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Despite Liberia’s dire economic circumstances, the Unity Party had cause for a pompous display of pageantry albeit to celebrate Liberia’s 163rd independence anniversary.

Considering the overwhelming poverty and widespread destitution impacting MAJORITY of Liberians one would have imagined this occasion and ALL other planned celebrations be observed in a low key manner. It could also be a day of sober reflection of where we are, how we got here and the way forward.

The Unity Party’s zest for wasteful spending, that adds no value to our national life and or positively impact Liberians needs to stop !

What is there to celebrate when 80% of your constituents are unemployed ?

What is there to celebrate when over 80% of your constituents live far below the poverty line ?

What is there to celebrate when MOST citizens have no access to portable running water ?

What is there to celebrate when the country is overcome by darkness - lack of electricity ?

What is there to celebrate when the STRATIFICATION of our social and political structures are been enhanced !

What is there to celebrate when a significant number of your constituents are ILLETERATE ?

What is there to celebrate when the national economy is dependent and CONTROLLED by a FEW powerful elites?

What is there to celebrate when the very government is overcome by CORRUPTION ?

Until the Unity Party can give honest answers to these questions her LACK of vision and ability to provide solutions to the myriad of problems facing Liberia will always be EXPOSED.

What actually do we celebrate on July 26th? Independence ? From whom ? Remember, the bulk of Liberians are still feeling the impact(s) of Matilda Newport’s cannon shot !

This strange form of celebration amidst overwhelming poverty is akin to the very “temporary relief” provided by illegal chemical substances - sadly, once their effects wane REALITY sets in !

We will ALL be in a better position to jubilate and or CELEBRATE when the Unity Party government provides the needed leadership to pull Liberians out of the crippling grips of poverty and set Liberian on a course of sustainable growth and development.

Benjamin Kofa Fyneah
Gainesville, Florida |
]]> http://liberiaspeaks.com/starke/index.php?entry=entry100727-100441 No Author Tue, 27 Jul 2010 14:04:41 GMT http://liberiaspeaks.com/starke/comments.php?y=10&m=07&entry=entry100727-100441 http://liberiaspeaks.com/starke/index.php?entry=entry100725-113411

The Unity Party currently finds itself on the wrong side of the political debate in Liberia. Here we have an incumbent party so unpopular that it has to resort to continuous skullduggery to stay afloat.

Liberians are pestered with daily chest beatings of paid spokespersons whose actions are tantamount to a callous display of assumed political invincibility. For the Unity Party there seems to exist TWO Liberias. One Liberia where the minority elites fare well and the other Liberia where the silent majority slip deeper and deeper into poverty and dearth. If left unchecked, this party is hell-bent on plunging our nation further into the economic abyss.

Liberians were recently subjected to the bogus semi-utopian promises of the PRS. Earlier we had the multiple investments announcements by major international corporations – regurgitated by NIC’s Tolbert (who couldn’t provide an accurate count of the jobs his outfit created). Then we had the FREE money SCAM for votes in Bomi. To top it all we had the shameful public adulations of the Pyrrhic victory regarding DEBT relief. A RELIEF that offered NOTHING in the near term for the 80% of Liberians who are unemployed and live way below the “poverty line”.

Politically, it is evident that the Unity Party is at its wits end. Even the dangling of Commany’s wife before the citizens of River Gee could NOT guarantee the Unity Party a victory there.

Despite the mentioned PUBLIC failures the Unity Party, overwhelmed by self-induced stupor assumes that the opposition CDC is irrelevant. Its members mainly composed of brigands and its leaders woefully unprepared for national leadership. On the other hand the CDC has proven itself to be a better alternative to the failed leadership of the Unity Party.

One would imagine that with the Unity Party accumulated illegal largess coupled with its penchant for illegalities the River Gee by-elections would have been a foregone conclusion. The aftermath of this by-election will to a large extend be a shadow of the 2011 presidential elections.

As we all wait the second round the Unity Party is at a loss to properly articulate to Liberians what tangible deliverables her stewardship has offered them all these four plus years.

