By Tiawan Saye Gongloe
Peace in Liberia must never again be undermined, compromised or disturbed for seeking or maintaining political power. The most important reason for the existence of political power is for the holders of power to maintain the peace, which can only be done by respect for the rule. It is only when peace reins that government is able to seek the general welfare of the owners of power, the people and to make them happy. Therefore, the leaders of the two remaining parties in the race are under a moral duty to specifically and clearly direct their partisans and supporters not to do anything that will under the peace of Liberia in any manner, shape or form, no matter who wins or loses.
On Thursday, two weeks ago, we celebrated Thanksgiving Day in Liberia because on the first Thursday in November, each year, we celebrate Thanksgiving Day in Liberia. This day was set aside by the National Legislature in 1883 as a public holiday, in order to provide an opportunity for all Liberians to individually and collectively reflect on the challenges of the previous year and to thank God for making Liberians to overcome those challenges. We thank God especially for keeping our country peaceful, and helping us to resist the temptation of finding quick emotional relief through the use of violence. Violence may be viewed by some as a quick-fix solution to national problems. But Liberian history has shown that there can be no quick-fix solution to any national problem, especially those emanating from lack of respect for human rights and the rule of law. In 1980, a violent military coup overthrew the True Whig Party, after controlling power from January 1878 to April 11, 1980, a period of one hundred, two years. The coup makers called themselves the Peoples Redemption Council (PRC) and said rampant corruption and abuse of office were the key reasons for their action against the True Whig Party Government. Yet before the military coup, President William R. Tolbert had promised that in 1983, he would step down from power and a presidential election would be held for his replacement in 1983. Apparently, three years seemed too long for the military to wait for a constitutional change in leadership. However, the cost of this quick-fix solution left the country deeply divided, following the assignation of the president and thirteen officials of his government as well as many other unannounced extra-judicial killings of Liberians with connections to the Tolbert government.
The immediate reaction of many Liberians who feared being the next victim of extra-judicial killings or illegal detention was to flee Liberia. Therefore, during the 1980s, many Liberians fled country for safety. While many of those who initially fled the country were Liberians connected in one way or the other to the True Whig Party, beginning 1981, other Liberians who were initially enthusiastic about the military take-over, including some soldiers who had participated in the takeover, began to flee into exile. This situation intensified after five senior members of the military junta including General Thomas Wehsyen, vice head of state and four others were executed following a speedy military trial for allegedly planning to overthrow the People’s Redemption Council Government. More Liberians fled the country when an armed rebellion led by the former commanding General of the Army and senior member of the PRC failed following the 1985 legislative and presidential elections. Four legislative and presidential elections have been held since that time. The 2023 legislative and presidential elections is the fifth election since the overthrow of the True Whig Party government.
It is important to note that the 2023 presidential election is historically important because it is the first of its kind since 1877, one forty six years ago. In 1877, the True Whig Party, a former ruling party represented by presidential candidate Anthony W. Gardner and the Republican Party, a current ruling party, represented by president James Spriggs Payne, contested in the presidential election in that year. But, only those two parties participated in that presidential election. Since that time no ruling party and a former ruling party have participated in a presidential election. One major difference between that election and the 2023 presidential election, in which Unity Party, the only former ruling party and the Coalition for Democratic Change, the current ruling party participated is that in addition to the presidential candidates of those two parties, there were eighteen other presidential candidates. This situation made the political atmosphere very tense. On the one hand the ruling party felt entitled to another term in office and the former ruling party, on the other hand, felt entitled to a resumption of power to correct the failures of the current ruling party, based on its twelve years of experience. Both parties felt that the other eighteen presidential candidates had no business being in the race and it should have been a two horse race. It was, therefore, not strange that the two parties were responsible for the violence that occurred during the first round of the presidential election. It is pleasing to note that the incidence of violence in the second round has been less. However, electoral violence in Liberia is historically more associated with reactions to the outcome of presidential elections and not the process. Hence, Liberians are looking up to President Weah and Hon. Boakai, to use their offices to let peace prevail after the announcement of the final result of the presidential election. We, the presidential candidates of the losing parties, who have aligned ourselves with the remaining two contenders, are under moral obligation to adequately advise our respective sides to remain committed to upholding the peace. We are doing so and expect others to do the same.
