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CommentaryFeatures

Open Letter to the Honorable House of Representatives

 25 North Coca Cola Factory Court, Paynesville, P. O. Box 1460, 1000 Monrovia 10, Liberia

Tel. (+231-880)954-428/(+231-770)433-959.Email:gbala9@aol.com/baimaysongbala@yahoo.com

November 12, 2021

Honorable Dr. Bhofal Chambers, Speaker

Members, House of Representatives, R. L.

Capitol Building, Capitol Hill, Monrovia

Sirs/Madam:

As your constituent Senior Citizen/Elder and lifetime public servant, I present sincere compliments of the highest esteem.

I pen this Letter in deep sorrow and despair for the future of our country and people, in response to and because of your action in passing the Act to repeal the Liberian Alien & Nationality Law of 1973. In doing so, you are not only in violation of human Reason, Liberian statutory and constitutional laws, but also, that you may have compounded Liberia’s problem of dual citizenship, the Cesspool of political corruption – “demand and receipt of ‘legislated bribes’”.  Please permit me to invite your attention to the following:

Since 1847 to the present, the Republic of Liberia had been ruled by two Political Parties, the Republican Party (RP) for 23 years (1847-1870) and the dreaded True Whig Party (TWP) for 110 years (1870-1980) with 10-year interruption by the Military coup d’état (1980-1990) led by indigenous NCOs of the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) and the return of TWP-oriented “interim” and “elected” political administrations for 28 years to the present (1991-2017).

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Controversy from Electoral Process  

We went into into President George Weah Political Administration in 2018 with mixed feelings from the bitter experience of the Political Controversy, the results by the-now retired President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and her ruling political loyalists and Associates.  It is important to note that this controversy is tearing the country apart, with possibility of another, deadly socio-economic and political explosion much more than we have seen and experienced.

 Dual Citizenship

That prevailing national controversy regarding the October 10, 2017 Elections arose, among many others, from the desire of the ruling political power to protect itself by holding on, tightly, to its self-interest of Dual Citizenship, although the processis against Liberian Constitutional and statutory Law.

Accordingly, we recommended that efficient/effective enforcement of all laws against dual citizenship in Liberia be strengthened and that the several proposed legislations seeking amendment/repeal pending before the National Legislature be denied for the following reasons that:

  1. because the socio-economic and political conditions that gave rise to the passing of the laws are as valid today as they were when the laws were passed some 50 years ago,

There is, significantly, profound negative impact of Dual Citizenship felt, in Liberia, in two notable, very important National Security, Political and Economic areas:

National Security – Political/Conflict

In National Security, the word “allegiance” means and says that we, Liberian citizens, promise Loyalty, exclusive and unrestrained, with lawful binding obligation. Becausecitizenshipcarries with it the responsibility and obligation to be exclusively loyal to one country at a time, the concept of Dual citizenship, therefore, raises questions about which of the dual citizenships have priority.

This condition is very important when and where the two countries have opposing interests. In the case of a declared war, threat of war or a conflict, for example, our allegiance and loyalty to the Republic of Liberia must preclude any other interest, be it another country or political ideology.

It can be a deadly problem when and where a dual citizen occupies a high position in our Liberian Government.  Reflect, for a moment, the possible results of a Liberian dual citizen being involved in sensitive foreign policy issues, serving in the Ministry of National Defense during conflict with a foreign country.  Today’s conflicts are at Liberia’s doorsteps; Liberia is surrounded by nations with governments dominated or ruled by militant Muslim-Islamist or BOKO Haran, that  has “weapons of Mass Destruction” that Liberia does not possess.

Political/Economic

Historically, Dual Citizens controlled and dominated Liberia’s Political Economy and Political Decision-making Power during the 174 years of the Nation’s political independence and continuing. Through control and absolute domination of Liberia’s Politics and Economics with fabulous salaries and related income “earned” in Liberia, Dual Citizens have been, and are able to transfer funds out of Liberia, regularly, with which they purchased, are purchasing homes, maintained and maintaining families with education of children in foreign countries, the simultaneous, second homes of these Liberian dual citizens. They travel, very often, to and from these countries to which they owe exclusive loyalty and patriotism and in which they hold fabulous bank accounts.

Importantly, as citizens of foreign countries and, simultaneously, citizens of Liberia (Dual Citizens) who hold major Public Policy decision-making power, it had been, and is. in their best political/economic interests for the Republic of Liberia to buy goods services imported from these foreign countries infinitively, excessively and dangerously, rather than take planning/development decisions for Liberia to establish industrial entities in Liberia for production of goods and services for domestic consumption and the export trade.

Dual Nationality or Dual Citizenship (in Liberia)

During the formative years in the founding of the Liberian Nation and many years thereafter, Dual Citizenship was one of the major political/economic criteria that separated the African-American, immigrant citizens from the African-Indigenous citizens.

