Mr. Kimba's Exclusive Interview With Senatorial Candidate

KIMBA: Hello, Mr. Bedell!

BEDELL: HI, Mr. Kimba! How are you?

KIMBA: Mr. Bedell, you visited Maryland recently, how do you explain your visit?

BEDELL: it was the best of my life experience. The people welcomed me in grand style. The visit was rich and educational. Everywhere I went, I received a Red Carpet welcome. I didn’t know how much my people love and appreciate me until that day. I realized that I always read when I was growing up. It says, “The greatest remuneration to receive is the gratitude of the people!” I could see this in real life. And I was fascinated! Initially, when I received the Petition from my people, I never took it seriously. Because this was not the route I wanted to take in helping my people and nation. Just as my father used to say, “Man proposes, God disposes.” After this visit, my plan changed. I have no cause now to hold back anymore. I vow to go full blast! God first and the people second!

KIMBA: Mr. Bedell, we have been following NEC’s information. Your name is on the Provincial Listing of certified candidates of Maryland. There were many who said you would not register. They said you didn’t have the funding. Senator Morias is one of those who made such remark. How did you get through? And how do you feel now?

BEDELL: Peter Said, “Silver and gold have I none, but in the name of Jesus Christ, get up and walk!” And the lepers got up and walked. Money has and will never beat God! I give thanks and praises to God! In seven years in Liberia, I have not had any gainful employment. I worked pro bono work as a volunteer in the country all those years. And so, it is true, I did not and do not have as much money as my counterparts. But I have one thing they don’t: God and the people. With God and the people, whom shall I fear?

KIMBA: We hear you have the most organize team on the ground. We also hear there are heavy weights on your side. We hear of Mary Broh, Amb. Winston Tubman, Allen N. Yancy, III, James “Salinsa” Debah ( the world renowned footballer of Liberia), Joe Nagbe (former Lone Star Captain), Benjamin Saydee (former Mighty Barrolle star), John Hilary Tubman, Jnr ( a Maryland Businessman), Robert “Break Dancer” Clarke ( former Lone Star powerful winger), Ezekiel “Zico” Doe (former Lone Star master dribbler and scorer) and many more. How did you manage to have these powerful people on your side?

BEDELL: Again, it’s God’s work! My Team is well-organized. True! I have heavy weights on my side. True! Little did I know that I would meet these individuals in the future. I met them all somewhere down the process of life. I worked at the Tubman Law Firm at the Pan African Plaza with Amb. Tubman in the early 80s. I met Allen N. Yancy in the late 70s while I was in high school. He was one of my teachers in community development. He helped us developed a good and strong sense of community. As for Mary Broh - the “General” – I met her first in the United States and then worked with her during her cleanup campaigns in Monrovia during her tenure as Acting Mayor of the City of Monrovia. Like her, I am result-oriented and a no-nonsense person. James Debah, Benjamin Saydee and I featured together on the Mighty Barrolle Ball Club in the 80s. And so they know me very well. Ezekiel Doe and I featured on the same Ball Club – Atina – in Maryland prior to coming to Monrovia when he featured on Invincible Eleven and I on Mighty Barrolle. As for Robert Clarke, he played for Invincible Eleven while I played for Mighty Barrolle. Recently, Robert and I worked together on Maryland County Sports during two separate County Meets. From there, we created a stronger understanding of the work that lies ahead of sports in Maryland. John Hilary Tubman and I met in Harper when I newly arrived from the US. Since then, as a businessman, he has been a good supporter of my work. Normally, they say JHT or “John-John” as we call him, barely support politicians. But he’s in my corner. He believes in my ability to deliver the goods for Maryland than anyone else. His support has been magnificent!

I met all of these prominent and eminent persons guided by the plan and purpose of God. To date, having worked with them in the past, they’ve helped in making me the man and leader that I have become.  I’m thankful to them. Thank God for all of them and their support for my candidacy! There are more. I can’t count them all now for lack of space and time.

KIMBA: Let’s leap for a moment. How do you describe Sen. Dan Morias’ possible support for James Anderson instead of you? Were you not the one who braved bullets at your breast from the police during the many street protest demonstrations to set Morias and others free from prison?

