Education pg 11 TOP STORIES

Lecturers vow to continue to Boycott Classes

UL CRISIS DEEPENS University of Liberia

Corruption Watch

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2014

Mining Group Releases Book On Liberias Corruption Virus

CORRUPTION 101, THE LIBERIAN STYLE

pg 5

CENTRAL BANK OF LIBERIA

MARKET BUYING AND SELLING RATES LIBERIAN DOLLARS PER US DOLLAR

BUYING MONDAY, DECEMBER 30 , 2013 SATURDAY, JANUARY 4, 2013 MONDAY, JANUARY 6 , 2014 L$82.00/US$1 L$83.00/US$1 L$83.00/US$1

SELLING L$83.00/US$1 L$84.00 /US$1 L$84.00/US$1

These are indicative rates based on results of daily surveys of the foreign exchange market in Monrovia and its environs. The rates are collected from the Forex Bureaux and the commercials banks. The rates are not set by the Central Bank of Liberia.

VOL 8 NO.508

JUDGE HANDS OFF GRAND GEDEH MERCENARY CASE, ORDERS INDEFINITE SUSPENSION OF TRIAL

Wherefore and in view of the foregoing for manifest necessity the hearing of this matter is hereby suspended pending the provision of the necessary security arrangement for an orderly, free and transparent trial hereby so ordered. Judge Yussif Kaba.

SECURITY RISK

PRICE L$40

Law & order

Pg.9

See PG 2

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VOL 8 NO.508

TUESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2014

Sports

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Page 2 | Frontpage

Tuesday, January 7 , 2014

Wade C. L. Williams, wade.williams@frontpageafricaonline.com

Monrovia-

he saga involving Liberian diplomatic mission in Brussels and its faking of lease agreements presented to the government of Liberia continues to take different turns as the story continues to unravel.

Highly placed diplomatic sources have hinted FrontPageAfrica that 99% of all the lease agreements given the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are not valid. This sources say is because the government has been unable to adequately cater to its diplomats, who in turn engage in other means to meet their needs abroad. From Washington to Paris sources say, the same problem exists all over and if the government is serious about the investigation it has promised it needs to do a total overhaul of a system that originated from the foreign ministry. The case in point involving Ambassador Francis Karpeh who has been recalled along with the entire embassy staff at the Brussels mission is just a tip of the iceberg sources say. Karpehs response exposes MoFA Like all persons who would think that all is well once it is a part of the of the system, the diplomat forgot that the truth would come to light someday. Karpeh would not want to be held alone but failed to state actions he as the head has taken to curb the fake lease issues in response to an FPA enquiry. The attempt to imply that it is a system that I introduced and is limited to me is not at all strange, as a motive exist to discredit me for being an obstacle to completing plans that were in the making, prior to my arrival, he said. Ambassador defended: So let me just state that the staff at the Embassy here hold two lease agreements - a pro-forma and an active one and for reasons to follow. Bad apples bad system Ambassador Karpeh also raised the issue that he met the system in place. The ambassador cited several instances where the government did not deliver on financial commitments on time, thus leading him to go with the flow of a corrupt system. Upon my arrival, I was informed of the following: (1) That the Ministry of Foreign Affairs requires a lease agreement, prior to providing fund for payment of rent, said Ambassador Karpeh. The process, upon receipt of lease agreement takes a while to process. On the other hand to obtain an actual lease agreement, funds are required i.e. deposits to ensure payments of the agent and any default on rent payment. Karpeh said in his case, apart from payment to agent, two months rent was required as deposit, which the government of Liberia had not paid for. Ambassador Karpeh, diplomatic sources hinted FrontPageAfrica is not the only person facing what they call embarrassment as a result of the governments lack of will to institute serious reform in the Liberian diplomatic sector. Sources say all of the countrys foreign missions face the same problem. As there is no guarantee that actual amount in the lease agreement will be sent and on time diplomats have to find other means of meeting their obligation to landlords, who cannot wait until the government pays a diplomat before demanding for their rent, said a highly placed diplomatic source in Monrovia.

If we meet the same funding criteria as our neighbors, we wont have this problem. Liberian diplomats resort to different things just to survive. Some people credit from people in their countries of assignment because financial support coming from Liberia is slow. Ambassador Karpeh concurs adding that rent does not include only base rent, but also an estimated amount that covers commune costs for maintenance of the property i.e. elevator, outside water, heating, lights etc. He said on a quarterly or yearly basis, actual commune costs are compiled and in most cases, resulting in additional charges. Rent in Brussels therefore not only cover base rent, but also communal charges, which are not fixed. Wrong Payment noted Karpeh asserts that the amount remitted for rent over the first quarter 2013/14 was less than the amount in the agreement sent to Monrovia and even though the ministry says it paid a total of US$9,497 dollars for rent for him (Karpeh), (July and August 2013) he actually received the amount for covering three months July to September 2013. It would be difficult to prove or disprove what was processed in Monrovia. What we do have control over is what is remitted to the Mission, he said in response to an FPA enquiry. I am therefore forwarding, as below, official communication informing of the first quarter rent (July, August and September) and salaries for July. At no other time was a separate amount received for July and August. Liberias diplomatic mission has been engulfed in a what critics call a sea of corruption as diplomats have feast with the peoples money, sell the embassy buildings while some willfully engage in unethical behavior and get rewarded for doing so. About two years ago top Liberian Foreign ministry officials were booked for dubiously granting diplomatic status to an undercover Danish journalist Mads Bugger. This story was a worldwide scandal for Liberia but nothing has been done to bring the perpetrators to book. Ministry promises to investigate The ministry of Foreign Affairs took prompt action upon reading reports of Karpehs malfeasance and in a short statement issued last weekend said a decision has been taken to recall the ambassador and the entire embassy staff. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs acting upon a December 17, 2013 presidential directive has recalled Ambassador Francis Tuan Karpeh, Liberias Ambassador to the Netherlands, European Union, Belgium and Luxemburg who had earlier been scheduled for retirement, said the ministry in a release. The ministry also said it has initiated an intensive, full-scale investigation into reports of alleged malpractices at its foreign missions. The investigation is comprehensive and covers all foreign missions with a view to taking the appropriate punitive and corrective actions, stated the MOFA Some Liberians want the media to further investigate the scandal involving the Liberian foreign service to establish the facts but maintain that it is the responsibility of the government to act on audits done by the General Auditing Commission on this issue. The MFA has an office of Inspector General, part of whose functions is providing oversight on these matters, among others,

said a Liberian diplomatic source. Continued the source: But most important of all is the irresponsibility of the government to meet its obligations of properly and promptly paying foreign service officers as a mitigation measure against these and other anomalies. For too long Foreign Service officers have been "thrown to the wolves" by successive governments, leaving them as scavengers incapable of even leaving their posts if they decided to resign. He said it is a government's responsibility to properly cater to its diplomats, yet the GoL with the abundant resources at its disposal, is particularly guilty of putting foreign service officers at risk. He believes that Ambassador Karpeh is a victim of a bad system which the Ministry should have caught and fixed long ago.

