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Archive for January, 2014

Supreme Court of Liberia rules in Mary Broh’s favor

By: Moses Owen Browne, Jr. Mary T. Broh

 

When President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf made the hasty decision a year ago to suspend from office then-acting Monrovia City Mayor, Mary Broh for actions many said were incompatible for a public official, there were those who believed the president’s decision was right, because “Mary Broh was a difficult leader.”

That perception was proven wrong by the Supreme Court, which ruled in Broh’s favor in a long-standing case involving the House of Representatives and the former acting Mayor.

The Broh-Kpan Saga

In February 2013, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf suspended from office Acting Monrovia City Mayor, Madam Mary Broh and then-Montserrado County Superintendent Grace Kpan, a day after an attempt to detain Mrs. Kpan was obstructed.

The House of Representatives had ordered Madam Kpan jailed for failing to adhere to instructions passed onto her including the payment of a fine, the reinstatement of the Chairman of the Project Management Committee of Montserrado County, and placing under one account all monies under the County Development Fund (CDF). The money which was part of the County Development Funds for Montserrado County, was directed to projects that didn’t go through a sophisticated and well-established process.

As a result, Mrs. Kpan was instructed by members of the House of Representative to also reinstate the Montserrado County Chairman of the Project Management Committee whom she had laid off when confusion ensued over funds appropriated for county development.

Superintendent Kpan told the lawmakers that she used the money on the construction of schools for girls, but her assertion was discredited as it was said to be done unilaterally in the absence of members of the Montserrado Council Development Council.

But as the Sergeant-at-arms of the lower house who led Kpan to the Monrovia Central Prison approached the compound, group of women led by the Mary Broh, emerged and allegedly prevented Madam Kpan from going to jail. According to news sources in Monrovia, fighting ensued among officers of the Monrovia Central Prison; and the women who had allegedly attacked the Sergeant- at- arms, according to reports, managed to get their subject away from the scene.

Reporters on the scene noted that the women who fought with the Sergeant-at-arms forced Madam Kpan in a black jeep and drove her away. The entire saga involving members of the House of Representatives incarcerating Madam Kpan drew public discussions, with many suggesting she did not act in isolation, and it might have been instructed from above; as others condemned the actions of the legislators.

President Sirleaf, who according to news sources was at the time in neighboring Sierra Leone attending the second inauguration of President Ernest Bai Koromah, wasted no time by hastily ordering the suspension of Madam Kpan and Madam Broh.

A statement issued by the Information Ministry quoted the president as frowning on the actions of her officials, and promised to calm down the tension upon her return. The suspension of the two public officials at the time many thought was the end of their services; with the exception of Madam Broh who was later appointed at the General Services Agency September 2013, as GSA Director General.

The Decision of the Supreme Court

The Supreme Court of Liberia on 25th January 2014 handed down its opinion in the case involving the House of Representatives and Former Monrovia Acting City Mayor Mary T. Broh, after nearly a year of conspicuous silence. According to the court’s ruling, the House of Representatives and the Ministry of Justice violated the rights of Ms. Broh.

The Court said Madam Broh’s refusal to be incarcerated for days at the Monrovia Central Prison was not unlawful because the lower House does not have the jurisdiction to imprison an individual for contempt. The court argued that contempt can be turned over to the judiciary for punishment. It can be recalled that Representative Richmond S. Anderson wrote the House’s Plenary during it second sessions for contempt to be clearly defined by the 53rdNational Legislature.

According to Mr. Anderson, the House should recommend punishment for contempt based on the act allegedly committed by an individual or institution. But the communication is still in committee. The House of Representative last year accused Madam Broh of obstructing justice by preventing the imprisonment of former Montserrado County Superintendent Madam Grace T. Kpan, in a controversial “you eat I eat” saga; with Rep. Edward Forh accusing Madam Kpan of unilaterally disbursing Montserrado County Development Funds.

Broh, A True Leader

Despite the insults and sufferings this public servant has endured from members of the Legislature and the public, she never gives up. When she was first nominated by President Sirleaf to serve as Mayor for the City of Monrovia; her nomination was rejected by the Senate.

At one point she was accused by the members of the National Legislature as being“ unlawful, “arrogant, disrespectful and disobedient” to that august body – all these allegations are yet to be proven. Her service at the Monrovia City Hall, as “Acting Mayor”, came to an abrupt end as a result of the many controversies that characterized her stewardship there.

Broh’s Legacy

Mary Tanyonoh Broh born September 15, 1951 is the current Director General of the General Services Agency. She first served the Liberian government in March 2006 as the Special Projects Coordinator for President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s executive staff. In 2007, she was promoted to direct the Passport Bureau in a successful attempt to curtail and eliminate corruption and bribery within the division.

In 2008, Broh became the Deputy Director of the National Port Authority. In February 2009, she was selected to serve as Acting Mayor of Monrovia in place of the previous mayor, Ophelia Hoff Saytumah, in the President’s effort to legitimize the Monrovia City Corporation’s (MCC) administrative and financial management. Although Broh was seated in February 2009 by appointment rather than the usual democratic election process, she was not officially confirmed by the Liberian Senate.

Broh has worked to clean up the capital city with measures that include city-wide litter reduction campaigns aimed to increase public awareness of litter, sanitation, and overall public health. In October 2009, she implemented the revised City Ordinance No. 1, originally established by the MCC in 1975 to address public health, sanitation, and street vendors.

The revision sought to address issues that have accumulated in the capital over the last two decades such as overflowing and unsanitary trash, makeshift structures and unregulated street vendors who sell foodstuffs to locals and tourists alike. She has also worked closely with government officials to address squatting, political corruption, and overpopulation, mainly caused by internally displaced persons that flocked to Monrovia from the hinterland during the civil wars that erupted in the 1980s and 1990s under Samuel Doe and Charles Taylor.

