AFRICAN PANORAMA
WATCHING THROUGH THE BIRD'S EYES
THE INDICTED REBEL LEADER CHARLES TAYLOR WAS ELLEN JOHNSON SIRLEAF'S FOOT SOLDIER DURING THE WAR IN LIBERIA, REITERATES THOMAS WOEWIYU
THE INDICTED REBEL LEADER CHARLES TAYLOR WAS ELLEN JOHNSON SIRLEAF'S FOOT SOLDIER DURING THE WAR IN LIBERIA, REITERATES THOMAS WOEWIYU
While President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is counting her blessings in an awfully titled book, The Child that will be Great, Thomas Woewiyu, her fellow mastermind of the 1989 uprising that led to the 14-year long bloodbath in Liberia , is ever determined to cast a doubt over the credibility of the African iron lady. In an exclusive interview with Public Agenda’s Editor Lyndon Ponnie, the maverick Woewiyu, who has been invited to testify before the Truth and reconciliation Commission(TRC) but is yet to go, has contradicted Sirleaf’s litany of denials. The president, who had hesitantly, stealthily appeared before the commission a few weeks earlier, denied ever playing a leading role in the internecine violence that was the Liberian civil war. Woewiyu impliedly says that is a blatant lie. Read Editor Ponnie’s and Mr. Woewiyu’s exchanges below:
Editor Ponnie: Mr. Woewiyu welcome to this interview with Public Agenda Newspaper.
Mr. Woewiyu: Thank you Mr. Editor.
Editor Ponnie: We have learnt that you have been invited by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) to testify before it to say what you know about the Liberian crisis. Is this information correct?
Mr Woewiyu: That is correct.
Editor Ponnie: So if this is correct, when will you return home to tell the TRC what you know about the crisis in Liberia ?
Mr Woewiyu: I received the TRC’s invitation some time late last year. At the time, I could not travel due to some personal health issues. Some time early 2009, I informed the Commission through its Executive Director, Honorable Nathaniel Kwabo, that I could make it to Liberia in February. In my last communication to the Commission, I stated that I would be in Liberia at a weekend, February 12, to testify on February 15 if all arrangements were consummated by the TRC. I have not heard from them since then. Let it be known that my testimony is ready. With or without the TRC it will be published in due course.
Editor Ponnie: Recently the President of Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf appeared at the TRC and testified. During her testimony, she denied ever being a part of the NPFL, contradicting your open letter written in 2005. What is your comment?
Mr Woewiyu: As I stated in my 2005 open letter to Madam Sirleaf, she played a very important role in the first attempt of the NPFL led by late General Quinwonkpa which failed in 1985. I have said she asked me to see Quinwonkpa in order to give him my blessing for the mission which he was about to embark upon. I told her that I did not want to have anything to do with Quinwonkpa and such mission. She sent him anyway. Read the open letter again. I have also said in the open letter that she also played the leading and sponsoring role in the organization and launching of the second NPFL attempt led by Charles Taylor. Without her support and approval, that particular adventure would never have gotten off the ground. I cited a 1987 conversation between Madam Sirleaf, Dr. Baron Tarr and me at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Estrada Bernard. The conversation had to do with her accepting the responsibility as head of the political phase and while Charles Taylor took charge of the military phase of the 1989 uprising against the Samuel Doe Regime. The disagreement between her and Dr. Tarr during that discussion has been mentioned in the open letter. Dr. Tarr is an honorable man, and he should be in the position to recall the discussion.
Editor Ponnie: If she has been part of the inner circle of the former rebel group, as your open letter states, to what extent was she involved?
Mr Woewiyu: I have stated funds that she raised for the NPFL amounted to about half a million dollars. She has admitted giving $10,000.00 to start the war. She has admitted having flown from the United States to meet with Charles Taylor in Paris during the planning stage of the war. She has admitted and apologized for having issued the NPFL her genocidal order to level Monrovia and she would rebuild it. What she has not done is, apologize for the massive deaths and wanton destruction caused by such reckless order. As I have said in my open letter, Madam Sirleaf spoke back then as the Commander in Chief of the NPFL. She wanted the public to know that she was involved at the top level of the uprising. Read the open Letter again.