FrontPage EDITORIAL T
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Tuesday, January 7, 2014

SSF REFUTES BANKRUPTCY CLAIMS

SPOT NEWS

Frontpage

Page 3

WHAT A SHAME!!!
LIBERIA FOREIGN MISSIONS NEED TOTAL OVERHAUL

RECENT EXPOSURE BY FRONTPAGEAFRICA of corruption in the rental deals at the Foreign Service that led to the recall of the Liberian Ambassador to Brussels and his entire staff by the government is troubling. THAT OUR DIPLOMATS WHO ARE representing our country abroad would resort to trickery to make more money is something that needs to be further investigated. IT IS A SEROUS EMBARRASSMENT to those in our foreign service and those wanting to join the sector and the entire country. We are also concerned that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs do not counter check documents sent to it especially ones that require payments using taxpayers money. THE ENTIRE LIBERIAN diplomatic sector over he last two decades has been embroiled in corruption ranging from the sale of our embassies abroad to the use of double and fake lease agreements to the duping of our foreign service employees by the government of rightful remuneration, thereby the ordinary Liberian paying expensively in such dubious deals like the ones under investigation. Monies that should now go to roads and hospitals are being pocketed by just a few. THE ENTIRE LIBERIAN diplomatic sector is rotten. The government has sat idly by and watched as the Foreign missions degenerated into embarrassing scenarios that turned the countrys diplomats into laughing stocks abroad. A CASE IN POINT IS the Liberian embassy in Accra, Ghana, where a former Ambassador married his second secretary at the embassy while she was still employed with the embassy a role she kept until the couple was sent to embassies in Europe close to each other. They both are currently ambassadors representing Liberia. ALMOST TWO YEARS AGO it was also reveled that a Danish journalist Mads Brugger was granted diplomatic status after dubiously acquiring it with the help of top foreign ministry officials and some high ranking Unity Party members. This situation caused huge embarrassment for Liberian diplomats abroad but nothing was done to correct it and no one was punished. THE CASE IN POINT is a serious one with the broad day robbery at the Liberian embassy in Brussels Even though Karpeh tries to blame it on the system. HE SAID THAT UPON HIS ARRIVAL, he was told that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs requires a lease agreement, prior to providing funds for payment of rent, but what he fails to show is where he ministry requires fke lease agreements from diplomats. WE ARE DISAPPOINTED that the learned diplomat did not swiftly raise an alarm on such malpractice hat is commonplace. Leaders are required to lead by example. WE SAY THIS BECAUSE Ambassador Francis T. Karpeh has said in his response to us that the government of Liberia is aware of the system in place and we have gathered that it is happening across the twenty-six missions Liberia has abroad.

he Management of SSF Entrepreneur Incorporated attention has dismissed claims of negative information circulating in the media that the company has gone bankrupt and therefore cannot honor its contractual obligations and responsibilities. Over the years, the SSF Entrepreneur and the Government have had a very good relationship and at no point have we complained to any media house that the Government has refused to pay us for work already done. Hence, we view this action as part of a ploy by our detractors to affect the cordial relationship that exist between our company and the government, Says SSF CEO, Mr. Shawki Fawaz.SSF Entrepreneur as a vibrant and resultoriented Liberian construction company is in good institutional and financial standing and as such has no plan of halting or closing down its operations as it is being alleged by detractors Fawaz further said yesterday while addressing FPA in an interview, that the company wonders how in the world is it possible to leave several projects on-going and close down when the projects are yet to be completed. The negative articles and stories in the local dailies about my company is just politics from some competitors and individuals who do not want to see us

progress as a seriousand focused local company Said Mr. Fawaz. The SSF Entrepreneur says it reiterates its dedication to the people and Government of Liberia in playing a pivotal role in the reconstruction process of the country and remains committed to the full completion of all on-going projects contracted to it by the Government of Liberia. In a related development, the Management of SSF is calling on the general public not to believe recent negative and misleading stories being published in some local dailies about its operations in Liberia. As a company that believes in the new Liberia, we will continue to invest in the countrys infrastructure sector as evidenced by our new asphalt, batching, and rock plants among others; CEO Fawaz concluded.

Commentary

EJS IS RIGHT FOR NEGLECTING LIBERIAS POOR

James W. Harris, jimiharris@comcast.net, Contributing Writer

They Sealed Their Own Fate by Twice Voting Her Blindly Into Power
In her first inaugural address to the still traumatized Liberian nation, Sirleaf said this on January 16, 2006, Times were hard before. Times are even harder today. But I make this pledge to you: Under my Administration, we will work to change that situation (in reference to men having the means to feed their families). We will work to ensure that when our children say papa na come, papa will come home joyfully with something, no matter how meager, to sustain his family. In other words, she further pledged, we will create the jobs for our mothers and fathers to be gainfully employed. We will create the social and economic opportunities that will restore our peoples dignity and self-worth. As we now know, these words were nothing more than cheap rhetoric intended to appease the gullible Liberian people who bought into her usual deception. As Liberians on the ground stare another holiday season right in the face this year empty handed, they are wondering when papa will come to put smiles on their faces. While the countrys elites and their families are flying in and out of Liberia to celebrate their holidays with monies they may have allegedly pillaged from the nations coffers, Liberians at home are getting more and more disenchanted and disappointed in the UP government. A recent FrontPageAfricaOnline.com story quoted one Fatu Sirleaf, reportedly a womens used clothes merchant on Mechlin St, Monrovia, as making these remarks in growing frustration. I voted for Ma Ellen because I felt as a female, she was going to make things easy for us. So I am vexed with her because the hard time is too much. I thought as a woman, she was going to bring some changes but the same old thing is happening just like when the men were president, she cried. Boy, she (Fatu) was wrong! Interestingly, the dire economic state currently facing Liberia was not lost on the ruling Unity Party (UP) Chairman, Cllr. H. Varney G. Sherman when he delivered the 166th Independence Day National Oration this past July 26, 2013. Considered by many as one of the most brutally honest remarks from a major Liberian public figure, Cllr. Sherman lamented that for todays Liberia, Independence Day cannot merely be a day of remembrance and celebration. Even after nearly ten years of the absence of gunfire, the wounds of our civil war are still fresh; for you know that peace is not necessarily the absence of war. Even after two cycles of general and presidential elections, the social and development challenges which face our people are still very daunting; some of our people appear to give up all hope for the betterment of their situation during their lifetime, he added. After putting the countrys present status in its correct historical perspective, the prominent Liberian lawyer also said, my fellow Liberians, peace and reconciliation in Liberia can never be achieved if we ignore what caused our civil war and if we do not resolve those causes and change ourselves and our country around for the better. He then proceeded to ask some very serious rhetorical questions, like, Does the mere absence of war in our country constitute peace? Have we really reconciled our differences among ourselves? Have we carefully examined the ethnic, religious, and economic schisms in our society and bridge them in order to enhance genuine national unity and integration? You can read the full commentary on www. frontpageafricanonline.com