BEDELL: I’ve heard of the Morias move. But see, I came to Liberia through the power of God. And everything I have done was and is guided by Him. All my blessings are from Him. With Him and the people, whom shall I fear? So, let the proverbial chips fall where they may! I’m not worried! Sen. Morias may support whomever he wishes. He and no one can defeat the power of God and the people. I am a believer in the cliché, “Never blame anyone in your life. The good people give you happiness. The bad people give you experience. The worst people give you a lesson. The best people give you memories.”

KIMBA: But Mr. Bedell, how would you describe Sen. Morias as far as helping to set him free from prison in 2010 ritualistic killing case, now that he may support Anderson whom he, at one point, considered as a “nonentity” and a “lazy fool”?

BEDELL: Every man will have to give account of his own deeds and action when the judgment day comes.

KIMBA: Mr. Bedell, when will judgment day come? Are we going to be around that time?

BEDELL: I believe when God created this world, he gave each person the opportunity to do his best in seeking communion with each other. Equally so, each person is required to account for his or her deeds and actions. It may take a day-or-two before that happens; but for sure it will come when it will come! And it won’t be too long! Many tend to seek God, but instead, they end up following the devil.

KIMBA: Mr. Bedell, I am still running on Sen. Morias’ record. Because people have these same concerns. They are saying, if Sen. Morias supports Anderson against you, then he is “worthless” and “Unappreciative.” What do say about this?

BEDELL: I am a strong believer of Hon. Bob Marley’s quote. "Truth is everybody is going to hurt you you just gotta find the ones worth suffering for." My people need me more! See, everyone is in need of redemption. Our natural condition was characterized by guilt: all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Christ’s redemption has freed us from guilt, being “justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

The benefits of redemption include eternal life, forgiveness of sins, righteousness, freedom from the law’s curse, adoption into God’s family, deliverance from sin’s bondage, peace with Him, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. To be redeemed, then, is to be forgiven, holy, justified, free, adopted, and reconciled.

KIMBA: What are your predictions on the Midterm election; will it be held this year or what? And will you win?

BEDELL: I’m confident the Election will be held. But one thing I know for sure is, it won’t happen on time set by our Organic Law – the Constitution. Again, the decision who wins the election lies with the Father. He brought me. And only He, with the people, will do the rest for me! I am confident about that!

KIMBA: Are you going to win?

BEDELL: Basic principles: no matter what, no matter when, no matter who, any man has a chance to sweep any woman off her feet. You just need the right broom.

KIMBA: So do you have the right broom, Mr. Bedell?

BEDELL: Certainly! God and the people!

KIMBA: Yes, Mr. Bedell, you talk about the Constitution as far as the postponement of the Election is concerned. Are you saying the Government is violating the Constitution by postponing the Election?

BEDELL: No, that’s not what I am saying. I am saying that the Government needs to be mindful of the Constitution and its Provisions as far as Election is concerned within the context of the current State of emergency!

KIMBA: We hear that you have added more feathers into your cap in your pro bono advocacy work. The insurance company has now reached a settlement to pay Little Felecia Prowd that was involved in a car accident.

BEDELL: True! Little Felecia Prowd of Bigtown will be paid a settlement cash for the accident she was involved in. The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) driver bumped into Little Felecia in the Little Wlebo Refugee Camp area in 2012 and dragged her several yards. Two years later, we have reached a settlement. The insurance will pay FIVE THOUSAND UNITED STATES DOLLARS and DRC will send the little child abroad for additional medical treatment. It’s a “Win-Win” situation. I am glad and happy for Little Felecia. Thank God again! He’s in the driver seat!

KIMBA: Mr. Bedell, I keep hearing you talk about God; what’s up with that?

BEDELL: He is our ONLY hope and Guidance! Without Him, we are nothing! My coming to Liberia is a Calling from God. And I have been continuously guided by His will and purpose!

See, God does not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves.  So if our spiritual and moral condition worsens, how can we then expect God to improve our economic and political conditions? 

KIMBA: Thank you Mr. Bedell. Any last words?

