15 December 2017

LIBERIA MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

Senator Prince Johnson Calls for Democratic Coup d’état to Unseat UP Government, Source: FrontPage Africa

The political leader of the opposition Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction (MDR) has called on partisans and supporters of the main opposition Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) to stage, what he termed as a democratic coup d’état against the ruling Unity Party (UP) in the pending runoff election. Senator Prince Johnson said: “I ask you to join ranks with us to stage a national coup d’état against the Unity Party of Joseph Boakai. I ask you not to drink alcohol on Christmas Day. Keep your heads up and in the hands of God.”

The MDR political leader made the call Thursday at the CDC headquarters when leaders of the opposition Liberty Party (LP) joined ranks with the CDC for the runoff election.  Johnson, famous for his role and erratic behavior as a rebel leader in the Liberian civil crisis, call for a political coup d’état could be a call for attention. Read more

VP Boakai Promises Not to Seek Re-election If Elected President, Sources: Daily OBSERVER and FrontPage Africa

The ruling Unity Party (UP) standard bearer, Vice President Joseph Boakai has for the first time announced his intention to serve a one-term bid if elected president in the ensuing runoff election.

“As the campaign unfolds over the next several days, the critical question that stares us in the face is, ‘what kind of Liberia do we want for our people.’ Let us ask the critical question, who can best work with them to better deliver a country that meets their needs and general aspirations? Our quest to provide leadership in the next six years is about you--the people. Let us now go forth, bearing in mind that this is about country and not self. We offer to be your servant and not your master. I, Joseph Nyumah Boakai, make a solemn pledge to serve only one term of six years with humility and love,” Mr. Boakai said.

The vice president is anticipating succeeding President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, whose two-term tenure will expire early January, 2018. His statement is similar to President Sirleaf’s pronouncement in 2005, when she made a campaign statement, promising, too, to go for only a six-year term.  Read more

Unity Party Seeks Stay Order on December 26 Runoff -Cites Irregularities from NEC, Sources: Daily OBSERVER and FrontPage Africa

The ruling Unity Party (UP) has called on the Supreme Court to issue an immediate stay order on the December 26 presidential runoff based on a 25-count Bill of Information the party has filed with the high court.

UP’s Bill of Information cited several issues ranging from the alleged failure of the National Elections Commission (NEC) to fully collaborate with the two parties – UP and the main opposition Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) – going for the runoff in the cleaning of the Final Registration Roll (FRR) to the announcement of date for the runoff election.

The governing party indicated in the Bill of Information that the NEC has failed to comply with the Supreme Court’s mandate ordering a thorough cleaning of the FRR before the holding of any runoff election. The UP noted that in the absence of an agreed methodology of the cleanup of the FRR, the NEC created an impression that the FRR is already cleaned.

According to the ruling party, due to the ambiguity on what the Supreme Court meant by cleaning the FRR, they (UP) met with the CDC on Sunday and agreed on what full cleaning-up of the FRR shall entail. The UP claimed that their recommendations were communicated to the NEC Board of Commissioners through writing, however, the “NEC has failed, neglected and refused to react to this submission, let alone to invite the parties to a meeting to discuss same.”

Will Korkoya Go? -Two-day protest at NEC headquarters joins the clamor for NEC chairman’s resignation, Source: Daily OBSERVER

The Daily Observer reports that for two days running, a group of protesters, predominantly women, led by Ambassador Miatta Fahnbulleh, have gathered near the headquarters of the National Election Elections Commission (NEC) in the Monrovia suburb of Sinkor demanding the resignation of its chairman, Cllr. Jerome Korkoya, ahead of the proposed December 26 runoff election.

The group said Cllr. Korkoya must resign before the runoff election is held. “Standing up for ‘Mama Liberia,’ we the women of Liberia, represented by diverse groups across party, religious and political affiliations, being concerned about the peace and security of our country, especially a conducive environment in which Liberians can elect their president and vice president without any fear or favor, we call on Her Excellency Mrs. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to ensure the removal of Jerome Korkoya as chairman of the National Elections Commission,” the group said in a statement read by Ambassador Fahnbulleh.