THE AMBASSADOR ALSO discloses to FPA that the total rent is base rent plus communal charges, which is not fixed. WITH THE UNFIXED PORTION it has to be accepted total rent ultimately varies on a monthly basis. (2) With no guarantee that actual and adequate rent in the contract will be sent and on time, diplomats have in past instances been embarrassed, he said. CONTINUED KARPEH: While I do not totally agree with the arrangement, this was in place, prior to my arrival. Due to the limitations in the integrity of the arrangement, I as head take responsibility and am in the process, before your inquiry, of proposing some arrangements for adequately responding to the requirements here in Brussels, while at the same time, ensuring that embarrassment to diplomats are removed. NOTWITHSTANDING THESE ASSERTIONS it becomes disturbing when a Liberian diplomat gets involved in dubious activities all because the government cannot meet its obligation as enshrined in the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations. WE WELCOME THE GOVERNMENTS decision to investigate the entire Foreign Service sector and we hope that corrective measures will be taken to address this embarrassment caused our country. But the government also must launch an investigation into the financial workings of the ministry of foreign affairs as it relates to its operations of our foreign missions.

f the results of the last two elections in Liberia meant anything then Liberians certainly have nothing to be complaining about today. In the two elections held in 2005 and 2011 respectively, Liberians voted overwhelmingly for Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. As far as they were concerned, she was the best person to lead their war-ravaged nation, never mind the fact that she too had contributed to the carnage that raged there for almost two decades. It actually baffles me why the Liberian people would put the future and destiny of their country into the hands of the same lifelong opportunists who helped to destroy it. In my view, insanity is the correct word that perfectly describes their collective vote for Sirleaf and her bunch. That is exactly why they deserve the highly corrupt and immoral government they have today. Opportunity comes but once It is said quite often that in life opportunity comes but once. My late teacher at Bassa High School, Prof. Edward J. Harris, Sr., used to tell us that if opportunity ever comes our way, we better grab it and run. In this context, Liberians have had more than one opportunity to step back, take a deep breath and decide together what kind of country they wanted following years of grossly senseless civil wars. For the most part, they had two basic options. One option was to go back to the status quo ante which saw the vast majority of indigenous Liberians denied their right to participate fully in their countrys political process. There was also massive underdevelopment throughout Liberia during this period. The second option was for them to break away completely from the past and rebuild their war-wrecked nation from scratch, emphasizing equality for all, transparency, accountability, moral fortitude and other attributes of good governance. Apparently they chose the former to return to the status quo ante by electing Sirleaf who is a direct product of the old True Whig Party (TWP) blatantly corrupt oligarchy. After entrusting their country to her, one would think that Sirleaf, as a woman and mother, in spite of her support for Charles Taylor, would have seized the opportunity and finally make it right with the Liberian people. Making it right with the Liberian people simply means abandoning the old and ugly practices of the immediate past practices of nepotism, economic marginalization and corruption, for example. But it was not a part of her agenda. As Liberians are beginning to find out the hard way now, Sirleafs only agenda (like most of the other serial opportunists in her government), was to ascend to the highest office in Liberia by any means necessary just to satisfy her insatiable ego for state power. Country still in darknessliterally And so, after almost eight years in power and sustained financial and logistic support from the international community totaling hundreds of millions of U.S. dollars, Liberia still remains in darkness, underdeveloped (especially in the rural areas) and fragile. Even worse is the harsh reality that the vast majority of Liberians are being driven deeper into abject poverty (63.8 percent according to World Bank figures), while the small class of new Liberian elites continue to have a field day plundering the country just as was done under previous rogue regimes.

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Tuesday, January 7 , 2014

COMMENTS FROM FPA ONLINE

CORKRUM TAPE FALLOUT? LIBERIAN PREZ SNAPS AT POLICE CHIEF
GEORGE SLUE This is what you get when you have people who don't know what they do or pretend to not know what they are doing in trusted positions. Sack every one of them - replace them with tribal chiefs - better than so called corrupt educated dummies. GEORGE ALONZO KAMARA George Slue My dear friend did I heard you well "sack everyone of them?" HAHAHA if this president ever decide to function in this great way, expect to see/hear a lot of thing that was in hidden. Just move your heart cause it will never happen. maybe you want her to exchange them. JOHN WILLIAMS If this really happened then it is surely a disgrace to the government and a disservice to the country and its people. If Massaquoi is no longer trusted then sack him. But to publicly disgrace and belittle a Police Director says a lot about security in the country. Does he still command respect in his office? Why is he still holding on, despite what appears to be total disregard for me? Factions within the security sector could be disastrous for Liberia. For the good of the country, I suggest that certain things be considered - Ellen should publicly/ privately demonstrate or spread the information that Massaquoi still enjoys her confidence or just relieve him of his position. Or Massaquoi should just resign to help preserve the unity and respectability of the police and security sector in general. JAY WION So you miss my eulogy to Nelson Mandela and the fske African leaders who attended his funeral but are scolded/ lectured by Obama. Here my hour long rebuke to the corrupt, and some murderous leaders of Africa, including our own Ellen Sirleaf of Liberia. It is on CD and get your copy while supplies last..Call the Liberian African News Service, LANS--518-5561343. Jay Wehtee-Maotee Wion. PONSFORD ANTHONY HANSON I personally think Chris should have resign his post after Ellen C expos him but I don't know who's giving advise. He did what he did in good faith but his part of a Government-if he know what I mean. HELLENOLDEN I just cannot understand what is going on with Madam President regarding this her Police Chief. In as mush as I will not hesitate to publicly rebuke the Police Chief for his unprofessional conduct, I disagreed with the Prison Chief to say he can order the arrest of the Police Boss of the Republic of Liberia. Who the hell was he talking about? The Police Chief? He was out of his mind so to speak. What did he do wrong on the ground of the prison ground? GEORGE ALONZO KAMARA What do we expect when power drunk is ruling the nation after we have boasted upon our Havard highest educated, world bank economist, united nations ex employees. With all of these, leadership change to ruling ship. lock of development has the lowest power supply but still citizens are unable to benefit, The # one government that is living on international nations taxes hold for functions, now the most west part police director/ defense minister who should has the knowledge of protecting the country is selling their mouth for Ellen C Bude. I think I will have to fly in there to purchase this nation from these most corrupt leadership that Liberia ever has. I has the knowledge that Musa will agree to sell this country to me.