With this plethora of failures it is ONLY a very irresponsible and insensitive administration that will seek a second term despite lacking a clear vision to improve the lives of Liberians.

As we go to press, one of the embodiments of Liberian law enforcement and justice, former police director Munah Sieh, has been recommended for prosecution for alleged acts of corruption – the least said about this REGULAR occurrence will suffice!

In its bizarre zero sum game, the Unity party has resigned Liberians to fail as the party slides down the slippery slope into oblivion.

In the cause of the people the STRUGGLE continues.

Benjamin Kofa Fyneah
Gainesville, Florida | http://liberiaspeaks.com/starke
]]> http://liberiaspeaks.com/starke/index.php?entry=entry100725-113411 No Author Sun, 25 Jul 2010 15:34:11 GMT http://liberiaspeaks.com/starke/comments.php?y=10&m=07&entry=entry100725-113411 http://liberiaspeaks.com/starke/index.php?entry=entry100715-181426
A good manager runs regular assessments of his/her business to ensure its operation is in line with projections and unnecessary losses are avoided at all cost. I believe that that the act of governance follows similar patterns. We all can only wonder what the format of the cabinet meetings of the government of Liberia is.

Here we have the head manager, Madame Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf running an entity, the government of Liberia, with the WORST display of managerial acumen imaginable. How is it possible that the former police director is been recommended for prosecution ? Are some of the major expenditures of the government's institutions NOT discussed at cabinet meetings to ensure due diligence is been observed ?

Is the president running the country with the failed “absentee landlord” methodology ? I believe with this level of incompetence and wrong decisions it is safe to conclude so.

Sam Jackson Latest Rant - CDC disorganized from within?
The latest public rant attributed to Mr Sam Jackson should at best be ignored for the vapid urgings that it is, however a brief reaction will suffice.

This is a man who associated with the LPRC when Edwin Snow held sway. A man who gladly served the fiend Charles Taylor WELL and now a self-promoting lackey of the Unity Party government under the guise of the “I am still an NPP member”.

Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf associated with a mass MURDERER, Charles Taylor, and publicly stated that she gave him $10,000 - this was no news for Mr Jackson but George Weah association with Mr Bestman is breaking news !

A significant number of Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf's appointees are CORRUPT - this is no news for Mr Jackson, yet the CDC is disorganized - illogic to the HILT !

Unity Party Show of Shame goes UNNOTICED !
Mr Jackson, you need not look beyond your nose to unearth DISORGANIZATION. What about the recent show of shame within the Unity Party where Varney Sherman singlehandedly tried to overturn the will of Unity Party partisans ? Maybe by your standards that act was acceptable and showcased no signs of disorganization.

Until Mr Jackson and his ilk realized the CDC as an institution is here to stay. They will ALWAYS be found on the wrong side of history in this very crucial time in the political history of our nation.

Lastly Mr Jackson, the good book says when you are neither HOT nor cold the good Lord himself will spit you out of his mouth. It is high time you stand up for something - especially so - what is RIGHT

In the cause of the people the STRUGGLE continues.

Benjamin Kofa Fyneah
Gainesville, Florida
]]> http://liberiaspeaks.com/starke/index.php?entry=entry100715-181426 No Author Thu, 15 Jul 2010 22:14:26 GMT http://liberiaspeaks.com/starke/comments.php?y=10&m=07&entry=entry100715-181426 http://liberiaspeaks.com/starke/index.php?entry=entry100713-142410 The CDC represents peace

Never since the heydays of the so-called PAL have there been a phenomena or entity that have captivated the Liberian political psyche as the CDC.

This group of dedicated Liberians have risen from obscurity to now represent the collective voice of the suffering Liberian masses who unending desire and cries for social justice have yet to be acknowledged and or acted upon by the ruling class.

While PAL and her allies were hell-bent on literally destroying the old order that they imagined was steeped in inequality akin to apartheid, the CDC seeks genuine change via the ballot box.