According to the protesters, the full implementation by the NEC of the Supreme Court’s eight-count mandate before the runoff election is a critical concern motivating her group’s protest before the Commission’s headquarters. Read more

Liberty Party Split? -Party executives endorse CDC, in Brumskine’s absence, Sources: Daily OBSERVER and The NEWS

The media reports that some members of the hierarchy of the opposition Liberty Party (LP) led by vice standard bearer Harrison Karnwea have endorsed the presidential bid of Senator George Weah of the main opposition Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC). The others are party chairman, Benjamin Sanvee, and campaign manager, Musa Bility.

At a well-attended endorsement ceremony held at CDC headquarters in Congo Town, Mr. Sanvee said: “This country is at a crossroads and we believe Sen. Weah is the best choice to lead us through. We all believe in change. We all preached for change for the last few years, because we have hoped that change is possible today. The Liberty Party is not represented here in full and this is how far we’ve come as a country that we can even disagree in our various parties.” Read more

INCHR Vows To Go After Security Officers Violating Rights of Civilians, Source: FrontPage Africa

The Independent National Commission on Human Rights (INCHR) says the issue of security officers continuous violation of the rights of civilians in Liberia has grasped its attention.  INCHR acting chairperson, Rev. Bartholomew Colley, has warned security officers to stop brutalizing and violating the rights of citizens, noting that they ought to be protecting rights of civilians instead.

Rev. Colley continued: “You need to stop the violation of human rights as national security officers bearing the flag, everyone needs to be protected under our laws and the security officers are responsible for that and not to violate.” Speaking at a one-day conference on the protection of civilians, the INCHR boss threatened to go after state security officers who are in the constant habit of using state uniform to intimidate civilians. Read more

Mills Jones Resigns From MOVEE, Sources: Daily OBSERVER and FrontPage Africa

The embattled standard bearer of the opposition Movement for Economic Empowerment (MOVEE), Dr. Joseph Mills Jones, has resigned from the party after being suspended for time indefinite by the party Executive Committee. He thanked the partisans and his supporters for their time and effort during the campaign that took them across the country. Dr. Jones expressed willingness to work with the winner of the pending December 26 runoff election if the election result reflects the popular will of the Liberian people. Read more

‘WTO a Model for Negotiation, Development, Partnership’ -Liberia’s Commerce Minister Addy asserts, Source: Daily OBSERVER

Commerce Minister Axel Addy says Liberia’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) is a model for negotiation, development, and partnership. Minister Addy made the statement on Tuesday at the kickoff of the ‘e-commerce MSME’ during the 11th Ministerial Conference of the WTO in Buenos Aires, Argentina. “Our accession served as a blueprint to implement the structural reforms needed and to ensure a predictable and transparent trading environment notably through Liberia’s WTO Post-Accession Strategy and Implementation Plan,” he said. Read more

Policy Dialogue on Economy Begins Tomorrow, Source: Daily OBSERVER

The Daily Observer reports that the Governance Commission (GC) will shortly commence a policy dialogue that will highlight the status of the Liberian economy. Under the theme, “State of the Liberian economy as of January 2018,” the dialogue is aimed at laying an evidence-based situation analysis of the current economic and financial realities of the Liberian economy for the benefit of key stakeholders, particularly with the two political parties to contest the runoff election. According to the GC, this will enable the parties to explore possible policy options aimed at addressing the short-term and long-term economic challenges. Read more

Research Important For Sustainable Development -Leshchenko, Source: FrontPage Africa

The World Bank Liberia country manager, Larisa Leshchenko says research and development have become the most enduring and effective means of boosting sustainable economic development and re-enforcing competitiveness in the face of rapid growth taking place between industries, countries, and people in the world. Ms. Leshchenko, serving as a keynote speaker at the University of Liberia (UL) Honors Program Day Symposium on Tuesday at the UL Fendell campus, said stakeholders such as government, businesses, research and academic institutions, media, and other organizations play important roles in achieving sustainable development.

