Good Bye Comrade Brother James Logan Till we Meet Again

It was on Friday, January 31, 2014 when I walked into the yard of The Stryker Funeral Home located on Tubman Boulevard, Monrovia, Liberia, at exactly 9 O’clock ante meridian.

When I looked on my right hand side of the yard, there stood Hon. Dr. H. Boima Fahnbulleh, Jnr., the firing and agitating speaker emerging in the late 70s and 80s. His sister Hon. Miata Fahnbulleh, the one with the silver voice, was standing on his left hand side. I stopped with them; greeted them. And I expressed my heartfelt condolences for the passing of Comrade Logan.

Then I looked around. Guess what?

I saw Comrades. They were all over the Funeral yard like sea gulfs. I don’t mean this in a negative way. I mean, for the past 30 years, I have never seen that amount of comrades coming together in the same area at the same time. It wasn’t only striking, it was wonderfully wonderful. Hmm! 

I saw comrades Duworko, Alaric – we call him “Che,” Ezekiel Pajibo, Augustine Solomon, Kotie, Peter Karr, Dweh Boley and you name the rest. They occupied the Funeral Home yard as if they were settlers or pioneers in a native land.

Oh! Before I miss this one; on the other side of the yard, I saw Hon. Kofi Woods; I saw Hon. James Fromoyan, Hon. Steward, Justice Jamesetta Wolokollie, Hon. Weade Kobah and the line went-on-and-on. This scene could not be ignored by any normal person. No way! I’m sure, had Presidents Tolbert, Doe and Taylor arrived there, something would have vibrated in their very souls. But hey, they are gone and gone forever!

Such a gathering in a funeral home yard gave me reminiscence.

I was reminded of the day of “old” when we met on Ashmun Street; when I say “we” I mean MOJA – The Movement for Justice in Africa. The Headquarters was at Dr. Tipoteh’s residence in the 80s; at least that’s when I became a part. But mind you, we were all very young and vibrant. That time, one could see the promise of the future glaring in our faces.

But something happened: the faces I saw on that Friday morning were not the same like the ones I saw 30 years previous to this funeral yard gathering. Age has hit the fence. There were lots of graybeards and bald heads in the lot. I noticed this was no fashion. This was real. And it was real in the strict sense.

All I described above will be analyzed in due course at a later date; at a later time to see what happened to the progressives of Liberia - those that the people depended on to deliver them from the “evil” political and economic system and leaders.

Censorship or What The TRC and my Presentation

                                                                       November 17, 2008

When the Liberia Truth & Reconciliation Commission (TRC) began to grill me at its 9th Street office in Sinkor through series of recorded and aggressive weeks of interviews unlike all others who appeared before it, I knew something was amiss. November 4, 2008, Mr. Suah, a member of the Inquiry Department of The Liberia Truth & Reconciliation Commission (TRC) contacted me. He told me the TRC wanted me to appear before it on Monday, November 10, 2008 at 10:00am. I consented.

Because I felt compelled to do so. I happened to be one of the young men who showed up in the middle of the Liberian people “struggle” in the early 80s. So I have information and experiences that would help find a lasting solution to the problems that provoked a 14-year of war and terror that caused the near-destruction of the Liberian nation. November 10 at 9:30am I was at the Pavilion. I took my assigned seat. At 10:30am, Mrs. Bull, an employee of the TRC, approached me (there are two ladies bearing the name “Bull.” I understand both are married to two brothers. One of the ladies is a lawyer and the other a teacher.

The one I refer to in this post as Mrs. Bull is the teacher. The other I refer to as Cllr. Bull is the lawyer who is one of the 9-persons Commission.

