In my thinking thoughts I reflected the trend of events in the current 2017 Presidential and Representative elections, and the obscurity and cacophony wrought in the perspectives and minds of both laymen and pundits in various circles.

So far in spite of the accolades for managing a ‘peaceful process’, there is a diluting litany of accusations, claims and counter-claims leaving the layman to wonder if we have a play-play elections commission, play-play elections process, or will produce a play-play new government.

Either one or all could be true considering the issues of the recent process and how the November 7 process could unfold leading to an unanticipated inauguration on January 16, 2018.

Construct of play-play things

Fellow citizens, most Liberians who grew up in Liberia in the 60s and 70s would remember a construct called “play-play things” As children, when we completed our chores like toting water or sweeping the yard and Mama allowed us to go play with our friends, we would go do “play-play things” By “play-play things” we would mimic or pretend like we were doing things in real life situations.

For example, one of us would pretend to be a play-play doctor and the other children as patients; one person pretended to be the play-play teacher and the rest of us the play-play students as we mimicked the situations.

For the sake of the layman, to mimic is to imitate or impersonate as somebody doing something that is real but you are actually fake and the event is not real but simply a show for fun; a ‘play-play thing’.

One of the play-play things I hated was the play-play ma and play-play pa event; I hated this event because my friend Jimmy, of the same age group never allowed me to play the part of being the play-play pa but always selected me as the play-play son. Jimmy liked being the play-play pa so that he could hug and hold the hands of the girls who were the play-play mamas.

Without notice, he would announce that it was time to go to bed and we would all cuddle in some corner, either an unfinished house or an isolated place, on play-play beds. Jimmy would say, “Children yor close yor eyes and sleep” and he would start behaving like he was snoring, making some kind of silly noise with his flat nose.

Now, my role was to crow like a rooster to announce the break of day, but each time I crowed, Jimmy would shout back, “That is first chicken crowing, it is still dark outside” In my jealousy I myself would announce, “Last chicken” and crow again. Jimmy would reply, “The moon is still shining so it is fooling the rooster oh, let us sleep” as he hugged little beautiful Mardea closer, who was playing play-play mama.

If I continued to harass Jimmy with the frequent crowing, he would threaten, “If you don’t stop, we will not play with you”. I would shut my mouth until Jimmy said, “Junior, crow now”, and I would reluctantly crow for the whole play-play family to wake up.

Actually, we all were not sexually active, including Jimmy. Mind you, nothing happened as all of this was fake and simply pretense, mimic and playing ‘play-play’ family, husband, wife and children.

One day Jimmy and I had a fist fight over who should be the play-play pa. By some luck during the fight, as Jimmy locked my head under his arms and consistently pushed his knee in my chest almost suffocating me, I jerked my head and it mistakenly hit his nose and it started to bleed.

The whole group went into confusion,”Junior take blood from Jimmy nose, Junior beat Jimmy” I was scare to death as I later stood before my and Jimmy’s parents to explain to them that Jimmy and I were fighting over who should be play-play pa and I mistakenly took blood from his nose. Although the bloody nose portion of the story was an issue, the “play-play” ma and pa portion is what really gave me and Jimmy the whipping.

When Jimmy was still alive before the war, each time we met, Jimmy would cry out “Play-play pa” and I would respond, “Play-play ma” and we would hug and just laugh out loud as passer-bys looked on confused. Alas, may my play-play pa Jimmy’s soul rest in peace.

 Play-play Elections Commission

NEC is functioning metaphorically as a serious fake play-play agency, based on the trend of events in the way it is conducting these elections. This has left the layman wonder it is a real commission or play-play.

In addition to ANC Cummings accusing the NEC for mediocrity, and LP Brumskine’s lawsuit threat, chairman Kokoyah stands accused of being in possession of an American passport; NEC takes decisions that are overruled by logic and nuances while poll workers gross lack of capacity to manage crowd at precincts; ballot boxes are delivered under poor security in canoes while election observers sit in shops on elections Tuesday and get drunk with alcohol as confusion brews over truncated voters lists; voters are turned away although they hold legitimate registration cards in their hands.

In spite of a so-called robust Civic Voters Education campaign which cost thousands of dollars, thousands of invalid votes are produced as half-illiterate poll workers including inept girlfriends and deputy wives are recruited under obscured and dubious circumstances as supervisors.

Play-play Elections

According to the allegations, the whole elections process managed by the play-play NEC itself appears to be play-play. Play-play supporters wore t-shirts, join every parade to “lock down Monrovia” but voted for one candidate. One candidate, Edwin Snowe, was sitting as representative in one district and vied for a seat in another district as if we are just playing.

Some lawmakers who pledged support to Joe Boakai could not deliver their counties, because instead of going out to campaign for the Pappy, they took time off with their concubines using the resources positioned with them; exactly 20 people, some of whom are still renting rooms in other people’s homes want to be President for this thriving nation including prelates, soccer stars, lawyers, bankers; even disc jockeys, illicit drug dealers, and comedians, mayonnaise and butter people were also audaciously vying for seats in parliament; lawmakers who were said to drug addicts and some who are nuisance to society were re-elected to return to business as usual.

The office of ombudsman is wide open and fully funded but its role remains ambiguous since all complaints are currently taken to the NEC and the Supreme Court.

It is alleged that Internal Affairs Minister Togba was fired by President Sirleaf for refusing to join the CDC party while the former superintendent of Bong joined CDC and canvassing religiously to get re-appointed; it still remains a misery why UP people up to press time maintain President Sirleaf is not supporting her own UP but crossed carpet with Aunty Janet to the same CDC that beat her son Montserrado Senatorial aspirant Robert Sirleaf so badly that he “bled like Ebola”.

It is alleged that some people left a party because they did not want to work with faggy people (homosexuals) while others ran to the homosexual party for jobs. These allegations may not all be true but all this simply unfolds as if the elections is just ‘play-play’

Obscurity about the play-play process

Dear readers, you would agree that the current trend in these elections is obscure, dim or hard to understand. For the sake of the layman, when something is obscure, it is unclear, vague, and doubtful; it is intelligible, incoherent, and makes no sense.