Elections Aftermath
The aftermath of the 1985 elections in Liberian was the tipping point for the opposition. Their loss was unbearable. They sought redress not in a court of law but through violent machinations that resulted in the failed 1985 Quiwonkpa invasion. That episode reinforced our tribal divisions and set the stage for the battle for our nation’s soul - a battle that left hundreds of thousands dead and our nation in ruins.

The CDC represents peace
After its farcical loss of the 2005 elections the CDC sought redress in our court of law. Despite the overwhelming evidence of electoral fraud , Liberians, the international community and sincere friends of Liberia prevailed upon the leadership of the CDC to accept a loss in an election it WON. Today we are ALL enjoying the peace of that wise decision.

Old Soldiers New War
The Unity Party besides it name has MORPHED into a mirror image of the True Whig Party. Its policies of societal stratification and “trickle down economics” where the majority are at the mercy of the well placed minority is in full swing. To complete this callous travesty, OLD and tired TWP hands have been enlisted in their perceived NEW war, on the Liberian masses, brandishing their three most vicious weapons - Lies, treachery and fear mongering.

Fear of the Unknown
Never before have ordinary Liberians been inspired to get involved in the decision making processes that affect theirs lives. The relentless fight against the socio-political SCHISM is ongoing - thanks to the political inroads and gains of the CDC political machinery. As the Unity party come to terms with its dwindling popularity that would ultimately culminate in its loss of the 2011 elections, her operatives now seek solace in fear mongering. Their motto has become - “we have failed but the other guys could be worse”.

Only in Liberia
It is ONLY in Liberia that parties such as the Unity Party could be this BRAZEN to wage a re-election campaign. This government that is plagued with utter failure, INEPTITUDE, nepotism and crippled by its own lust for corruption should be bound for the DUSTBIN of our political annals. Liberians are collectively amazed as to the reasons for which the Unity Party wants or imagine it deserves a second chance at the helm .

As the winds of real change blow across the length and breadth of our nation the CDC’s message of hope, national unity, development and a better life for our children will always resonate across Liberia and once again give HOPE to a distraught nation and people.

CDC Muyan !

Benjamin Kofa Fyneah
Gainesville, Florida
]]> http://liberiaspeaks.com/starke/index.php?entry=entry100713-142410 No Author Tue, 13 Jul 2010 18:24:10 GMT http://liberiaspeaks.com/starke/comments.php?y=10&m=07&entry=entry100713-142410 http://liberiaspeaks.com/starke/index.php?entry=entry100712-110957
Truth and justice, I believe, are some of the core principles upon which the CDC as an institution is anchored. That is why the current news emanating from Monrovia regarding the alleged beating of a police officer by the security detail of Deputy Speaker Togba Mulbah leaves me wondering what really transpired.

I believe ALL peace-loving CDCians MUST be willing to distance ourselves and our party from individuals who public behavior casts doubts and aspersions on the party as an institution.

One would acknowledge that the police is the personification of law and order and there MUST be no undue interference in the conduct of their duties no matter the political positions of the personalities involved. Physical confrontation and verbal altercations that have the potential for violence, especially so involving the police, should be avoided at all cost.

No one benefits when a policeman is subjected to violence of this sort no matter the perceived wrong. The party must immediately design and or ENFORCE a “code of conduct” to regulate the public actions of our officials.

Officials who resort to violence should be throughly investigated and if found at fault should be expelled from the party. We can no more shield unruly individuals from imagined darts of the Unity Party.

As we approach the elections of 2011, there will be agitations and provocations. We will experience myriad interactions with fifth columnists, agent provocateurs and crude saboteurs.

Our public conduct should exhibit all the hallmarks of decency a high sense of respect for the law and the pursuit of justice.

It is incumbent upon every CDCian to always publicly demonstrate exemplary character as we try to shake of the many wrong public perceptions of our party.

I will plead with the honorable deputy speaker to fully co-orporate with the police investigation in order for justice to take its course.

This sad episode should serve as a opprobrious milestone and an icon of ignominy that should NEVER be repeated.

