"Back
To The Soil" : A Movement to Self-Sufficiency, Or Another Political Lip
Service To the Liberian People?
On Saturday, June 27, 2009, the government of
Liberia in collaboration with the United Nations officially launched the “back
to the soil movement”, which – if done right may be the catalyst for
radically revitalizing our dormant agriculture sector.
The importance of self-sufficiency in Liberia and the entire Afrikan
continent cannot be emphasized enough.
The
Dynamics of A Transforming Society
The
vision to significantly transform the Liberian society must first deal with
changing behavior, attitude and mindset of people at the bottom of the social
strata. Change can never come to Liberia with the majority of its people
believing that public officials do not have their best interest at heart as a
collective; or the majority of the people being stuck at the bottom of the
socioeconomic ladder.
In
Whose Interests: Walter B. Skinner, his Friends, or The Liberian Association of
Metropolitan Atlanta (LAMA)?
When
he appeared at the May 2009
inaugural ceremonies of the
“Greenvillian,” or
Greenville Development
Association – an offshoot of
the poorly run Sinoe County
Association in the Americas (SCAA)
in Atlanta, Walter B. Skinner, President
of the Liberian Association of
Metropolitan Atlanta (LAMA),
made a bold and startling
announcement that raised the
eyebrows of many in the
audience.
The
2009/2010 Budget Hearings: Our Inability To See the Forest from the Trees
The above excerpt from the GMAP terms of
reference is exactly what is being put on display for the fiscal 2010 budget
hearings. The minister of Finance
assertion that delay from various ministries, agencies, and the different
branches of government in meeting the budget submission deadline gives me the
impression that the Ministry of Finance and the department of budget are not in
control of the budget process.
Pertinent
Historical Question: Which Country Really Rules the World? (Part III)
The "United States of
Germania" is a term that should be used to describe United States of
America since the 20th century. For the past hundred years United States has
been under strong influence from Germany and German industry, and that same
influence and number of German-Americans living in the US made the United States
to become the biggest German State.
Analysis
of Liberia's Fiscal Year 2009-2010 Proposed Budget
A budget is more than just a technical document;
it reveals government’s strategic choices and decisions, and serves as an
important political tool to effectual change. Efficiently
distributing limited financial resources, especially in developing countries and
countries emerging from conflict is an important challenge for those responsible
for deciding who gets what, when, and how.
Governance
& the UN Presence
Seven
years ago, the United Nations intervened in Liberia to pave the way for peace
after almost 20 years of political decay, economic dislocation, social
mismanagement, forced migration and severe population displacement.
Pertinent
Historical Question: Which Country Really Rules the World? (Part II)
Germany’s economy has enormous
impact on our lives as we speak. If we look around us, we will find that German
products are dominating our lifestyles. Companies like DHL, T-Mobile, Adidas,
Puma, Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Hugo Boss, Henkel, Bayer, among others are key
factors in today's life.
A
New Liberia: At What Cost?
Liberians have already
been thrust into being less nostalgic as they watch landmarks burn down, old
buildings decimated and symbols of their culture defaced.
They tossed nostalgia aside and abandoned treasured mementos as they fled
the bombs, and as they dodged bullets.
Seton
and Larsah are Encouraging Lawlessness
The
creation of a second
leadership structure by Mariah
Y. Seton and James N. Larsah
within the Union of Liberian
Associations in the Americas (ULAA),
while the duly elected
administration of Anthony
Kesselly still exists, is a
very dangerous precedent that
will encourage lawlessness
within the Liberian community
in the Diaspora.
'Black
Tuesday' Should Continue As An On-going Protest Against Corruption
The pervasiveness of corruption in Liberia is
real, and its impact seems to be felt everywhere. Inaction or the usual
“I-don’t-care” behavior seems not to be an option any more. Even ordinary
people and groups are speaking out loudly.
What's
Wrong With This Picture?
When he accompanied President Ellen Johnson
Sirleaf to Atlanta, Georgia in 2007, Information Minister Laurence Bropleh did
what he thought was right for his boss’ ears when she met with the Liberian
Association of Metropolitan Atlanta (LAMA), that day.
Children,
Sustainable Development is Fixed Poverty
The
status of children, sustainable development and fixed poverty in Liberia is
addressed and chronicled in a more disciplined, logical and methodical way in
this essay. Throughout the thesis, the author utilizes examples in an effort to
draw honest and sharp contrasts on where the country ought to be focused in
regards to issues dealing with children, instead of the sensational headline
grabber which some in the Department of Social Welfare at the Ministry of Health
seem to relish.
Pertinent
Historical Question: Which Country Really Rules the World? (Part I)
Since the
formation of the first state, people around the world have been trying to
understand which country is the most influential and powerful in the world, the
country that make decisions on some of the most important issues related to our
lives and future?
The
UN in Iraq: Calling a Spade a Spade
From
the moment of the U.S. invasion of Iraq in March 2003 the United Nations was
deliberately bypassed by the Americans, dealing a fatal blow to one of the
foundations of the international order: multilateralism.
