(Thomas Bedell,
January 17, 2007)
History to a people is what a
mother is to a child. For the past is a kaleidoscope of promises, failures,
victories and embarrassments. The idea of splits in the Liberian society, is
nothing new. What is new is the end-result that comes with each split. As far
as the history of splits are concerned among Liberians, the end-results have
not been encouraging. They’ve scathed our people for too long.
In 1985, heavyweight
politicians met to form an alliance, but due to mistrust, they ended up in a
split. And Samuel Doe whom they called a “dictator,” ended up winning the
election as President. From thereon, the stage for generalized anarchy of
violence was set. And Liberia became a “house” on fire!
In 1985 it happened again.
After all political attempts failed to remove Doe, Gen. Quiwonkpa and some
political heavyweights launched a military offensive. When they arrived in
Sierra Leone, a split occurred in their ranks. So, when Quiwonkpa momentarily
overthrew Doe, he failed. And Doe reemerged and seized power. Consequently,
Quiwonkpa was arrested, humiliated and bludgeoned to death along with some of
his coworkers and innocent Liberians. That particular event shifted violence
into higher gear in the country.
Then 1989 marked another
split.
Charles Taylor, with the help
of some Liberian political-heavyweights, organized the most vicious, bloodiest
and all-time military offensive against Doe. Just when the offensive gained
momentum, a split appeared. And the group broke into two; then into three. In
no time, there were several warring factions plunging the nation into chaos and
bloodbath!
1990 was another date when the
“All Liberian Conference” convened in Atlanta, Georgia. A split occurred.
One group desired the
dissolution of The Union of Liberian Associations in the Americas (ULAA) and
the other was in opposition. Both failed to compromise. Soon, the impasse was
transformed into the birth of The All Liberian Conference of North America, as
a new Diasporic organization trying to replace ULAA. But in the end, Diasporic
Liberians were plunged into a state of confusion. ULAA on one side and the new
organization on the other fussing and fighting. This situation lasted for a
protracted period of time leaving both groups and Diasporic Liberians scathed.
Then came 1995; the war had
already taken a severe toll on the nation – tens and tens of thousands of
innocent citizens perished in the chilling waters of national quagmire. To heal
the wounds, democratic elections were called. But again, political heavyweights
failed to form another alliance. As a resort of a split, Taylor won the
election and became President. Thereafter, the stage was set for the collapse
of constitutional and democratic institutions.
And then comes 2004 -
Liberians in the Diaspora convene another “All Liberian National Conference” in
the DC Metro Area, USA. The intent was to help usher in a new, sound and
civilian democratic leadership in the country during the 2005 elections. But
for obvious reasons, a split appeared in the Conference. Soon, there were two
groups. Each registered under the corporate laws of USA as two separate legal
entities. Like the current House of Representatives in Liberia, these two
groups convened separate conferences in two separate cities. In the end, both
groups lost sight of the initial intent and became monuments of decay. To date,
besides their Articles of Incorporation, both groups have become a ghostly
illusion.
Another split occurred in
2005.
The war was over and the
nation and the world were felt-up. So, another presidential election was
arranged. This time, tens and tens of candidates emerged to vie for the
presidency. War-fatigued Liberians were forced into another difficult situation
- choosing from dozens and dozens of candidates. As was the case in the past,
political heavyweights split in the middle. So the alliance fell apart. In the
end, the people were forced to elect a Congress and other leaders to power who
had no clue of their respective duties to the Liberian state, people and
constituents.
Considering all the above, the
current split in The House of Representatives cannot, by any stretch of
anyone’s imagination, be an accident. It was bound to occur. But what should
concern all of us is the end-result. Will the result help to educate members of
the House to be statesmen and women or drive them more into useless strife?
Whatever the answer is, will depend on what comes out of the split.
Unless Liberians rid
themselves of colonial mentality and begin to work in the sole interest of
their children’s future, there will always be splits and the end-results will
be catastrophic!
I am Thomas G. Bedell, a
volunteer worker; working and speaking on the ground in Liberia and a victim of
police brutality.
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