BEDELL: Yes! “If we have chosen the position in life in which we can most of all work for mankind, no burdens can bow us down, because they are sacrifices for the benefit of all; then we shall experience no petty, limited, selfish joy, but our happiness will belong to millions, our deeds will live on quietly but perpetually at work, and over our ashes will be shed the hot tears of noble people.”

Let people feel free to speak truth to power! For “Truth is born into this world only with pangs and tribulations, and every fresh truth is received unwillingly. To expect the world to receive a new truth, or even an old truth, without challenging it, is to look for one of those miracles which do not occur."

Harper City: “The Vestiges of Life Once Lived”?

I was in involved in a regular conversation with Mary Broh just the other day when she made a statement; that statement that she made, captured my undivided attention thus prompting this write-up.

Before going into her statement, first, let me establish few things why Mary Broh’s observation really touched the abyss of my soul and why I take it seriously. After I’m done with this part, I will then move on to the matter under discussion.

See, I call her Mary Broh without adding the title “Hon.”

Why?

There are three reasons for that:

1st, because she is a personal friend. So I do no disrespect to her title as Director General of The General Services Agency of the Republic of Liberia and an Honorable woman, particularly, a very important one in Liberia.

2nd, Mary is a down-to-earth-kind-of-person. She’s not intoxicated with titles and power. Like me, she agrees, power and titles are elusive and they corrode. So no one should worship them. To do so, one runs the risk of being elusive. Mary is not like that. Everyone I know calls her Mary. In her presence, I see even kids calling her Mary Broh. Other women I know will shut the kids down if they don’t add the word “aunty” or “Hon” to their names. As grown as I am, I greeted a lady whom everyone knows in Monrovia; but because I didn’t add “aunty” to her name, she refused to answer to me. Mary is not that type. Everyone calls her Mary and she always answers with no insults taken. This sort of attitude is unheard of in current day Liberia.

3rd, Mary is that kind of person who speaks truth on issues. Not only that, she goes the extra mile in her official and private capacity to help improve every condition within her reach. The “Next Generation” of General Services Agency is a typical example of her work. She turned it into a fairytale.

So, if I took her observation very seriously, the reasons above readily justify that, thus the write-up.

Now, let’s get back to the issue under discussion.

Mary and I meet every-now-and-then and engage in discussion about our country. In most cases, our discussions turned into a powerhouse. In this particular conversation, she told me about her first visit to Maryland. She said that she noticed that Harper is full of “Vestiges of life once lived.” The statement threw off track. I began to wonder what she meant by that. And so, I began to delve into the scheme of things using my own lenses.   

See, I was born and reared in Harper City. Evidently, I have tremendous and vast knowledge of the City.

Harper City sits majestically deep in the keyhole and belly of the Southeastern Region of Liberia. There I spent my formative days. But I left in 1980 when I graduated high school. Customarily, during my day, graduates were expected to depart the county to embark on an academic sojourn. So I did. But two years later, I returned on a brief visit. That’s when I noticed that nothing had really changed. The infrastructures remained unimproved. In fact, they had begun to crumble. That’s when I began to see and hear Mary Broh thirty-two years in the future.

In Harper I was opportune to live through some of the “golden” years (life once lived). So I know what was and what is now. I have a reference point! At that time, life was good. So when I reflect by looking back, it becomes quite easy for me to comprehend Mary’s observation without ill-feelings.

Now, I want you to join Mary and me to do the calculations and comparison from the facts below.

Maryland is one of the most beautiful counties in Liberia. The evidence is apparent and resolute when you get there. Its capital city is Harper. And Harper is still incomparable after a 14-year generalized anarchy of violence that destroyed infrastructures and human resource. It has a 21st Century state-of-the-art infrastructural design. It has 99.9% of its streets paved with concrete that have been in good shape for the past fifty or more years. By all measurements, it has one of the best (if not the best) city halls in the country with a 21st Century state-of-the-art architectural design. Harper is well laid out by all standards. An aerial view makes the case. By International standards, its ballpark is one of the best in the country! And so is its water system.