Not long after her appointment as Acting Mayor of Monrovia by President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Mary Broh struggled to gain the confidence of the Legislature as her prolonged “acting” status was called into question on several occasions. Mary Broh’s efforts to clean and improve the capital’s landscape through task force initiatives rankled various elements of the community.

In September 2009, Muslim residents in Monrovia expressed concern over the Special Presidential Task Force to clean the city streets after an incident at the Benson Street mosque created an inconvenience for worshipers during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Despite remarkable progress in a short period of time, the Special Presidential Task Force was dissolved to make way for the Monrovia City Corporation to execute such duties.

The Monrovia City Corporation, the governing body of Greater Monrovia District through which the mayor’s office enacts, employs and oversees execution of municipal functions, laws and ordinances, vastly rehabilitated formalized waste management and public health initiatives since 2009 under Mary Broh’s leadership.

Her commitment to transparency and environmental consciousness garnered the support of the World Bank, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and several other international aid organizations. Mary Broh’s controversial methods of creating a cleaner, safer Monrovia drew fans and critics alike from all walks of life in Liberia. Her hardline tactics even spawned popular tee-shirts with the caption “Don’t Raze Me Broh,” a salutatory nod to her zoning and ordinance-enforcing campaign throughout the capital.

More progress came to Monrovia in 2010 when Mary Broh enlisted her staff at the MCC to take on polluted beaches, install portable toilets and demolish dilapidated buildings left abandoned and bullet-ridden after the 14-year civil war. These efforts created a rift in public perception in Liberia and abroad; many found the acting mayor’s tactics heavy-handed and lacking empathy for poor and working-class populations of Monrovia. Mary Broh’s anti-corruption and transparency initiatives in the capital focused the spotlight on Liberian companies that often benefited from their connections to government officials.

Mary Broh was accused of steering contracts and business away from “corrupt” Liberian contractors, many of which lobbied the World Bank and the Executive Branch to intervene. A hallmark of Mary Broh’s tenure as mayor is the re-enactment of City Ordinance Number One, originally passed in 1975 under the Tolbert administration and revised in 1988 under the Doe administration. The MCC under Mary Broh revitalized the ordinance in an effort to enforce environmental standards for cleanliness and public health while allocating almost 30% of World Bank funds dedicated to Monrovia’s waste management issue.

Controversy followed Mary Broh throughout her tenure and came to the forefront in 2011 and 2012. Media reports focused on Mary Broh’s destruction of public market places, physical altercations with Senate staff members and heated verbal exchanges with legislators and journalists.

In February 2013, Mary Broh came to the aid of another embattled public official, Grace Kpaan, Montserrado County Superintendent, whom security officials apprehended as a result of bribery allegations she made against Representative Edward Forh (CDC-district #16 Montserrado County). Mary Broh was cited with obstruction of justice when she intervened in Grace Kpaan’s arrest and both were suspended by President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf.

Intense public opinion and collateral damage from previous legislative clashes created a difficult position for President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, who was away on government business when this situation developed. Mary Broh submitted her resignation to President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, effective February 28, 2013.

Among a number of noteworthy statements issued in defense of Mary Broh and her impact on Monrovia, Ms. Deborah R. Malac, US Ambassador to Liberia, weighed in on what she perceived as the culmination of gender politics and an atmosphere of sexist hostility and violence towards women.

On March 5, 2013, President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf tapped Mary Broh to head the Project Implementation Unit of the Omega Village Project. In coordination with the Ministry of Public Works, the Liberian government lead on the project, Mary Broh will manage the multimillion dollar development project for a large-scale community with residential housing, retail and municipal services. Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority donated $500,000 in seed money to launch the Omega Village Project.

Moses Owen Browne, Jr. is a Development Communications Specialist with wide range of experience in Mass Communications, Journalism, Strategic Communications, Research and Planning and Media Capacity Development. He has worked in the Liberian Media for more than eight years. He is currently Radio Programming Specialist for USAID’s Food and Enterprise Development Program for Liberia. He can be reached +231886493370 [email protected].

 

 

January 30, 2014 | 0 comments | View Post

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death in the U.S

By Clemente Ferrer cancer-fight

 

The Spanish Association Against Cancer - AECC - has launched an advertising campaign requesting assistance under the slogan ” With your help we will overcome cancer.”

Moreover , Professor Kathy B. Baumgartner , head of the department of epidemiology and dean of the School of Public Health at the University of Louisville ( Kentucky), revealed the results of her research during a Symposium about Breast Cancer held in San Antonio (Texas ) , demanding a ” greater awareness of this ethnic disparity in improving survival in Hispanic women with breast cancer. ” Breast carcinoma is the most common of all cancers and is the second leading cause of cancer death in American women.

Previous investigations showed a trend of lower survival in this type of cancer in Hispanic women affected by socioeconomic factors, as lack of means to reach the healthcare and screening scores .

Baumgartner and his team developed a public health study of women in the state of New Mexico , attended by 692 women with breast cancer. The study explored the differences in impact among non-Hispanic and Hispanic women .

The professor said that “it is unclear to what extent can influence the socio-economic factor in this difference of ethnic survival ” and noted that once aspects such as the type of lymphoma were analyzed, it is believed that the ethnic difference in mortality, ” may have mostly biological causes”.

On advertising, it is asserted in the aforementioned study, that in order to be effective, the messages should be clear and simple. If the female audience is well informed, women can make their own choices and achieve those decisions impacting positively on their health.

I like to remember some information, seemingly trivial, which produced more effect than an advertising campaign aimed at the early detection of cancer. In the U.S., the news of the discovery of two separate breast cancers in the wives of President Ford and Vice President Rockefeller, led to an increase in this type of cancer as women, alarmed, went to mammograms and thus were detected cancers that otherwise would not have been discovered.

