L. Koiboi Johnson, Justice Minister of Liberia and a brother-in-law of Mr. Charles Taylor has called on the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission, the United States government, and local Human Rights organizations to condemn what he called LURD's act of cruelty meted out against the people of Liberia. Johnson's call came against the backdrop of a TV documentary shown nearly every night over the past three nights depicting child soldiers with knives in their hands threatening to eat the heart of a captured prisoner. This documentary is believed to be the work of a European journalist who worked in LURD'S control area for some time during the course of this year. The Liberian Justice Minister accused those he wants to condemn LURD as "practicing double standard by always condemning the government of Liberia and turning blind eyes to atrocities committed by the rebels."

There is no denying the fact that LURD, like any rebel organization especially in the Liberian setting is involved in terrible acts such the brutal killing of civilians. We do not expect anything good to come from a rebel group. However, Minister Koiboi Johnson should realize that there is a huge difference between his autocratic regime and LURD. The Taylor's regime was elected through the democratic process. That is, the
people of Liberia gave him a mandate to run the affairs of the state in a way that the lives of the citizens of Liberia and their properties would be fully protected. By that mandate, the people expected the equitable distribution of the resources of the country in a way that all Liberians will benefit from the proceeds of our resources.

After five years in power, the NPP led government has proven to be nothing more than the rebel NPFL that it used to be in Gbarnga. When Koiboi Johnson's brother-in-law assumed power in 1997, the first order of business was to torture Samuel Dokie, his wife, sister, and body guard to death. In the case of Dokie, Taylor himself is said to have presided over his torture and later ordered the body to be burnt. The killing spree continues unabated. One of the former NPFL combatants, Bedell Fahn master minded the killing of two Nigerian nationals for allegedly stealing his jewelry. The manner in which the two Nigerians were tortured to death is beyond description.

But Bedell Fahn is today a free man walking the streets of Monrovia as if he never did anything wrong. One Captan Railey killed a fourth grade student in Gbarnga during the course of this year. We are yet to see justice prevail in that case. Quite lately, Chucky Taylor, son of Charles Taylor ordered the beating of his driver, First Lieutenant Isaac Gono to death. Gono was said to have killed a dog with Chucky's vehicle and the dog's blood stain on the vehicle annoyed Chucky. The "Honorable" minister of Justice knows of all these developments. Can he tell us if this is the way that a government ought to behave? Why is he complaining about a rebel group that is not answerable to anyone? For too long his ambition has been to become Justice Minister although his ability to plead law in a courtof competent jurisdiction is highly questionable. In Taylor's Liberia , qualification does not matter at all. It's one closeness to him that matters. So, Koiboi Johnson's qualification for Justice Minister is perhaps his promise to marry Taylor's older sister. Poor Liberia, here we are!

Koiboi Johnson has all right to equate his government with that of LURD because there is absolutely no difference between the two. It is now abundantly clear that Mr. Samuel Doe ran a government that was by far better than what is demonstrated by this group of primitive gangsters who represent the worst that Liberia ever produced. It is tragic that in this 21st century we can have a bunch of clowns and day light robbers masquerading as government officials. The day of reckoning will come when Minister Johnson and all his likes will have to account for the indignity that they continue to subject Liberians to. Since he has no work to do, it is better for him not to pick on the JPC and the American like his colleagues, Sando Johnson and Cyril Allen always do. He should go to Buchanan and question the criminal Asians who are ill treating Liberians like slaves in the OTC empire.