78 MILLIONS INFUSED INTO LIBERIAN ECONOMY BUT WHERE ARE THE JOBS, MADAM PRESIDENT?
The Editor, Today, Liberia has about 1.13 million people who are willing and able to work, but majority of them have no gainful employment. So every day, millions of our unemployed brothers and sisters including those entering the workforce for the first time and others who lost their jobs due to the incompetent management of our economy anxiously scan the pages of newspapers and websites for job advertisements; less than five percent of applicants will be successful, but at least 100 of thousands more unemployed people will join them in the new year of 2014. Why are unemployment and inflation rates rising while productivity continues to decline? Why have our vast resources not created massive employment opportunities for Liberian? The most despairing aspect is the fact that the worst affected are Liberian between the ages of 21 and 40 years - the future leaders of our country. In 1962, our population was about 1 million, a large percentage of which was employed. The employment to population ratio grew until the early 1980s when it started to decline. Presently, Liberias total population is nearly 4 million. Out of this total, 1.13 million is the labor force of the country, and only 195,000 people are in paid employment. According to ILO 70% of Liberias population is under the age of 30. The effects of unemployment on the person and the country can be catastrophic. At current rates, even if government policies, enabling environment and direct efforts manage to create one hundred thousand new jobs a year, it would take 40 years to close the existing job gap. Except that by that time, at least millions more Liberians would have joined the workforce. According to the Labour Force Survey carried out in 2010, the labour force participation rate was 62.8 per cent, the employment-to-population ratio was 60.5 per cent and the unemployment rate was only 3.7 per cent. The labour force participation rate in urban areas at 54.9 per cent is lower than the corresponding rate in rural areas (71.2 per cent). The male labour force participation rate is higher than the female rate (66.1 and 59.9 per cent, respectively), but the unemployment rate of women is higher than that of men (4.1and 3.4 per cent, respectively). The vulnerable employment rate the share of own account workers and contributing family workers in total employment is high at 77.9 percent, as is the share of workers engaged in the informal economy (68.0 per cent). Perhaps, todays figures are too scary for government to release, but unemployment is too critical for government to play political ostrich with. The average years of studies and Return on Investment (ROI) for a university degree in Liberia are both 5 years, yet it takes an average Liberian graduate an average of another five years to find what can be considered a stable job. Many others, especially those without political godfathers remain for longer periods without jobs no matter how qualified they may be. Not only are large numbers of Liberian graduates are unemployed or underemployed; many are unable to apply the skills learnt in school. There are also large segments of the employed population who are simply wasting away, doing things they really have no business doing just to remain alive. Another worrying issue is our national productivity output

gap. Unemployment causes substantial economic losses. We should be producing goods and services for at least another 3 plus millions people, but because unemployed people do not earn money, that gap remains unfilled. And there seems to be no hope in the immediate future. All governments promises of 'creating jobs' have remained unfulfilled. Anyone familiar with data on unemployment will know that all the supposed falls in the unemployment rate are statistical manipulations because they do not reflect any actual job gains. The jobless rates in Liberia have not fallen! Liberia Institute for Statistics and GeoInformation Services (LISGIS) announced that the official unemployment rate of Liberia has declined from 85% to 3.7%; one wonder what kind of country is our in which leaders are far away from reality. The Statistics House wanted the international partners to believe that things are getting better in Liberia, when by any stretch of the imagination huge majorities of the people are living in poverty. College graduates are walking the streets and cannot find jobs, not to mention high school graduates. Proof of the desperation was demonstrated by the Vacation Job scheme started by the President Madame Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. The scheme was intended to offer ten thousand vacation jobs, but over twenty five thousand applied. As a result of the excess, the management of the scheme was in crisis and the end result was the cancellation of the entire process by the President. The millions of people with no jobs represent a serious impediment to Liberias economic development. Apart from the immense waste of the country's human resources, it generates losses in terms of lower output which results in poorer incomes and increased poverty. It also causes social decay and inhibits national cohesion. In fact, unemployment in Liberia is a national security threat. So what should government do to create jobs? In virtually every economy, it is small businesses and entrepreneurial ventures that account for nearly 70 per cent of new jobs, not the government and not the large companies. It is therefore sensible to remove the obstacles to doing business and sustaining small and medium enterprises. These obstacles include infrastructure constraints, especially electricity, a dysfunctional and corrupt public service that frustrates businessmen, and lack of affordable, long term finance for any venture other than trading! Liberia was ranked 144 out of 175 countries in the IFC Ease of Doing Business Index in 2013, far below Ghana (62); Botswana (65) and Sierra Leone (137). In the World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Competitiveness Index 20122013: Africa and selected comparator economies, Liberia ranked 111 out of 131, while South Africa moved up four places in the same period, and is now in the top 50. In terms of competitiveness within Sub-Saharan Africa, in 2013, Ghana, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia, Kenya, The Gambia, Rwanda, Gabon are ranked well ahead of us. The WEF's observation about Liberias dismal position has Madam Sirleaf's work cut out for her.

Seltue R. Karweaye, karweayee@yahoo.com

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Tuesday, January 7, 2014

CORRUPTION 101, THE LIBERIA STYLE

PAGE RONT

CORRUPTION WATCH

Frontpage

Page 5

Monroviahe book title corruption 101 the Liberian style according to Lindstrom contains key events, facts and laws pertaining to the case of Liberty vs. Ministry of Lands, Mines and Energy and Government of Liberia in the companys fight for justicein the midst of gross corruption, extortion, economic sabotage, impunity, violation of Court Injunctions, bought-off lawyers, tampering with official Court Records, and repeated flagrant assault against the sanctity of the honorable Court of Liberia all of which are extremely illegal actions. Lindstrom said: This highly documented book with over 300 pages of exhibits comes as a result of five long years of frustration and immense economic loss for Liberty, a Canadian mineral corporation with six subsidiary companies in Liberia commonly known as Liberty Gold and Diamond and/or the Liberty Group of Companies, which companies have been repeatedly cheated, manipulated, extorted and lied to by Ministry of Lands, Mines and Energy (MLME) and Government of Liberia, and despite the fact that Liberty won a clear and decisive judgment in the Civil Law Court of Liberia on March 11 2011 almost three years ago wherein the honorable court adjudged that the actions of Lands, Mines and Energy were ILLEGAL, IRREGULAR, IMPROPER AND UNLAWFUL and ordered all Liberty mineral concessions and licenses reinstated and extended, nevertheless, almost three more years have passed with no appropriate response to the explicit orders of the court while the executives of Lands and Mines continued selling off Liberty licensed properties in direct and blatant violation of explicit court orders. Lindstrom said the action by the ministry led him to that it is time to make the full dirty story of government corruption available to the public including many instances of gross dishonesty, coercion, extortion and illegal dealings by Ministry of lands mines and energy executive. He said, Remembering that it takes two to tangowhich according to him means government corruption cannot flourish without having complicit dance partners in the form of unscrupulous international companies who are willing to pay huge bribes and/or offer substantial secret hidden shares in a company in order to violate the rules of fair and honest business, the book documents numerous companies who obviously arranged highly illegal transactions with the ministry executives in order to acquire choice mineral properties which both government and corporate officials knew were clearly and legally licensed to Liberty.