Editor Ponnie: Throughout the President’s testimony at the TRC, she made reference to you regarding all information she received from the NPFL. What has been the relationship between you and Madam Sirleaf?
Mr Woewiyu: Thank God, Madam Sirleaf has confirmed that I was reporting to her. If she was not part of the NPFL, what was I doing reporting to her? Why did I not report to Dr. Amos Sawyer or Dr. Baron Tarr?
Editor Ponnie: In 2005, you warned against electing Madam Sirleaf as President; now that she has been elected, how do you see Liberia today and what do you think the country will belike in years to come?
Mr Woewiyu: When I met with Madam Sirleaf in her office at the Executive Mansion regarding her five million dollar lawsuit against me for defamation of character, I asked as to whom she was trying to impress with her so-called suit? I told her Liberians have never ever considered the characters of those they put in power. I said to her that my intention to stop her from being elected did not work. She was elected anyway. So what did you lose? I asked her. I reminded Madam Sirleaf in that conversation that it was my open letter to Samuel Doe back in 1984 telling him to stay out of the 1985 election that she and the late Jackson Doe used as their campaign document. I also reminded her that it was my written position and public pronouncements against our mutual friend, Charles Taylor that she used in the 1997 election as reasons why Taylor should not become President. I also asked Madam Sirleaf what she did not understand about me after all these years of political affiliation. I told Madam Sirleaf that the manner in which I warned the Liberian people that Doe and Taylor were not the right persons to lead Liberia was the same shown in my open letter to her warning the Liberian People that she did not possess the qualities to be President of Liberia. Her Administration of the nation with corruption being three times higher than the three previous administrations combined has indeed vindicated me.
Editor Ponnie: Mr. Taylor was arrested as a result of Madam Sirleaf’s request to Nigeria to have him answer allegations of his involvement in Sierra Leone . Do you think that was in the right direction?
Mr Woewiyu: As I have said in my open letter, Charles Taylor was a foot soldier for Madam Sirleaf and other exiled political leaders. He was sent on a mission which was accomplished. Clearly, the uprising has caused the total destruction of our nation's scarce infrastructure and snuffed the lives out of 300,000 Liberians. By sending Mr. Taylor to the Sierra Leonean Court, is Madam Sirleaf saying that lives lost in that country are worth more than the those lost in Liberia where Taylor was directly responsible first as a rebel leader and second as President of the Nation? I think Madam Sirleaf naively believes that her part in our national tragedy will remain hidden by focusing the spot light on Taylor in what was apparently an international conspiracy. The saying goes in Liberia that “the same rope that hangs monkey could hang baboon”.
Editor Ponnie: It is being rumored in Liberia that you are one of the witnesses for Mr. Taylor in The Hague , how true is this information?
Mr. Woewiyu: No one has asked me to do so.
Editor Ponnie: There is so much news of corruption in Liberia under the leadership of President Sirleaf; do you think Madam Sirleaf is the right person to fight this virus? Corruption under Madam Sirleaf is not a virus.
Mr. Woewiyu: Corruption under Madam Sirleaf is not a virus. Virus can be cured by a proper medical remedy. Corruption in the Republic of Liberia under Madam Sirleaf is part of a “divine curse”, it has no cure. I am saying this to my fellow Liberians; let us pray with all of our hearts and ask God to forgive us for not understanding his will and acting accordingly. 2 Chronicles 7:14
“if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land”. It was the realization of the power of this verse of the Holy Bible the people of God in Liberia held the three day prayer vigil entitled “Liberia for Jesus”. President Taylor dressed in white swear-in suit prostrated on the platform and said “Lord I am not the President of your People, You are, may your will be done”. Did the Lords will get done? Yes. He abdicated the seat of the Presidency and went into exile. Here is another verse of the Bible that Liberians must think of as we pick our leaders: Proverbs 28:12
When the righteous triumph, there is great elation; but when the wicked rise to power, men go into hiding.