Some candidates were rejected based on a particular law while some were cleared based on the same law; Minister Ganfuan resigned two years before the elections according to law while Karnwea and Sulonteh resigned at least one month before their bid and got cleared by the NEC because “they did not have intentions” hence ameliorating the fear about Mill Jones’ eligibility.

Abu Kamara was rejected because he did not resign; he resigned and got rejected by the NEC while Norris Tweh, Kadekai Dahn, Michael Slawoh of the University of Liberia and the NCHE were granted “leave of absence” to go do politics and return to their jobs if they did not win; what an obscurity.

Cacophony about the play-play transition

Cacophony is an unpleasant combination of loud, often jarring sounds. Recently, the crux of President Sirleaf’s entire message is that there should be peace and people should vote under non-violent situations. The reason, as we are all aware, is for us to have a peaceful transition without cacophony or noise.

You see fellow Liberians this nation has heard enough noise or cacophony. In addition to the noise from the barrel of the guns during the 14 year civil war, and the noise from the wailing and grieving caused the Ebola epidemic, there has been persistent noise from the so-called “noisy minority”

 As if the cacophony from the noisy minority has not been adequate to orientate us, the cacophony of the chronic abject poverty among our citizens, the uncontrollable high US dollar rate, high unemployment rates, and arson attacks on journalists are all threats to the craved peaceful transition.

The Charge

As we approach November 7, 2017 and anticipate January 16, 2018 there needs to be a sober reflection and re-positioning of the cards. In order to avoid the obscurity and cacophony which have bridled the first rounds of elections, and re-branded Jerome Kokoyah’s NEC allegedly incapable of delivering the good so far, there needs to be an NEC with demonstrable efficacy henceforth. 

Currently what appears to be on hand is a “play-play NEC” with inadequate capacity, no clout and spine to take decisions; an NEC accused of mediocrity and ineptitude with clear signs of its inability to manage credible elections; on hand is a play-play elections with all of its rules broken with all and sundry climbing and jumping on board bandwagons of confusion.

Suffice it to say all of these negative attributes, accusations, gross show of inefficacy continue, and nothing happens and the results were endorsed whether by the court or the electorates, thank God.

But do you know what we would inherit on January 16, 2018?

We would inherit a doggone play-play government for six more years with business as usual managing a noisy minority. God forbid.

Moses Blonkanjay Jackson (MsEd, EdM), Contributing Writer
+231 886 681 315/+231 770 206 645

I reflected during my thinking thoughts how recently there has been a wave of campaign launches intended to convey messages of the strengths and electability of candidates in the 2017 elections.

While the winners will be determined by number of votes, there is a current race about which presidential candidate possesses popularity enough to pull the largest crowd into the streets behind them, “lock down Monrovia” and bring the wheels of the staggering economy of this nation to a grinding halt. When these launches are held, there are usually huge numbers of almost similar sizes making one to wonder where these people come from.

Are they true supporters or trucked agents cajoled to participate in a scheme making up the number as fake saints marching in a parade? I intuit this is why there are always debates in circles regarding who actually pulled the largest crowd as they supposedly triumphantly enter the former Christopolis, now Monrovia.

Locking Down Monrovia Constructs

Fellow Liberians, each time a campaign is launched there appears to be an outpouring of support for the candidate as his followers go marching with all and sundry show of support. The common phrase in these elections “Lock down Monrovia” has taken on diverse constructs based on the perceptions of the proponents.

Each time a political leader and his followers march through the streets of this tight and congested Monrovia and block traffic for a few hours, they declare to the world that they have “locked down Monrovia” Sadly, partisans forget that Monrovia is not hard to lock down for it is usually locked down by the regular traffic jams on Tubman Boulevard, Broad, Carey and Benson streets.

The point is any number of supporters that reaches 25 can lock down Monrovia. What remains to be determined from these so-called lock downs is the extent to which the city was locked down, and whether by mischievous agents or genuine supporters.

As a tradition, before the launches, spokespersons usually caution that activities in the city would be snail paced or halted the day of the event. After the launch, whether it was successful or not, they re-surface on self-gratifying platforms provided by the Fourth Estate to preach unrealistic exegesis of the triumphant entries of their presidential candidates and the extent of the lock down making comparisons to previous launches.

Whatever the constructs and debates regarding locking down Monrovia, the attendance at various launches has been tremendously impressive; however, if these gatherings were all generated by honest voters there would be a break-even or “draw game” among aspirants.

Now, one of the launches which rekindled my childhood memory in a reflective manner was a group that sang an old patriotic school day marching band song: “When the Saints, go marching in, Lord I want to be in the number” As they went marching in on that sunny Saturday, I wondered if they were genuine saints or greedy hyenas deceiving the candidates? Were they referring to themselves as saints or the candidates for which they were marching and singing so passionately to lock down Monrovia?

When real Saints went Marching in

Back in the 1970s when we were 9th graders at the W. V. S. Tubman High School and compelled to attend national parades such as Flag Day, we would sing, “When the Saints, Go Marching in, O Lord I want to be in the number, when the saints go marching in”

Mind you, if we 9th graders had a choice, in spite of the hot sun or rain as it sometimes rained, in spite of the fact that we were Freshman students with no blood, placed at the tail of the line to march without band music, and low prestige, we would still select to march for Tubman High School, our dear alma mater.

Oh, how we craved for the time we too would be sophisticated sophomores to be marching closer to the band. The school’s population was so large that during parades, we had Platoons from ‘A’ to ‘L’ according to grade levels. Because we were 9th graders we were always in ‘L’, the “pupu (feces) platoon.

In the feces platoon or pupu platoon, we did not hear the band, we did not receive any applauses from onlookers lining the streets, we were jeered at and called names, “pupu platoon, pupu platoon yor make haste and pass” indicating they were tired with the long Tubman High lines and waiting to see other schools.

By that time, the band was all the way in the Executive Mansion yard while our pupu platoon was just leaving Camp Johnson road. To satisfy our miserable position of no band music, no attention, and public ridicule, one of us would raise a song to keep our rhythm and cadence. “When the Saints go marching, O Lord I want to be in the number” was our favorite. 