MINING GROUP RELEASES BOOK ON LIBERIA CORRUPTION PANDEMIC

Henry Karmo (0886522495) henrykarmo47@gmail.ocm

Amongst the companies who were illegally issued licenses, which in effect made the licenses null and void, was Mano River Resources, aka Afferro Mining/Aureus Mining which company negotiated and received a totally illegal license from government over Libertys Putu Mountain property and later sold the entire project for (hundred and forty five million united states dollars (US$145,000,000 to Sevestral, with 10% of the proceeds going to a UK Liberian resident who was no doubt acting as the front man or White Glove to channel funds back to government officials who arranged and granted the illegal license, and it also includes Ascension Resources which is basically a phantom company operating as a front for multi-billion dollar gold producer IAMGold Corporation. He disclosed that, the company received a totally illegal license from government over Libertys Belefunai gold project, and also includes Australian based Planet Mineralsoperated and managed by several top executives from Mineral Depositswho after Liberty had traveled to Australia and promoted the project to their executives the company secretly came to Liberia and negotiated a completely illegal license over Libertys prized Putu CVI project and surrounding areas, without government even attempting to illegally terminate Libertys license, plus numerous other companies who were granted totally illegal licenses to Liberty properties. The depth of abject depravity in the business dealings at MLME is highly documented in the book as crooked government executives at MLME continued their deceitful agenda of granting numerous illegal licenses over Liberty licensed properties and projects even after the honorable Court had imposed a clear and highly prohibitive injunction against MLME and even after the Court had rendered solid judgment in Libertys favor and ruled that all the licenses and properties be returned to Liberty, but MLME executives in their insatiable greed and sense of impunity completely ignored the orders and rulings of the Court and continued with their clandestine secret operations of selling off Liberty properties as though they were a law unto themselves and could get away with spitting in the face of justice, he added. The Liberty groups CEO also said, In addition, during the court process, ovrnment executives attempted to bribe Libertys lawyer, then tried to bribe the honorable judge as well as Libertys General Manager, all to no avail, but said, it now appears they were eventually able to buy off the companys original lawyer as it has been

discovered that critical transcripts were removed from the official Court Record on two separate occasions and that this unscrupulous lawyer who had eaten almost US$200,000 in legal fees had also made secretive, arbitrary and very damaging changes to the original Appellees Brief filed in Supreme Court which was obviously an overt attempt to undermine his client and to sabotage the entire Liberty case against Government of Liberia. Lindstrom further disclosed that in one of many attempts to settle the matter in an amicable manner without causing greater embarrassment to Government of Liberia, Len Lindstrom wrote an 18-page letter to Her Excellency President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in March 2012, which letter was followed by an official visit from the Canadian Ambassador at which time the Liberty case was brought up with the President in a very diplomatic manner, and one year later, in March 2013, the Canadian Government through the Minister of International Trade and Commerce wrote a very diplomatic and cordial letter to the current Minister of Lands, Mines and Energy in regards to the Liberty situation and the importance of a predictable frameworkand environment in which Canadian companies can continue to invest in the Liberian resource sector with confidence, with copies of the letter delivered to the Minister of Commerce and Industry, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of State for Presidential Affairs. To date there has been absolutely no corresponding action by Government of Liberia to any of these cordial attempts to bring the matter to its justifiable conclusion which unfortunately indicates that there appears to be little concern amongst government officials over the flagrant corrupt practices of the Ministrys executives, nor any concern for the massive amount of damage done to Liberias reputation amongst the international community, nor any concern for the immense damages suffered by the Liberty companies and their hundreds of committed shareholders, nor the slightest bit of concern for the hundreds of Liberian employees and workers who lost their jobs with Liberty and now have no source of income and whose families are suffering immense deprivation while the corrupt government officials who were the culprits that exploited and destroyed the Liberty companies continue to enjoy their ill-gotten rewards with absolute impunity, he said. Lindstrom further added that, the Corruption 101 book has already been distributed to numerous foreign government officials and ambassadors, various heads of

international and humanitarianAID groups, as well as to several of Libertys lawyers in Canada, and to a number of major anticorruption groups such as Global Witness, Transparency International, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, as well as to several other major organizations and departments including the Toronto Stock Exchange, London Stock Exchange and New York Stock Exchange, and also to the BC and Ontario Securities Commissions, both as a means of heightened awareness of the blatant illegal treatment Liberty has undergone and the inherent dangers of investing in Liberia, and as a means of protection for Len Lindstrom who over the course of the Liberty vs Ministry and Government of Liberia case has already had his life threatened on several occasions. Lindstrom said: Let it be clearly understood that it was never Len Lindstroms intention to have to take such an adversarial course of action, nor to openly expose by name all the individuals who repeatedly operated in a corrupt and conflict-of-interest manner, but after five years of attempting to resolve the matter through amiable and diplomatic processes as well as through the legal channel of court procedure, and after extending one olive branch after another, all of which relatively friendly efforts to date have been to no avail, has left Liberty with no choice except to finally bring the entire sordid mess out into the public domain and to expose by name all those who were known to be involved in the corrupt activities of intentionally decapitating the Liberty Group of Companies through a process of economic sabotage. Continue: While the final outcome of the Liberty case has remained stalled in the Supreme Court for almost three years simply because many believe it is extremely difficult for government to pronounce itself guilty this entire matter should be of very grave concern to Government of Liberia as the highly documented exposure of such flagrant abuse of power and governmentappointed positions serves as a clarion call to all international investors, organizations and foreign government bodies that Liberia has been, and unfortunately appears to remain, a very unsafe and dangerous country to invest in. The Liberty groups of companies chief executive said, despite the fact that Liberia is a beautiful country, with millions of warm hearted people, until the country adopts a sincere, transparent and determined mandate to deal with its blatant corruption problems which have unfortunately earned the country the ignoble title of Most Corrupt Nation in the World and until