Violence is not a show of strength but a sign of WEAKNESS.


Benjamin Kofa Fyneah
Gainesville, Florida
]]> http://liberiaspeaks.com/starke/index.php?entry=entry100712-110957 No Author Mon, 12 Jul 2010 15:09:57 GMT http://liberiaspeaks.com/starke/comments.php?y=10&m=07&entry=entry100712-110957 http://liberiaspeaks.com/starke/index.php?entry=entry100707-182908
As the euphoria surrounding the debt waiver granted Liberia by her major creditors wanes reality has finally set in.

For the first time Liberians are anxious to get involved in the process of national loans negotiations, know the true intent and terms surrounding those loans and ensure that TRANSPARENCY and fairness are the umbrella principles throughout the processes.

It seems the Unity Party government again is taking Liberians for granted by unilaterally appointing officials of the Debt Management Committee. Once again the Government of the Unity Party have missed an opportunity to live up to its name as the Unity Party of Liberia.

This welcome debt relief presented us yet another opportunity for consensus building and national unity. The Johnson-Sirleaf government MUST accept the fact that REPAYMENT of any loans to be acquired, in the near future, will be the responsibility of EVERY Liberian, whether one is a Unity Party partisan or NOT !

While citing the Public Finance Management Act 2009 as a rationale for the setup of its Debt Management Committee, the Act as passed makes no mention of the composition of the committee.

One would be right to seek more information on the antecedents of the members of this Debt Management Committee. Are they skilled in international and national loan negotiations ? Are they fully aware of the long term implications and impacts of loans on the national economy ? Do they fully understand debt management ? Or is this pronouncement, like most of the Unity Party public antics, yet another charade meant to cajole the Liberian people while saddling them with a Trojan Horse.

I believe that Liberians will collectively shudder at the prospect that this debt relief which was intended to guarantee us a new start could be abused by unscrupulous and oblivious government officials and could ultimately trigger a new cycle of dependency.

In the cause of the people, the STRUGGLE continues !

Government links:
http://www.emansion.gov.lr/press.php?news_id=1513
http://www.mof.gov.lr/doc/Financial%20R ... 2.2010.pdf

Benjamin Kofa Fyneah
Gainesville, Florida
]]> http://liberiaspeaks.com/starke/index.php?entry=entry100707-182908 No Author Wed, 07 Jul 2010 22:29:08 GMT http://liberiaspeaks.com/starke/comments.php?y=10&m=07&entry=entry100707-182908 http://liberiaspeaks.com/starke/index.php?entry=entry100629-110919
The Unity Party political machinery, obviously overheated, is on yet another doomed voyage in its latest foray into River Gee County. Liberians are currently witnessing an amassing of forces who sole intent is victory at all cost – literally

The new-found bravura

Emboldened by the lack of widespread public condemnation regarding its recent handling of quasi-nepotism charge, raised by one of its officials - which ultimately led to an elected party official relinquishing his elected position.

The conjured aura of raw power and invincibility has totally consumed the collective conscience of the Party’s hierarchy – Indeed ANYTHING is now possible !

Like the recent Montserrado County by-election, the Unity Party is throwing every weapon in its arsenal into this fight to ensure victory.

Political expediency is now the norm. The people’s will doesn’t matter anymore. Their preferred candidate, Mr. Christian Snorteh Chea, is not only mired in controversy but has NOT fully relinquished his membership of the Liberty Party. (http://necliberia.org/content/Saturday.%20June%2026%20Press%20Conf..pdf | http://liberianonline.com/modules.php?n ... mp;pid=214

A second referendum?

The Unity Party has been REEJECTED by a MAJORITY of Liberians. Its maladministration and unusual penchant for corruption and a plethora of similar vices have made it not only unpopular but a sad example of what genuine leadership and sense of political acumen represent.

Liberians do NOT need a second referendum on the Unity Party. The people of Liberia spoke via the recent Montserrado county by-election where they handed the Unity Party a resounding defeat despite her overwhelming financial strength and pre-election shenanigans.