I have said corruption under Madam Sirleaf’s Administration is part of a divine curse because I see how God is showing Madam Sirleaf that no sin and absolutely no sin goes on punished. Just as it was with Pharaoh in Egypt thousands of years ago, when God told him “let my People go”, God is telling Madam Sirleaf to either do the right thing or quit the leadership of Liberia while she can. God has shown her signs that He is not happy with her. He has allowed the devil to drop a few plagues on Liberia as a way of making his point. For instance:
a) The mysterious burning of the marble-stone Executive Mansion, thereby, denying Madam Sirleaf the seat of power of our nation. She has been relegated to a cubicle in the Foreign Ministry building. If you we do not realize that God had a hand in it, then we do not know Him.
b) The visit by President George Bush to Liberia during which time the leader of the free world did not leave a dime in Liberia despite the fact that Liberia desperately needs the financial help to regain its meager existence. There is a philosophy in Porodom which says, “You cannot enter the zoe bush and come out a sinner”. Madam Sirleaf saw the Chief Zoe of the world and still came out empty handed like a sinner.
c) During her Administration, strange insects never before seen in any part of the World, invaded Liberia; destroyed the rivers, water sources and destroyed food crops. How many of this kind of plague do we want God to lay on us before we realize that He is not happy with us?
d) Corruption has become a plague for which there is no cure. It has reached an epidemic proportion with no end in sight. Madam Sirleaf is utterly confounded. She has no strength to combat corruption because of her own involvement in it.
For the information of Liberians who do not know the work of Madam Sirleaf in the past 20 (1985-2005) years, prior to her election as President of Liberia, she worked in the International Community, especially the United States against each and every Government in Liberia to stop any form of aids to the Liberian People in the name of anti corruption. Her Administration turns out to be the most corrupt of all the governments during the same 20 years combined. God does not like ugly, you know?
Editor Ponnie: What is your prediction about the future of Liberia ?
Mr. Woewiyu: Things are going to get harder and harder because of the lawlessness of Madam Sirleaf. Her first Executive Order was to cancel all existing concessions and contracts without any semblance of due process of law. Her reasoning was that all of the concessions and contracts were acquired through corruptive process. Some of these concessions were approved by acts of the Legislature. Some, like the Firestone, are even older than she is in life. As I said in my observation about the cancellation, especially the FDA concessions, President Taylor called the forest his pepper bush. Madam Sirleaf canceled the FDA agreement so that she could convert the forest to her bitter ball bush. She has re-established these agreements and even added new ones without any fundamental change for the benefit of the Liberian.
As we can see from the Knuckles Gate II, Madam Sirleaf's motive for inventing the wheel regarding concessions and contracts was grounded in corruption and bribes for her and her people. I cannot see any international organization negotiating any substantive agreement with her Administration given the fact that she has set the precedent to have such agreement canceled by executive orders in the future. Given the poor financial conditions prevailing in the World today, it will be nearly impossible for Madam Sirleaf to attract a reputable institution to invest in Liberia with confidence.
Editor Ponnie: What is your thinking about the political situation in Liberia ?
Mr. Woewiyu: The political situation depends on what the Liberian people want it to be. One positive aspect of the civil conflict in Liberia is the fact that in spite of their suffering in displaced camps around the sub-region, Liberians have had the opportunity to see how other countries in the region are making progress in politics and economic empowerment of themselves. However, if they want to continue on the path of electing those who committed the most atrocities against them, I think General Butt Naked should be in line for the Presidency in 2011.
Editor Ponnie: Even though you are living in the US , do you think Liberia is better off today than what it used to be?
Mr. Woewiyu: Economically, I would say absolutely no. Corruption is an invisible AK 47. It kills faster than the physical AK. With the physical AK, at least, one can see the killer coming at you. You could run or fight back. But when corruption runs from the Executive Mansion to the ordinary messenger on the street, the citizen’s fighting chance against such a killer is zero.