While we were proud to be exemplary students donning the maroon and white colors of Liberia’s foremost public school and appearing to be happy, we were actually in pain and compelled to march.

In addition to worrying that the coal tar street was eating up your last pair of black school shoes, hunger, thirst, and looming punishment for cutting the parade were all factors to our painful situations; howbeit, we marched and sang with all our souls, “When the Saints go marching in, O Lord I want to be in the number… In spite of the pain, we knew we had obligation as Cardinals, to be faithful to our dear alma mater, Tubman High, the nation’s pride, each time duty called.

Now, the questions that came to my mind on the day campaigners sang that song and went marching were whether they felt the same loyalty and patriotism we felt within our souls as enduring freshman students of the revered Tubman High school.

Were they simply deceitful gravy seekers, conscienceless rogues, and less busy lot which join any campaign that gives out t-shirts and money? On launching days these characters parade with the candidates as if they will never betray them whereby during the day of voting, they would go and cast votes for their real choices like Jesus was ushered into Jerusalem one day triumphantly and few days later, crucified.

Fake Triumphant Entries

The recent wave of campaign intended to woo voters and to “lock down Monrovia” is metaphoric of the triumphant entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem and the unpleasant aftermath as recorded by the fourfold Gospels.

In Matthew 21:1-11, Mark 11:1-11, Luke 19:28-44, and John 12:12-19, Jesus descends from the Mount of Olives towards Jerusalem riding on a donkey, and the crowds lay their clothes on the ground to welcome him as he triumphantly enters Jerusalem.

The following week the same crowd deceives Jesus, their previous hero, and cry “Crucify him, crucify!” He is subsequently hanged on a cross and killed after crying to His Father in heaven, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani (meaning My God my God why have you forsaken me?).

During the launches, presidential candidates are placed high on top of fabulously decorated floats and made to wave to their so-called supporters as they shout, “yor leave us ay da so-so and so we want, etc” waving back with palm branches as they presumably “triumphantly enter” Monrovia. One wonders if on October 10, the candidates would not be crying “My supporters, my supporters why have you deceived me?”

Politicians and party stalwarts should not be remiss by the so-called stage managed triumphant entries of their candidates because there is a number of fake saints poised to go marching, whose presence does not mean a doggone thing but deceit.

Fake Candidates, Fake Supporters, Fake Votes

After all said and done, there is an adage, “What goes around comes around” Some politicians are chronic liars and rogues and some voters are equally serious schemers.

There were politicians who promised things they could deliver but refused. When they got voted, some ate, got fat and turned their fat asses (excuse my Sunday school language) to the very people who voted for them to kiss. Remember, teachers have always been the biggest ass kissers.

But mind you politicians, the voters are already stereotyped that you too will lie to them when you win, they believe you will steal all their money and misuse their resources while they continue to wobble in abject poverty and excruciating painful living conditions and tell them to “kiss your asses.

You will bring your unqualified relatives and placed them at lucrative jobs to milk the economy and you will lie saying it is a global issue. Because of this stereotype, the voters will have no remorse when they deceive you on October 10, because you to are a deceiver.

Some of you are fake con men looking for votes, and the voters are fake 419 people singing “When the Saints go Marching in” just to “eat their own” The votes they cast will be fake because they promised to give them to you by joining your parades and helping you to enter Monrovia triumphantly and lock it down, but would instead vote for somebody else. All of you would be just a bunch of fake actors and schemers come October 10.

It is to those ends that I have resolved that “When Fake Saints go Marching in to herald a fake and staged triumphant entry, I will not be in the number” so help me God.

Benediction

Like our days in 70s as freshman students at Tubman High, I enjoin supporters to passionately sing and parade but only with honestly. Politicians themselves need to step back and reflect that the consequence of raising false hopes is a curse of disappointment.

Let us therefore sing the marching song with fervor and truth like Tubman High freshmen who in spite of their situations, coined their own version of “When the Saints, go marching in” and sang it with all their might soul as show below:.

When the Saints, (O when the saints) go marching in (Go marching in)

When the sings go marching in, O Lord I want to be in the number, when the saints go marching in (one two, one two, half step, half step, right cadence, left cadence, your ma cadence, your pa cadence, you sonafabitch, march!!!!)

When the Saints, go marching in, when the sings go marching in, O Lord I want to be in the number, when the saints go marching in

About Author:

The Rivercess man, Mwalimu-Mku (Veteran educator) Moses Blonkanjay Jackson was trained at Harvard, St. Joe’s, Yale and UPENN as an educator, mathematician and physicist. The Mwalimu-Mku, previously served the Government of Liberia for four years as GPE/BEP/World Bank Project Consultant, and as Assistant Minister for Teacher Education and returned to private practice as consultant, advocate and researcher. The Rivercess man can be contacted at +231 886 681 315/+231 770 206 645

In my thinking thoughts, I pondered the recent episode whereby the Liberian Senate cast a “Vote of no confidence” against the embattled Education Minister George Werner.

While there is no doubt about the Senate’s purview to take such a step, the question which has lingered in circles is “For what did George receive the no confidence vote?

Was it for denigrating the Liberian education sector via his farfetched utterances, or for being a wet blanket as FrontpageAfrica newspaper re-branded him a fortnight ago?

Vote of no confidence

For the sake of the layman, a “Vote of No Confidence” is a formal vote by which the members of a legislature or similar deliberative body indicate that they no longer support a leader, government, etc. The person is forced to resign or get fired by the leader of the country or if a corporation, the Board of Directors.

Recently, Sen. Geraldine Doe Sheriff analyzed comments from George Werner which insinuated education was not a “given” for the children of Liberia to improve. Senator Sheriff complained to the Senate that George Werner’s post on Facebook social medium was farfetched and as the lieutenant responsible to manage the already ailing education sector, he had denigrated it and was summoned to show cause why he should not be held with contempt.