[email protected] Author and journalist Clemente Ferrer has led a distinguished career in Spain in the fields of advertising and public relations. He is currently President of the European Institute of Marketing.

January 28, 2014 | 0 comments | View Post

Teahjay vs. Nyenpan: What’s in it for the citizens of Sinoe County?

By Tewroh-Wehtoe Sungbeh Mobutu Vlah NyenpanJ. Milton Teahjay

 

Mobutu Vlah Nyenpan and J. Milton Teahjay are two ambitious politicians who remind me of the beauty, the distractions and what is wrong with post-war Sinoe County.

Nyenpan and Teahjay are new breeds of native-born Sinoeans – young men and women who want to make a mark in an era of being self-governed.

This would have been unheard of decades ago when the county’s political system was fully in the hands of the Americo-Liberian ruling class, and a potpourri of token indigenous Liberian office holders - with the former calling the shots and dominating the political, economic and social landscape of the region.

Since Liberians are driven by personality politics rather than substance and accomplishments, those running for office were never pressured to be transparent and accountable at that time and even now, and were never pressured to also say what they will do after they are elected to the office in question.

As a result, the individuals were elected and re-elected time after time for their popularity, their tribal connections and family ties, and how verbose and readily fluent the person is in the English language, as they manipulate the passion of the electorates to win by any means.

There is a whole lot wrong with post-war Sinoe County. That alone should be the reasons why those running for political office should earn the job rather than it given to them on a silver platter, as if it is an entitlement. It is not, and shouldn’t be.

Like the Liberian nation, Sinoe County is unspared when it comes to an obvious lack of jobs, poverty, sea erosion, education, bad and incompetent legislators, healthcare, agriculture, and development in general.

Thanks to the detestable centralized form of government, which helps to flourish corruption and enhanced the developmental troubles of the nation; expanding beyond the boundaries of the capital, Monrovia, and trickling down to the financially strapped counties.

So when two equally prominent sons of the county stand out to challenge the other for the high-profile senatorial seat, people listens and hoped for a better outcome that will not remind them of the bad old days when Sinoeans were treated as non-humans in a place they always called home.

With contrasting personalities, some political observers see the 2014 midterm senatorial race between Nyenpan and Teahjay as the “Race of the Ages.”

Even though Liberian “political analysts” and ‘writers’ already hyped the race as one for the ages, again, the writers and analysts did not mention the programs, or care to mention the platforms of the candidates, and what they will do for their people and county once the individual is elected.

Instead, the people of Sinoe County and Liberia are left to fend for themselves in this cyclical political game that repeats itself during national and local elections, as Liberians are left to vote for the same bad, selfish, neglectful and incompetent candidate every election season, as if it is the normal thing to do.

Mobotu Nyenpan, the incumbent since 2005, has yet to show what he has done, and what he will do for the people of Sinoe County, since he was elected to the senate.

Certainly, Mr. Nyenpan represents stagnation and the odious status quo that has hampered progress, growth and development in a county that needs urgent development.

In nearly 10 years since he occupied the Sinoe County senatorial seat, Nyenpan has taken the people of Sinoe County for a ride and for granted, and has also played to the visible flaws of a spineless Press Union of Liberia and its members who operates in name only.

From what I have seen and read so far, Liberian ‘journalists’ surrendered and played shamelessly to the hype and popularity of the political office seekers and office holders, and have not held the politicians accountable by writing and asking tough question, which is a disservice to the Liberian people and the electoral system.

J. Milton Teahjay, however, on the other hand should be given an award for being the “most improved” and tactical politician in terms of political maturity.

I have known J. Milton since the mid 1970s, when I lived briefly in Sinoe County. I have also written about him in the most unflattering terms, which hasn’t gone well with him over the years.

An unabashed populist, Teahjay is known for his bombastic in-your-face rhetorical loquaciousness than actually making a difference in his previous political life.

From his days as G. Baccus Matthews’ key lieutenant in the United People’s Party (UPP), to his opportunistic fling with Charles Taylor’s deadly and unprincipled government, and his flirtation with George Weah’s CDC party, J. Milton Teahjay wandered all over the political terrains like a drunken sailor searching for his sinking ship.

Did he do all that out of restlessness? It could be because that opportunistic side of Teahjay puts a question mark on his commitment to genuine democracy.

In his new political life, however, Teahjay’s skillful political maneuvering (re-invention) which took him away from the convenience of Monrovia to the inconvenience of Sinoe County for a Superintendent job in the Sirleaf administration, to be with his people – his constituents, could possibly give him a victory over the incumbent Nyenpan, in the mid-term senatorial election.

Teahjay could also win because visuals are powerful tools in politics. Visuals can serve as a constant reminder of who’s with whom during difficult times when one is down on his or her luck. The people of Sinoe County could elect Teahjay because he stuck with them in trying and difficult times by living among them.

At a time when most young people of J. Milton Teahjay’s age are either living in Monrovia or overseas seeking greener pastures and better living conditions for their family, he relocated to Sinoe County and accepted a government job there.

It is a political calculation that could appeal to the electorates; that he’s one of them – eating, suffering, living and dreaming with them.

As the progressive he is, was or has been throughout his adult political life, I was hoping to see and read Teahjay’s platform, programs and policies for Sinoe County.

The 2014 midterm senatorial race could make or break the career of two of the most visible politicians of our time in Sinoe County.

Too bad, J. Milton Teahjay hasn’t spelled out his programs and policies for Sinoe County.

Mobutu Vlah Nyenpan has outlived his senatorial usefulness.

Vote him out!

 

January 22, 2014 | 0 comments | View Post

How bad government policies continue to keep Liberia behind

By Tewroh-Wehtoe Sungbeh tws

 

In some parts of Liberia, a person can be arrested for walking when the Liberian flag is being hoisted. It doesn’t matter where the person is going, or what time of the day it is; an individual can be arrested for walking during the ritual of raising the flag.