We all desire to see the Unity Party’s machinery exposed and humiliated before all and sundry, we can ONLY hope that it doesn’t get stuck in the MUD on the way to River Gee.

In the CAUSE of the people, the Struggle continues.


Benjamin Kofa Fyneah
Gainesville, Florida
]]> http://liberiaspeaks.com/starke/index.php?entry=entry100629-110919 No Author Tue, 29 Jun 2010 15:09:19 GMT http://liberiaspeaks.com/starke/comments.php?y=10&m=06&entry=entry100629-110919 http://liberiaspeaks.com/starke/index.php?entry=entry100625-001000
The ripples of the internal war within the Unity Party are been felt within Liberia and beyond. Ordinary Liberians it seems are shocked beyond description at this obvious blatant show of power and influence by the Chairman-Elect Mr. Varney Sherman.

Does Nepotism exists within the Unity Party
Mr. Sherman's claim of being a newly invigorated anti-nepotistic warrior rings hollow and presents yet another strange dimension to this shameful public charade.

We all can only imagine whose bidding Mr Sherman is carrying out and what are the specific reasons for which the party hierarchy has turned on one of its own.

Did Mr. Fahnbulleh cross unseen lines ? Did he break unwritten rules ? Whatever the reasons are, the Unity Party has unknowingly fired the fatal shot that would ultimately result in the death of its very soul. The impacts of the “Fahnbulleh debacle” will forever be an icon of shame and a blot on the collective conscience of the party’s hierarchy.

Who is Medina ?
It is also evident that the Unity Party believes it has the Western votes (Bomi and Grand Cape Mount counties) locked down and the choice of Medina Wesseh is yet another political calculation in their bizarre calculus for victory in 2011.

Political parties in Liberia should regard this giant show of shame as an unambiguous warning and decipher for themselves the length to which the Unity Party is prepared to go to ensure it wins the 2011 election.

A party that will publicly demand one of its internally elected officials resigns and offers his elected position to the loser of the same election is not only desperate but has callously displayed its penchant for illegality..

With the River Gee by-elections on the horizon one can only wonder if this is a show of strength or a veiled ploy to illegally garner support in the far eastern counties.

Whatever their rationale, we have all witnessed a blatant disregard for established rules that should serve as an ominous warning of the DEVIOUS shenanigans to be visited upon Liberians in our near political future.

In the cause of the people, the STRUGGLE continues !

Benjamin Kofa Fyneah
Gainesville, Florida
]]> http://liberiaspeaks.com/starke/index.php?entry=entry100625-001000 No Author Fri, 25 Jun 2010 04:10:00 GMT http://liberiaspeaks.com/starke/comments.php?y=10&m=06&entry=entry100625-001000 http://liberiaspeaks.com/starke/index.php?entry=entry100607-043939
It is common knowledge that minions of the Unity Party and their handlers in Monrovia have a vested interest in destroying the very credibility of Mr Weah and to a large extent the CDC as an organization.

We can all wonder WHAT the alleged arrest of a FRIEND of Mr Weah has got to do with Mr Weah himself ! Are the detractors now saying that Mr Weah and the CDC should perform rigorous BACKGROUND CHECKS on everyone that Mr Weah meets ?

I can imagine the hues and cries and the level of angst(s) that will be directed at Mr Weah, who is obviously a people person if he decides to robustly scrutinize the people he meets.

We ALL are NOT responsible for the actions of our friends and acquaintances. What they do should be for THEMSELVES to explain.

Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is on record saying she met Charles Taylor, a VICIOUS murderer of THOUSANDS, and even gave him $10,000.

Her backers see NOTHING wrong with her association with such a villain.

While we would advocate for some level of due diligence to be applied in Mr Weah's process of association, we will in no way try to LIMIT and or restrict his association with the people.

This EMPTY story is obviously meant to dent the very good news coming out of Minneapolis, Minnesota after the recent "very successful" CDC-USA convention.

