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Editorial

Editorial: Killings vs Rule of Law: The Sad Story of Liberia

An unprecedented wave of killings has permeated our society in the past three months or more, so much so that almost each day comes with news of killings in this or that community. The arbitrary killings appear to indicate that we now live in a lawless country where the rule of the jungle has replaced the rule of law. The killings in our country are countless and scaring, and seem to raise serious security question thus, we begin to wonder whether we are still in the war era or the rule of law has become a toothless bulldog.

For instance, in April this year, we reported how a man butchered a little girl at their Gardnerville residence after his girlfriend fled the room for rescue to neighbors in the community while she was being battled for failure to account for LD2, 000. Before then, a man killed his wedded wife in Paynesville after he reportedly caught the woman with another man in a motel. Within the same period, a boy butchered his sister in Caldwell with a shovel and set their home ablaze before fleeing the scene.

A Ghanaian man reportedly stabbed his girlfriend to death in Paynesville after he suspected her of engaging in an extra love affair. Last week Sunday (July 3, 2011) a 21-year-old man Fumba Konneh, stabbed his uncle’s wife to death in Kakata, Margibi County. The Following day, two soldiers of the Armed Forces of Liberia butchered a police officer, Henry Freeman to death in Paynesville over a lover.

It is saddened that these predominantly domestic violence are unfolding at the time when this country is gearing up for general and presidential elections. Here, we would want to caution all Liberians that the kind of atmosphere we create for ourselves during these elections could affect the entire process and reverse the gains achieved in the past six years. We believe that more than ever before, it is about time that government applies the long hand of the law to curb the wave of domestic violence that seem to threaten the cohesion of the smallest unit of our society which is the family, something if not curb that could eventually undermine the social, economic and political stability of the entire country.

By this, we mean it is not enough to effect arrests here and there after these heartless and blood-thirsty murders but that the law should be expeditiously applied so that justice can be delivered to those deserving parties to serve as deterrence. Unless the law is seen to be applied in an effective manner to assure citizens and foreign residents of maximum security protection, the entire justice system is counterproductive to the sustenance of genuine peace and stability which has eluded us for so long.

At 164, it is a pity that we as Liberians should continue to live like barbarians. What is even more disgusting is that our security forces are now busy getting at one another rather than focusing on protecting lives and property-This brings into question the issue of discipline. We all should realize by now that an indiscipline security force is a useless tool and therefore, an embarrassment to the state.

For too long, the people have lived in terror. They can no longer afford to continue this way of life. They need to redirect their minds to positive things and re-channel their energies to productive activities rather than spilling blood, which had relegated our country to the dungeon of poverty, ignorance and disease.

In short, we call for an immediate end to the killings in order to focus on moving our country ahead with development in a society that is characterized by decency and respect for human lives and the rule of law. Spilling blood in our various homes and communities is a direct recipe for nurturing a generation of vultures and hardcore criminals who could lead this country to complete doom.

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