20 December 2017

LIBERIA MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

8-Count Mandate Will Be Fully Complied With, But Haunting Questions Abound, Sources: Daily OBSERVER and FrontPage Africa

The chairman of the National Elections Commission (NEC) has assured the Liberian Senate that the electoral commission will work strictly in line with the 8-count mandate of the Supreme Court, adding that it will be fully complied with for the December 26 presidential runoff election. Cllr. Jerome Korkoya’s assurance to the Senate Tuesday came after he and four of his commissioners had undergone several hours of repeated grilling by members of the Senate in open plenary.

The question of whether the NEC has the authority to set the date for the runoff election was one of the sticky issues, but Cllr. Korkoya told the Senate that as the Supreme Court is expected to rule on the issue, it would be prejudicial if he commented on same.

On whether he and his colleagues are credible enough to conduct the runoff, the NEC chairman said: “The Commission is credible and has demonstrated that over the years. We are cleaning the Final Registration Roll through manual means which is, as expected, tedious; but, we will have it completed and printed as mandated by the Supreme Court ruling.”

Korkoya assured that the NEC and ECOWAS technical team are working non-stop through the cooperation of the two contending parties – the ruling Unity Party (UP) and the main opposition Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC).  Read more

“Adhere to Supreme Court Mandate,” Traditional Council Warns NEC, Source: Daily OBSERVER

The head of the National Traditional Council of Liberia, Chief Zanzan Karwor has warned authorities of the National Elections Commission (NEC) to adhere to the Supreme Court ruling mandating the electoral body to clean up the Final Registration Roll (FRR) and have it published at the various magistrate offices and precincts across the country.

Chief Karwor’s warning was contained in a statement he made to reporters Tuesday at the chiefs’ compound in Monrovia following the end of a program marking the appreciation and honoring of the people and government of China for outstanding contributions and services to Liberia.

The High Court in its December 7 judgment mandated the NEC to do a full clean-up of the FRR and have it available and published, in hard copy, at all election magistrates and polling places across the country prior to the runoff election. Read more

'VP Boakai Lacks Leadership Pedigree' – Jewel Howard Taylor, Source: FrontPage Africa

The vice standard bearer of the main opposition Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) says the standard bearer of the ruling Unity Party (UP),  Vice President Joseph Boakai lacks the pedigree of a leader and has no moral ground to question the leadership ability of CDC standard bearer Senator George Weah and his bid for the Liberian Presidency. Senator Jewel Howard Taylor comments come over the heels of verbal outburst on the competence and ability of Senator Weah to lead Liberia to prosperity.

Vice President Boakai himself, a candidate in the December 26 runoff election told a local talk show Monday that as President of the Senate, he rarely sees the Montserrado County Senator debate issues on the Senate’s floor for the past three years.

But appearing Tuesday on the Capitol FM breakfast show, Senator Taylor said the vice president is not the character to criticize Senator Weah because he is on records for being absent many times from sessions and he hardly shows up for other functions.  “Look at the records of and you will see many times the Vice President showed up to preside the Senate and you will be shocked," the CDC vice standard bearer said. Read more

UNDP Trains Election Magistrates, Source: FrontPage Africa

FrontPage Africa reports that as preparations resume for the runoff presidential election on 26 December, 42 magistrate-level hearing officers and clerks are participating in refresher training and a review of cases related to the 10 October election. The training supported by the partnership between the National Elections Commission (NEC), UNDP, EU, Sweden, Ireland, and Canada through the election support project with a fund of USD16 million is a crucial aspect of support to the complaints and appeals process for the elections. Read more

Tough Choices Await Incoming Government -LBDI President John Davies, Source: Daily OBSERVER

The Daily Observer reports that the growing liquidity crisis currently faced by the Liberian government is being most acutely felt by ordinary Liberians as they struggle daily to cope with rising costs of goods and services. It is abundantly clear that with such a limited time left to the end of the tenure of this government, it appears most improbable that the current liquidity crisis will be resolved soon, at least not before the end of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s tenure.

The new incoming government will, therefore, face tough and trying economic conditions, the solution to which will require the making of tough choices and decisions in order to bring the situation under control.

