– Kofi Woods Bewails State of Affairs of Liberia
WORCESTER, Massachusetts – Liberia’s prime advocate and human rights defender, Atty. Samuel Kofi Woods, II, says Liberia is in peril/danger; it is sick, and it is in urgent need of resuscitation.
Liberia is a unitary state with three separate branches of government that work in coordination in steering the affairs of the country. The President heads the Executive, the Speaker of the House heads the Legislature and the Chief Justice heads the Judiciary.
Attorney-At-Law Woods has attributed the country’s woeful situation to what he called a leadership deficit. He maintained, “Our national discourse is dominated by mediocrity and our leaders treat us with disdain and the arrogance of power.”
The former Minister of Labor and Public Works in the Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf administration, spoke last weekend in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA, when he delivered the keynote address at the eighth annual convention dinner of the revived Association of Liberian Journalists in the Americas (ALJA). ALJA was revived in 2014 following 10 years of dormancy. The Association crumbled in 2004 due to internal rift amongst its members and former leaders.
ALJA is a conglomeration of current and retired Liberian journalists residing in the Americas. It is a 501c (3) non-profit organization. It was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1998 with the objectives of advancing press freedom through media capacity building. The Association is also, dedicated to fostering the principles of good governance in Liberia through media advocacy.
This year’s benefit dinner brought together several eminent Liberians and friends of Liberia including Grand Bassa County Senator Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence.
At the gathering, Attorney-At-Law Woods, declared that Liberia’s national leadership deficit goes to the core of the country’s governance. He said, “We have incompetent leaders, who have no compass to lead.” He furthered, “The nation is stranded in a quicksand and the leaders are stranded because they are clueless; and they have lost the compass to lead.”
Commenting on the US Department of the Treasury’s targeted sanctions imposed on three senior officials of the Liberian government in August of this year for their alleged involvement in ongoing acts of public corruption and undermining Liberia’s democracy, the tough-talking Samuel Kofi Woods said, “Our nation is sick when it must take the intervention of another sovereign country to whip our officials and public servants with sanctions for acts inimical to their public service before they can see the need to act and honor their obligations.”
He said President George Weah and the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) government conceded the action of the US government and affirmed the whipping by suspending the accused officials and later forcing them to resign.
He wondered, “As a nation, how can we brag of sovereignty and independence when we are compelled by another government to fulfill our duties to our citizens?” He said it took a foreign country to discipline and hold our public servants accountable. He asked, “How can our current bunch of leaders lead when citizens march almost daily to the Embassy of the United States imploring them to whip our leaders into submission?”
Commenting on the ongoing trial of two Liberian officials in South Korea for alleged rape, Atty. Woods said. “Worse still some Liberian diplomats are alleged to be exporting decadent and debased values as displayed by the arrest of some Liberian Officials in South Korean. Our Chief Diplomat, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, is alleged to be undergoing investigation surrounding sexual assault and human trafficking.” He noted these are not good signs for a country and is sickening to the heart to hear and see how some officials are tainting the image of the motherland.
Touching on the LEGISLATURE, the former JPC Executive Director had this to say: “Our Nation is sick when the Legislature betrays its solemn oath. Our National Legislature has a lot of UNDERABLES not HONORABLES. The Legislature is pretty much a rubber stamp passing budgets and laws and alleged to be confirming nominees as demanded by the executive. In some many cases there have been allegations of bribes changing hands; in addition to giving themselves huge purses rather than intensifying the enactment of good laws and effectively performing their oversight responsibility to address insecurity, education, health care and the Peoples Business.”
As for the JUDICIARY the stated: “The Nation is sick when our judiciary remains corrupt and politically subservient.” Atty. Woods’ statement has elevated what the Association Justice of the Supreme Court of Liberia, Jamesetta Howard Wolokolie said some time ago that the judiciary is corrupt and needs serious overhaul. Also, a current Senator in Varney Sherman of Grand Cape Mount County is placed on US Targeted sanctions for bribing his way through the judicial system to win cases, according to the United States government. So, Atty. Woods’ assertion of the judiciary has been affirmed.
To further back Atty. Woods’ statement about a corrupt judiciary in Liberia, in May 2022, the corruption assertion came from one of the Circuit Courts Judges, Nancy Sammy of the 10th Judicial Circuit Court in Voinjama, Lofa County with the assertion that indeed it is a glaring fact that the Liberian Judiciary is corrupt. “It is a fact that the Judiciary is corrupt,” the Judge said.
Judge Sammy made the statement when she spoke at the 2022 Law Day celebrations during the weekend (May 6, 2022) at a program held at the Monrovia City Hall under the theme: “Advancing the Rule of Law through Decent Work and Access to Justice and Accountability.”
The National Trial Judges Association of Liberia President blamed local Magistrates for being the problem in the country’s Judiciary.
Given the theme of the Law Day, she asked: Are individuals actually accessing justice? She responded in loud voice and said NO because, those of them assigned in rural counties, justice is far accessible to the poor?
According to her, one of the reasons is that at the Magisterial Court level, especially in outlying areas, justice actors are not available like City Solicitors and Public Defenders.
Judge Sammy then called for retreat on corruption in the Judiciary in order to put things in place. This, she said would create the platform to get rid of corruption in the Judiciary, so that mob justice will not be the order of the day.
Touching on the general behavior of Liberian citizens, Atty Woods said. “Our Nation is sick when ordinary citizens at home and abroad as well as opposition politicians blind themselves to the real issues at hand and ignore their civic responsibility to work together for the greater good of our country.
Our nation is sick when the tragedies of drug addiction and sexual assault are on the rise in our communities without solutions in sight.”