In Liberia also, a person can be arrested for accidentally dropping the Liberian flag, or can be arrested for allowing part of the flag to touch the ground.

The practice was widely visible during the autocratic regime of the nation’s 18th president, William V.S. Tubman, who came to power in 1944, and allowed that heinous practice to continue.

With record unemployment, discrimination and inequality on the rise, coupled with fear, distrust and an internal spy network that pitted families, friends and neighbors against neighbors, Tubman encouraged the quasi-judicial-justice of the peace system to control and pacify any dissension that threatened his administration.

That quasi-justice of the peace system continued after Tubman, and provided jobs and incomes for the apprentice justice of the peace who were not on government’s payroll; but were allowed to set their own fees from day to day to earn a living.

After Mr. Tubman died in 1971, the practice took off as Liberian citizens and foreign nationals were often harassed, fined and jailed for ‘disrespecting’ the Liberian flag.

With an economy sputtering and unemployment on the rise, one would think the nation’s political leaders would plan better, encourage people to go to work unhindered, create jobs and make good decisions to stimulate the economy.

In Liberia today, the Liberian government does not encourage work and the free movement of workers and commerce, as stores and commercial centers are closed on Sundays and holidays such as presidential birthdays, and religious days – mostly Christian holidays.

Government offices are also closed on special days set aside by the political leader – the President, to clean the city. Where’s the Monrovia City Corporation, anyway, that’s responsible to clean the City of Monrovia?

Economies don’t grow when there is no work; or when jobs are unavailable.

In this case, the Liberian government, which hasn’t learned from past mistakes brought the economic stagnancy on itself when it refused to unshackle its grips on the economy, and did not allow the free movement of people to go to work or seek employment.

The aftermath of the closure of these public and private institutions and businesses out of political expediency obviously continued the cycle of unemployment and poverty, which are way in abundance in Liberia.

Making matter worse are the selfish political alliances and opportunistic maneuverings between the legislative branch and the executive branch.

These selfish political alliances and maneuverings are not intended to boost the economy and provide employment for countless out of work Liberians.

They are intended to provide regular paychecks, amenities, bonuses and per diems for members of the House of Representatives and Senators, all of whom ought to be fired and thrown in prison for deceiving the Liberian people and their respective districts.

Because if these guys – the legislators were doing their job as they were elected to do, there would have been checks and balances, and accountability and transparency in government today.

However, you know things are really bad in Liberia when teachers make less in salaries, while those spineless bunch of legislators are raking in huge sums of money and benefits to supplement their already hefty paychecks.

No wonder Liberians in and out of the country are falling over each other to contest legislative races in the country.

Not that these opportunistic individuals have credible plans, monumental ideas and groundbreaking programs to drastically change the lives of their people; they just want to live well.

Even if a lawmaker does not live in his/her district, which many of them are not doing anyway, living well means running for a legislative seat, which is an easy way to make a living in Liberia.

Liberian students reportedly are unhappy with their poor standard of living; their dismal lifestyles and the way things are going under Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

Apparently, those students know better and are seeing things much clearer than their respective Senators and Representatives, who are just living comfortably.

Those students can continue to fight inequality, injustice, rampant corruption, nepotism and unemployment by putting pressure on the Sirleaf administration, through non-violent demonstrations, boycotts, organizing, mobilization and educating the electorates and fellow citizens about the government and their rights as citizens of the Republic of Liberia.

The upcoming 2014-midterm legislative elections can make or end a political career. This is the time to make a difference by electing friends that looked out for you, and defeat politicians who care less about your welfare.

If economic conditions are not better now, when are they ever going to get better? When?

 

 

January 16, 2014 | 0 comments | View Post

“Threat of war and bloodshed” against people of Tarjuowon, Sinoe County, condemned

Staff writer J. Milton Teahjay

The Executive Committee of Kulu United Development Association (KUDA) has condemned in no uncertain terms comments by the Chairman of the organization, Sampson Toby, “threatening war and bloodshed” against the people of Tarjuowon Statutory District in Sinoe County.

The News newspaper quoted Toby in its December 31, 2013 publication as saying that he and his undisclosed supporters would wage war in Tarjuowon if the Indonesian company, Golden Veroleum Liberia (GVL), failed to consult with the people of Kulu, Shaw and Boe District up to its planned operation in Tarjuowon Statutory District in Sinoe County.

But in a release signed by Secretary General Brown N. Keh and approved by Co-Chairman Samuel B. Wleh, Jr., the Executive Committee of KUDA terms Chairman Toby’s threats of war as diabolical, senseless and baseless.

The KUDA Executive Committee says it is unfortunate that despite calls from elders, youths and prominent citizens of Tarjuowon for Sampson Toby to desist from his unpopular agitation against the popular wishes of the people regarding GVL investment, he has continued to embark upon schemes of “blackmail, extortion and scare tactics” to disrepute the deep-rooted aspirations of the people.

“We want to make it clear that Toby and its small clique of agitators and blackmailers based in Monrovia do not have the mandate of the people of Kulu, let alone Tarjuowon Statutory District, to speak to negotiation between GVL and the people,” said KUDA Co-Chairman Samuel Wleh, Jr. “The people of Tarjuowon, including the Kulu section, have since signed a win-win Social Agreement and Memorandum of Understanding following several consultation meetings with local indigenous citizens at home in Kulu and Tarjuowon.”

Mr. Wleh said Toby and a small clique based in Monrovia have adopted the tendency of taking money from GVL and threatening agitation against the company if it failed to give more money, but whenever the company gave money to facilitate their participation in meetings held in Tarjuowon, they often chose to evade the meetings.

Recently, according to Mr. Wleh, Sampson Toby and his clique received US$1,330 from GVL for the purpose to going to Tarjuowon in Sinoe County to hold a consultation meeting with all the people, but used the money to instead demonize the company without meeting with the local people.

