Supporters of the coalition of  Liberian Opposition Parties in the Diaspora
        P. O. Box 491112, Lawrenceville, GA 30049 * (404) 468-2440
            

                    Providing Support for the Opposition in Liberia


November 8, 2011



His Excellency James Victor Gbeho
President, ECOWAS
Lagos, Nigeria
WEST AFRICA


President Gbeho:

We the Supporters of the Coalition of Liberian Opposition Parties in the Diaspora (S-COLPD), comprising 8 political parties that recently participated in the October 11, 2011 legislative and presidential elections, wishes to applaud ECOWAS and the broad international community for the substantial contributions they have made in helping Liberia make its transition to a postwar society.  Despite this laudable success, Liberia is yet to receive a full-fledged transition to a stabilized, peaceful society that is necessary to enable a sustained process of economic development that can benefit the masses of the people who have long been dispossessed and disenfranchised.

S-COLDP is greatly concerned that the 2011 elections which should consolidate the gains and strengthen the foundations of Liberia’s strides towards democratic rule are now being challenged.  There exists an impasse as the country prepares for a Run-Off election scheduled for November 8, 2011. S-COLDP feels that the international community, especially ECOWAS, which has a deeper and better understanding of what is unfolding in Liberia and the region as a whole, do have a much greater responsibility to ensure that the pillars of peace are firmly erected, by ensuring that Liberia’s experience of a peaceful electoral process is made possible and satisfy all sides involved, including the ruling New Unity Party (UP), and its challenger, the Mighty Congress of Democratic Change (CDC).

President Gbeho, you are aware that for more than two decades, Liberia was ravaged by a brutal civil war that destroyed every fabric of its society.  Not only were the infrastructural foundations completely wiped out, but the country experienced one of the worst death tolls in human history: more than 250, 000 of its able-bodied citizens, including innocent women, youth, and children, and the elderly lost their lives in this senseless and savage war.  This war also had very far-reaching security consequences for the West African region that it is yet to recover from.  Liberia and the region which has recently experienced the unsolved residue of this war, cannot afford to revisit this ugly past.  Recent developments in Ivory Coast, Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria, continues to remind us that the closer we think we are to resolving our crisis, the farthest we are from achieving this goal.

As African people, we continue to be haunted by our failure to find “African solutions to African problems”.  Often times, we surrender our god-given rights to others who don’t understand or lived our experience, and often leave us vulnerable when a crisis erupts or flares-up. Old colonial methods of using intimidation and threats, instead of persuasion and understanding, not only demonstrate a failure of leadership, but it does not provide successful solutions to addressing our problems. The Zulus could not have been more correct about the African philosophy of ‘ubuntu ugamuntu’- our ability to solve our problems “through our own selves”.

As we see it, Liberia’s current political, electoral impasse is not insurmountable!  While the country has reached a “tipping point” that could be derailed if it does not take care to resolve some of the residual issues of the electoral process that has become a burden on the country since 1927.  The country has been haunted by a very painful past, and that is why it is important that it does everything right this time not to repeat this past.

The reaction of the Liberian National Election Commission (NEC) that calls by the opposition to have it restructured or reconstituted before holding the run-off, are “unrealistic and unreasonable” ignores the growing sentiment in the country that its own credibility leaves much to be desired. Granted, the head of the commission resigned in shame, restoring the credibility to this commission is paramount. The NEC no longer has credibility in the eyes of the Liberian people!  This fact must not be ignored!  S-COLPD, therefore, contends that Liberia’s long-term peace and stability is better than a short-term, quick-fix gain, which could inevitably plunge the country into another vicious cycle of crisis.  Liberians don’t want this and don’t desire this. The international community has a responsibility to be adept at these sentiments, and identifying a peaceful approach to resolving this impasse.

At the writing of this letter, pre-election related violence occurred yesterday, November 7, 2011, on the eve of the run-off.  Both national and international media, including the BBC, have widely reported that the high-hand of the state security apparatus was used to stop peaceful protesters assembling at the headquarters of the opposition party, the Congress of Democratic Change.  Already, there have been 3 confirmed deaths and more than 25 injured which happened when the Emergency Response Unit (ERU) of the Liberian National Police fired live ammunitions on unarmed and defenseless citizens. This is not a peaceful way forward for building democracy when innocent lives have to be taken away in the process. Liberians should no longer experience one more drop of blood!

S-COLPD therefore calls upon ECOWAS and the international community to consider the following:

1.That this run-off be rescheduled to a new date and in the interim allow for the concerns of  the CDC to be investigated and addressed;

2.That the Liberian National Elections Commission(NEC) be restructured and reconstituted;

3.That a negotiated political settlement to this impasse be pursued by the establishment of an Interim/Coalition government; and

4.To assure complete transparency and impartiality, ECOWAS and other international observers must assume the management of this run-off;

IN THE INTEREST OF PEACE, DEMOCRACY, AND FREEDOM FOR BOTH THE PEOPLES OF LIBERIA AND AFRICA, WE REMAIN,

With Warmest regards,


Respectfully,

Siahyonkron J. K. Nyanseor
Coordinator, NDC/S-CLOPD
Siah1947@gmail.com

        
Cc:  Congress of Democratic Change (CDC)
       Coalition of Liberian Opposition Parties
       File

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