Mrs. Bull thanked me for coming. We spoke for few minutes. And she left. One thing she didn’t do is to inform me why the Commissioners were absent. After a handshake, she disappeared in the back. I sat for about half an hour reading a newspaper when Mrs. Bull returned. It was at 11:00am. We were one hour late. She informed me that the Chairman of the Commission was in the back. He wanted to speak with me. When I got in the back, I met Cllr. Jerome Verdier. He was seated near a window facing Broad Street. His leg was crossed. I walked directly towards him. As I approached him, he stood up gracefully. He extended his hands to me for a handshake. I shook his hand. He offered me a seat facing him. Then he started talking. He welcomed me. He apologized for the absence of the Commission. Because he said the Commission was bereaved. A staff member passed on. He described the deceased as a “very dedicated” man. He said he learned all this later on when he arrived at the Pavilion. The rest of the Commissioners were at the Sinkor Headquarters mourning and he was at the Pavilion for the Hearing. He said the reason why he did not know anything about what had happened was that both of his cell phones were turned off the previous night. He turned them back on when he arrived at the Pavilion. And that’s when he got all the news. Considering the sad situation, he was under obligation to cancel the Hearing for the day. He or Mr. Suah would contact me to set up another appointment for my presentation. According to him, I would either appear on Tuesday, November 11 or Wednesday November 12 at 10:00am. This would be confirmed by him or Mr. Suah. I expressed condolences on behalf of my family and me. I told the Chairman I would be looking forward to hearing from him or Mr. Suah as per his advice. We shook hands again and departed.

I went back to my regular work routine. Then my phone began to ring off the hook. Everybody who was awaiting my Presentation on the radio called. Each wanted to know why there was no broadcast on my Presentation. I had to keep explaining what had happened all day long to everybody.

After the calls calmed down, I had to pay attention to my volunteer work with my NGO. During my work day I did not hear from the Chairman or Mr. Suah.

At 6pm I sent a text message to Mr. Suah to confirm the Chairman’s advice. He did not reply. So I called him on his cell phone. When he answered, I asked if he received my text. He said “Yes!” He said he forwarded my text message to Mr. Kwabo, executive secretary to the Commission. He asked me to contact Mr. Kwabo. So he gave me Mr. Kwabo’s cell phone digits. I dialed the digits immediately. It was at 6:30pm by then. There was no answer. I called Mr. Suah back. I told him there was no answer on Mr. Kwabo’s cell phone. Mr. Suah informed me Mr. Kwabo was in a meeting. However, Mr. Suah insisted I call Mr. Kwabo again. And I did. When Mr. Kwabo answered to my call, it was about 8pm. I asked him if at all I would appear on Tuesday as per the Chairman’s advice. Mr. Kwabo said he didn’t know. He asked me to contact Mr. Suah. I told him I’ve been in contact with Mr. Suah. Since nothing was improving, that’s why Mr. Suah asked me to call him. Mr. Kwabo said he didn’t know what was “obtaining” in the TRC in respect to my Presentation.

I called Mr. Suah again to make an observation: things were getting ridiculous. I told Mr. Suah I needed to make plans for my next day’s work. So I needed clear answers. He laughed and shrugged his shoulders. He couldn’t say anything more. So we hung up the phone. Indicatively, there would be no presentation on Tuesday by me.

The next morning was Tuesday. It was November 11. At 9:30am, I was en route to my regular work routine. Mr. Suah called. He asked if I were on my way to the Hearings. How could I?! I asked him. He said the Commission was expecting me at 10am. I told him it was impossible. He called me at 9:30am. How could I be at the Pavilion at 10:30am? THAT WAS IMPOSSIBLE! I was on my way to work. I told him the TRC failed to inform me of the Tuesdays Hearing on the previous night. So I wasn’t prepared to appear before the TRC. Mr. Suah began to appeal for me to show up. I told him no. I made all efforts the previous night to prevent what was occurring, but the TRC was of no help. So I asked to be rescheduled for Wednesday, November 12. By then, I would appear. But the young man kept appealing for me to change my mind and appear. He said they would make a vehicle available to pick me up from wherever I was. I still said no. And that was it. We hung up the phone.