“Every time Sampson and his clique run out of money, they will engage into bad publicity about GVL and its negotiation with the locals in an apparent bid to extort more attention and more money from the company,” Mr. Wleh said. “This tendency of blackmail and extortion is unacceptable and we want to inform the public not to take the extortionists serious as the majority of the people of Kulu and Tarjuowon are clamoring for GVL investment.”
“There were countless number of consultation meetings held between the indigenous people of Tarjuowon, including Kulu, two of which Sampson Toby attended and endorsed,” said Mr. Wleh. “It is mind-boggling that Toby would threaten war against the people on account of lack of consultation.

This is arrogant, selfish and preposterous, to say the least.”

Mr. Wleh further said instead of Toby complaining about lack of development in Kulu, he should be ready to account for over L$80,000 raised by the poor people in 2011 which he has siphoned and yet to account for.

“Mr. Toby is one of the dangerous stumbling blocks to development in Tarjuowon District,” Mr. Wleh said, adding: “In 2011 he lured the people of Kulu into putting their poor earnings in his pocket when he organized a fundraising rally and collected over L$80,000.

Since he brought to money to Monrovia, and despite calls for him to account, he has not. And the money was meant to buy fuels and construct a major farm-to-market road.”

The KUDA Executive Committee says the people Tarjuowon, including Kulu, like other Liberians, are fresh witnesses of the horrors of war; it is therefore inconceivable that Mr. Toby would be threatening to retort to war only because he and his small Monrovia-based clique has lost their ill-fated obstruction to GVL investment in Tarjuowon.

“Our people believe in and trust the MOU and Social Agreement signed with GVL as well as the process that led to the signing of that Agreement,” the KUDA Executive Committee said in a release.

“And the people of Kulu and Tarjuowon will never allow themselves to be consumed by the gimmicks, blackmail and scare tactics of, or taken ransom by, a disgruntled group of persons in Monrovia.”

- Heritage

January 10, 2014 | 0 comments | View Post

A proven strategy to prevent turmoil in the DR Congo

By Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Kulwant Singh and Dr. David Leffler

Kulwant Singh

 

 

 

 

ph_david_leffler_phdYet another armed attack in the DR Congo. There is a proven solution to prevent violence! A new technology of defense is now available that has been scientifically shown to prevent turmoil and create peace by harnessing the deepest level of nature’s functioning.

War, conflict and terrorism are ultimately human problems requiring a human
solution. Experts in the field of conflict resolution maintain that their underlying
cause is accumulated “social stress” - i.e., mounting political, religious and/or
ethnic tensions between rival factions in critical hotspots throughout the world. As
social stress builds, divisions grow stronger, groups take sides, diplomats become
unable to resolve differences, and enemies arise within or outside the nation.
Military force may then be invoked to protect the country, resulting in terrorism,
armed conflict and unpredictable outcomes. But even if conflict temporarily solves
the problem for the victor, the social stress remains, fueling future cycles of
conflict. In contrast, the absence of collective stress translates into the absence
of tension between competing sides, thereby reducing the probability of hostilities.

Today, the military of the DR Congo has an opportunity to overcome the cycle of war
and terrorism by deploying a scientifically verified technology of defense that
neutralizes social stress. This new technology is based on the unified field of all
the laws of nature - the most fundamental and powerful level of nature’s
functioning. The technology accesses and enlivens this unified field through
subjective technologies of consciousness, thereby creating a profound influence of
coherence and harmony throughout society that results in measurable reductions of
crime, terrorism, and war.

The late Maharishi Mahesh Yogi revived systematic subjective technologies for
experiencing the unified field, including the Transcendental Meditation program and
its advanced techniques. When used in a military context these meditation practices
are known as Invincible Defence Technology (IDT). They have been successfully
applied by members of many faiths to eliminate conflict. Militaries in Latin
America, Asia as well as African countries like Mozambique have already applied
these non-lethal and non-destructive technologies to reduce collective societal
stress and resulting conflict.

Over 50 research studies confirm that when the required threshold of IDT experts is
crossed - approximately the square root of 1% of a given population - crime goes
down, quality of life indices go up, and war and terrorism abate. Scientists have
named this phenomenon the Maharishi Effect, since Maharishi Mahesh Yogi first
predicted it. The causal mechanism appears to be a field effect of consciousness - a
spillover effect on the level of the unified field from the peace-creating group
into the larger population.

In 1983, a two-month Maharishi Effect intervention in Israel resulted in a 76%
reduction in war deaths in neighboring Lebanon (p < 10-7) when group size exceeded
the square root of 1% threshold (Journal of Conflict Resolution). Seven subsequent,
consecutive experiments over a two-year period during the peak of the Lebanon war
found

• war-related fatalities decreased by 71% (p < 10-10)
• war-related injuries fell by 68% (p < 10-6)
• the level of conflict dropped by 48% (p < 10-8)
• cooperation among antagonists increased by 66% (p < 10-6)

The likelihood that these combined results were due to chance is less than one part
in 10 to the nineteenth (Journal of Social Behavior and Personality). A global-scale
study published in the Journal of Offender Rehabilitation documented a 72% drop in
international terrorism.

The DR Congo military is responsible for defending its government and citizens. It
can now succeed in this mission simply by creating a Prevention Wing - a group of
IDT experts. The size of the Prevention Wing would be small - approximately the
square root of 1% of the population of the country. Only about 900 soldiers would be
needed.

As part of its responsibility to protect the nation, the military of the DR Congo is
obligated to thoroughly examine scientifically proven methods for preventing war and
terrorism. With the IDT approach, all that is necessary is to provide the proper
training for groups of military personnel - or indeed, any sizable group within the
nation. The DR Congo military has the opportunity today through IDT to create
national security, invincibility, and peace. But the time to act is now.