Notice, most great cities around the world are built along the banks of rivers, lakes and Oceans. New York, Paris and other cities are typical examples. Harper City is one of those. It runs into a cape. Slides down in Hoffman River, hugs the Atlantic Ocean and drives into Lake Shepherd. Harper City is a takeoff-your-shirts-come-let’s-go-swimming-mind-blowing type of resort.

At first glance, the beaches beat every stretch of any visitor’s imagination. Extensive and very fascinating, they keep visitors on the edge with spellbound effects.

The beaches are wide and long stretching from the border of The Ivory Coast to Fishtown (Harper). Undisturbed, they quietly wrap around Fishtown and slip right into Grand Kru County and then beyond.

Harper is a city that has some of the most outstanding private homes that were built and designed by European architects and engineers. The styles into these structures are an addition to the City’s beauty. They record the age of the City living from the 1800s to present.

The way the architectural designs of private homes are shaped in Harper, reminds one of fairytales in books that we read. The structures are amazingly profound and totally out of this world! Evidently, the builders did not just build the structures, they did so with all that man, money and Science could afford for human development.

Some European visitors describe Harper as the “only city” they know, in most African countries, that “wasn’t built by colonial masters,” but by its own sons and daughters. Descriptively, its architectural designs have a resting place in the history of mankind.

The structures are remarkably marvelous.  They hold within their structural designs and context the hallmark and display of the civilization of the people running parallel, if not exceeding, succeeding generations of architectural designs.

Two families hold these robust architectural designs in their bosoms as owners. They are the Andersons and Tubmans.

The Anderson & Tubmanic buildings are humongous and historic.

James Anderson commonly referred to as “old man Anderson” was former senior Senator of Maryland. He was also national chairman of The “Grand” old True Whig Party (political Party that led Liberia for a little over one hundred years). And that’s a lot of power for one man. He built his structures in a twin-size fashion. Almost everywhere he built his structures; they were two-into-one. And unmistakably gigantic.

In the case of William Tubman, commonly referred to as “Bob Willie,” built only one huge, gigantic, titanic, colossal, and massive private residence. At first sight, by any human person in his normal mind, the structure commands an “awe” and “wow.” It sits in the heartland and doorway of Downtown Harper.

Anderson built his big twin-size and beautiful buildings in Downtown Harper also. As a trademark, all of his buildings carry one super color of paint – green. As for Bob Willie, his color remained as yellow.

Upon entering Downtown Harper, one sees the echelons and the tips of the Anderson and Tubman buildings towering over all else in the City like the Empire State Building with their green and white colors flashing in the distance.

Today, upon entering the City and seeing these structures decaying, one can truly agree with Mary that these structures portray the “Vestiges of life once lived.” And that those who once lived in them, without a doubt, lived exceptional and incomparable lives.

There are other structures that add to Harper’s beauty besides the private homes. They are the Churches. Most of them are also humongous. And most of them sit in the sacred heart of Downtown or at the entrance of the lovely City.

One of those is the St’ Mark’s Episcopal Church. It is huge. It has an estimated seating capacity of 1000. It sits in the heart of Downtown Harper facing The Hoffman River. It’s bounded on the West by Mechlin Street; on the East by McGill Street; in the South by Printing Street and the North by Gregory Street. The Church’s back is turned to the Atlantic Ocean. Unmistakably, all of the streets that bound the Church are paved with concrete. And that’s amazing!

The other is The Mount Scott Methodist Church. It is also a humongous structure built by some British. It is also huge with an estimated seating capacity of 500 to 900. It has an “Uncle Ben” clock sitting on its forehead. The Church sits on top of a hill looking over Downtown Harper like a watchdog. The back is turned to the Atlantic Ocean. I don’t know why. The front faces both Downtown and The Hoffman River. It is bounded by concrete-paved streets on all sides. Maryland Avenue is in its North; McGill Street in its West; Russwurm Street sits in its West and Gregory Street is in its South.

The St. Theresa’s Catholic Cathedral is at the entrance of the City. It is also a huge structure with an estimated seating capacity of 1000. Unlike St. Mark’s and Mount Scott, it faces the Atlantic Ocean with back turned to Town. It is bounded by some paved and unpaved streets. In its due North is Maryland Avenue; Its West is J. J. Dossen Memorial Hospital and its East is Thompson Street and its South is the unpaved part of Green Street.

