A Pastoral Letter from the Resident Bishop of the United Methodist Church, Rev. Dr. John G. Innis (The blogger has no part to play with this content)

My Fellow Liberians and Friends of Liberia:

As we prepare for the 2011 Presidential and General Elections throughout this campaign season, I wish to appeal to all the candidates and their respective political parties as well as to every Liberian who loves this nation to conduct themselves in the spirit of love, unity, and respect in order that the results of the elections will be celebrated with joyful thanksgiving to God in our hearts, minds and bodies.

Liberia is Africa’s oldest independent republic and although we have had fourteen years of a brutal civil war, we have been given another opportunity to prove that we are a mature nation that can show the rest of Africa and the world what true democracy is. We did that once in 2007 without resorting to violence and I am convinced we can conduct democratic elections that will be free and fair once again.

I call on all candidates and their respective political parties to conduct their campaigns with civility and respect for the rule of law. It is important to remember that because people belong to different political parties it does not make them our enemies. When somebody is a member of the opposition, that person should not be seen as our opponent. In your political campaigns, I urge you to focus on the issues and not on individuals, address the problems not personalities. We can disagree and still remain agreeable, we can have different ideas about how to bring development to Liberia but one thing we all share is that we love our country, Liberia and would like to see us move forward.

This appeal is also extended to our young people who constitute a major portion of our population in Liberia. You are Liberia’s future and it is important you begin the process of practicing true democracy by the way you conduct yourselves. Politicians and candidates will reach out to persuade you and there will be discussions with others who may support candidates different from your own. Listen to the leaders and what their ideas are to bring progress to Liberia. Think about what the needs of our country are and ask questions that will clarify the candidates’ positions. We must hold all our leaders responsible and accountable as we strive to build a strong Liberia based on principles of human worth and dignity.

I implore the entire Liberian population to remain faithful to the ideals of democracy. We must remain faithful and appreciative citizens always ready to develop new approaches for the ongoing religious, social, political, and economic development of our country. During these years, under the dynamic and caring leadership of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Liberia was able to regain her place with respect among the nations of the world.

I commend the opposition parties for their years of contributions to the democratic process by boldly speaking against some of the pitfalls of the government. Furthermore, I commend the Government of Liberia for accepting the criticisms of the opposition parties as well as from others with national concerns. As we campaign for the election of leadership of our beloved country, we must remain prayerful for harmony and stability while giving thanks to God for all the good things God has done for us, especially in the areas of peace and security.

I commend the United Nations peace-keeping forces for their contributions toward peace. I look forward to them continuing this exercise through the campaign and election season.

May God continue to bless this nation. May we continue to take advantage of the blessings of God to move forward toward peaceful and fair elections in October free from violence. May Liberia always remain under God and seek liberty and justice for all. I therefore call upon the people called United Methodists and the Christian community to hold before God this election campaign. May God bless us all and save the state.

Whose Campaign Team?

Just the other day, several criticisms were directed at the Unity Party for naming its Campaign Team. Most of the critics were from the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) now headed by Cllr. Winston Tubman after many years of denial that its former leader, Ambassador George Weah was not a presidential material for Liberia. Here are some of the things the critics said:

• The naming of Eugene Nagbe on the Team was bogus






• The Team will not deliver the presidency to H. E. Ellen John Sirleaf






• The naming of a Clergyman as a bridged of the neutrality of the Church in Liberia's political affairs. Thank God the Unity Party withdrew the Clergyman.

The question is, if all of the above assertions are true including count three which is true, of what benefit is to the opposition parties, especially the CDC, that the Unity Party's Campaign Team will not bring home the result needed in the 2011 General Elections. Is this just criticism for the sake of criticising or there was nothing to say to the partisans?

UMC - Liberia Distributes US$10,000 worth of Relief Items

Some of the Ivorian Refugees at the Bahn Refugee Camp in Nimba County who benefited from the relief items distributed by United Methodist Church in Liberia. The distribution was sponsored by the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) based on a project proposal submitted by the Director of Connectional Ministries of the Liberia Episcopal Area of the United Methodist Church.

Where Do You Stand On These Complaints?

The new issue on the political blog is the new phenomenal of “voters’ migration”. What all of the discussants I listened to have not been able to say, what is wrong with any Liberian registering in any part of the country? Comments like,” political aspirants are moving people around the country”, “would be districts representatives are paying people to register in their districts”, and party loyalists are buying voters’ support for their parties” in my opinion have not done any damage to the four days old electoral process. Can anyone state in clear term, what is wrong with what is obtaining right now in Liberia?