Major General (Ret.) Kulwant Singh, U.Y.S.M., Ph.D., leads an international group of
generals and defense experts that advocates Invincible Defense Technology. He was
awarded the Uttam Yudh Sewa Medal, the second highest decoration for senior officers
during operations in Sri Lanka as part of IPKF (Indian Peace Keeping Force).

David Leffler, Ph.D., is Executive Director of the Center for Advanced Military
Science (CAMS). He served as an Associate of the Proteus Management Group at the Center for Strategic Leadership, US Army War College. Dr. Leffler is the author of “A New Role
for the Military: Preventing Enemies from Arising - Reviving an Ancient Approach to
Peace.” He is on Twitter. http://strongmilitary.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c9b45c9a2c5eba45979b445ce&id=48cc384eeb&e=20dad5c07e

 

January 8, 2014 | 0 comments | View Post

Weah and Urey’s $2.5 million political marriage of convenience

By Tewroh-Wehtoe Sungbeh Benoni Urey - Liberia

 

“Tsungbeh, you are crazy! CDCians have heard these kinds of “news” before in 2005, immediately after the rerun of the presidential elections of that year.”

Dr. Matthew N. Nimpson – 12/18/13 - Liberian listserv

 

“The issue at bar that the CDC is allegedly trading its standard bearer post to Beninoi Urey didn’t come from the CDC camp but rather according to the News paper, from the Urey family but is being twisted by some of you as if it is the official position of the CDC. Mr. Sungbeh it hurts for some one to says to others those I am dealing with are fools; and know no better, I can get my way through anytime! This is the drama I am seeing at play. So, Mr. Sungbeh, we are not new to these kind of reckless games you fellows are playing against Weah by fabricating or amplifying negative propaganda against him. Sungbeh you need to halt this dirty games that you fellows played with the Liberian people that brought the TWP back to power today. Period!.”

– Edward Farley 12/19/2013 - Liberian listserv

 

The above comments were posted on the Liberian listserv in response to the article, “Liberia: Opposition Party, CDC to Trade Standard Bearership for $2.5 Million to Ex-Maritime Chief, Beninoi Urey,” written by J. K. K. Peah of the New Dispensation.

As you can see, I did not write the December 15, 2013 article in question. The only crime I committed so far was to post it on the Liberian listserv. As I posted the article, however, I made it clear to the listserv audience my purpose of posting the piece.

Since George Manneh Weah is an opposition leader who wants to be President of Liberia at any cost and for the right price, I just thought Liberians everywhere ought to know what he’s doing to win their trust as he prepares for the electoral battle ahead.

That explanation did not go over well with some of Weah’s fiercest supporters and sympathizers (as you can see), who wholeheartedly believe I was playing a dirty game to tarnish Mr. Weah’s reputation.

Even though I have been a constant Weah critic over the years, my interest has never been to destroy him politically, but to open him up to the scrutiny most politicians get when they express interest in running for public office.

I want George Manneh Oppong Weah to come forward like a man and succinctly articulate his vision for Liberia, which is a challenge from me to him and his CDC political party.

I just refused to buy the snake oil these guys want the Liberian people to buy. Why should the Liberian people buy pig in the bag at this very critical time in the history of our country?

That said, I am unafraid of the insults, because those insults or threatened insults will eventually come from his diehard supporters, for this article. All I can say, bring them on!

I am open to ideas, because I am about ideas. Insults or no insults, I will continue to write about Weah and other politicians. If they do the right thing, I will write admirably about them, if they do wrong, they will get the wrath of my pen.

After all, politicians and others operating in the public domain are supposed to be ready at all times to express and clarify their positions on burning national issues, when they are asked or not asked to do so.

Liberian politicians are no exception to the rule of public scrutiny. That pattern of selective scrutiny or no scrutiny at all of public officials has been carried over from the days of the disgraced and much-hated True Whig Party, which has been a way of political life in Liberia today.

What does it say about a nation and its people when a politician constantly dodges a question, or when a politician is left untouched and not scrutinized because of our high regards or worship of the individual?

Since his meteoric rise to fame, fortune and politics, Weah has been able to successfully evade discussing his vision for Liberia, and has not even been able to forcefully answer questions when controversies swirl around him.

Even though he hasn’t said a word about the Benoni Urey $2.5 million controversy, Weah has always displayed a fondness for political power, which of course shouldn’t just be handed to him like an entitlement.

So why will Weah allegedly agree to a quid pro quo monetary political alliance with Urey, who was just removed from the UN travel list, for his role in the Liberian civil war? That $2.5 million question needs Weah’s $2.5 million answer.

However, since he’s nonchalant about a story of this magnitude at a time when he’s contemplating a run for the Liberian senate (a prelude or training ground for a possible 2017 presidential run), the Liberian people just shouldn’t vote for Mr. Weah, if he is unwilling to address their concerns.

As usual, however, Weah supporters continue to point fingers at his perceived enemies, who are supposed to follow him like the rest of his supporters are blindly following him in lockstep.

This deflection is naked arrogance at best and an insult to the Liberian people, who are not suppose to write or ask Mr. Weah any question about his role as an opposition politician, his vision for Liberia, his paid status in the government he supposedly opposes, and are not suppose to ask him about the selfish and incremental backroom deals he often makes to propel his future presidential aspirations.

It is a fact that Weah, during the 2011 presidential elections desperately forged a convenient political alliance with Winston Tubman, to be his vice presidential running mate – a guy with whom he shares little or no consistent political values.

The strategy at the time, I believe, was for the political veteran Tubman to groom the chameleon and politically naïve Weah, who was been publicly pummeled for his obvious lack of significant political weight and leadership abilities to be president of a country with so many problems.

The Urey $2.5 million saga clearly resembles an illegal attempt to influence the upcoming presidential elections. It could also be electoral money laundering, all of which are possible illegal activities the Ministry of Justice should investigate as possible attempts to violate the laws of the Republic of Liberia.