According to witnesses at the proceedings, the Minister remained adamant, recalcitrant, and stood by his post; he refused to apologize. Consequently, a “Vote of No Confidence” was cast to remove him from his post.

List of Denigrators

To denigrate means for your action or utterance to take value away from; make small, belittle, or defame. According to Sen. Sheriff, to insinuate education is not compulsory or “da education we will eat” or ”knowing book is not important” takes away value from the learning of our children.

Actually, the issue of education and denigration recently emerged in Liberia as an attempt to protect Senator Oppong Weah from ridicule. In their bid, some supporters of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) have propounded that “knowing book is not important for good leadership”. This assertion is usually made each time oppositions question the acumen, credentials and intellectual ability of the CDC presidential candidate.

Now, with the challenges faced education, it leaves one befuddled as to whether these Oppong supporters really believe in this “knowing book is not important” thesis they are propounding or they are playing bind eyes and ignorant minds simply to be favored by their presidential candidate to land positions they are eyeing, per se Oppong wins. 

What is more troubling is the caliber of people who have subscribed to the “knowing book is not important” thesis and have lined up behind Senator Oppong Weah.

If it is justified that George Werner is found to be a denigrator and received a vote of no confidence from the senate, then I submit there are other people on the list who directly or indirectly have made utterances similar to George’s and are equally eligible to be summoned.

Sen. Jewel Howard Taylor once said during a campaign for the Oppong candidacy, “Book people have spoiled this country” In the layman’s view, she was saying, “Voters should not listen to people who say Oppong is a footballer and does not know book so he cannot be president because educated people who have led this country including Harvard trained Ellen Johnson Sirleaf have failed.

Jewel was however not clear. Did she mean the stinking rampant corruption which Madam President admitted she was unable to quell over her 12 years of reign?

Did she mean the gross lack of morals and profound ineptitude amongst people who “know book” and are supposed to stand as role models in society? So far, Jewel Taylor stands accused or indicted because of the ambiguity in her assertion and should be declared a denigrator as well.

Professor Wilson Tarpeh in one of his advocacies to see his kinsman Oppong inaugurated President come 2018 insinuated, alluded to the thesis that “Knowing book is not important for leadership” The learned professor averred that anybody can be a good leader regardless of education, even in this post war complex, economically staggering, politically charged and educationally deficient Liberia.

In addition, while George Werner, Jewel and Wilson are outright in spewing the anti-education advocacy, there are others who are subtle about the advocacy. Dr. Togar McIntosh Gayewea who, because of his education has served at very high profile positions and the ousted Speaker Alex Tyler are also lined up behind the “knowing book not important” campaign advocacy.

 Dry Blanket and Wet Blanket

Recently, FrontPageAfrica (FPA) newspaper re-branded Education Minister George Werner a “wet blanket” For the sake of clarity, a blanket is supposed to be soft, soothing and supposed to give people comfort because of the special material it is made of.

For example, it is normal somebody would say, “It is so cold that when I get home, I am going straight under my blanket” A warm dry blanket on the one hand, gives shelter and protects one from harsh conditions.

On the other hand a wet blanket doesn’t really hold much comfort because it is cold and heavy. When it gets wet, it becomes immediately uncomfortable for people. A wet pepe blanket is even worse when gets soaked with human urine and stinks.

Wet Pepe Blanket (Chicken can’t pepe, da dog can pepe)

Back in the day when we were teen agers (13- 17 years old) there was a common practice for children to be called “pepe pap” The pepe pap in our family was not me, but one of my brothers who constantly urinated (pepe) in bed.

Westerners knew “bed wetting “as a medical problem but, our ignorant African mother saw it as stubbornness. Out of frustration our mother would cry out, “So Junior you will not wake up in the night to pepe but do it right in the blanket so that I can wash clothes every day?

You think I can buy soap with rock? I will make you out of “soe ne dohn today” Soe ne dohn means, “Dog can’t pepe” in Bassa. Hence, the punishment for bet wetting was beating and humiliation.

In addition to labeling the poor child “Pepe Pap” and having his friends mock him; ignorant mama would place the wet pepe blanket around Junior’s body and parade him around the neighborhood. As he passed by, people would beat him and pour cold water on him. In addition to the beating, Junior was made to sing a Bassa song,

“So ne dohn, gbay mon dohn yon” (In English, chicken can’t pepe, da dog can pepe) Junior’s friends knocked empty cans behind him to create cadence at which he was supposed to march and the rhythm at which he sang “soe ne dohn gbay mon dohn yon” The neighbors would lash him harder if he dare refused to answer as he wept in pain and under the wet pepe blanket. 

Fellow Liberians, note that while all this is unfolding and the child is being humiliated, his father, Papa, is not supposed to say anything. He remains quiet because it is mama who buys the soap and washes the clothes so she has all the power. 

The Metaphor

In this metaphoric display, FPA has already assigned Education Minister George Werner the role of the wet pepe blanket. The Education Sector is the Pepe Pap or the poor child who is the bed wetter; The Government of Liberia (GoL) is the ignorant Mama since she is the one who placed, George Werner the wet pepe blanket over “education” and is being humiliated people, some of whom are also pepe paps.

Because of her ignorance, mama does not know that the problem with Pepe Pap is not stubbornness but rather a medical one that requires a professional doctor. In her folly, mama wraps the wet pepe blanket Werner around education and exposes it to public ridicule.

The Senate in this metaphor is Papa who is supposed to sit on the fence and remain quiet. Unfortunately, Papa’s patience has run out and instead of being quiet, he has decide to act very harshly.

Now as papa sits on the porch about to start the day, he hears the sound of the empty cans. He looks down the road and sees his dear beloved son, junior, with a stink wet pepe blanket over his body and being followed by a bunch of ignorant residents humiliating his son Education, “Kluck kluck kluck, kluck…. soe ne dohn,  gbay mo dohn yon;  …chicken can’t pepe, da dog can pepe” as they sang and mocked him.