The one thing that we must thank God for is that even in the midst of extreme difficulties, Liberians are exchanging more words than blows or gun fires. As the Late veteran journalist, Joe Mulbah used to say, “Jaw, jaw is better than war, war”. No matter what hardship Liberians experience from bad governance, we must resist the temptation to use violence against government as a way of finding solution to any of national problems. The Late venerated Liberian sage and scholar, Dr. Amos Claudius Sawyer, often said there was no quick-fix solution to any national problem. This statement remains profound and instructive today. Think about the urge to end the one party rule of the True Whig Party by a military coup, instead of waiting for the 1983 presidential election promised by President William R. Tolbert. Think about the decision of a few Liberians to end the rule of the military-civilian government of President Samuel K. Doe, by military rebellions, instead of waiting for the 1991 presidential election. After seven years of civil conflict, we held legislative and presidential elections in 1997 and the next election was to be held in 2003, but again we wanted a quick-fix solution. Therefore, the civil conflict resumed for the quick removal of Charles Taylor from power. This action delayed elections for two years. The new civil conflict having met its objective of removing Taylor from power, an interim government was established and the legislative and presidential elections that were scheduled for 2003 were held in 2005.
Since 2005, we have successfully held three presidential and legislative elections, with the first elected female president in Liberia and the first ever in any African country completing two terms of office. We now have the first professional football player elected president of Liberia and the first ever in any African country still in office in his first term. His term of office comes to an end in January next year. It is expected that his term will peacefully end and he will peacefully resume office, if he is re-elected or peacefully turn power over to the remaining opposition candidate in the race, if elected. Most Liberians, if not all, expect peace to prevail under all circumstances. However, peace will only prevail if President George Weah and Hon. Joseph Boakai remain committed to peace and resist the temptation to engage in, encourage, support or approve violence as an acceptable way to retain power or obtain power. Our history is replete with evidence that shows that perpetrators of violence and beneficiaries of violence have paid dearly in one way or another. At this point it is important for both President Weah and Hon. Boakai to make public speeches to their partisans and supporters against violence or the instigation of violence in any shape, manner or form. It is not an honorable thing to do, but a patriotic duty to perform for the people of Liberia.
It is unfortunate that, except for Charles Taylor who won the 1997 presidential election on first round, no presidential election since 2005 has been won on the first round. This was the case in 2005, 2011, 2017 and is now the case in 2023. No scientific research has been done to know the reason behind Taylor’s one round victory, although he did not campaign on the slogan of one round victory as was recently done and none has been done for the failure of any presidential contender to win a one round victory since 2005. Against this background, one can only presume that Taylor is the most popular politician that Liberia has produced since the Liberian civil conflict. The 2023 presidential elections in which the candidate of the current ruling party and the former ruling party obtained nearly equal shares of the presidential votes supports this presumption. This situation which presents Liberia as a country politically divided right in the middle makes the appeal for peace even stronger. The two remaining political leaders in the presidential race bear a greater responsibility for the prevalence of peace in Liberia irrespective of who wins. It is important the two leaders to know that the test of commitment to democracy is one’s ability to graciously accept defeat and not one’s ability to celebrate victory. Liberians expect the two leaders to pass the test of commitment to democracy following the announcement of the final result of the 2023 presidential election for peace to continue to prevail in Liberia.
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Let’s give peace a chance, through adherence to the rule of law. We thank God that Liberians are now gradually using the electoral process to express their grievances about bad governance. They now know that their votes are more powerful than demonstrations or protests as shown by their mass dismissal of over half of the representatives and senators. We thank God for a peaceful electoral process, thus far. We thank God that we have not experience any armed rebellion, civil conflict, flood, fire outbreak, earthquake, volcano, pandemic or any other natural or manmade calamity, this year. May God change the minds of those who govern us to respect the rule of law and human rights as well as to be good to the majority of the Liberian people by conducting themselves in ways that will make all Liberians to attain maximum benefits from the income generated from the natural resources of Liberia so that all Liberians can say, “Thank God for giving us a great country”. Let peace prevail, no matter who wins or who loses. Peace first, peace last.