Few minutes later, Mr. Suah called back and expressed a much stronger desire for me to appear. By then I had gone far away from home. He kept appealing until he touched a soft spot in my heart. I gave in. I told him I could be at the Pavilion at 11am to make my presentation. And that was because I had to go back home and prepare. He agreed. So I returned home. I did what I had to do. And took off to the Pavilion. I got there at 11am on the dot. The Commissioners were sitting around a table conversing. I passed by Cllr. Pearl Brown Bull and Mrs. Bull. When Mrs. Bull recognized me, she told Cllr. Bull. Cllr. Bull shouted. “Mr. Chairman, Mr. Bedell is here. Can we start now?” Chairman Verdier said something and Cllr. Bull loudly said, “Yes, we can! Mr. Bedell is here” The Commissioners hung heads and took their seats. I took mine too. I set up my E-machine computer. And I was ready to roll. But little did I know the Commission had decided to have more than one Presenter that day. Had I known this, I would have left and be rescheduled for another date. Anyways, I took the Oath and began speaking. In about an hour, Chairman Verdier informed me to be prepared for Questions & Answers period. This was unusual. All presenters exhausted their presentations before the Commission posed questions. I needed to exhaust mine. The Chairman complained that time was against them. They were supposed to get back at the Headquarters for the same death news. But he didn’t pre-warn me. When I questioned him, he said there was plan for me to reappear on another date. I disagreed. We had few heated exchanges. Not to make it a debating contest, I agreed to reappear. So the Commissioners asked their questions. And I answered them. When they ran out, I stepped down and left the Hall.

The Media was awaiting me outside. I did an interview and took off from the premises. At the end of the day I expected the Commission to contact me for a reschedule. But it never did. I called Mr. Suah. I informed him of the disaster the Commission created. He asked me to contact Mr. Kwabo. From one thing to another, he asked me to forget and downplay the Commission. I couldn’t understand what Mr. Suah meant by that statement. So I asked him to clarify it. He said he didn’t know what was unfolding. The Commission was in total disarray. I told him the Chairman informed me that he would be contacting me.

He was shocked. It appeared the Chairman did not say anything to him on the matter. By now things were very confusing. I couldn’t figure out who was responsible for what in the TRC. I asked Mr. Suah whether or not the Commission was trying to censor me. He asked me why. I told him, my Presentation was the only one I know of that wasn’t broadcast via TV and radio.

I told him I believe the TRC was suppressing my Presentation. Mr. Suah seemed surprised my Presentation was not aired. He giggled again and said I don’t know what to tell you.” So I said could it be that the Commission cannot stomach the truth I spoke. I then asked him, is the Commission’s Mandate not based on finding the truth? And if it finds the truth, is it not its Mandate to use the truth to heal the Liberian people? Why then was it running from the truth I spoke?

Mr. Suah was speechless. In the end I informed Mr. Suah, if the Commission did not contact me ASAP and answer to my many questions, I would consider its actions against me well-calculated. I would have no choice but to call a press conference to speak to the Liberian people on the issues I raised centered on the Liberian situation of war and terror. Mr. Suah said, asked me not to. He promised to get back with me soon. We hung up the phone and went our separate ways. Today is November 17, 2008. More than three days after our discussion and no one has reached me yet. So I have decided to go public and tell my story. The Liberian people need to know that I submitted my Presentation. And they have the right to know what I said.

In my next post, the breakdown of my presentation to the Liberia Truth & Reconciliation Commission (TRC) that was not broadcast to the Liberian people and the world will be issued.

How Can Superintendent Brown Ignore The Plight of Shipwreck Victims?

Between 2008 and 2010, four ships wrecked. Most, if not all, of the passengers and victims are Marylanders. And So Maryland’s grief is justified as far as shipwrecks are concerned.

Amongst the four wrecked ships, the first one wrecked in Greenville, Sinoe County (Liberia) in 2008. In that ship, several persons got wounded and one severely. There was no fatality. A young girl’s toe got chopped off. But for unknown reasons, the young lady who toe got chopped off, disappeared in thin air. In other words, she’s nowhere to be found. All efforts to find her so that claims can be included on the Reparation List by the Shipwreck Victims Action Committee proved futile.

The person that was severely wounded on the Sinoe shipwrecked ship is an elderly woman. Her name is Ma Eliza Dennis. Three (3) of her left hand fingers are chopped off. In the days following the accident, the remnants of her fingers were all hanging on her hand for a protracted period time.

