Liberia Wants No More War
By Winsley S. Nanka
July 31, 2000

The Liberian people have suffered a lot, and do not want another armed group professing to be their liberator. Our experiences with Samuel Doe, Prince Johnson, Charles Taylor, George Boley, Alhaji Kromah, Roosevelt Johnson and other Liberian warlords have shown us that armed men only fight for their selfish agendas.

In 1980 Samuel Doe and his Peoples Redemption Council seized power promising to bring about equality, freedom and justice to the Liberian people. What Liberia got instead was a brutal tribalistic "minivilian" regime that violated the civil and constitutional rights of Liberians. In addition, Samuel Doe presided over a kleptocracy that mismanaged the Liberia economy.

Charles Taylor and his National Patriotic Forces invaded Liberia in 1989 with yet another promise of Liberia's liberation from the suppressive regime of Samuel Doe. Charles Taylor and his gang of thugs instead killed more than 250, 000 people, and are now presiding over an inefficient, inept, corrupt and "lootocratic" government.

Now come Joe Wylie and his movement - Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) promising the liberation of Liberia from the brutal and suppressive regime of Charles Taylor and his National Patriotic Party. How can we be assured that Joe Wylie and his group are any different from Samuel Doe, Charles Taylor, and the other Liberian warlords? Judging from Wylie's previous association with Roosevelt Johnson, a ULIMO-J ethnic warlord, one can conclude that his group may be nothing more than another rebel group interested in promoting its ethnocentric agenda once in power.

The Liberian people know that Charles Taylor's government is incapable of governing Liberia. However, the solution is not another rebel group proclaiming to be Liberia's liberator. Joe Wylie and Capt. Emmanuel Moore must put their arms down and fight Taylor democratically. Armed struggle is not the solution to Liberia's problems. The consequence of armed struggle, as we have seen in the past, is that our poor people who do not have the resources to travel out of Liberia that will suffer most. There may also be another massive destruction of lives and properties that may set back socioeconomic development in Liberia. Taylor and his cronies may leave Liberia untouched.

The use of force to effect political change is detrimental to development of a democratic society. Based on Liberians past experiences with the use of force to achieve political objectives, should Liberians support military adventurism in Lofa County? No!

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