Politically, we have made a tremendous progress which people like Madam Sirleaf would like to roll back. For instance, her insistence to appoint Mayors, Town Chiefs, etc is a political roll back which the Legislature can quickly undo if they so desire. We must move as fast as a speeding bullet to amend the Constitution. The elements of minority rule must be removed from our body politics. No form of oligarchy, be it countryman, Congo man, or Americo will do our nation any good.
Editor Ponnie: Any last comment?
Mr. Woewiyu: My last comment is to Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of the Republic of Liberia . I am deeply saddened by your insensitivity to the plight of the deplorable state of existence Liberians are in today. When you finally muster the courage to mount the platform of reconciliation before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, it would have behooved you to simply tell the truth that President Doe was such an atrocious leader that we the people had to pressure him out of power. You should listen to your own utterances and see if what you have been saying about your involvement with the civil uprising makes sense. You admit giving Charles Taylor $10,000.00 to start a war. While people were dying, you claim to have withdrawn your support. Who is responsible for those who died before you supposedly withdrew your so-called support? You cannot set a house on fire and disavow responsibility because of disagreement with your fellow arsonist. Your "Harvard education" should have taught you that about the commission of a crime.
There are people right in Monrovia who gave you $50,000.00, $100,000 hard cash which you passed on for the support of the NPFL. How about the $50,000.00 that you gave to Mr. Allen Brown, Sr. with which he bought the rice to feed the fighters? I am sure Liberians know now that the Browns are your partners in other businesses. But more pertinent is the fact that you have rewarded the Browns and their Sinkor Trading Company the exclusive rice supply contract for the nation and even funded the start up with government money. When God curses you, you cannot help yourself.
As for your threat to continue your lawsuit against me after your term of office, you should be ashamed of yourself for the callousness and insensitivity you portray towards the fragile peace and reconciliation of the Liberian People by that threat. Your threat from the platform of the reconciliation forum shows how vain and vile you are. Your future lawsuit means nothing to me. At the corruptive rate that your administration is going, you just might end up in jail for the same rampant corruption that you and the PRC executed 13 government officials in 1980. Were you not a very very good friend and advisor to General Quewonkpa and the regime at the time of those executions? In a short while, I will give more charges to add to your lawsuit. The nation should know that your threat is about now. You are senile enough to think you can intimidate me.
Editor Ponnie: Thank you so much for the time.
February 6, 2008
Her Excellency Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
President of the Republic of Liberia
Executive Mansion
Monrovia , Liberia
Madam President:
This letter is to express the anguish that I and most Liberians are experiencing with the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) as a direct result of the lackadaisical and inconsequential treatment given it by your Administration.
The concept of the TRC was first introduced in a Resolution by the 51st Legislature and finally made part of the Accra Accords by the stakeholders in the Liberian conflict as a way of fostering genuine healing and reconciliation in the aftermath of many years of war, death and destruction. Based on the belief that the TRC’s approach will produce a lasting-healing effect, Liberians and the International Community concluded that a War Crimes Tribunal or a prosecutory resolution to our problem would do nothing but exacerbate the pain and continue the anguish among the people.
As you may be aware, all of the agreements made by the Parties to the Liberian conflict prior to 1997, carried full amnesty for the leaders and individual participants in the war, except for acts committed outside of combat. These agreements were fully endorsed by the United Nations, the Organization of African Unity (OAU), now African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States ECOWAS). I speak with knowledge and authority because I am a signatory to all of the above Referenced agreements.
Because Liberia has been ruled by the very tyrants, warlords, their sponsors and associates for the past 27 years, including you since 1980, absolutely, no one has seen fit to address the issue of acts committed during these oppressive regimes and numerous wars, outside of combat in the Court of competent jurisdiction within the Republic of Liberia . There are certain crimes under Liberian Laws, including murder that has no statute of limitation. I am certain this is universal. The framers of these agreements along with the International Bodies supporting them left a window for the Republic of Liberia to bring to justice people who may have committed crimes such as murder under the cloud of war or civil disturbance.
