The Voice that Matters

“And the Lord God said let us make man…” out of this statement and several others “let there bes” came what we now referred to as the world and all that is in it. Like the voice of God, several voices shake and shape the world. In Liberia, when the people spoke in 2005, the outcome was an administration led by President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf. Twenty more days to the General and Presidential Elections, the cacophonic of voices about the outcome of the elections filled the media landscape and the discussion is unending.
Last Saturday, several songs were sung including “da my area” that has been made famous by the elections process. Again, many Liberians committed to the Unity Party were out in their numbers to voice out their support for the incumbent President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf. What is frightening and sometimes intriguing is that all of these voices including that of Madam Johnson-Sirleaf don’t really matter in all that is at stake. For example, in a statement to her many supporters at the Antoinette Tubman Stadium (ATS) the question, “who got the Mansion key?” And surely the answer was a resounding “Ellen got the Mansion key.” If this was true to the issue at stake such as the General and Presidential Elections, than from my position and thinking differently, I would say there is no need for October 11, 2011 in the lives of the Liberian people.
Let us drift a little bit to some of the other voices that we heard in time past. The former Standard Bearer of the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) now the number two man on the CDC’s ticket, Ambassador George Weah, told his supporters in Kakata, Margibi County that “the CDC had 2 million registered voters” in spite of the 1.7 million announced by the National Elections Commission of the Republic of Liberia. Additionally, the Standard Bearer of the CDC, Cllr. Winston Tubman was quoted as saying that “the only thing that will denied the CDC of taking state power is, if they (CDC) are cheated.” Moreover, the Chairman of the CDC, Geraldyn Doe-Sheriff is on record for saying that “the CDC will not accept the result of the elections from any international community other than the one announced by CDC Poll Watchers.” Obviously, Madam Doe-Sheriff is right. What the CDC Chairman fails to tell the public is what she and her party the CDC will do in the event where their poll watchers confirmed the result as declared by those overseeing these elections and our friends. Surely Madam Doe-Sheriff has not forgotten that the same office that announced her as the winner of the Bye Legislative Election 2010 is the same office that is overseeing these elections. Seeing it Differently, the Lawmaker’s statement has cast doubt over the intensions of all CDC Poll Watchers.
In 2010, the entire country was engulfed in another cacophonic of noise over the “threshold bill.” When the issue of deciding which county takes the extra seats and which county was going to lost seats, the discussion was about having a job and being jobless. So for months the Executive Branch and the Legislative Branch of Government could not make a simple decision that would benefit the country in years to come. Those who knew how to talk spoke and their voices went unheeded. When the 53rd Legislature finally made their decision, it still did not count until the Voice that Matters spoke. There were countless numbers of individuals who expressed their intensions to run for legislative positions in their constituency until the Voice that Matters spoke. Right now, as you are reading, most of those individuals abandoned their quest with respect to the Voice that Matters.
Just recently, the noise about the National Referendum to decide certain constitutional issues emerged and it was like the whole country would drown in the noise. Politicians as usual play their games with us the voters. Others requested that we all needed to “vote yes to all” judging from the partisan stand point. Others told their partisans to “vote no to all”, while others directed their voters to “boycott the Referendum.” As if this was not enough, there were still others who were seeking the intervention of the Supreme Court of Liberia by asking the highest court in the country to “halt the Referendum.” By all account, the Referendum went ahead and the Voice that Matters spoke once again. Though there are many other voices that are challenging the Voice that Matters as it relates to the Referendum and indicated by the injunction placed on the campaign activities of some political parties including the ruling Unity Party by the Supreme Court of Liberia, to overturn the decision of the Voice that Matters, the challenges have lot of explaining to do for which I believe they are prepared. Thank God the Supreme Court of Liberia added its voice to the Voice that Matters.
Fourteen years ago, the late Henry Andrews, than Chairman of the Elections Commission, told politicians of the day during the presentation of the result of the elections that brought Charles Taylor to power that “the issues that took the politicians seven years to decide were decided by the Liberian people in few hours.” Though the 1997 elections results are still disputed by some as would any other elections results, the Voice that Matters spoke at the time and so it was. If anyone thinks that what happened in the country later on were the results of the elections in 1997, then we can move the discussion to another level.
Sixteen political parties, each trusting in their might to win these elections is indeed a tall order for any Liberian to live with. For example, on one local radio station during the legislative debate, two panelists described their parties as the “biggest opposition block.” Can you imagine what will happen if few hours after the elections and these same individuals were told by the Voice that Matters, that they did not even pull 200,000 votes from the 1.7 million registered voters. Ironically, each of these parties, have had their “million man match”, especially the CDC when the party welcome home Ambassador George Weah about a month ago.
The Unity Party’s (UP) campaign launch has been described by the local dailies in various forms and styles. The New Democrat Newspaper described it as “the most impressive show of solidarity in the campaign which the critics acknowledged is a remarkable show of numerical strength for the UP.” The Daily Observer Newspaper quoted President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf as calling on her partisans to win the elections on the “first ballot”, while the Inquirer Newspaper ran a three words headline “it will hold” a campaign slogan that became the talk of the town following the UP Campaign Launch. Better still the Corridor Newspaper asked if the event was “A UP Tsunami”, simply because of the human waves that swept through the City of Monrovia. The CDC through its Mobilizing Chairman, Mulbah Morlu, conceded that the UP crowd on Saturday, September 17, 2011 changed the political trajectory and claims that the CDC owns the political terrain of Monrovia and its surroundings. As if this is not enough, several groups are still pledging their support and loyalty to the incumbent and her administration. Seeing it Differently, these are not the Voice that Matters.
The road to the General and Presidential Elections is getting shorter and shorter by the day. Yet the claims and counter claims of victory by the various political parties cannot be over emphasized. Surely these claims are more than enough to confuse anyone who does not understand what winning an election is all about. Right now, many Liberians, my grandchildren included think him or she who says “I will win” is the winner. How can 16 presidential contenders win a single seat at one time? IMPOSSIBLE!
The saying that “if you don’t say I am no one will say thou are” is true, but not in these matters of the General and Presidential Elections. Seeing it Differently, only one voice can say “thou are” through the actions or inactions of the Liberian people and that voice is the voice of the National Elections Commission; The Voice that Matters.