She named the essential tools for achieving sustainable development as improving the quality of basic research, reorienting existing research programs to address sustainable development, developing public awareness and understanding; and providing training for all sectors of society, mainly public and civil. Read more

State Lawyer Appeals for Consultation in USD10M Debt Case Against Government, Sources: Daily OBSERVER and FrontPage Africa

Commercial Court Judge Eva Mappy Morgan Thursday adjourned hearing for two weeks into the USD10.7 million debt case filed against the Liberian government by Lebanese businessman George Haddad. The court’s decision was based on an appeal made by the state lawyer in the bid to hold consultation with the petitioner (Haddad) and his legal counsel. Read more

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA ON LIBERIA

Major Liberian opposition party backs George Weah presidency, Sources: AFP, Daily Mail Online, and Vanguard

A Liberian opposition party formally backed George Weah for president on Thursday despite mounting a prolonged legal fight with his opponent, Vice-President Joseph Boakai, against the country’s electoral commission. Weah and Boakai are due to face each other in a December 26 run-off triggered when the two men took first and second spots respectively in an October 10 presidential election but failed to win more than 50 percent of ballots cast. The Liberty Party, whose standard bearer Charles Brumskine complained of fraud and irregularities after he scraped third with 9.6 percent of ballots, had joined forces with Boakai’s ruling Unity Party in arguing the National Elections Commission (NEC) had rigged the vote. Read more

Boakai Opens 26 December Runoff Campaign, As UP Asks Court for Stay Order Again, Source: News Public Trust

As Vice President Joseph Boakai of the ruling UP was officially opening the 26 December runoff campaign on Thursday, his party was going to the Supreme Court to put a stay order on the election citing a wave of alleged irregularities. In an address to his supporters at the UP headquarters in the Monrovia suburb of Congo Town, Boakai urged them to go out and campaign in a peaceful manner for the polls in order to give him the presidency for the good of the country. Like President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf did in her 2005 presidential bid, the UP current Standard Bearer promised that if he’s elected, he will be in office for only one term.

As VP Boakai was declaring the 26 December runoff presidential campaign opened, UP supporters and other collaborators intensified their protest in front of the headquarters of the National Elections Commission (NEC) in Sinkor, demanding the resignation or removal of NEC’s Chairman Cllr. Jerome Korkoya. One of the spokespersons of the anti Korkoya protestors, prominent Liberian musician and Health Ambassador, Miatta Fahnbulleh and the protestors said the head of the electoral body and his fellow commissioners lacked the integrity to conduct the pending runoff presidential election. “We will not have election on 26 December,” Madam Fahnbulleh said accusing the NEC boss of “rigging the election”. If Korkoya doesn’t resign on his own, the protestors said they will pressure President Sirleaf to dismiss him. “We will get on her neck,” Fahnbulleh told reporters on day-two of the anti Korkoya protest on Thursday.

Meanwhile, VP Boakai has urged his supporters and collaborators not to insult their Standard Bearer Emeritus, President Sirleaf or show any disrespect to her. Referring to her as “my sister,” the UP presidential candidates warned that he would not entertain any disrespect to her, adding that all his life has been one of discipline and respect for others. In the period leading to the 10 October 2017 elections, some top executives of the UP and supporters have accused the President of betraying her ruling party by giving her support to George Weah’s opposition CDC. Read More

Split in Brumskine’s Liberty Party over CDC Endorsement, Source: News Public Trust

Top opposition Liberty Party (LP) executives including Vice Presidential candidate Harrison Karnwea and the National Chairman Benjamin Sanvee have endorsed George Weah of the main opposition Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) for the 26 December runoff presidential election, triggering a split in the party. Karnweah and Sanvee were also joined in endorsing Weah on Thursday by the head of the LP national campaign team, Liberian businessman Musa Bility during a big program held at the CDC’s headquarters in Monrovia.