Instead of keeping quiet as usual, Papa, the Senate led by Senator Geraldine Doe rises up to once and for all put a stop to this whole doggone fiasco about pepe pap education, messy education, and “knowing book is not important” In his frustration and disgust Papa scatters the mockers and demands that mama removes the “Stink wet blanket from over Junior (Education); Papa also plans to summon Jewel Howard Taylor, Dr. Togar McIntosh and Wilson Tarpeh too who are part of the gang humiliating his son, Education. Bravo papa!

Benediction

After all said and done, the questions that remain lingered are, “For what was George Werner declared the vote of no confidence? Is it because he is an intransigent denigrator? Was it because he is a regular wet blanket or a wet stink pepe blanket wrongly placed over the Education Sector? Whatever the case, in these transition times, I submit the action is belated; however, better late than never.

While we ponder the answers to the lingered questions, don’t you hear the song “Chicken can’t pepe da dog can pepe” that is being sung behind the education sector?  I do!! Listen…

Chicken can’t pepe, da dog can pepe,
Klank, klank, kluck , kluck…
Pepe Pap, Soe ne dohn, gbay mo dohn yon…
Klank, klank, kluck , kluck…
Pepe Pap, Chicken can’t pepe, da dog can pepe
Klank, klank, kluck , kluck…
Pepe pap, Soe ne dohn,  gbay mo dohn yon;
Klank, klank, kluck , kluck… Klank, klank, kluck , kluck… Klank, klank, kluck , kluck… Klank,

I am simply thinking thought. 

About Author

The Rivercess man, Moses Blonkanjay Jackson is a social advocate trained at Harvard, Yale, UPENN and St, Joseph’s Universities in Education, Mathematics and Physics. The Rivercess scholar served Liberia for four years as Consultant and Assistant Minister and returned to private practice as consultant and researcher. Contact:  0886 681 315 / 0770 206 645, blonkanjayjackson@gmail.com

In my thinking thoughts, I reflected on the recent melee between some members of the Legislature and the Supreme Court of Liberia whereby the former threatened three members of the latter with impeachment. The lingering question is, “Who is right and who is wrong?” 

Utilitarian versus Deontological Principles

So far, opinions proffered as attempts to assuage the tension only suggest the action is three pronged: “wrong”, “right” or “right but should be watered down for now, for the sake of peace and stability” Whatever the case, the recent positions taken by our President and her Vice President do not appear to be amalgamated; this has become a concern in various circles.

To place the views on a more debatable platform, two professional lenses would suffice; Jeremy Bentham’s Principal of utilitarianism, which evaluates actions based upon their consequences, and Immanuel Kant’s Deontological ethics which holds that whether something is right or wrong doesn’t depend on its consequences.

Principles of Utilitarianism

Utilitarianism is an ethical theory that determines right from wrong by focusing on outcomes. It is a form of consequentialism (Bentham, 1748). The construct holds that judgment should be made or withheld based on consequences of the action upon which action is supposed to be taken. If the consequences will be bad then the action is wrong but otherwise, it is right. The most ethical choice is the one that will produce the greatest good for the greatest number.

For example, assume a hospital has four critical patients whose lives depend upon receiving organ transplants: a heart, lungs, a kidney, and a liver. If a healthy person wanders into the hospital, should his organs be harvested to save four lives at the expense of one life? The consequences would give life to four people, the greatest good for the greatest number but how about the rights of the one man to life and liberty, let alone the most ethical principle?

Principles of Deontology

Deontologists (Kant, 1781) believe that morality is a matter of duty. We have moral duties to do things which are right to do and moral duties not to do things which are wrong to do. Whether something is right or wrong doesn’t depend on its consequences.

Legislators’ Deontological View

Fellow Liberians, do you assume members of the Legislature who are pushing impeachment of three of five Supreme Court Justices do not understand the consequences of having an incomplete bench to hand down judgment in election disputes? Do you believe they are not aware that removal of three Justices would create tension and corroborate suspicions that there could be a ploy to manipulate elections results and cheat?

In spite of the answers to those questions, the legislators do not care. They have a deontological moral requirement to perform their duty or do what is ”right”; a duty to correct citizens who are in error with the constitution regardless of their positions and connections, on one hand. On the other hand, they also understand that if they abandon their deontological duty to impeach those Justices, they would lose relevance. It does not matter whether heaven will come down, whether people will protest in the streets, whether election results will be delayed, whether the President declares a state of emergency, the legislators in compliance with deontological ethics, must impeach the Justices as a binding deontological duty.

President Sirleaf’s Utilitarian view

Recently, a release from the Executive Mansion cited President Sirleaf as “rejecting” the impeachment proceedings and termed the move as being clearly in violation of Article 73 of the Constitution. While she subscribed to the constitution for support, in the spirit of Utilitarianism or consequentialism, she called on the members of the House of Representatives to abandon this course of action “for the sake of peace and stability in Liberia” She then decisively declared that the “The Executive Branch of Government will not support any action, which tends to undermine the Constitution and reverse the gains this country has made”

In my opinion, the President appeared to be saying, “…according to the Article 73, you are wrong, but if per chance, it is later interpreted otherwise and you prove me wrong and gain permission and support to carry out the impeachment for the sake of peace, please do not do it.” These strong words pregnant with logic were sufficient to resonate as the voice of the nation and assuage the situation. Unfortunately, Vice President Joseph Boakai had a different ambivalent view.

VP Boakai’s Ambivalent View

You see, it is sometimes difficult to decipher the messages coming from the Vice President regarding his role as the Deputy Stewart of this nation. The messages sometimes leave one to wonder if he is supposed be mostly swayed towards the Executive Branch or the Senate and I earnestly invite pundits to chime in. At some points it appeared like VP Boakai had distanced himself from the foibles and dunces of the UP-Ellen Jonson Sirleaf led government while at others, there appeared to be an affinity between the two.

Howbeit, the positions of President Sirleaf and her Vice President on the impeachment appear to be clashing. During the debate at the Paynesville City Hall, the very experienced Ambassador Boakai asserted that he is not a lawyer so he would not take a Utilitarian nor Deontological view. He replied that he is not a lawyer so he could not say whether it was wrong or right to impeach, so he would wait and see or “sit on the fence”.

