and fully support you to succeed as your Vice President after we get elected in October 2017 and get inaugurated in January 2018.”
The LP vice standard bearer says he believes and trusts Cllr. Brumskine, and is committed to fully support him in moving our country forward.
“We both believe that our country belongs to all of us as citizens no matter what your tribe (ethnicity), religious belief and social standing.”
“We believe that we are stronger together and can improve our country working together.”
“Truly we both believe that we can improve our agriculture sector to create employment and alleviate poverty, boost productivity, promote value addition and exportation to strengthen our currency against foreign currencies.”
Karnwea is optimistic that the Liberty Party can strengthen the Liberian businesses by enforcing the Liberianization laws and securing soft loans to empower them own the economy.
“The typical example of a people owing their economy is what has made Ganta City what it has become today.”
“That is why we will work and will not stop until we create conditions for our people to own our economy and contribute to the development of our communities, counties and country.”
He says both he and Brumskine believe that they can improve the education sector by creating conducive learning atmosphere and promoting professionalism.
“The teachers that have been on stipends forever need to be given decent incentives and deserving salary that will allow them keep the teaching profession noble. Continuous professional development training will form part of the package in addition to those many other things that make our education standard.”
For Harrison, who until recently served as Managing Director of the Forestry Development Authority (FDA) and previously Minister of Internal Affairs, keeping watchful eyes on the usage of donor fund by Local and International None Governmental Organizations will yield the desired results.
“We cannot afford them doing as they wish, but can afford to work with them to ensure that we do as we all wish for the betterment of the nation that deserves nothing less than better.”
“In as much as those moneys that come here come in the name of helping Liberia, we all need to work together to help this country of ours that deserves more. We will keep our eyes and attention to where they need to be to keep our interest protected, resources wisely spent and development achieved.”
But first, Harrison may have to deal with the saga surrounding the Code of Conduct and whether he will be on the ballot with Brumskine when the dust is settled over the controversy stemming from a Supreme Court ruling in March concluded that the Code of Conduct, signed into law by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in 2014, is legal and binding on the republic for all its intents and purposes.
The Act, which was submitted by the Executive to the National Legislature in 2009, states that all officials appointed by the President shall not engage in political activities, canvass or contest for elected offices, use government facilities, equipment or resources in support of partisan or political activities, among others.
The Act also stipulates that: “Wherein, any official of government who desires to contest for public elective office shall resign said post at least two years prior to the date of such public elections; b) Any other official appointed by the President who holds a tenured position and desires to contest for public elective office shall resign said post three years prior to the date of such public elections.
Big Speeches, Practical Actions
Drawing from his experience in rural Liberia, Harrison says should be a plus for the party.
“My time in the southeastern region afforded me the opportunity to experience all the difficulties associated with poor infrastructure and bad roads.
“I have slept for days in mud on bad roads in this country, I have lost valuable goods through accidents due to bad roads and I have lost goods in shipwrecks.”
“These are some of the same ugly experiences many Liberians have been going through that we need to correct not by big speeches but by practical actions.”
Harrison says he and Brumskine are committed to lead Liberia and weed out corruption.
“How we reconcile our people, how we improve the economy, how we improve our agriculture sector, how we improve our education system, how we build more schools, teachers quarters, clinics, health centers and build our roads, how we reduce our salaries and work to use resources raised therefrom to improve our country, how we work with our Liberian businesses to own our economy, how we expand access to affordable electricity and pipe borne water.”
“How we develop and empower the Liberian youth, how we help the elderly and physically challenged to live decently, how we help our local musicians and actors to improve their skills and bring them up to international standard, how we develop our sports to help our players compete impressively internationally and how every Liberian can be proud of being a Liberian and working to make Liberia far better than it is now.”