Ma Eliza was taken to the hospital in Sinoe. But because she had no funds to pay her medical bills, she was immediately discharged. The shipowners and the Government were nowhere to be found. So Ma Eliza’s children in Monrovia send for her. If they had waited too long, Ma Eliza would have had serious medical problems. Her hand was getting rotten. One of her daughters, who works at the Catholic Hospital in Monrovia, placed her on her Credit at the Hospital for treatment. She was admitted and treated at the Catholic Hospital. The Bill was underwritten by her daughter at the Catholic Hospital. Shipowners and crew disappeared. None came back to see how to help the victims.

Prior to Ma Eliza being taken to Catholic Hospital, her fingers were rotten and smelling badly. Her children told me they could not remain in the house with their mother due to the foul odor of her fingers. They had to take a walk every time to get away from the bad smell. It was difficult for them. Their mother’s trouble had reached an alarming stage. But with God and the help of the Shipwreck Victims Action Committee, the situation became to improve.

 After the treatment, Ma Eliza Dennis returned to Harper City (capital of Maryland) where she resides. Her daughter bankrolled the cost. Shipowners were nowhere to be found. Ma Eliza’s fingers are gone. Now she has only two fingers on the left hand. The physical sores have healed. But the pain in the heart lingers on without reparation.

Ma Eliza got home in Harper. But the unthinkable happened. Her oldest daughter died. Ma Eliza was forced to deal with her pain. There was shipwreck pain. Now pain in the death of her oldest daughter.

Immediately when Ma Eliza buried her oldest daughter, her youngest son suddenly died a mysterious death in Harper.

Pathologist the kid died from “heart failure.” But the youths of Harper disagreed. The youths claimed the kid was murdered by someone through witchcraft. As a result, the youths took on the streets of Harper on a rampage in the name of their buddy. Violence caused several buildings to be torn apart including the Police Station (newly renovated by an international NGO) and the Harper Maximum Prison Compound.

When the youths were contacted, they claimed the Authorities did not pay attention to their case of witchcraft. So they had to do what they did. Whatever they did did not make Ma Eliza’s case easy to handle; it made it more difficult. The Government imposed Dust to Dawn curfew. It kept Ma Eliza at home grieving. She says her sons’ sudden death hurt her. Worse of all, Government’s investigation was not satisfactory. But she had no other choice but to accept all the misfortunes stemming from the Sinoe shipwreck that severed her fingers making her disabled, the death of her oldest daughter and then the sudden and mysterious death of her youngest son.

All members of the Local authority, including Hon. J. GbleBo Brown knew all about Ma Eliza’s sad story. And he helped to work along with her in his capacity as superintendent.

Ma Eliza met with Hon. Brown.

Elizabeth (the young girl whose 11-year old was crushed under the weight of a sugar mill machine) and legs slammed by a huge container met with Hon. Brown.

Betsy Seebo (her twin baby died in her and her feet were smashed by containers. She also was forced to swallow petrol gas when it poured over her through another container sitting on her chest. Many more of the victims met with Hon. Brown.

Today, Hon. Brown claims he has no record of the victims, after several victims and I hand delivered documentations to his office which receipt he confirmed many times.

In fact, Hon. Brown’s Administrative Assistant, Hon. Daniel Williams and I made series of attempts to complete the documentation. Hon. Williams told me the superintendent’s office had received other documents from other victims. But because of his “busy” schedule, he and I never met to complete the work.

Essentially, Hon. Brown’s office is in possession of the documents.

On March 15, 2011, in a Line Ministries’ meeting, Hon. Brown was asked by the Internal Affairs minister, Hon. Harrison Karnwea if at all there is any information on the three other ships that wrecked before his (Karnwea’s ship – Havea). Surprisingly, Hon. Brown says he has no knowledge about the three shipwrecks, except the one of May 30, 2010.

It is rather a shame that both men (Karnwea & Brown) pretend as if they know nothing about the plight of the victims of the three ships.

I bear solemn witness they are aware! The evidence is well and alive!

I am Thomas G. Bedell working and speaking on the ground in Liberia.