According to the president of the Liberia Bank for Development and Investment (LBDI), John Davies, who spoke recently at a one-day economic forum hosted by the Governance Commission, Liberia is facing a serious problem of negative balance of payment, and the government is experiencing considerable difficulty generating foreign exchange. This is because the country is importing more than it exports. Read more

Liberty Party Youth Wing Endorses Senator George Weah of CDC, Source: FrontPage Africa

FrontPage Africa reports that days after key officials of the opposition Liberty Party (LP) endorsed the presidential bid of Senator George Weah of the main opposition Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), the leadership of the party’s youth wing has followed a similar path. The LP youth wing support, which was announced late Monday, is one of several endorsements heading Senator Weah’s way pending the December 26 runoff. Cephas Flazamaton, LP youth wing chairman said the CDC, under Weah’s stewardship, would be the best alternative for Liberia since his party did not make it to the runoff. Read more

100 Youth Receive PBO, UNDP Regional Training, Source: Daily OBSERVER

UNDP Liberia authorities in partnership with the Peacebuilding Office (PBO) and the office of the Peace Ambassador of Liberia (OPAL) have ended a series of regional training workshops with Liberian youth groups in mediation, negotiations, and peacebuilding.

Eric Quoi Quoi, one of the organizers, said they contacted community-based leadership to vet each of the 150 persons that benefited from the training. He said during the training, the participants learned how to resolve conflicts, manage, and prevent them should they exist. They were also taught how to recognize early warning signs and using the appropriate channels aimed at resolving the various disputes that may arise around the country. Such channels, Mr. Quoi Quoi explained, could be through the police and other relevant security apparatus for the redress of such conflict, dispute, and violence in Liberia. Read more

Land Issues, Top Source of Conflict in Liberia, Source: Daily OBSERVER

Land issues top the sources of conflict in Liberia, a survey conducted by the Liberian Peacebuilding Office (PBO) has revealed. Speaking at a Catholic Relief Service (CRS) “Connect for Peace” program in Sanniquellie, Nimba County recently, PBO director Edward Mulbah said about 3,000 of the citizens they spoke to during the survey complained about land issues being the center of conflict in the country. Mr. Mulbah said the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) system should be put into practice as an instrument to settling conflicts.

The statement from the PBO director came after CRS unveiled land issues as one of the key factors of conflict in their presentation. Mulbah also disclosed that the County Development Fund (CDF) and Social Development Fund (SDF) were also sources of conflict in Liberia based on the same survey. Read more

Global Witness: Liberian Government ‘Secretly Tax Waiver’ Threatens Forestry Sector, Source: FrontPage Africa

Global Witness says a USD13 million secret tax waiver to logging companies by the Liberian government would severely threaten forest communities and undermine the efforts to mitigate climate change in the country. “The law knocks a massive hole through Liberia’s budget. It also undermines the country’s efforts to mitigate climate change through preserving its forests and managing them for the benefit of its people,” said Global Witness.

The UK-based international NGO and Tropenbos International, which works alongside Global Witness and other international NGOs in supporting Liberia to improve policy and practice in forest law enforcement, governance, and climate mitigation, say the move has “undone 15 years of reform” in the forestry sector.

Signed by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the tax break seeks to, under the guard of the law, offer protection and subsidy for logging companies at the expense of Liberians, Global Witness says. Read more

President Sirleaf Breaks Grounds for Construction of Modern Redemption Hospital, Source: FrontPage Africa

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Tuesday broke grounds for the construction of a new and modern Redemption Hospital and dedicated the newly constructed National Drug Service (NDS) Warehouse in Kpelleh Town, Upper Caldwell outside Monrovia and an Isolation Unit at the existing Redemption Hospital facility on Bushrod Island. Read more

Agnes Reeves, Charles Taylor Ex-Wife Denied Bail in the UK, Source: FrontPage Africa

Agnes Reeves Taylor, ex-wife of former Liberian President Charles Taylor has been denied bail ahead of a war crime-related trial slated for 2 October 2018. She will remain in custody until the trial begins. She appeared at the Old Bailey via video link from prison for a short administrative hearing.

It can be recalled that Mrs. Taylor was arrested by the Metropolitan Police’s war crimes unit on 1 June and now faces one count of conspiracy to commit torture under the Criminal Law Act 1977 and seven counts of torture under the Criminal Justice Act 1988. Read more

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA ON LIBERIA

South African court grants bail to Dutch arms dealer linked to warlord, Sources: AFP and The Citizen

Convicted Dutch arms dealer Guus Kouwenhoven who supplied arms that fueled Liberia’s bloody civil war was on Tuesday released by a South African court on bail of $78,000, local media reported. Kouwenhoven, 75, was arrested at his Cape Town mansion in early December after Dutch prosecutors requested his extradition to serve a 19-year sentence for his role in the West African country’s conflict.

He was reportedly granted bail “under strict conditions” that include reporting to a police station every two hours during the week. “He has also been placed under house arrest (on weekends) and his passport is to be handed in,” the News24 site reported. Kouwenhoven was found guilty in absentia by a Dutch court in April of delivering weapons to the regime of ousted Liberian strongman Charles Taylor between 2000 and 2003. 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.

 

 

 

Print Headlines