Right off the top of my head, here are some murder cases that should be addressed under the criminal statutes of Liberia: The wanton murder of: Mr. Jackson F. Doe and Professor Yekeson, both of whom were the well publicized guests of Mr. Charles Taylor, then rebel leader; Mr. Michael Doe, killed at the Hotel Africa, not involved in any combat, Mr. Samuel K. Doe, who was no longer President by virtue of the ECOWAS decision to replace his with the Sawyer Government. Records show that Doe was invited to the Peace Keepers Headquarters. His living body was delivered to Mr. Prince Johnson, then Leader of the Independent National Patriotic Front of Liberia (INPFL). The recorded and videoed detail of how Doe was slaughtered is around. There was no war involved. Even the smallest child in the Country knows that no amount of private negotiation between the family of Doe and those responsible for his gruesome death can negate the jurisdiction and authority of the Republic of Liberia to investigate as to whether a crime against the State has been committed. I beg to differ with Hon. Prince Johnson regarding his recent utterances concerning the Doe issue.
The gruesome murder of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Dokie, the murder of John Yomie and Deputy Minister Vaye, numerous persons taken from places of refuge such as the Greystone Compound near the American Embassy in Monrovia and other internal refugee camps around the country who were murdered by their adopters, the beating to death of Isaac Gono, a driver, by Charles Taylor, Jr. and his body guards on the front step of Mr. Taylor’s house and with his participation are very obvious cases that must be addressed from a government perspective. The list goes on but suffice it to say that if Liberia will restore itself to the Comity of Nations, it should be a country of law and not men.
The issues surrounding the conflicts from 1979 to 1990 are so complex and compounded by the death of those who bear the greatest responsibilities and cannot participate in this healing process, i.e., Presidents Tolbert, Doe, etc. Who then are those in that era envisaged by the law that created the TRC proposes to forgive or be punished by the will of the President?
The work of the TRC covering that very period has been further compounded and muddied up by the usual selfish, careless, wanton, callous and insensitive approach of your government to our complex social issues. Had you been interested in genuine-lasting peace and reconciliation among all the people of the Republic of Liberia, and also, had you been conscious of the deep seated pain caused by the 135 years of minority domination of the Liberian society, a principal cause of the war, your Administration could have declared and sponsored a broad based National Mourning and Memorial Service across the country for the almost 300 thousand lives lost as a result of the 14-year civil war to include the two Presidents (Tolbert and Doe) that were killed under grotesque circumstances including the 13 Officials of government of the Tolbert Administration who were executed in 1980. Instead, your Administration supported a memorial service and erected monuments memorializing the lives of only the 13 Americo Liberian or Conguar Government Officials who were executed in 1980. What message did this act send to the rest of the Liberian People who are still mourning for the loss of 300 thousand of their relatives and fellow citizens? Try cleaning that up when you get to the TRC.
To the best of my understanding, the only parties to the Liberian conflicts who may not be covered by outright amnesty are the leaders of LURD & MODEL and their fighters. The Accra Peace Accord left their fates to the TRC that is currently in effect. Also to the best of our knowledge, no International body that we know of is seeking prosecutory action against anyone in these groups. They like all other Liberian liberators were encouraged and sponsored by some member of the so called International Community to employ force of arm to bring about political change in their country. The justification for which LURD and MODEL received enormous support to force the Taylor government out is no different from the one used to remove the Tolbert and Doe governments. What is clear is the pattern that Liberians have been urged by the Powers that control the World to forcibly and bloodily remove one leader after another starting with William R. Tolbert, Jr., yet, after each leader is removed, the International Community, especially the U.S. has done very little to infuse enough resources required to develop, promote and sustain democracy in Liberia. If the so called International Community would even demand one ounce of social justice, economic and political fairness for every million dollar put in places like Liberia , the country would become a beacon of democracy in West Africa .