Considering his remarks, one would think a release from the Executive Mansion spoke for the whole nation including the Vice President. Was it a national view of the Executive Branch or solely President Sirleaf’s? Is VP Boakai not part of the Executive Branch?

How could VP Boakai take a seat on the fence when his boss had spoken? Is the unfolding event a manifestation of rumor and gossip that over the 11 years of their reign, the President hardly consulted her Vice Standard bearer? Is there a conflict?

You will note that the position Boakai took could also be seen by laymen and politicians as being politically sagacious. Recently, the Ambassador received endorsements from the House and the Senate. If you were in that situation where people who commit to support you launched an initiative, would you openly oppose them and support a boss lady who is already on her way out? Humanly speaking one would say no, while professionally, others would stick with their boss lady so as not to be seen as having being ungrateful and cowardly.

There are two ways a layman would interpret VP Boakia’s ambivalent view and choice to “sit on the fence”. In terms of utilitarianism, VP Boakai is not concerned with the “for the sake of peace and stability” sermon preached by Ellen, his boss, insinuating the impeachment consequences could be disruptive. Instead Boakai could be interpreted as taking a deontological stance, “if my fellow Capitol Hill law makers need to do their duty, I will wait and see. My position is if they win, fine, and if they lose fine as well, if they abandon the quest as proposed by President Sirleaf, fine again.

An Eye for an Eye

From another layman’s perspective, VP Boakai’s “sitting on the fence” could be misconstrued as serving a blow to the Supreme Court or “an eye for an eye”. The Supreme Court Justices were the ones who interpreted the Code of Conduct to include the huge number of opponents who are Presidential aspirants whose exclusion would have been an advantage to the Boakai’s Presidential bid including the likes of Karnwea, Sulunteh, Cummings and Mills Jones. Since the Supreme Court dressed many devils in their interpretation of the Code of Conduct, let them “cry their own cry”

World views on the impeachment

Recently, the United Nations, OAU and other development partners called on the government of Liberia to ensure the impasse between the legislature and the Supreme is resolved. While they did not say whether the action was right or wrong, they alluded to the utilitarian principle of the “foreseen bad consequences”

All Liberians want peace for they have tasted the consequences of a “no peace“situation; unfortunately, instead of raising their voices and taking a stand, they are doing wait and see” and sitting on the fence like our cautious VP Boakai. A crowded fence on a football field once broke from under the huge number of spectators sitting on it. If we all sit on the fence it might collapse, so let us speak out!!

About the Author

The Rivercess man, Mwalimu-Mku Moses Blonkanjay Jackson previously served the Government of Liberia for four years (2011 -2015) as MOE/GPE/World Bank Project Consultant, and Assistant Minister for Teacher Education. The Harvard trained Rivercess man is Former Chairman for Unity Party USA but has withdrawn for politics and currently conducting private business as Education Consultant and teacher training in Liberia; he can be contacted at +231 886 681 315/+231 770 206 645

In my thinking thoughts, I reflected a recent football match in Sinkor where a refined Community FC lost two goals to zero to a rather rowdy so-called “Gana-gana FC”.

Absence of Anti-Doping in Sports Policy in Liberia: Antithetical factor to the Gana-Gana Successes of the 2016 National County Sports Meet

I had initially enjoyed the agility and adroitness displayed by the Gana-gana boys in the first 45 minutes; however, when I discovered that the prowess that Gana-gana exhibited was not their natural strength and talents but was instead, fake, and spurred by the illegal drugs that they had consumed before the game, was boiling in their very blood and setting them on fire, my enjoyment stopped.

As I watched them kick, rumble, jump, run and tackle without showing signs of fatigue, I wondered, “How did these two absolutely diverse groups get matched up to play under such a risky circumstance: one drunk with drugs and the other sober with conscience?”

On the one hand, Community FC comprised of young adults and civil servants who were simply finding means to exercise and maintain good health by playing friendly football matches.

Gana-gana FC on the other hand, was a rowdy bunch comprised mostly of illegal drug abusers, thieves and wayward youths who posed as garage apprentices, vagrants who slept in ghettos, and “zogoes” who hanged around street corners and communities to snatch whatever.

The match therefore was simply a hurriedly arranged substitute of a previous match postponed at the 11^th hour to pass the day with Gana-gana FC whose coach was high on drugs throughout the 90 minutes, had no control over his boys and was smiling and chewing something which I presumed was a gum.

Now, as Gana-gana celebrated her 2-0 victory after the game, I had reflections and questions that took me beyond this small local game to the recent 2016 national sports meet hosted by Saah N’Tow’s  Ministry of Youth and Sports.  For this community game, suppose each of the players had been tested and removed for using illegal drugs, would the scores have been otherwise?

“If yes, what policies or enforcement means would the organizers had used to determine who should be removed?” If there are no answers, isn’t it good enough to believe that Gana-gana’s victory was fake?

In the case of the recent MYS, since there were no visible mechanisms to weed out gana-gana spurred participants, one could be tempted to assert that there were fake and unfair victories during the recent National County Sports meet. Matter-of-factly speaking, what would MYS officials have done if they had observed characteristics of gana-gana players in the competition?

Gana-gana use in Liberia

Before I become remiss, doping or “taking Gana-Gana” in Liberian English means consuming some form of narcotic drugs or alcoholic beverages. Dope or gana-gana could be an alcoholic beverage such as raw cane juice or locally brewed spirits mixed with herbal roots.

It could be marijuana, cocaine, number 10 tablets, dust from dead body bones, just to name a few. It is believed that when athletes take “gana-gana” in whatever form, it stimulates them, spurs their performance, gives them extra energy and makes them brave.

There is rumor that armed robbers usually take gana-gana before setting out to do mischief; there is also rumor that some adults who are high profiled, cannot stand before any crowd to speak or perform if they do not “get high” or take “gana-gana” In some countries, lawmakers and cabinet ministers take gana-gana before they go to sessions so that they can be recklessly argumentative, uncompromising, unreasonable and most times to act stupid. Some men never achieve erections or enjoy sex if they do not take gana-gana. I wonder if some teachers take gana-gana before going to class. God forbid!