the government can honestly ensure international investors that contracts, licenses and legal agreements made with Government of Liberia are inviolable and will be honored and the investors rights protected, the much needed international investment and support to develop the nation and improve the lifestyles of its people will be greatly restrained and the vast majority of precious Liberia people will remain in abject poverty. He said, his company has invested almost twenty Million united states dollars (US$20,000,000) and faithfully and diligently work on all its licensed properties year round for four and half years to the point of making numerous highly potential mineral deposit discoveries, only to have all its licenses illegally terminated and then immediately sold off to the highest under-thetable brown paper envelope bidders in direct and flagrant violation of clear explicit Court Orders, the same thing can happen to any company that invests 200 million dollars or even 20 billion dollars. What is the difference when the name of the game is to keep reselling the same properties and licenses over and over to the next gullible international investor who thinks he can beat the system because he has good connections to someone in government but the international community is not as stupid as some may think and the much toughened laws regarding Bribery and Anti-corruption measures will either bring an end to such illicit corrupt practices or Liberia will find that despite its rich resources the international community will go to other regions where there is some meaningful security of tenure and future and with the heightened awareness of the Liberty case the international community and numerous foreign governments are watching to see how Government of Liberia will settle the matter. He expressed hope that, in the midst of all the past shenanigans and failed promises, Liberty remains confident that the honorable Justices of the Supreme Court of Liberia will do the right and only justifiable thing by confirming the judgment of the Lower Court and that Liberty will subsequently receive all that is just, legal and equitable in damages. When contacted the ministry of Lands mines and Energy promised to comment on the allegation later because according to them the Minister Patrick Sandolo was out of office.

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Tuesday, January 7 , 2014

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

C
Monrovia-

CDC SG DECLARES INTEREST IN GBAPOLU COUNTY; WANTS NEC TO PROPERLY MANAGE VOTER REGISTRATION
Henry Karmo (0886522495) henrykarmo47@gmail.ocm
Gbapolu County and Senator Theodore Momo incumbent senator to contest for the seat. Credibility of NEC The CDC secretary general also described as compound complex problem the recently launched voter roll update by the National Elections Commission. He said, the Commission is doing nothing to have the public educated about the process that described as confusing to the public because of its strange nature. McGill argued that Liberians are familiar with a simultaneous voter registration process and not a schedule process and if for any reason there is a difference in the process there is a need for the NEC to begin early voters and Civic education and not to wait until January 13 when the process will officially begin.

I WILL BE A CANDIDATE

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Politics

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Page 7

DC Secretary General Mr. Nathaniel McGill says he has accepted request from the people of Gbapolu County to contest as a candidate in this years special senatorial election in the County. McGill made the disclosure Monday at a news conference at the headquarters of the Party in Congo Town. He said, his interest to contest for the county senatorial seat is to provide a proper representation at the level of the senate that will bring about change in the lives of the people of that county and the country in general. According to McGill the incumbent senator Theodore Momo has done little to impact the lives of Citizens of Gbapolu County at the level of the Liberian senate and stressed the need for a change. McGill said: Individuals who have represented the county and are currently representing the County

have done little so we need a change of leadership because there are so many things we see happening that we believe should not happen; so we want to change that. The CDC secretary general also said, Gbapolu as a newly formed county has nothing to show and little or nothing has been done by local authorities to improve the livelihood of

the people in that county and bring about development in the county despite all the resources allocated to the county. McGill in response to question about rumors that he could be challenged by Mr. Robert Sirleaf son of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said: I am not ready to talk about someone else, as far as I known Mr. Sirleaf has not declared his

Monrovia he third post war national congress of the Liberian National Students Union LINSU has been suspended until the last week of January by the National Administrative Council of the student union. The LINSUs National Administrative council is the highest decision making body of the union in the absent of its congress body. At a just ended meeting recently, the NAC in a resolution read by LINSUs President Varney Jersey cited budgetary constraints as a major factor for suspending congress. Mr. Jersey said the NAC has mandated that the congress preparatory committee of LINSU adjust the date and implement only the activities of congress that has not been implemented due to funding. LINSU is heavily funded by the Liberian government through the Ministry of Youth and Sports. Speaking at the start of the ANC meeting recently in Monrovia, Deputy Youth and Sports Minister for Youth Development Saah Charles NToe assured members of LINSU Administrative Committee of government preparedness in working with them to address some of their challenges as they gear up for congress. There is a PMF law that we have to make show that we observe, and that law is telling

LINSU CONGRESS SUSPENDED DUE TO BUDGETARY CONSTRAINTS

TARNYON NYENON, Email: TNYENON59@YAHOO.COM, Tel: 763-226-3634

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News Extra

intention to contest. Until then I will leave it at that because it will be premature to discuss Mr. Sirleaf at this point. Mr. McGill who currently serves as secretary General for the major opposition political party in Liberia (the Congress for Democratic Change) latest disclosure means he could be joining others including; Mr. Daniel Natehn former senator

The three day set by NEC at various polling presents is not sufficient especially when there has not been enough awareness on the voter update process. The CDC is very concerned about this and we hope the CDC will consider our concern and act quickly, he said. He said, if the issue of Voters registration is not addressed properly it could cause low turnout in the election because of the lack of proper education and described the 2014 special election as a litmus test to the 2015 election for the NEC under the chairmanship of Cllr. Jerome Korkoya. When Cllr. Kokoya was appointed by the president as NEC chair the CDC reject the appointment of Kokoya but the CDC decided to work with Kokoya to ensure that the right thing is done we do not want a process that will mar by controversy if this voters registration process is not handle properly there might be a tendency that the process could have some problem, he added. Meanwhile Mr. Nathaniel McGill CDC secretary General and Representative Thomas Fallah CDC caucus chair was Monday honored Politician and lawmaker of the year. A local daily Newspaper awarded the two CDC executives the Monrovia Times for the honor.

us that before we can release any further money we have to at least be able to show something that tell us that the money given before was spent wisely he asserted The Deputy Minister assured that the Ministry of Youths and Sports will review LINSUs financial report before releasing any further funding.

Deputy Minister NToe assured that after perusing LINSU report the Ministry will expedite whatever funding the institution deserve for the smooth hosting of its national congress. He encouraged members of the NAC to think beyond themselves as individuals because they represent a vast

majority of Liberian students who have entrusted them to decide on behalf of the union. Also speaking the Youth Policy Advisor to President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf lauded members of the Liberian National Student Union for smoothly conducting themselves as they approach their third national post war

congress. Emmanuel Dolo said the maturity carried out showcase that members of LINSU who are mostly youths are learning from their past violent experiences. The last time we got together to discuss issue that relates to LINSU there were significant noise, it seems as if young

people have not absolute noise over themselves, but today there is a remarkable difference, Mr. Dolo said. According to him it makes an appealing statement that there were lessons learnt from the past student union meeting which witnessed violence and disagreement. The ANC in its resolution also endorsed that the current LINSU leadership maintains power and work with the congress preparatory committee to smoothly host congress. The last two congress of the Student Union was marked by blood sharing and destruction of private and public facilities. The first national congress which ushered in the Kwame Roos leadership witnessed the destruction of a Police Station in the Tinkers Village community, as well as the destruction of the former Deputy Minister vehicle Sam Harr, LINSUs office and other private and government properties by some protesting students.