“Action and Reaction Are Equal But Opposite": The Sen. Ballout Citizenship Situation

Sen. John Akel Ballout, Snr, is a current senator of Maryland County. He and I developed a problem over the short time I am visiting Liberia as a volunteer worker. And this problem has reached an alarming stage. The reason why it reached this stage is because the young man is confused who his perceived political enemies are. He thinks I’m one. But I am not!

See, I came to Liberia on my own account and volition. I reside in the United States of America. I know it is difficult for the ordinary person to comprehend why a young man like me would chooses such a task – work as a volunteer within a revolutionary thought process.

See, I read Ernesto Che Guevara, Frantz Fannon, Walter Rodney, Fidel Castro and many other revolutionaries who came long before me all the time. I began reading about them since I was a high school teen. One day, in life, I thought I would do some of the things they have done or continue to do. They left their own personal successes where they were born or grew up and attending universities to go out and “ground” with their people and others in other countries. That’s why today I am fully engaged in this sort of work to move my nation and people into modernity. This decision on my part to leave all I have worked for in the US and come to a “dry” land to work and hope to achieve progress for the people and nation is domestically costly to me. But if a man decides to stand up for what he believes, he has to pay the price that comes with the belief he holds. That man needs not complain. That’s why I am not complaining of all the ills that befall me in the process. I am up and measured to the task. Let those who wish to rip apart my character and/or my reason to work as I do, do so freely. But I can assure them, they cannot undermine my work. After all, I have passed the most troubling stage of this work in Liberia. The time I thought I would fail but did not, has passed on. I’ve swallowed the Pain. I went through it all like a man. It hurt. But it is paying off! Everything else now, is as cool as cold water.

Let me convict myself before I convict Sen. John Ballout.

Normally, I won’t hang around individuals a lot. Because there is tendency in our Liberian setting to get used to certain people and then don’t correct them when they go wrong. Because if get used to them and correct them when they go wrong, they take serious offense. They feel shouldn’t correct them. Because you are a friend of theirs. For me, I don’t believe this at all. I believe I should tell my friends the truth. Because when I lie to them, then I am not a good friend to them. Here is the mistake I made in the John Ballout case for which I must chastise myself: Sen. Ballout drew me too close to him. And I sort of let myself go all the way. See, Sen. Ballout is a man who doesn’t like the truth to be told to him in his face. Even how hard one tries to do so in privacy, he takes serious offense. And you what else he does? He keeps speech. And leaders should practice keeping speech from his or her citizens and/or constituents simply because that citizen criticizes him. So I was wrong to allow myself to get too closed to the Senator. It made him feel I would pat him on the back if he did wrong. During the time I was closed to him, he did me favors. Actually, I don’t think they were favors that he did me. He was using me to cover up some of his wrongdoings. But little did I know all this until when we fell off. I was definitely wrong having not told him that I never compromise principles. I was wrong I did not tell him equivocally that I hold allegiance to a Cause not to individuals. Up to now, I still believe he and I have allegiance to the Cause of Maryland. And there’s where I thought he and I were standing for Maryland. I thought we were pursuing Maryland issues together. And that he and I know that without him or me, Maryland has to still move on.

I told him Ballout that I do not believe in the “slap-one-jaw-and-show-the -other jaw” sort of principle for peace. I told him that I believe in the “Tooth for a tooth” principle – The Law of Retribution! Since I consider myself as a true revolutionary, a progressive and a decent man, I always have respect for every human person (old, young, rich, poor &c). But I categorically emphasized that I however do no bow down to any man! I obey all laws. And I love everyone. But if anyone put his hands on me, I surely will send him to the cemetery without a second thought. I impressed upon him I believe all humans should respect each other irrespective of status in society. So, if anyone insults me and I caution him to discontinue, but chooses not to stop, I am under obligation to defend myself. And there’s where self-defense comes in. I informed Sen. Ballout on all of these. Probably I did not make myself very clear. So he fails to learn. If I did not make all of these things crystal clear to Sen. Ballout, then I take the responsibility for not being able to educate him as to who I am and what I stand for. Therefore, I convict myself on that ground!