There are other little churches not as huge as the ones named above. But they are as old as the City. The history behind them are as huge as the structures that tower over them. Their relevance lies in their ages and historicity explaining what Harper City used to be and what it is now.

There are other landmarks in the City adding flavor to it. And that includes The J. J. Dossen Memorial Hospital.

Many years ago, as far back as the 60s, The J. J. Dossen Memorial Hospital, named after one of Liberia’s chief justices and vice presidents, H. E. J. J. Dossen, used to treat patients as far as from Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone and other parts of West Africa. It was the “doyen” of medical facilities in West Africa. It had a great and incomparable medical team. Most members of the Team were well-trained Europeans. Some were Liberians who were trained in Europe and America. So it won the hearts and souls of most West Africans. Upon entering Harper, it sits on top of a hill facing the Atlantic Ocean with its back against Town.

But something strange happened: today the story is different and so is the reality on the ground. And there’s where Mary Broh comes in – they have become “Vestiges of life once lived.”

Some of the structures are evaded by grass and trees. The quality of the paint used that gave added ambiance has tumbled down like The Berlin Wall. The interior and exterior decorations have ruptured. This reality and condition strengthens Mary Broh’s claim as a city with “Vestiges of life once lived.”

All of the 21st Century State-Of-The-Art of architectural designs, have become monuments of decay.

Notwithstanding, life is still alive in Harper City. But one thing is true about this: today’s life is unlike the past. Decayed infrastructures have abused the goodness and beauty of the City.

Here is the million dollar question:

Why has the offspring of the builders of these gigantic and 21st Century state-of-the-art architectural designs in Harper City failed to enhance the legacies of the builders of the future of Harper?!

I have my answer. Mary made hers known! So what’s yours?

I am T. Gbuo-Mle Bedell; a social justice advocate, speaking and working on the ground in Liberia and a victim of police brutality.  

ebola: Story of a Lady suspected of the virus heading to Maryland: Local Gov’t’s Action

Liberia got hit by the ebola virus on a higher scale reaching crisis proportion in early July this year.

Prior to that, the virus began killing people by the tens in early February. Sooner not later, it threatened National Security. And the Liberian government was forced to act.

If the current measures that are being undertaken by the Liberia government were introduced early as soon as the virus hit and those measures were implemented in early February, the deadly virus would never have taken a toll on innocent lives in the country. But they say, “Better late than never!” Even though the measures are late, but the Government is trying to do its best.

According to reports that we received from the dailies in Liberia, of all the 15 counties that make up Liberia, closed to three of them are considered epic centers when the virus is hitting hard. And that includes Montserrado County, especially the city of Monrovia, which is the capital of the country.

Maryland is counted as one of the counties without a case of ebola. That means Maryland, like the rest of the no-hit other counties, is considered ebola-free. But something happened quite recently that almost thwarted such status.

Here is what happened and how it happened:

Rumor said a young lady, around age 30/40, with her two kids, was traveling to Grand Kru, which is her hometown. According to the rumor, she was travelling by way of motor car. And interestingly, the road to Grand Kru runs through Pleebo, the commercial capital of Maryland. So whatever the case may have been, she was bound to go through Pleebo in Maryland.

 For those who do not know, Pleebo sits at a strategic crossroad in the Southeast of the country. Pleebo conjoins Maryland to Grand Kru; Maryland to Monrovia and then Liberia to the Ivory Coast. Everyone who travels to any of these mentioned areas must go through Pleebo to get to their destination.

Indications were, during the early day of the rumor, that this particular lady that is suspected of the ebola virus and heard to be traveling to Grand Kru was going through Maryland. And that she would spend a night in Pleebo City before leaving for Grand Kru.

Actually, such a rumor, considering how much damage ebola is doing to human life in Liberia, captured the attention of Marylanders and their Local leaders.

From what was being fed to people in Maryland, the lady had already departed Monrovia on board a commercial vehicle heading to Maryland.