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he ongoing trial of 18 Liberians accused of mercenary activities has been ordered suspended by the presiding judge citing security concerns. The much publicized trial of the 18 defendants currently facing charges of mercenarism in connection with the cross border attack along the Liberia- Ivorian border in the South East of the country in December 2010 has been a contentious case. Much to the surprise of many who have turned out to witness the continuation of the trial, Presiding Judge of the Criminal Court D at the Temple of Justice Yussif Kaba announced that he is no longer in the position to continue the trial, citing security reason. Says Judge Kaba, wherefore and in view of the foregoing for manifest necessity the hearing of this matter is hereby suspended pending the provision of the necessary security arrangement for an orderly, free and transparent trial, hereby so ordered. The Judges decision comes barely a week after the defendants have gone on an unusual rampage in the court after the Judge had adjourned

TRIAL OF 18 ALLEDGED MERCENARY SUSPENPED OVER SECURITY CONCERNS

the case and gone in his chamber to hold discussion with the defense and prosecution lawyers. Witnesses on the scene claimed that at the time of the rampaging the defendants were heard chanting we will die today, we tire of been in jail for crime we have not committed, but the violent protest which left entire the court room deserted was brought under control by officers of the Liberia National Police. Another one witness on the scene, the action of the defendants was prompted by information that lawyers hailing from Grand Gedeh whose names were not disclosed were coming to court on December 31 to fee them but to the contrary the court ordered their return to jail. However in his ruling to the court on Monday Presiding Judge Kaba told both the prosecution and the defense counsels that the action of the defendants was a threat to the extent that staff of the court had to escape the bailiwick of the court due to the violent nature of the defendants rebellion. The 18 defendants mostly Grand Gedeans were not in court for the ruling but their

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LAW & ORDER

Tuesday, January 7 , 2014

Kennedy L. Yangian kennedylyangian@frontpageafricaonline.com 077296781

rontPage Africa has reliably learned that five persons were over the week-end arrested but later released by the Liberia National Police when tension brews over a twoacre of land in the Kpelle Town Community in Paynesville. Boakai Fahnbulleh who claimed to have owned the two- acre of land which is at the center of the conflict told FrontPage Africa that those arrested were alleged hard code criminals who were allegedly hired from ghettos on Center Streets and Red-light to protect the interest of his neighbor who has allegedly encroached on his land. He named the neighbor as Fabian Lai a scholarship student of the National Oil Company (NOCAL) currently studying in the UK but back home on vacation. Explaining his ordeal over the weekend to FrontPageAfrica Fahnbulleh stated that he bought the land in 2011 from an administrator called Shamgo who had owned the land since 1976 but the land had been protested by another administrator called the Dennisese who is the guarantor of the other party (The Lai Family). He continued that when the conflict on the land surfaced

FIVE ARRESTED IN PAYNESVILLE LAND CONFLICT

Kennedy L. Yangian kennedylyangian@frontpageafricaonline.com 077296781

defense counsel under the watchful eyes of human rights lawyer Tiawa Gongloe excerpted to the ruling that manifest necessity was misapplied by the Judge and that the jury who are the judges of fact were not empanelled. This is the second time the trial of the 18 alleged mercenaries has suffered setback

as the first time the case was heard in the 2013 May Term of court, it ended with a re-trial when one of the jurors was caught using two names Jeremy Dweh and another Jeremy Neufville. The juror was ordered detained by the court for one month following investigation but the detained juror claimed that he was

spotted out by the prosecution because he turned down the prosecutions request to accept bribe to render guilty verdict against the defendants who have earlier pleaded not guilty, Prosecuting Attorney Daku Mulbah denied the jurors claim and termed it as lie.

between the parties the matter was taken to court and a survey requested but while the survey is yet to take place the other party has decided to secretly remove his cornerstones at night and erect a fence on the disputed land without regards to the court. According to him the alleged hard code criminals were hired not with the intention to

build a fence but to harm him because they had in their hands some dangerous instrument including bottles and making remarks that if he was found anywhere around he could regret obstructing their work. He said after receiving the information he alerted the police who moved in to arrest five of the alleged criminals who allegedly admitted being

hired to go on the land but to build a fence for the Lai family. When contacted Fabian Lai denied bringing criminals on the land but said they were rather boys he hired to come and help him to build his fence on the same disputed land, though there were pieces of broken bottles seem lying to where the fence is to be built. According to Lai his action

to build his fence was based on a Supreme Court ruling reportedly in the favor of his administrator the (Denisess) but felt short to produce the ruling which Boikai Fahnbulleh says is faked. When the Police Zone (#5) Depot where the suspects were taken was contacted the commander was out but a source confirmed the arrest of

the suspects and said they were charged with mob violence. The source said the suspects were later released by the commander and urged all parties to the case to remain calm and not construct any structure on the disputed land until there is a court ruling.

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

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NEWS EXTRA

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BRAVING THE STORM

FROM EXILE KID TO SUCESSFUL BUSINESS WOMAN
Al-Varney Rogers alrogers2008@gmail.com
open a pop in Liberia Im not going to be the only one running this pop I will get other investors involved, Kaindoli said. Apart from doing business Selina has several academic credentials to her credit a diplomat in graphic and web designing, Business Administration and in eight months she will be earning a Bachelor in Business administration from Wales University. I graduated from high school in Ghana and decided to further my studies which I obtained International advance diplomat in business administration, graphic and web designing, in the next eight months I will have a bachelor in business administration, Kaindoli said. Selina Kaindoli also carries out charity works in Ghana and has decided to move her charity foundation back home.

young Liberian business woman who left Liberia as a kid and return as a successful businesswoman now a philanthropist held children party for over three hundred kids in the Rehab E.L.W.A community in Paynesville. Scores of children who would normally be on the streets, beaches and clubs during the Christmas season were kept together as they celebrated with the Liberian philanthropist. The organizer and sponsor of the Christmas party, Selina Kaindoli is among several Liberians who fled the country due to the fourteen years civil conflict. Kaindoli said she decided to host the children party to provide a place for kids who are left alone to roam the streets by themselves. Her visit is the first in thirteen years since she left Liberia in search for save heaven during

the war. I went to Ghana in 2000 after my grandparents went to the United States, Kaindoli said. Selina who left as a kid has now returned as a young enterprising woman who runs a pop and grill in Ghana known as the Hang Out. Kaindoli recalled that her business initiative started back in 2008 when she started in the area of tourism, saying I had buses that will take people in and out of Accra for site seeing. Says Kaindoli 2010 when I give birth to my daughter I decided to close that business down and to give one year six month to my child, now that she is a bit older I have decided to move into the service sector. Im a sole proprietor of a pop in Ghana which is called the Hang Out pop and grill. According to Kaindoli, her business journey has not been easy adding that it has been an