We Need to Work Hard

Less than 24 hours into the Voters’ Registration process, several individuals are raising “Red Flag” at the National Elections Commission (NEC) for several reasons. Among the many concerns are the “migration of voters”, the slowness of voter registrars, the shortness of the time allotted for the registration process, and worst of all of the complaints; the number and distances between voters and the assigned registration centers. I had the opportunity to observed the “Voters’ Registration Awareness Campaign” sponsored by the NEC. I encountered the marchers four hours into the registration process and not a single one of the individual that I spoke to had registered. Ironically, they all were wearing t-shirts marked “I Registered to Vote”. Up to the time of this posting, most of the individuals who participated in the NEC organized Voters' Registration Campaign could not even tell me the closest registration center to their community. More needs to be done. I am doing mine NOW!

What Is Going On?

Did we end 2010 on a wrong note or are starting 2011 on a wrong note? The air waves are filled with claims and counter claims from the government, civil society groups, opposition political parties, and concerned Liberians about the wrongful behavior of either of the named groups. What is difficult to decipher in all of these claims is that each group seems to be concern about the peaceful outcome of the 2011 General elections, without any clarity as to their role in ensuring that the playing field is level and that the rules governing the political game are respected.

On Friday, December 31, 2010, just when the year was about to end, the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) had an encounter with the Liberian National Police (LNP) for the second time in one year. Each time, the claims ranged from the LNP acting out of order to members of the LNP pursuing their personal agenda in the conduct of national duties. Yet the CDC which claims to know all of the rules will not say where they went wrong. For example, the failure of the CDC, its Standard Bearer, and its partisans to obey a simple order of “traffic shifting” led to the destruction of state property(s). According to one radio talk show, Ambassador George Weah, obey the police order because he was in one of the first three cars that turn towards the Jallah Town Road. The question is, how did the partisans got into conflict with the police when the man for whom they were marching already decided to be law abiding. Who is running things at the CDC?

Two days into the New Year, Melvin Paye accused the government of “violating the rights” of the Liberian Children because according to him “the government failed to build recreation centers for children” ahead of the festive season, thus leading the children into such acts like drinking alcoholic beverages. Again, like the rest of us, Mr. Paye failed to tell the Liberian people what kind of activities he organized in his neighborhood to keep the children off the streets. Everything is the government.

In less than ten days into 2011, there have been several calls on the government or the President in particular, Her Excellency Ellen Johnson Sirleaf for her to take certain actions or risk the positive outcome of the 2011 General Elections in her favor. The calls ranged from such simple issues as the conduct of recruiting voters’ registrars to the rehabilitation of roads.

Are we starting well?

Crossing Over: 2010 in Retrospect

Just yesterday, we were shouting "Happy New Year". In few hours time we will be shouting "Happy New Year". It seems like yesterday, but we are talking about 365 days of national life filled with challenges; governance, politics, and fiscal discipline just to name a few.

The most memorable feature of governance was the "administrative leave" declared by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf for the purpose of performance review. Though, many termed it as the President's way of offloading "corrupt officials", the point is that a new precedent for governance was set by the President who is used to making history.

Politically, 2011 will go down in our national history as one of the election years if all goes well. The activities leading to this major event are in record breaking proportion. One time rivals; The Unity Party (UP), The Liberia Action Party (LAP), and The Liberia Unification Party (LUP) joined forces make the 2011 General Elections "a must win" event. Contrary to this merger, other parties are still struggling for form.

Throughout the many years of her leadership, the ONLY elusive force that President Sirleaf is still struggling with is "corruption". All of the institutional measures taken has not deterred some of her cabinets from corrupt practices. It is worth mentioning all those allegedly caught in the corruption net have not been brought down guilty, except for one who challenged the guilty verdict. Some court cases are ongoing while other are declared "not guilty" to the disbelief of the Liberian people.

Judging from the above, one would ask "how we got over". The truth is Liberians are resilience people and nothing will stop them from going forward. Therefore, crossing over is just another usual event. Like 2010, the New Year (2011) will be dealt with in the context of its challenges. Are you preparing for the challenges which include the General Elections?

See you on the other side.