The endorsement, which was immediately condemned by LP Secretary General Jacob Smith, was held as party leader and presidential candidate Charles Brumskine was out of the country. “It is ridiculous and doesn’t represent the position of the Liberty Party,” Smith told the local media on Thursday. He said when Brumskine returns to Liberia this Friday; he will fully address himself to the move by the LP officials, which goes against the party’s policy to decide on such a course of action at a special convention. The LP Secretary General said such a unilateral move would tend to create a wrong impression of what his party stands for.

Before Thursday’s endorsement, other top LP figures have been pledging their endorsement to the CDC in droves, something that have annoyed the Brumskine faction of the opposition party, which has been partnering with the ruling Unity Party in the October 10 elections fraud case at NEC and the Supreme Court.

Defense Official Urges More ECOWAS Support To Electoral Process, Source: FAAPA

Liberia’s deputy defense minister for operations, Jerome Larbelle, has urged ECOWAS to continue its support towards the electoral process in the country. According to a release from the Liberian Embassy in Abuja, Mr. Larbelle made the assertion during the 39th Ordinary Meeting of the ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council (MSC) at the Ministerial Level held on December 12. The MSC is part of series of the annual end-of-year Statutory Meetings of ECOWAS that are taking place in Abuja, Nigeria. The meetings come on the heels of this weekend’s 52nd Ordinary Summit of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government. Read more

EU Redeploys 20 Long-term Observers For Presidential Runoff, Source: FAAPA

The EU Election Observer Mission (EU EOM) has re-deployed 20 long-term observers to monitor the runoff election scheduled for December 26. According to an EU release issued in Monrovia on Tuesday, the observer-teams who are expected to observe the runoff election will be deployed to all regions in Liberia. Read more

Eyebrows Raised over Child Trafficking from Rural Liberia to Monrovia, Source: News Public Trust

Human trafficking has become a major challenge in Liberia, with children being brought from rural to urban areas for domestic labor and sexual exploitation, a Christian charity has said. The Country Director of World Hope International, Wellington A. Kollie told News Public Trust this week that many of the children are being trafficked from Bong, Nimba, Margibi and Grand Bassa counties and other parts are being trafficked to the capital, Monrovia. Kollie said this is due to the prevailing socio-economic disparity between rural and urban communities. Many of the trafficked kids are used as bread winners for their wards as they are engaged in street selling and other activities to bring income to homes, whilst their right to education is being denied.

Liberia is on the Tier 2 Watch list of the US State Department office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Person. And in its 2017 report it said “the government of Liberia does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however it is making significant efforts to do so.” Efforts made by the Liberian government include providing emergency funding to temporarily shelter 25 potential child-trafficking victims and prosecuted one trafficking case, the US State Department report said.

The head of the faith-based relief organization that caters to the need of poorest in society said despite all the efforts made by his group and other international supporters in the fight against human trafficking, this practice is still on the increase in the country, he said. He blamed this partly on lack of proper public awareness or intervention by other state institutions. Read More

LRA CG Welcomes Nigerian Tax Expert To Strengthen Specialized Audit Capacity, Sources: FrontPage Africa and GNN Liberia

The commissioner-general of the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA), Elfrieda Stewart Tamba has welcomed to Liberia a Nigerian international tax expert from the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) of Nigeria. Mr. Matthew Gbonjubola, the Head of International Tax at FIRS, is on a week-long assessment visit to Liberia under the auspices of Tax Inspectors without Borders. This visit is also in pursuance of implementation of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between FIRS and the LRA in fostering South-South Cooperation and knowledge-sharing to help attain target 17.1 of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG). 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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