Now, let me convict Sen. Ballout.

The Sen. is an arrogant man. He’s power drunk! He doesn’t take advice. He is antagonistic. I know all this because he shows all this to me. Let me drive you through the point that makes me attack his citizenship. I’m in Liberia for three years. I work from village to village; from city to city and from hamlet to hamlet. In many cases I try to connect Sen. Ballout with my work. But the Senator decides to attack me for no apparent reason. At one point I ignore his attacks. But the more I try to ignore his attacks, the more he keeps coming at me. I had to put on my “No nonsense” gloves and boots to repel him. He keeps on attacking me in the public. He says I come to Liberia calling myself revolutionary. But according to him, I have not visited my late Father’s hometown. What he means by that baffles, my mind. I begin to ask myself why would this man choose to attack me on grounds I refuse to go to my Dad’s hometown. I can’t figure this out! At one point I thought he was just trying to be funny. Because I did not come to Liberia to serve one group of people. I see Liberia as one people one destiny. When he continued this tendency, I began to think he was not joking anymore. Because he won’t relent. Certainly, I feel he is seriously undermining my work. So I seriously warned him. I explained why I am not visiting my late Dad’s hometown. But the warning does him no good. I guess he thought he had me cornered. Every time I try to explain about my work to my people and what I see as the problem in our country, Sen. Ballout tried to undermine. But check this out: Ballout himself has not been to his Father’s hometown in Palestine.

Well, just so you know, my late Father’s hometown is Rocktown in Maryland County. Ballout is correct when he says I had not been there until just recently. When I got in Maryland, I took my Program to Barrobo which is far away from my Father’s hometown. Most people thought I would have focused on my late Dad’s hometown. But I didn’t. The reason is, in the US, I helped organized a group of individuals from my Dad’s hometown. Together we began to help the Town. Today, it has one of the best educational systems in the rest of the villages in the entire Maryland. So when I got to Maryland, I thought I should help decentralize development. So I went to other villages other than my late Dad’s. This is what Sen. Ballout has been using against me. As a result, Sen. Ballout forces me to defend myself. He forces me to ask him if at he has ever visited his late dad’s hometown (Palestine) if he thinks I have not visited mine (Rocktown). I think this is as fair as it can be. Our Immigration and Naturalization laws, ours is Patrilineal (that means we look at where your father comes from). It is not matrilineal (where your mother comes from). Because our Constitution emphatically states that only people of Negro descent can become citizens of Liberia. Now watch the tricky part. The Constitution states this OPENLY. But the Liberia Immigration & Naturalization Laws defines and restricts the Stipulation. It addresses issue in this way. If one is born on to one parent (most especially the father) who is not of Negro descent, that one will have to choose his or her citizenship at the age of 18 in a court of competent jurisdiction. If he or she fails to do so, he or she forfeits Liberian citizenship. This is just a gist! In Sen. Ballout’s case, it is he who has the problem not me. My late Dad and mother are all of Negro descent. My Dad comes from Rocktown. Sen. Ballout is correct. I barely visit the place. But does that mean I don’t care fro where my late Dad’s from? As for him (Sen. Ballout) his dad is from Palestine. His dad was not a Negro or of Negro descent up to his passing. And so if he (Sen. Ballout) will use the fact that I barely visit my father’s hometown as a way of trying to demoralize me, he needs to think again. Because he will be under obligation to tell us if he has ever visited his father’s hometown in Palestine. And that upon reaching maturity has renounced any other citizenship acquired by virtue of one of his parent being a citizen of another country?

This is what the Constitution of Liberia says on the citizenship question of those with one parent a citizen of Liberia and the other of another country who’s not of Negro descent: 

Article 28   “Any person, at least one of whose parents was a citizen of Liberia at the time of the person's birth, shall be a citizen of Liberia; provided that any such person shall upon reaching maturity renounce any other citizenship acquired by virtue of one parent being a citizen of another country . No citizen of the Republic shall be deprived of citizenship or nationality except as provided by law; and no person shall be denied the right to change citizenship or nationality.”