The October/December 1998 Issue Of The Perspective

Where Is Our Moral Outrage?
As 1998 rapidly ebbs into the annals of human events and a new year dawns on the horizon, Liberians everywhere have hoped that their country would have made substantial progress toward mending the rift of war and bridging the national division.

An Eyewitness Account Of The September 18 Massacre
The event that climaxed the Camp Johnson Road incident started with the usual government accusations of people wanting to destabilize the country and overthrow the government. These accusations lingered until Roosevelt Johnson went to the United States for medical treatment several months ago. When Johnson returned home surreptitiously, Taylor's fear heightened and his comfort level dropped disastrously low.

Issues In Perspective:The Trap Of Ethnicity -The Case Of Grand Gedeh And Nimba Counties
The strategy of ethnicity in Africa is nothing new to modern African political scene. The British invented the strategy, as we know it today. You may recall it was referred to as "The Divide and Rule" strategy. It was implemented during the colonial and post-colonial eras. Even today, Nigeria and other former colonized countries are suffering from its effects.

A Call For New Alternative
For many years, I have used this space to lash out at those who plunged Liberia into its current quagmire. I have said that such lowlifes who engineered and oversaw the death of thousands of Liberians should not be allowed to govern the country.

A Look At Relations With Neighboring States And The U.S.
In his inaugural address Taylor promised, among other things, to maintain good neighbourliness, but recent events prove that he is the major source of insecurity in the region. The effective pursuit of Liberian foreign policy which is reflective of the country's post-war realities is hamstrung by the lack of properly trained and an experienced foreign minister.

Decentralization: A Question Of Democracy And Governance
If one were taking stock of some of the significant events and developments which occurred in 1998, several occasions can be cited. Topping the list would be the Dokie murder trial in which there was a miscarriage of justice; the September massacre of over 300 unarmed Liberians on Camp Johnson Road by government security forces and the subsequent shoot-out at the American Embassy in Monrovia, in government's hot pursuit of enemies.

Liberia: ECOWAS Dilemma
The recent 21st ECOWAS Summit should have dealt with entirely new issues if the Liberian peace process had produced responsible actors attuned to the necessity of reconciling their people and the imperative for sub-regional harmony. Instead, after eight years of ECOMOG involvement in search for peace in Liberia and the sacrifice of some of the best sons and daughters of the sub-region, the Summit dealt with the simmering bloody cauldron in that pitiful country.

Grand Kru Senator Refuses To Answer Political Questions
The Liberian Community Association of Metropolitan Atlanta (LAMA) had a taste of what transpires in the present day Liberian senate at the community monthly meeting on October 11 through the presence of Hon. Beatrice Nimely, senator from Grand Kru County.

Holding Political Chameleons Accountable
Much has been written about the principal players in the seven-year national holocaust in Liberia. Primarily, the principal players claimed they launched their various rebellions in order to right what were wrong in the Liberian society.