The leading group-founders, immigrant African-American Forefathers of the Liberian Nation and their families maintained citizenships of the countries of their origin, with the United States as the favorite, long after declaration of political/economic independence.

But Liberian leaders became conscious not only pressures of territorial encroachments by neighboring colonial states, but also acts of political infidelity by Liberian citizens who continue illegal practice of dual citizenship. Also conscious of the International convention – that no person shall be citizens of two independent, sovereign states, simultaneously, at the same time – the Liberian Leaders moved into action against dual citizenship violations.

Borrowing the US Law of the same title – Alien and Nationality Law – Liberia enacted the prevailing Liberian Alien and Nationality Law and later, article 28 of the Liberian Constitution which out-lawed Dual Nationality. But the illegal practice continues up to this day by officials of government through political corruption.

The “Been-to” Craze

Beginning from and with the African-American, immigrant citizens’ characteristic addiction to Dual Nationality, African-Indigenous “seaside” citizens joined the foreign citizenship “thing” (mainly USA) to become members of the socio-political, prestigious “Been-to” Craze of the 1950s-1960s, developed into the-now Liberia Dual Citizenship Maxi/major Revolution, replacing the mighty Masonic Craft.

Today, this day during our times and throughout Liberian history, it had been, and still is in the best political and economic interests for Liberians who are national decision-makers and, simultaneously, citizens of foreign countries, for Liberia to import, continuously, goods and services from countries of their citizenships. Therefore, these prominent Dual Citizens rejected, continue to reject participation in planning/placing organizations for production of goods and services for local consumption and international trade and commerce.

All, almost, members of the Three Branches of Liberian Government – Legislative, Executive and Judiciary – including ministers of state, deputies and assistants; all, almost, of the executive officials and chairpersons of Boards of state-owned enterprises; all, almost, of commissions, special agencies, organizations of government; all, almost, of counselors and attorneys-at-law; etc., etc. are citizens of foreign countries, with allegiance, loyalty and patriotism to foreign countries.

No Wonder that:

a) Lawmakers, lawyers, executive officials of the Liberian government are the most frequent lawbreakers in Liberia;

b) Liberian Ambassadors Plenipotentiary to the Court of Saint James, UK, the United States and elsewhere, now hold two passports – one Liberian, diplomatic and the other, USA, ordinary;

c) All, almost, political parties, politicians and candidates for President of Liberia supported the former illegal chairman (Cllr. Jerome Korkoya) of the National Elections Commissions (NEC) for obvious reasons;

d) Proven corruption, criminals and related activities are, now, leading officials of major opposition coalition political parties;

e) Now the Flag Bearer of a political party who spent all of his adult, productive life out of Liberia in a foreign country and became a citizen of that foreign country; knows very little or nothing about Liberian socio-economic and political dynamics of who said/say, did/do what, when and why to whom and context of the dynamics, is now in Liberia as a candidate for President of Liberia and he has been permitted to stand by the illegal chairman of the NEC;

f) Indeed, what happened or where is the modern traditional democratic campaign of aggressive, competitive challenges, etc., particularly, regarding citizenship which rests, significantly, not only on allegiance and loyalty but also, patriotism, during humankind’s life in the social state!!

Madam Leymah Gbowee, Liberia’s Nobel Peace Lauriate asks:

What Will We Love About Liberia in 10 Years?

         and upon reflection, she says:

Today, it has become commonplace to see older men and women sexually involved with girls and boys significantly younger than them without a hint of remorse. In times past, while these things occurred, they were considered abnormal. Currently, it is normalized and accepted.

  • Drug addiction has overtaken about a quarter of a million of our youths. Every community has a drug den or two.
  • Barely functional school systems have seen the teaching profession relegated to a place where it has become a side hustle.
  • The Health system, where the oath to save and preserve lives is flippantly regarded. Depending on one’s status in society, their medical record may be subject to social media postings without considering the subsequent impact on the individual or their family.
  • The legal system functions primarily for those who can bribe their way to a favorable decision – justice exists mainly for the rich and powerful.
  • Honors in our religious communities are priced and bestowed upon the highest bidder.
  • Women are raped, abused and mistreated without any legal or social recourse.
  • Eighteen years since the silencing of the guns, we continue to blame our violent past for our recent shortcomings. I have learned that to solve a query, one must first accept and admit to the presenting problems.

Your action, therefore, is as illegal as it is un-reasonable and not in the interest of the majority but you, the very few Dual citizens dominated by Dual citizens in the CESSPOOL OF POLITICAL CORRUPTION!!!

Kind Regards,

Bai M. Gbala, Sr.

Editor’s Note: The views and opinions expressed in this article are that of the author and not of the paper.

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