Those of us who harbor and are prone to conspiracy theories think that the former colonial powers who took millions of the children of Africa to distant lands as slaves have a neo-colonial agenda to keep the people of Africa in a perpetual quandary of conflicts. Supposedly, this policy is well thought-out, calculated with an adjustable conflict-flame thrower. In a split second, deadly conflicts in places like Liberia can be adjusted to low or high intensity. The conflict in Liberia is currently in the low intensity mode. It could be adjusted to high intensity in a matter of seconds. My thinking above, could be merely the conjecture of a frustrated person whose descendant were captured like animals, some killed and some used to serve their fellow men under subhuman conditions.
How is the conflict in Liberia any different from the conflicts around the world? The answer is very simple. To change matter in every situation, new elements must be added to the old. In the situation with failed state like Liberia , any change must start with the organic laws (constitution) of the country. Economic and social imbalances must be adequately addressed. Infusion of financial and material resources to enable the people of the affected country to recover and catch up with the current times must take place. The Marshall plan in Europe after World War II, the massive infusion of economic, human and material resources being infused in Afghanistan and Iraq is an example.
I am sure you can recall after the bloody overthrow of the Tolbert Government, the military regime under Sergeant Doe received an unprecedented aid from the United States 75% of which was military, (weapons, military tanks and ammunitions), even though we were not threatened by any of our neighbors. Again, in resolving our current nightmare, we have been required to raise an Army as the most urgent priority. General Doe supposedly had a 6000-man, well trained army in West Africa with superior weaponry. In the face of a challenge from the people, that army crumbled like a piece of cookie. Madam Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of Liberia, is our priority really an army, or the disarmament of the hearts of the Liberian People?
I mentioned the pattern of the vicious cycle of violence in Liberia and that it seems to be controlled by the Western Powers simply to remind you that this is not about you as you should know by now, especially since you took over as President of Liberia. You should by now realize that those among the World Powers who want to do us good are far less than those who want to see us burn whether slowly or in an inferno. Suffice it to say, that no one in the International Community is seeking to punish anyone in Liberia for the war, including LURD and MODEL.
The International Community has determined that Taylor should be prosecuted for rape, mayhem and crime against humanity in Sierra Leone and not his own country where he was a rebel leader for seven years and President for another six years. During those periods, 300 thousand of his people perished and the nation burned to ashes. Yet, the same International Community made the determination that the TRC process of national healing is the best way forward to bring closure to the Liberian People. Therefore, you need to understand this and let’s move forward, genuinely with the process.
The current stalemate and dismal performance of the TRC is directly linked to the manner in which your Administration is handling issues as they relate to the Commission which among other things include funding and the participation of government officials including yourself in the process. This is a healing process in which Liberians from all facets of the society should participate, especially those in high places like me, you and other former war lords, fighters, incumbent government officials, clergy, etc. We cannot “have our cake and eat it, too”; as the saying goes. In the matter involving the TRC healing method, no one person should be the judge and the jury. In fact there should not be a judge and jury in this process. Rather, it should be a forum in which Liberians will have the opportunity to bring to light what actually happened to innocent Liberians, and for them to embrace each other, with the intent to never again see such ugly period in our history.
Two years into your administration of the affairs of our nation, the TRC is spinning in a circle of triviality marked by attention seekers telling tall tails, making outlandish allegations and telling sensational stories. The process seems to be opening up more wounds than healing any.
A while back, you were asked as to whether you would testify before the TRC? Your response was swift and blistery, “if someone has any charge against me, let them go and file it with the TRC and then I will appear to answer it”. There is no need for anyone to implicate you. In a way, you implicated yourself during the campaign when you offer an apology to Liberians for what you referred to at the time as “stupid statement” made by you in the painful past. The statement you made in 1990 was, “Let Monrovia burn, we will rebuild it”. However, in recent times, you admitted to making a “Stupid Statement”. which you say was, “Let the Mansion burn, we will rebuild it”. Well, it looks like God granted your wish. He waited until you occupied the Mansion as your office before he let the devil set it on fire. Our Lord Jesus Christ says, “do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Do you notice that you are doing some of the wrong things that your predecessors did that led to their bloody demise?