Suddenly, the rumor twisted. It said that the lady who was suspected of the virus had already arrived in Pleebo and slept there already. And so, why the Local government was looking for the lady on the road, the rumor said she was already in Pleebo.

It was this part of the rumor that moved and touched every Marylander and the Local authority. Thus, they were forced into serious action.

Here is the confounding and troubling theory:

If truly the lady’s husband died of the ebola virus; and that she was with him up to burial time, including her two little kids that are travelling with her; that she is truly suspected of carrying the virus; and that she really slept in Pleebo with a friend or relative, then chances are wide that she may have passed on the virus to some innocent people or persons living in the home in which she slept in Pleebo.

If all of the above is true, then indeed, Maryland was in serious trouble!

Local authorities and Marylander got nervous. Everyone began to take cover. They launched an in-depth search for the mysterious lady.

Quickly, the local authorities took charge of the search. Everyone wanted to know if this lady spent the night in Pleebo and where did she possibly spent the night. Local authorities wanted to nip this situation in the bud. The search continued unabated. But all the same, the effort was up to no avail.  

Why?

Because, the lady had not yet reached Maryland. Soon, the Authorities found that out. The next news was, the lady was still en route to Maryland.

The rumor mill carried that the unnamed lady with this suspected virus was living with her husband in Monrovia. The rumor said the husband of the lady died of ebola virus. And that the lady was deeply involved in the burial of her husband. Immediately after the burial, the rumor concludes, the lady took off from Monrovia with her two kids heading for Grand Kru County by way of Maryland.

Maryland local authorities got the news or rumor, so to say, from an anonymous caller in Monrovia. The troubling thing about the call is, it came early last week. And when the news came, the Authorities began searching..

Then suddenly it all happened - the County local authorities got the matter straight and released the facts and details on Monday, August 18, 2014.

The acting superintendent of Maryland County is Hon. Nathaniel Toe. Hon. Toe is also assistant superintendent for Development. He is he who released this current and correct information.

I spoke with Hon. Toe via cell phone Monday morning, August 18, 2014. And this is what he told me.

He said the previous rumor about the suspected virus infected lady’s pending travel to Maryland and everything centered on the travel were indeed partially true. But not in its entirety.

Hon. Toe said it has been established that a lady suspected of having the ebola virus was truly on her way to Grand Kru. And that she was passing through Maryland in a commercial vehicle. But the good thing is, she had not yet arrived in Maryland as previously stated in the initial rumor. Security information provided him, established at the lady was expected in Maryland on Sunday, August 17, 2014.

True in deed, the lady got to Maryland on Sunday, August 17.

The Acting Superintendent and his team of local authorities took position in Karlokeh, Karluway District – one hour drive from Downtown Harper – awaiting the arrival of the vehicle.

Via cell phone, Hon. Toe informed me that he and his team were in Karlokeh when the vehicle with the woman finally arrived. Immediately, they stopped the vehicle. They then demanded the vehicle with the lady turn around and head back to its previous origin. The operator argue but up to avail. Hon. Toe and his staff were serious. They told the vehicle would not enter Maryland from that point where they stood.  

Hon. Toe said, there were pleas from Grand Kru authorities to let the lady through. But Maryland local authorities stood their ground. They refused to let her through.

From all indications, someone called the current Minister of Internal Affairs, Hon. Morris Dukuly on the matter while things were in motion. When the Minister heard the case and delve into it while in Monrovia, he expressed his unconditional support for the Maryland County authorities’ stance. Thus, he ordered the vehicle to return back to Monrovia.

Without further delay, the vehicle with the lady and other passengers turned around and left the grounds of Maryland with ease.

From that point, Maryland regained its place as being ebola-free.

Thank God for the early warning. And thanks to the vibrant Local authorities. They did the right thing.

Maryland is safe for now! We can now inhale and exhale. But we need to embark upon stringent preventive measures and a robust awareness campaign to save our people and county from the tentacles of ebola. 

I tip my hat to the Maryland County local authorities for a proactive move to prevent ebola in Maryland.

God bless us all and save us against ebola and all its evils!

I am T. Gbuo-Mle Bedell, social justice advocate, speaking and working on the ground in Liberia and a victim of police brutality.