Weah is known to do whatever he wants to do, and is also known to get away with “murder” without having to explain his conduct, or be held accountable to the Liberian people.

Weah, it seems is depending heavily on his massive popularity, which stems from his rags to riches story and his local and international football exploits.

The Weah movie of swapping his presidential candidacy to the highest bidder (no matter who the person is, or whether he and the person share the same politics) seems to play every six years during presidential elections.

This is not leadership. It is cowardice and exploitation.

The Weah movie is coming to a political theater near you.

January 5, 2014 | 0 comments | View Post

Jack Gleeson is leaving the bloody series 'Game of Thrones' because he feels repugnance to his character

By Clemente Ferrer Jack Gleeson - Game of Thrones

 

Game of Thrones is a fantasy novel written in 1996 by the American George R. R. Martin, winner of the Locus Award in 1997. He is the author of the series ‘A Song of Ice and Fire,’ where the bloody series Game of Thrones is based.

HBO premiered the corrosive series Game of Thrones, after months of waiting and a great promotion. This is a big production, with a budget of $ 60 million.

Jack Gleeson (pictured), the ruthless King of Westeros, Joffrey Baratheon, has announced his intention to leave the wicked series Game of Thrones. It seems that the Irish actor, 21, has been overwhelmed by fame, and wants to leave this life and return to be a normal young man.

In an interview with The Irish Independent, the artist asserted: “the lifestyle that comes with being an actor in a successful TV show isn’t something I gravitate towards”.

Gleeson said he never watches himself playing the creepy young ruler: “I don’t tend to. It’s bizarre when you see clips,” he said. “You tend to abstract yourself from the creepiness of it when you’re playing it, but when you see it on television it sends shivers down my spine.” It’s what he feels about the conspiracies, murder, cheat, torture, wickedness, deceit, homosexuality.

When not immersed in filming or professional commitments, Jack studied philosophy and theology at Trinity College Dublin. He also dedicates his free time to work with the humanitarian organization Goal.

The followers of the corrupt series Game of Thrones can rest easy, as its creator, George RR Martin, said that he already knows what the future of the story will be. The cruel and bloody series Game of Thrones won the Radio Times, the only award in which the audience chooses the winner, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

This is just the latest recognition for this fiction, which has won a Golden Globe and eight Emmys. The disgusting series continues to attract viewers: the fifth episode of the third season got an audience of 5.5 million viewers. At this time HBO broadcasts the third season of Game of Thrones and in Spain it can be seen on Canal Plus (Source: Europa Press).

Author and journalist Clemente Ferrer has led a distinguished career in Spain in the fields of advertising and public relations. He is currently President of the European Institute of Marketing.

[email protected]

January 3, 2014 | 0 comments | View Post

Jack Gleeson is leaving the bloody series ‘Game of Thrones’ because he feels repugnance to his character

By Clemente Ferrer Jack Gleeson - Game of Thrones

 

Game of Thrones is a fantasy novel written in 1996 by the American George R. R. Martin, winner of the Locus Award in 1997. He is the author of the series ‘A Song of Ice and Fire,’ where the bloody series Game of Thrones is based.

HBO premiered the corrosive series Game of Thrones, after months of waiting and a great promotion. This is a big production, with a budget of $ 60 million.

Jack Gleeson (pictured), the ruthless King of Westeros, Joffrey Baratheon, has announced his intention to leave the wicked series Game of Thrones. It seems that the Irish actor, 21, has been overwhelmed by fame, and wants to leave this life and return to be a normal young man.

In an interview with The Irish Independent, the artist asserted: “the lifestyle that comes with being an actor in a successful TV show isn’t something I gravitate towards”.

Gleeson said he never watches himself playing the creepy young ruler: “I don’t tend to. It’s bizarre when you see clips,” he said. “You tend to abstract yourself from the creepiness of it when you’re playing it, but when you see it on television it sends shivers down my spine.” It’s what he feels about the conspiracies, murder, cheat, torture, wickedness, deceit, homosexuality.

When not immersed in filming or professional commitments, Jack studied philosophy and theology at Trinity College Dublin. He also dedicates his free time to work with the humanitarian organization Goal.

The followers of the corrupt series Game of Thrones can rest easy, as its creator, George RR Martin, said that he already knows what the future of the story will be. The cruel and bloody series Game of Thrones won the Radio Times, the only award in which the audience chooses the winner, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

This is just the latest recognition for this fiction, which has won a Golden Globe and eight Emmys. The disgusting series continues to attract viewers: the fifth episode of the third season got an audience of 5.5 million viewers. At this time HBO broadcasts the third season of Game of Thrones and in Spain it can be seen on Canal Plus (Source: Europa Press).

Author and journalist Clemente Ferrer has led a distinguished career in Spain in the fields of advertising and public relations. He is currently President of the European Institute of Marketing.

[email protected]