While it is a know FACT that Mr Weah has NO credibility issues, we have witnessed, in the recent weeks relentless attacks on his credibility and that of the CDC as an institution - ALL of the attacks have so far FALLEN FLAT due to lack of substance(s).

Remember the “deal with Ellen regarding 2011” ? Remember the CDC secretary general travel with Ellen to the USA saga ? Now we have the “drug dealer connection” only heaven knows what else is coming down the turnpike !

If the CDC’s detractors are happy with the status quo in Liberian I wish them well, but they should know that there are other Liberians who believe they could do a better job and improve the lot of our people.

No amount of intimidation, harassments and flagrant assassination of character will deter us from our goals !

In the cause of the people, the STRUGGLE continues !

Benjamin Kofa Fyneah
Gainesville, Florida
]]> http://liberiaspeaks.com/starke/index.php?entry=entry100607-043939 No Author Mon, 07 Jun 2010 08:39:39 GMT http://liberiaspeaks.com/starke/comments.php?y=10&m=06&entry=entry100607-043939 http://liberiaspeaks.com/starke/index.php?entry=entry100522-071302
Most Liberian experienced yesterday the Town Hall Meeting that NEVER was. Indeed a golden opportunity for genuine dialogue was shamelessly sacrificed on the altar of political expediency.

From the initial interviews conducted by the http://www.radiolib.com correspondents, with sections of the "purported" attendees outside of the venue, any reasonable individual could have seen through the veneer that overshadowed President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf Town Hall Meeting held yesterday, 05/21/2010 at the Morgan State University in Maryland, USA.

I was shocked to hear a number of the interviewees, including a non-citizen who claimed he was there to SUPPORT the president simply because he has business interest(s) in Liberia. An interviewee referring to himself as a member of the leadership of the shadowy group Liberians for Ellen unknowingly spilled the beans when we mentioned that his group was THERE in their NUMBERS basically as a show of strength and support for their Queen.

Did any of the loud PRAISE SINGERS remember the hardship the ordinary Liberians face on a daily basis ? The extreme lack of the very basics of life? The widespread poverty, lack of sanitation and absence of JUSTICE !

One must give credit to the folks at http://www.radiolib.com for the live stream. It brought to life the callous sycophancy and giant show of shame.

When the reporters entered the building we, the listening audience, were greeted by repeated battle cries and loud praise-singing even before the programm began.

The Unity Party must be very desperate to put up this GIANT show of SHAME so far away from the Homeland. The praise-singers gave ordinary Liberians a realistic taste of what “purchased support” actually is.

If indeed the praises heaped on Ellen, for virtually resuscitating Liberia, were deserved why are thousands of Liberians annually crying for the extension of DED just to remain in the USA ? If conditions are right and the Unity Party is the best thing that happened to Liberia since “palm butter” why the annual pleas to stay here in the USA? Why not go home in our numbers and enjoy the FRUITS of Queen Ellen's work(s) !

This giant show of shame must be roundly condemned by ALL well meaning Liberians. These town Hall Meetings are meant to be a forum for realistic dialogue that are intended to resolve the many problems facing our nation. It was wrong and callous for the Unity Party and her HACKS to hijack this meeting and turn it into a mini political rally.

Except for the lone voice who raised concern regarding the shortcomings judiciary, where Queen Ellen was forced to admit the shortcomings of the judiciary and proclaimed her intention to seek reform that will introduce the “jury system” into the Liberian legal system, this was everything but a Unity party rally - clearly meant as an emotional exercise - for MOST of the praise singers ARE non-voters.

We roundly condemn this show of shame and lay the blame at the feet of overzealous UP partisans who denied Liberians a valuable opportunity for GENUINE dialogue with their leader.

In the cause of the people, the struggle continues.

Benjamin Kofa Fyneah
Gainesville, Florida
]]> http://liberiaspeaks.com/starke/index.php?entry=entry100522-071302 No Author Sat, 22 May 2010 11:13:02 GMT http://liberiaspeaks.com/starke/comments.php?y=10&m=05&entry=entry100522-071302