You will see Madam President, the day you appear before the TRC voluntarily and testify as to your participation in our revolution and offer the same heartfelt apology similar to the one you made during the campaign, a great cloud will be lifted from over the work of the Commission. This will immensely enhance the work of the Commission and open the road so that other people in high places like you will muster the courage to come voluntarily to the Commission. I am sure our learned friends, former and current officials of Government like Doctors, Sawyer, Fahnbulleh, Tipoteh and others have their own contribution to make to this healing process but they do not want to outshine you.
Madam President, In the name of genuine peace and reconciliation I urge you to muster the courage to step up to the plate. If you can recall, Presidents Nelson Mandela and Fredrick de Klerk were among the first group of people to appear before the TRC in South Africa . They did not have to be accused as you have demanded.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE WAY FORWARD
1. You should quickly propose a Legislation to remove the unconstitutional portion of the Act that created the TRC which contravenes the right of individual from incriminating him or herself. This provision of our Constitution is crucial to our system of jurisprudence. Have the Legislature strike out any portion of the law which gives the President the authority to be the final arbiter of matters that have been resolved by the TRC as enunciated in the TRC Chairman’s recent speech, that when the Commission has completed its work; he said, the Commission “…will report to the President there and then the President will decide whether to prosecute or forgive”. How can one who was an active participant in the crisis such as you decide whether to prosecute or grant forgiveness to others who took part in civil war? I find this too troublesome. I am sure you do too.
2. Go voluntarily before the TRC and wholeheartedly speak your mind. Kick off the process of confession and repentance for our generation. With a Harvard Education, you have the capacity, charisma, and practical knowledge of our struggle to infuse the healing words to the process. You certainly will ease the pain of the younger generation of Liberians who have not gotten any substantial education since 1980, while your and my children lived in the comfort of the United States where they acquired the best education which in the eyes of your Administration renders them superior to their fellow Liberians who were forced to remain in the country to either survive or perish. You can do this by passionately narrating the history of the struggle including your personal experiences and sacrifices. The numerous imprisonments, torture and inhumane treatment meted to you over the years should not be left out.
3. Let the next generation of Liberians know that a multitude of people have paid the ultimate price with their lives so that a Liberia that is good for its entire people will evolve through a participatory democracy. Tell them not to take this achievement for granted. Let them know it came from blood sweat and tears. Tell them to prepare themselves with education and wealth building in anticipation of taking the mantle of State from our generation. Your example will produce a domino effect for there is no one in our country that does not have an experience to share in the name of peace and reconciliation.
4. Instruct the Minister of Justice to appoint a Special Prosecutor to deal with crimes committed by individuals outside of combat, especially murder as prescribed in the agreements to resolve the conflict. If Legislation is necessary under our Constitution, Please obtain it.
5. Reduce the TRC to a simple forum through which the Liberian People can tell each other the truth and reconcile. If someone accused by another refuses to appear, the TRC should have the subpoena power to compel them to do so. If it is a crime outside of combat and the statute of limitation has not run out, send it to the Special Prosecutor and the Court.
Madam President, If you cannot find the room in your heart to lead the way to igniting the power that the TRC needs to propel into motion, dissolve it and save us the anguish. Liberians are not vindictive people. They are God fearing and quick to forgive. If the Liberian people could forgive Mr. Charles Taylor whose 1997 campaign slogan was, “I killed your ma, I killed your pa, please forgive and vote for me”, they forgave and elected him President, they will forgive each other. Be reminded that you too were forgiven by the Liberian people. They elected you in 2005, even though in 1990, you went on the BBC to order Monrovia burnt. The Liberian people accepted your apology and elected you. Most of us who have been and are still in the upper layer of our National Public Lives have come there from the benevolence of our people. While some us may have committed serious wrongs including murder and Mayhem while prosecuting a just war, our people still find us worthy of governing them. Hence your appearance before the TRC will be a great step in the right direction. It will go down in history as one of your greatest achievements.
In the ultimate interest for genuine reconciliation and peace, I remain,
Respectfully yours,
Jucontee Thomas Woewiyu
Former President Pro Tempore of the
Liberian Senate
THOMAS WOEWIYU'S OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT ELLEN JOHNSON-SIRLEAF