Commenting on other burning issues, Atty. Woods called for the dissolution and dismantling of the Ministry of Information in favor of the establishment of separate Commissions on Tourism and on Culture: “The Ministry of information is a relic of an outdated past and an instrument of intimidation and threats to Press Freedom and Freedom of expression: a tool in the hands of a backward and entrenched decadent political order. Decree # 46 establishing the Ministry must be repealed!”
Touching on the upcoming 2023 general and presidential elections in Liberia, former Minister Woods said the elections will be one of the most consequential in Liberia since the end of the civil wars 19 years ago. He said the elections will determine whether Liberia’s post war democratic experiment is resilient enough; and whether state institutions including the National Elections Commission (NEC) and the judiciary have the capacity, especially given the unresolved issues of the 2017 elections and the recent spike in tension and electoral violence to deliver a result that will represent the true will of the Liberian people.
“I support the call by Liberians and Friends of Liberia that US Government withholds its support to the National Elections Commission (NEC) if those sanctioned by the US Government becomes candidates in the 2023 elections. US Monies should not and must not be used to support the vehicle that will promote their participation in the process. This position is necessary because the response of our own government remains inadequate and wanting both in character and its obligation to the country,” the ardent advocate and human rights defender cautioned.
Commenting on the debate of diaspora voting, Atty. Woods urged the Liberian press to begin to discuss and debate the issue of diaspora voting; adding, “If not in these elections, it should be possible in future elections.”
He stated further: “This is a constitutional right that has been denied our citizens living abroad. Like one of the Forerunners of this idea, Dionysius Sebwe argued ‘that the Framers of the Constitution were farsighted by adopting absentee ballot to allow a multitude of Liberians scattered across the world to participate in the political process. They reasoned that election be an inclusive process intended to enable every Liberian citizen to partake in choosing the president and other elected officials.’
Absentee Ballot is not a cosmetic goal, rather a major component and extension of the voting process as provided for in Article 80 (c) of the constitution. The voices of Liberians in the Diaspora will give new meaning to our democratic attempts in fostering a more stable and peaceful Liberia.”
The former Labor and Public Works Minister during President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, briefly commented on the proposed Biometric Voting System being proffered by the National Elections Commission (NEC), stressed “a need to review the biometric voting considering queries raised by political parties, the questionable procurement process, the lack of education and lack of full understanding of the advantages and disadvantages thereof.”
Meanwhile, former Minister Woods has underscored the critical role of the Liberian media in the 2023 presidential and general elections. He said the role of the media in the coming elections would be to ensure that the process leading to the elections and the outcome is free, fair, transparent, and that it represents the expressed will of the people.
To achieve this, the Attorney-At-Law, recommended that the media put the appropriate infrastructure in place to enable an adequate preparation to report on the electoral process. He said the media must train, secure logistics, and network with local and foreign institutions to ensure unrestricted media access and coverage of the elections.
He said the media must ensure transparency through its “watchdog” role as the fourth estate. He furthered, “The media must serve as the platform upon which all candidates can be heard equally during the campaign and promote adherence to the code of conduct for public officials.”
He stated the media must be a forum for debate where candidates, the public and others would freely discuss electoral matters. He said sustaining the Liberian democracy is not an option; and the media must take the side of the people in the 2023 general and presidential elections.
He called on the Press Union of Liberia (PUL) and the Association of Liberian Journalists in the Americas (ALJA) to work in unison to develop a collective strategy for championing the cause of the people. “You must both decide whose interest you want to advance”, he emphasized. He said the forthcoming elections are intended to reclaim the conscience of Liberia.
Concluding his keynote address to ALJA members and guests at the Worchester ALJA’s ‘2023 Convention, Atty. Woods indicated that he provoked these national issues to encourage a deeper debate which will clarity and spur political opinion by the media as Liberians deal with 2023 and beyond.
“My comments and position in no way suggest a general state of hopelessness. There are series of initiatives undertaken by ordinary Liberians and friends alike: women, youths, religious leaders, teachers who make sacrifices, nurses and doctors dedicated to patients, healthcare and social workers who are involved drug prevention, awareness and rehabilitation, lawyers who honestly defend their clients, public servants, journalists, workers, market women who offers hope and give us cause to celebrate that Liberia will rise again.
As an opinion leader, I will be condemned and criticized but some will understand me.
Colleagues and Friends, we have made tremendous gains in our struggle for press freedom, freedom of expression and the respect for fundamental rights. Unfortunately, some governments want to take the credit for this. I DISAGREE! Most governments have been reluctant and pretentious about Press Freedom. The real heroes and heroines are many in this room, the unsung heroes whose life was cut short.
I will not give credit to any government. They surrendered in battle because they were left with no choice.
The elections of 2023 is a fight for the SOUL of our country. We must fight to redeem it!!!!!
Let the word go forth from this day and place that we will win. Liberia will never be the same again!!! It is possible. WHY NOT!!!
The eminent Liberian advocate and defender of Human Rights the concluded saying, “the fundamentals of statehood in Weah’s Liberia have been compromised and betrayed.”
Atty. Samuel Kofi Woods, II is a renowned Liberian advocate and defender of Human Rights. He is founder and former Executive Director of the Catholic-owned Justice of the Peace Commission (JPC) of Liberia. While at the JPC, he spent several years promoting the cause of human issues in Liberia and providing pro bono legal services to journalists and independent media institutions in the country. He currently serves as Legal Consultant at the Liberia Law Society. Additional reporting by Moses D. Sandy, mds66.sandy@aol.com
