13 December 2017

LIBERIA MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

Runoff Election on Dec 26, NEC Announces, Sources: Anadolu Agency, Channel News Asia, Daily OBSERVER, Daily Nation, FrontPage Africa, Gist Master, Modern Ghana, The New Dawn, The NEWS, The Washington Post, Xinhua Net, and Yahoo News

The National Elections Commission (NEC) has set December 26 as the date for the runoff election but the chairman of the ruling Unity Party (UP), Wilmot Paye says his party is prepared to go to the Supreme Court if the appropriate steps are not to address problems associated with the Final Registration Roll (FRR).

NEC chairman Cllr. Jerome Korkoya at a news confab Tuesday called on eligible Liberian voters to “make the one sacrifice” by showing up for the runoff election on December 26. Cllr. Korkoya said the electoral commission is prepared to implement all of the eight counts of the High Court’s mandate in a transparent manner and will keep all stakeholders including the parties in the runoff election, updated at every step along the way.

Mr. Paye in his initial response to the announcement Tuesday said “the UP doesn’t have any qualms with NEC except that the Supreme Court’s mandate cannot be compromised. All that must be done will be done before the runoff, period!

On its part, the main opposition Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) through its chairman, Nathaniel McGill says the coalition has no problem with the date set by the NEC for the runoff and that it is prepared for the election.

Meanwhile, the NEC chairman has declared open the campaign for the runoff election. Korkoya said the UP and CDC are at liberty to commence their campaign across the country as of the time he was addressing the press Tuesday. The campaign for the runoff will end at 11:59 p.m. on 24 December. Read more

NEC Officials Face Senate Tuesday -For update on implementation of Supreme Court mandate, Sources: Daily OBSERVER and The New Dawn

The Senate Tuesday requested its secretary to cite the chairman of the National Elections Commission (NEC) to appear before it on Tuesday, 19 December at 12 noon to address some pertinent problems the commission is faced with in the wake of the pending runoff presidential election.

The Senate’s unanimous decision followed the reading of a communication from Lofa County Senator Stephen Zargo, in which he requested the plenary to invite “the officials of the NEC, including its chairman Jerome Korkoya to come over to appraise the honorable body on how the commission intends to fix the problems associated with the election as contained in the modification of the Supreme Court opinion.”

Senator Zargo, who chairs the Senate Committee on Defense, Security, Intelligence, and Veteran Affairs, told the Daily Observer that the visit is necessary at “this crucial stage of our nation’s politics that also has security implications.” Read more

‘Supreme Court’s Opinion Should Have Mandated Korkoya to Recuse Himself’ – Cllr. Massaquoi, Source: Daily OBSERVER

A Supreme Court lawyer, in support of Associate Justice Kabineh Ja’neh’s dissenting view against the runoff as mandated by the High Court, fears that the majority opinion should have demanded the chairman of the National Elections Commission (NEC), Cllr. Jerome Korkoya, to recuse himself from conducting the runoff election. Cllr. Jonathan Massaquoi said he believes that asking Cllr. Korkoya to rescue himself would have been the best option to ensure a transparent, free, and fair election, “because he has lost public confidence to conduct any election in the country.”

Although he respects the High Court’s decision, Cllr. Massaquoi maintains his legal right to disagree with the decision. He said the court asking the NEC chairman not to make utterances concerning the runoff was not as important as him (Chairman Korkoya) to recuse himself in order to ensure fairness and transparency leading to the conduct of the process.

“If the court says the NEC chairman, who is the spokesperson of the commission, not to make any runoff statement, it clearly demonstrates that the Liberty Party (LP) and the ruling Unity Party (UP) complaint proved Korkoya’s biases as such, they should have ordered him to rescue himself; a decision which was not done,” Massaquoi observed. Read more

‘Stop Devilish Acts against Girls’, Source: Daily OBSERVER

A local NGO, Medica Liberia, wants the media and religious community to join the fight to end GBV in the education and other sectors of the country. Violence against females must be battled by the government and its numerous international partners by helping to address what it calls ‘devilish acts’ being carried out against women and girls, Medica Liberia said.

The NGO recently launched its ‘16 Days of Activism’ program under the theme: “Let’s embrace our diversities for safe education and a violence-free society.” Medica Liberia is a feminist rights organization supporting women and girls in war and conflict regions. The group provides psychosocial support, medical and legal assistance to women and girls. Read more

ActionAid, Stakeholders Petition Universities to Protect Females, Source: FrontPage Africa

FrontPage Africa reports that in observance of the 16 Days of Activism against GBV campaign, over 20 government and NGOs concluded a day-long roundtable discussion with stakeholders to enhance the protection from SGBV for women, girls, and sexual minorities in Liberia.

According to the acting head of programs and policy of ActionAid, Elizabeth Gbah Johnson, the program to sensitize Liberians on GBV and sexual minorities in eight communities in Gbarpolu, Margibi, and Montserrado counties over a period of three years with support from the EU Delegation in Liberia, will cost €508,789 and will cover a total of 52, 176 women and girls.