January 3, 2014 | 0 comments | View Post

Taylor aide seeks presidency

By Ralph Geeplay  Benoni Urey - Liberia
EDMONTON----Benoni Urey, a former chief aide to indicted Liberian warlord
President Charles Ghankay Taylor, who served as the head of the lucrative
Bureau of Maritime Affairs during the Taylor era, and was recently removed
from the United Nations travel ban, has thrown his hat in the running for
the Liberian presidency with three years to go, according to reports.
Say observers, as soon as the reigns of power left Taylor hands and his
National Patriotic Party [NPP], Mr. Urey and many of his associates also
deserted the party, as they sought to re-brand their images and
re-position their political careers, “effectively distancing themselves 
from the atrocities committed under the Taylor regime,” said a political 
science professor at the University of Liberia. 
The former maritime boss also accused of being Taylor chief arms buyer, now
 plans to run on the ticket of the Congress for Democratic Change [CDC]. 
But party faithful reports say are pushing back, they still remember Urey 
and his connections to Charles Taylor.
These days, Mr. Urey can be seen at speaking engagements and tours with the
football legend, George Weah, who himself still harbors presidential
ambitions in the impoverished West African country currently led by Ellen
Johnson Sirleaf. 
One of those resisting Urey’s bid is Mr. Samuel D. Tweah Jr. In an 
interview he granted a Liberian radio station few days ago, he called Urey a
 "Charles Taylor crony responsible for looting Liberia's
resources; and because of that the congress party will not allow him to
lead the CDC into any presidential election."
Tweah, regarded as one of the catalysts behind the party founding warned of severe 
revolt and cracks within the party should that happen. 
Ventures Africa reported last year when the United Nations refused to 
removed Mr. Urey from its travel ban list that “Urey, an MTN Liberia 
official, has long been connected to Taylor, and allegations has been made that
 MTN Liberia might be a financial vehicle for the convicted warlord.”
Also “A 2005 report by the Coalition for International Justice claimed Urey
helped Taylor "siphon off" money from a shipping entity to buy arms.
Further, the report said he was a "primary liaison for the illegal purchase
of weapons" in Liberia from infamous international arms dealer Viktor
Bout.”
Sidiki Fofana, the Congress for Democratic Change National Vice-Chairman
for Political Affairs, alarmed at Mr. Urey’s pronouncement told
FrontPageAfrica in Monrovia this week that the former Charles Taylor
aide's quest for the Liberian Presidency on the ticket of the CDC would
“cause serious distraction from the party’s 2014 objectives, but [that] it
also has the potential to undermine the united front the party seeks to
build as it goes into these hotly contested mid- term elections.” 
Press reports say less than 48 hours after the UN delisted the former 
maritime boss from the travel ban, he wasted no time in calling a press 
conference to announce his candidacy for the Liberian presidency.
Critics say Urey has no democratic credentials, and have no record of 
advocacy in a country that experienced succeeding decades of a one-party 
hegemony, a military dictatorship and the draconian rule of 
Charles Taylor, whom he supported when he served as commissioner of the 
powerful Liberian maritime agency.
Representative Acarous Gray said the CDC would not accept a Urey
candidacy. "Just walking into the party and claiming power" he said, "was
unacceptable." 
Benoni Urey, unconfirmed reports say is worth about US$12 million, although 
his net worth is not known. Liberians are not known for reporting their 
wealth. Urey currently serves as the Chair of Lonestar Communications 
Corporation, reported to be nation’s biggest cell phone company.
Urey, it is said also invested in residential housing, hotels, 
car rental company, radio and television stations and a newspaper. 
In addition, he operates Wulki farm, which produces poultry
and other farm products.
“The time has come for us to move our country forward. It is about time 
that Liberia be given back to Liberians; and if they want me to deliver,
 I will be happy to answer the call.” He said recently in Liberia’s capital of
Monrovia.
 “Fingers are not only being pointed at Urey as a former Charles Taylor 
aide who has reinvented himself as Taylor sits behind bars in the 
United Kingdom,” said a Congress for Democratic Change executive who 
wasn't authorized to speak to the media on the Urey issue.  
“Look at Lewis Browne,” he said. “This is the man who was Charles Taylor’s
 National Security Advisor and Foreign Minister, when limps of babies were 
being hacked off in the Sierra Leone, and pregnant women bowels were being 
ghastly opened just for the fun of it. Today, he is Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s
Minister of information speaking on behalf of our government. 
What a shame.”
Samuel D. Tweah Jr. said if men like Urey should lead what has been aptly
called Liberia’s 'grass root party,' it would make sense then that the CDC
kept quiet as it denied itself any right to speak against societal
wrongdoings. He also called rubbished Taylor’s former aide attempt to 
campaign on the party’s ticket because the party was founded to bring 
change in the aftermath of Taylor and his associates’ misrule.
Mr. Tweah said Benoni Urey represented in total the Taylor regime and its 
crimes against the Liberian people. Representative Acarous Gray, regarded 
as a fire brand within the party also referred to Urey's aspiration as 
'rubbished.' 
“Charles Taylor and his fans and associates are still not happy that he was
 convicted and jailed for war crimes. If we want to see the Taylor people in power 
again, let’s elect this Urey man,” said Famatta Toe.
Mr. Urey told the Heritage Newspaper that he wanted the Liberian
presidency because the time had come for the "indigenous Liberians" to rule
the country because “Americo-Liberians” wanted to “to take away the
country's resources without investing in the country.” 
The CDC official said it was unfortunate that Mr. Urey was speaking “pure 
nonsense. He hails from Careysburg, an Americao Liberian settlement. 
Besides, that kind of divisive politics is not good for our country. Why 
would he bash his own people just because he wants to be president? These 
men think we are stupid!”
It has been rumored that Urey paid two to five million dollars to lead the
CDC ticket come 2017. But Urey denied he paid money to lead the party into
general elections “I have been with [the] CDC for over eight years, I am a
part of the CDC in fact, my support for CDC was part of the reason why I
was kept on the travel and assets freeze ban. Many parties have been bought
by money, but CDC can never be bought. CDC is worth far more than 
US$2 million.”
In it all, party head, legend George Weah, who is Johnson Sirleaf’s peace
ambassador has confirmed he is contesting a senatorial post this year; but
has yet to break his silence that he has sold the party to the former 
Charles Taylor aide. 
“For Urey to say he was on the travel ban list because of the CDC is 
stupendous and totally ridiculous. That is an insult to our party.
He was on the United Nations ban list because of his activities and
connections with Charles Taylor and the criminal enterprise they ran; and
not because of the CDC, said the congress party executive, in reaction to
Mr. Urey’s comments.
Ralph Geeplay is editor of the Liberian Listener.
January 3, 2014 | 0 comments | View Post
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