While gana-gana may be in constant use by big shots and small shots, its use in sports goes further back in the days than one would imagine. Back in the days, some football players got “high” before entering important round town and national football matches.

While this was the case, it was not rampant but rather done under cover. These days one often hears openly, “I am going to Barca yard to take my “gana-gana” and prepare for the match or be correct” Barca yard itself has come to mean “ ghetto”, in modern day Liberian pidgin.

Gana-gana Spurred Victories

When one considers the shakes, swings and sways in the recent national county sports meet, and the glaring absence of an anti-doping policy enforcement mechanism at the Liberia Football Association (LFA) and the Ministry of Youth and Sports (MYS), it is easy to assume that “gana-gana” was a significant factor to some of the victories.

 As Liberians lined the streets to watch the victory celebrations staged by Montserrado County, did anybody wonder if some of the players took gana-gana to help them perform and win the trophy? Was that victory march to Bensonville fake, undeserved or genuine? Did Nimba beat Lofa without the help of gana-gana?; how did Margibi lose to Maryland County?

What about the spanking Bassa County received from Nimba? Was it gana-gana that spurred Montserrado to flog Lofa? If the MYS had anti-doping detection and enforcement policies, wouldn’t the scores have been different?

The big question is, “Was the success of the 2016 National County Sports Meet, as confidently showcased by Hon. Saah N’tow, fake and bridled by illegal drug users? Was the whole event which is being boasted as being successful in error and noncompliance with national standards of the WADA and RADOs?

In similar vein, was our friend Saah N’tow’s revered County Sports Meet genuine and properly managed in compliance with the international Anti-Doping in Sports CODE?

Liberia’s Status in Anti-Doping Arena

Fellow sport lovers, before I be considered anti-N’tow or anti-whatever, be consoled that Liberia is not alone in the fight against illegal drugs use in sports. All over the world, reputable athletes have been disgraced. Some either used banned substances deliberately or due to ignorance.

Many sportsmen have traveled abroad for “justify your inclusions” perhaps including Liberians, and failed and returned frustrated because samples of banned substances were found their blood simply because their countries were in non-compliance and the story goes on and on.

For your information, doping in sports is cheating. In competitive sports, it refers to the use of banned athletic performance-enhancing drugs by athletic competitors; hence, the use of banned drugs to enhance performance is considered unethical, and therefore prohibited, by most international sports organizations, including the International Olympic Committee. In spite of these proscriptions and awareness there continues to be incidences of doping in sports the world over.

It was for those reasons that a UNESCO Convention birthed the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), an international, independent organization monitoring the global fight against doping in sport and given custody of the World Anti-Doping Code (Code).

In order to monitor compliance, WADA collaborates with National Anti-Doping Organizations (NADOs) responsible for testing national athletes in- and out-of-competitions, as well as athletes from other countries competing within that nation’s borders; adjudicating anti-doping rules violations; and anti-doping education.

WADA has worked with stakeholders in areas of the world, where there exist limited or no anti-doping activities to pool resources and develop Regional Anti-Doping Organizations (RADOs), so that all nations will be engaged in anti-doping programs. Where is Liberia in all this?

To these ends, in the absence of information from Saah N’tow’s MYS regarding Liberia’s status and position on Anti-Doping in sports, there will always be conversations in circles over the authenticity of the successes and victories achieved by Liberian athletes. If we prepared a thesis on the achievements of the Ministry of Sports less the inclusion of a chapter on its efforts towards the CODE on anti-doping in sports that would definitely be professionally antithetical.

Benediction

Now, may the Ministry of Youth and Sports in collaboration with the National Olympic Committee receive favor from the Compassionate Savior to pursue the ratification of the Anti-Doping Convention in order to render Liberia eligible to gain membership in one of the RADOs in Africa leading to a NADO in Liberia, in Jesus name.

I am simply thinking thoughts.

About Author

The Rivercess man, Mwalimu-Mku Moses Blonkanjay Jackson previously served the Government of Liberia for four years (2011 -2015) as MOE/GPE/World Bank Project Consultant, and Assistant Minister for Teacher Education. The Rivercess man is currently conducting private business as Education Consultant and teacher training in Liberia; he can be contacted at +231 886 681 315/+231 770 206 645

In my thinking thoughts, I realized it would soon be August 24 and Liberians would be celebrating National Flag Day. I noted that this nation usually observes its Independence Day before the Flag Day making it to appear like the independence was declared before Madam Susannah Lewis and the six ladies completed the knitting of the revere banner.

Whatever was the case, in spite of the events which have charted the history of this nation, whether embattled by incidents or thriving peaceably, when others waivered to be patriotic, the Liberian Lone Star Banner always had the audacity to still be the identity of the nation state.

During our days as youths in Sinkor, Monrovia, we had a peculiar mentor referred to as Gbagbatee Joseph (GB). Although GB lived with both parents and had valuable opportunities, he was mischievous; frequently suspended from school; made passes at his friends’ girlfriends; lied about almost everything and stole from people; always involved in fights; cheating; disrespectful to acceptable folkways, norms and mores.

Nonetheless, in spite of his unpleasant character, we always wished to be in GB’s company because he was our movie cinema since our parents did not allow us to “go to the show” except on Christmas Day or 26 Day. GB could go at anytime.

After receiving his punishment from his father, he would gather us to narrate and display the actions, and personify the heroes and bad men in those movies: Sabu Break bay, 14-10, Wang-Yu, Bloody Fist and Silver Fox, etc.  As GB displayed, we were all ears and eyes, and sporadically bursting out into applaus with sparkles on our faces, as if we were in a real movie cinema. Wow, what an experience.

While we welcomed GB’s company, his father frequently kicked him out of the house, regretting and asking God why he was chosen to father such a nuisance son; however, GB’s mother would appeal to her husband to bring him back home with the audacity to still be his mother. Unfortunately, when Gbagbatee Joseph died from a robbery incident, his father was ashamed and reluctant to write a eulogy but instead wept secretly, but his mother instead had the audacity to read a eulogy in GB’s honor and still call herself Gbagbatee Joseph’s mother.