Philip A. Sandi out of LCC

At the 26th Session of the General Assembly of the Liberia Council of Churches, held at the St. Stephens Episcopal Church, matters surrounding the continuous utterances, emails and publications both local and international, against the LCC and its leadership by Reverend Philip A. Sandi were fully discussed.
The General Assembly, the highest decision-making body of the LCC, realizing that these negative utterances, emails and publications have the propensity to defame and question the credibility of the Council and its membership as well as its leaders decided that in order to prevent and curtail the re-occurrence of this destructive behavior, protect the long-standing integrity and credibility of the Council and its leadership, provide healing within its membership, provide clarity to its local and international partners and the general public, and finally, bring closure to this regrettable episode; the following decisions have been taken:
1. That Reverend Philip Sandi is immediately expelled from the Liberia Council of Churches for destructive and offensive behavior willfully violating the “shared conviction of faith” of the LCC.
2. In as much as Reverend Philip Sandi is a member of the Christian Media Center, a Fraternal Member of the LCC, and has consistently presented these inflammatory utterances, emails and publications using the name of the Christian Media Center; the Christian Media Center is called upon to publically dissociate itself from the actions of Reverend Philip Sandi within 30 days upon certified receipt of communication from the 26th General Assembly
3. In as much as Reverend Philip Sandi is an ordained minister of the Don Stewart Christ Pentecostal Church, a Full Member of the LCC, and was a recommended candidate from said Church for the position of General Secretary; the Don Stewart Christ Pentecostal Church is called upon to accept the decision of the Executive Committee taken on February 23, 2011 and ratified by the 26th General Assembly and publicly dissociate itself from the action of Reverend Philip Sandi within 30 days upon certified receipt of communication from said Assembly.
4. That member Churches and Organizations of the LCC reserve the right to proceed with appropriate legal action in defense of their reputation and that of their leaders in such instances.
The Liberia Council of Churches wishes to assure the Liberian people, the general public and all of its friends, partners locally and internationally of its commitment to continue to be the voice for the voiceless and an advocate for justice in our beloved country. The LCC remains united as it continues to work within ecumenical collaboration with other Churches and Organizations striving to uphold the core values for which it was formed.
This represents the Council’s official and final statement on this matter.
Rt. Reverend David R. Daniels, Jr. President On behalf of the 26th General Assembly, LCC July 16, 2011

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!