Sirleaf
Administration is on Track to Become the Most Corrupt in the History of the
Modern Liberian
Nation
Like most Liberians during the 2005 presidential
campaign, I was caught in the electoral frenzy favoring Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
over the countless men and the other female candidate, the late Margaret Tor-Thompson,
who also vie for the Liberian
presidency at the time.
African
Countries Making Progress on Investment Climates
The CEO of Investment Climate
Facility for Africa (ICF), Mr Omari Issa, shared progress of
improvements being delivered by a number of African
governments to their respective investment climates at the
House of Commons in London this week.
Another
Corruption Scandal or A Diversionary Scheme?
Let me begin my commentary by first thanking
FrontPage Africa and other news organizations for their investigative reporting
of issues of national significance in Liberia.
"Monrovia
Clean-Up Day?" Who's Making The Call, and Where Are They Dumping the
Garbage?
I love Monrovia. I grew up admiring that old and
rugged city as a child. It is a city on the hill surrounded by lakes, swamps,
rocks and the Atlantic Ocean. Monrovia is where I was born many years ago.
Woman
of Zleh Town
Old
woman of Zleh town, how great art thou in all you do. You work the
forest from morning to night, from Sinagboa creek to Donie creek, Creeks that
feed sons and daughters of Gbao.
Don
Bosco aids Ministry of Health in Illegally Removing Children from West African
Children Support Compound
On Friday April 17, Judge James Zotaa of
Criminal Court “A” angrily proclaimed in open court that the Ministry of
Health (MOH) illegally removed 35 children from the Adoption Home of WACSN –
the West African Children Support Network in Sinkor on March 26, 2009, without a
court order and placed them in the Don Bosco Home for street children in
Chocolate City, Gardnerville.
Amos
Sawyer's 2009 Revelation (Decades Later), About 1986 Revised Constitution,
Questionable and Troubling
President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was either out of
the country, or still in Liberia preparing to travel to her next favorite city
around the globe as she has done repeatedly over the years, when S. Byron Tarr,
the former Finance Minister came out of the wilderness to warn the Liberian
people about a nation that is slipping back into civil war, “unless political
power is decentralized.”
Liberia:
Making A Mockery Out Of Adoption
This article seeks to look at
the issue affecting the Liberian Child within a broader
migration framework that deals specifically with child
trafficking. Throughout this article, this author shall
propose some tangible and practical suggestions, which could
be effective in addressing the misconceptions of trafficking
in Liberia, and discuss ways of preventing human rights
violations which children are so often subjected to.
The
Iron Lady with No Iron Children
President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf's visit and book
promotional tour will not just stop in the United States, Canada and Europe will
be next. Authors follow their books. Many of us continue to question why a visit
at this juncture? The answer will enable us to understand the reason and be able
to fairly critic the exercise.
Somali
Pirates: International Hypocrisy and Pretext for Military Invasion and Economic
Imperialism
In an introduction to a 2008
article titled “China, Afrika, and Oil”, Stephanie Hanson, News editor at
the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) wrote: "As
global demand for energy continues to rise, major players like the United
States, European Union (EU), and Japan are facing a new competitor in the race
to secure long-term energy supplies: China."
Who
Are These Guys Representing?
I don’t want to believe he is aware of the
sideshows now playing around him in the form of a resolution that seeks the
removal of Speaker Alex Tyler. And if he ever did, he is not showing it; even
though his own ascension to his current leadership position came as a result of
another sideshow that removed his predecessor, former President Pro-Tempore,
Isaac Nyenabo, whose tenure was rocked constantly by charges of corruption,
ineptitude, and a lack of leadership.
Mulbah
Morlu and His Activism: Any Impact? Anybody Listening?
“I
don’t think they should keep
him (Mulbah Morlu)
incarcerated. We don’t need
to make hero out of anybody
for nothing.”
-
Pres. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (Iron Ladies of Liberia, 2007).
Deceitful
Relationship Between the United States and the United Kingdom
For decades, relationship between the
United States and the United Kingdom was described as perfect, special and
unbreakable. This unique relationship is best known through the remarkably close
political, military, diplomatic and cultural relations. However, when it comes
to this unique relationship, many things are left out and ignored. Therefore,
let’s see how “unbreakable” really is this relationship.
Deferred
Enforced Departure for Liberians Extended!
Today, a 12-month extension of Deferred
Enforced Departure for Liberians was confirmed. Liberians in the U.S. who are
registered for DED will be permitted to remain and work lawfully in the U.S. for
one year.
War
Crimes Group Details Police Brutality in March 7 Catastrophe
The Forum for the Establishment of a War
Crimes Court in Liberia wishes to express its deepest regrets over the
disastrous March 7 Paynesville-Town Hall shooting incident, planned and managed
by the Justice Ministry, and executed by elements identified as members of the
Liberian National Police, specifically the Police Special Unit, PSU.
Why
I Left the Mormon Church
This letter is being sent to inform you that I am
officially requesting my name be removed from the records of the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter Day Saints. This request is being made after many months of
soul-searching, and studying on my part.
.