Audacious Lone Star Banner

Fellow Liberians, there has been instances in the history of this nation when it was hard for one to identify as Liberian or Liberian dialect speaker. In many of those instances it required real audacity or bravery to declare being a Liberian. From the time President E. J. Roye tried to abscond and got drowned, up to the time of the “Plot to kill President Tubman that failed”, the Lone Star banner has always had the audacity to still be the flag of Liberia.

When Sergeant Samuel K. Doe’s PRC executed 13 government officials in 1980 and their lifeless corpses left hanging for the whole world to see, wasn’t it scary for one to identify as a Congo Liberian? Yet the Lone star banner audaciously remained the Flag of Liberia; When the 14 year civil war marked by cannibalism, maiming, and ethnic cleansing set in, wasn’t it difficult to identify with such un-Liberian situations? Yet our flag still waved audaciously.

When Dr. Amos Sawyer was President of the interim government of national unity (IGNU), and Charles Taylor President of the national patriotic assembly government (NPRAG) concomitantly, of course it was difficult to say which Liberia one belonged to, but the Lone Star banner still remained “the” flag of Liberia. 

Now, today as we struggle to decipher the intricate messages trickling from the Global Witness–Sable Mining corruption case, and the indictment of House Speaker Tyler and Senator Varney Sherman, as the House of representatives falls apart into factions, the Lone Star banner has the audacity to still be standing on their office desks as the flag that gives them authority. In this messy state of Liberian education, isn’t a Liberian flag still floating over the embattled Ministry of Education?

Eulogizing Gbagbatee Liberia

Fellow compatriots, Liberia is like the late Gbagbatee Joseph whose eulogy his mother had to be audacious or brave enough to read. A eulogy is a spoken or written tribute: a speech or piece of writing that praises somebody or something very high, especially a tribute to somebody who has recently died.

For instance, a eulogy can be written for a country whose population continues to suffer from economic hardship, social injustice, and regimented freedom of speech, nepotism, rampant corruption and abuse of public office.

Before my “thinking thoughts” is misconstrued, let me quickly declare that Liberia has not died and needing a eulogy, but the ideals that spurred the founding fathers to establish the nation state, which the Lone Star banner represents, are suffocating. The founding fathers did not envisage the rampant corruption we are experiencing; neither the massive mediocrity nor the system of demerits that prevails; they did not envisage a country of lawless arrogant men who are not even patient to obey a simple traffic signal.

Did you ever dream Liberians would practice cannibalism, or cutting of brothers’ ears and body parts as they cry for mercy, and after doing so, be favored for high government offices? God forbid. To those ends, since in spite of the death of virtue and values in Liberia, the Lone Star Banner still waves, we must write a eulogy praising her for her audacity or bravery to still remain our common identity while lamenting.

Eulogies instead of pomp and pageantry

Back in the day, Flag Day was marked by elaborate parades by schools around the country followed by indoor programs. I remember in Rivercess how each Flag Day our khaki suits would be soaking wet as we paraded before the City Hall to give our “eyes right” salutes to either be booed or applauded. In Monrovia the confusion was whether CWA or Tubman High would lead. CWA usually claimed she was founded before Tubman High and so she should lead the parade.

The parade started only when Colonel J. Emmanuel Pepple (RIP) ruled that our Tubman High should lead because it was the foremost government school. Wow, the pomp and pageantry for some of us was that it was only on Flag Day that we came face to face with our little sweet hearts who had all along been only pen pals. If you were lucky to get at least a hug or a kiss before she ran back home like a little Cinderella, you would boast about it to your friends, “Bah, my Flag Day was super!”

I submit that instead of the traditional pomp and pageantry that usually mark Flag Day celebrations, Liberians should write eulogies on this Flag Day. Our eulogies do not only have to be lamentations but also songs of praises; songs of praises not for a state whose folkways, norms and mores have demised, but for the audacity the Lone Star banner has exhibited by still being our flag in spite of our deficiencies.

The Benediction

Please permit me to leave you with this powerful act of audacity. In 1901, at the age of 19, Edwin James Barclay who later became the 18^th President of the Republic of Liberia wrote a patriotic song; one that is pregnant with passion and audacity, “The Lone Star Forever”.

 Barclay noted that our banner did not waiver in strife, troubling times, lightning nor thunder, but audaciously ventured to identify with the nation state, “…she set within the doom of night, midst low’ring skies and thunderstorms the star of liberty…”

 Our banner did not beg the sun to lend its glory but rather took custody of it “…And seizing from the waking morn, its burnished shield of golden flames. She lifted in her proud name and raised a people long forlorn to noble destiny…”

 Having made her presence felt, our banner proclaimed to the world without equivocation that she had not come as a visitor but had come as a banner to stay as a symbol for this country and stayed, she has, “The Lone Star forever! The Lone Star forever! O long may it float over land and over sea.” 

 President Barclay also left us a charge to keep and a God to glorify when he asserted, “Desert it, no never! Uphold it, forever! O shout for the Lone Star banner, All hail”

Now fellow Liberian as you eulogize this Flag Day, may you not desert the ideals for which the Lone Star banner stands but uphold them; having done so, may the Lord bless and keep our country, may he make his countenance to shine upon us, may He be gracious unto our us and give us peace, economic and political stability, and give us joy, In Jesus name.

I am simply thinking thoughts

About Author

The Rivercess Man, Moses Blonkanjay Jackson (The Mwalimu-Mku)  is a triple Ivy League product, and a Jesuit protégé; Mr.  Jackson is a Yale University Mathematics Curriculum Fellow, and a University of Pennsylvania Physics Curriculum Fellow. Mr. Jackson holds a Master of Education degree from Harvard University and a Master of Education with Secondary Mathematics concentration from Saint Joseph’s University. The Harvard trained education scholar, Blonkanjay Jackson, having diligently served the Government of Liberia, for four years from 2011 to 2015, as Consultant, and Assistant Minister for Teacher Education, was dismissed.