She said the three-year project in collaboration with the EU delegation in Liberia is aimed at reducing SGBV and providing assistance to survivors in the country through advocacy for the implementation of laws protecting women, girls, and other groups from human rights violations. Read more

Swedish envoy hails Liberian police, Source: The New Dawn

Swedish Ambassador to Liberia Ingrid Watterqvist has spoken highly of the level of transformation the Liberia National Police (LNP) is undergoing, stressing that the Swedish Police is proud to be collaborating with the LNP in its time of transformation. According to a release issued Tuesday by the LNP, Ambassador Watterqvist says the changes are visible and can be spoken of by the ordinary people on the streets.

“I can testify that the changes that the police corps of Liberia is undergoing are being noticed, and discussed in your country, people tell me. But they also tell me that a lot has happened, a lot of improvements. It is being seen. You are contributing in a very important way to safety and sound life of Liberia”, the Swedish diplomat said. Read more

Liberia meets partners over Mount Coffee, Source: The New Dawn

The Liberian government and its donor partners including the United States, Germany, Norway, and the European Investment Bank (EIB) have met in Monrovia to give an update on the operations of the Mount Coffee Hydropower Plant, with report that work on the project is now probably 98 percent completed. Tuesday’s quarterly meeting at Mamba Point Hotel according to authorities was intended to make sure that partners are given the confidence that everything is being implemented correctly and sustained on a long-term basis.

Addressing the gathering, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf expressed thanks to the partners for the reactivation of the hydro plant and disclosed that all four of the turbines at the Mount Coffee Hydropower Plant are now working. Read more

Internews Trains Trainers to Increase Participation in Monitoring Accountability, Sources: FrontPage Africa and The New Dawn

A five-day media trainer of trainers reporting workshop on the County Social Development Funds (CSDFs) to increase citizens’ participation began Monday in Monrovia. The training is part of the Liberia Media Monitoring for Accountability project by Internews Liberia Development Program. At the end of the training, it is expected that the trainees will work with community radio journalists, press clubs, and citizens in tracking the budget. Over the lifespan of the project, both Internews and Liberia Voice Accountability (LAVI) will collaborate to ensure the intended objectives are met. Read more

KtK holds 6th consultative meeting for women groups, Source: The New Dawn

International NGO Kvinna till Kvinna (KtK) in collaboration with the Gender Advisor Office of the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) Tuesday began a two-day consultative meeting in Monrovia and brought together rural women and women in Montserrado County to discuss the roles and cultures, unity and the issues of integrity. The meeting was held under the theme: “Integrity, Culture, and Diversity Towards Strengthening Unity.” Read more

IREDD hails Supreme Court's ruling, Source: The New Dawn

The Institute for Research and Democratic Development (IREDD) has hailed the ruling of the Supreme Court that brought to an end an alleged elections fraud and irregularities case filed by the opposition Liberty Party (LP) against the National Elections Commission (NEC). Speaking on a local radio on Tuesday, IREDD executive director Harold Aidoo said the organization applauds the LP and other parties for the level of cooperation during the legal process. Read more

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA ON LIBERIA

Another Liberian In U.S. Faces 5 Years Prison, Fines $250,000 As He Pleads Guilty To Federal Charges, Source: GNN Liberia

A Liberian national pleaded guilty to misprision of a felony December 7 following an extensive investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and ICE’s Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center (HRVWCC).

According to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement website, Isaac Kannah, 51, of Philadelphia, faces five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. As a result of the plea agreement, Kannah agreed that:  (1) a felony of obstruction of proceedings occurred before a department or agency of the U.S.; (2) he knew of its commission; (3) he failed to notify relevant authorities; and (4) he did an affirmative act to conceal the crime.  Kannah, who has been in the country since the 1990s, has also agreed to the re-opening of his immigration proceedings and to leave the U.S. following the conclusion of the criminal proceedings. Read more

Ed Sheeran Raises Money for Liberia — and Is Promptly Shamed, Source: The New York Times

Ed Sheeran may be the toast of Buckingham Palace, having received one of the country’s highest honors, the Order of the British Empire, for his services to music and charity. But last week he also received a dubious distinction: the star of the “most offensive” charity campaign of 2017. A charity watchdog group granted him its annual Rusty Radiator Award, accusing him and other celebrities of producing “poverty porn.”

In the video, Mr. Sheeran travels to Liberia, the eighth-poorest country in the world, which was ravaged by Ebola between 2014 and 2015. He sees two homeless boys sleeping on the beach and is troubled by the situation.

“It really does not feel right leaving at all,” Mr. Sheeran says toward the end of the video. “My natural instinct is to just put them in a car and put them somewhere in the city and put them in a hotel until we can get them sorted.” Read more

Disclaimer
 

This media summary consists of selected local media articles for the information of UN personnel. The public distribution of this media summary is a courtesy service extended by UNMIL on the understanding that the choice of articles included is exclusive, and the contents do not represent anything other than a selection of articles likely to be of interest to a United Nations readership. The inclusion of articles in this summary does not imply endorsement by UNMIL.

 

 

 

 

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