Grand Bassahe University of Liberia Fraternity Bond has donated four thousand United States dollars U.S$ 4,000.00 worth of food and non-food items to the Todcad Charity home in Grand Bassa. Graduates of various universities under the banner Universities of Liberia Fraternity Bond (ULFB) restored the hope of hopeless orphans when they donated a consignment comprising of 50 bags of 50kg rice, 31 pieces of mattresses, 2 bags children toys, 3 cartoons of note books, 30 pieces of mosquito nets, 4 bags used clothing, 1 cartoon chalk including use shoes among others to the God Heritage Charity Orphanage Home and the Todcad Charity Orphanage home in Grand Bassa County. At the presentation of the items, Prince Koinah, President of the UL Fraternity Bond said his organization was proud to help orphans who were in dire need of livelihood. He put the cost of the items at over four thousand United States dollars (US$ 4,000.00). According to him, his organization is a social movement that believes in helping the downtrodden and the less fortunate people. He

UL FRATERNAL BOND IDENTIFIES WITH ORPHANS IN GRAND BASSA COUNTY

Al-Varney Rogers alrogers2008@gmail.com

uphill task. There are times people you depend on let you down, She said. It came a time that I had to drop some of my employees when business got difficult. It took like two months to be able to stand on my feet again, Kaindoli said. Narrating her difficult times

in exile as a lady running a business Selina admitted of wanting to quit business due to losses. I reached a point where I felt I could not continue and decided to stop but I looked into it and said to myself no I can do it, especially when i look back at where I came from. Kaindoli

said. She said, her visit back home is to do a market survey to begin investing in her country. Nobody will make Liberia a better place expect Liberian so we need to invest in our country. By early next year if everything goes well I will

said ULFB is a philanthropic organization that seeks to give hope to the hopeless for the betterment of society. The donation he added was made possible through voluntary contributions from members of the organization over the year. He noted that

his organization since 2012 began identifying with people in need. One of the recipients, Mother Dorothy Kumeh lauded ULFB for the gesture and promised that it would be used for the intended purpose. Mother Kumeh in tears explained that

her orphanage home survives through donations from the United Nations Peace Keepers assigned in the county. She pointed out that efforts in terms of soliciting help from county officials, donors and the government has all proven futile. I usually go to these

UN Peace Keepers to ask for food so that these orphans can have something to eat, and to admit they (peacekeepers) are doing extremely well for me and the children because they always come to our aid mother Kumeh stressed. Also, the founder of the Todcad

Charity Orphanage Home J. Fallah Kokoe termed the donation as a dream come true for the children. Founder Kokoe said that orphans had no hope of celebrating the New Year in good health due to the prevailing difficulties they were going through. He said orphans were not eating regularly because they had no food and they were also sleeping on top of wood instead of mattresses. Kokoe indicated that he was doing everything to help make the children happy, but find it tedious to bring that joy they needed. This orphanage home was established more than 10 years ago and if you take a look in the building, you will find out that the orphans are sleeping on the floor. He promised to also use the items for the intended purpose, and called on other wellmeaning Liberians to follow the good works of Universities of Liberia Fraternity Bond.

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Tuesday, January 7 , 2014

ELECTION HURDLE?
Media Feud Threatens Tokpas Senatorial Bid In Bong County
Written by Selma Lomax, selma.lomax@frontpageafricaonline.com
he appeared on air minutes after the commencement program. Jefferson Massah, another staffer at Radio Gbarnga, said it was absurd for Tokpa to desecrate the integrity of the station in a commencement program. It was unbelievable and regrettable on the part of Tokpa. Radio Gbarnga has been reporting on lots of development issues that had been taking place at Cuttington since Tokpa took over 2003. Tokpas public criticism of the station sparked uproar from citizens and prompted a call for an apology. Dr. Tokpa was too harsh on the station. He has to apologize, said Obediah Weahweah, a Gbarnga resident. Another Gbarnga resident, Marvin Cole, said Radio Gbarnga was not a public relations arm for Cuttington and the statement shows how Tokpa handles issues at Cuttington. The statement appeared to have caused a strained relationship between university administrators and station management that continues to hamper Tokpas

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Gbarnga, Bong County uttington University President Dr. Henrique Flomo Tokpas attack six years ago against Radio Gbarnga appears to be haunting his bid to become senator of Bong County in 2014. In 2009, a furious Tokpa, speaking at the Cuttington University (CU) commencement program branded the Gbarnga-based community radio station a cancer cell that needed to be dealt with. Tokpa, who was already Cuttingtons President at the time, said the station was

on a negative spree against the institution despite the unprecedented achievements recorded by the school. All the positive things and accolades the university has achieved over the years, Radio Gbarnga has chosen to take the wrong path by reporting negative stories about Cuttington. They are a cancer cell that if not cured could destroy the county, Tokpa said amid cheers from the audience. The management of the station soon rebuffed Tokpas claims. This is an attack on the Radio Gbarnga that needs not to be overlooked, said station manager William Quire, when

political aspirations.Paid for announcements from CU aired by Radio Gbarnga before the commencement program was withdrawn from later broadcast on the alleged order of the universitys administration In addition, paid for advertisements of Serengeti a local hotel owned by Tokpa that had been aired by the station before the commencement program were taken off the air on the alleged order of the hotel management. The university had, over the years, refused to give the station access to graduation programs, while affording Super Bongese, another community radio station in Gbarnga, unprecedented access. The reconciliation meeting failed FrontPage Africa has reliably learnt that the first meeting in June 2013 between Tokpa and senior members of the station in a bid to break the jinx ended in deadlock. Staffers of the station reportedly demanded an apology from the CU President before going into a dialogue with him, a demand he reportedly rejected.

FULFILLING HER TASK

Rep Mariamu Fofa Delivers Her Constituency Report To District 4 Residents In Lofa County
Stephen D. Kollie, stephenkollie13@gmail.com 0776329124
left the soil of Samodu town where they spent a whole night after a long journey from his hometown in Foya District. Rep. Fofana among many developmental introduced an act that was passed by both houses and currently before President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf for approval creating Quardu Gboni as a magisterial area. She co-sponsored 2 bills, supported 58 and abstained 2. The Lofa county lawmaker advocated for the construction of a women center and a police station in Konia town as well as construction of Voinjama dist hall, market building and cool storage. Other projects advocated for include construction of health center in Bakedu, a police station in Samodu and a youth center in Bakedu among others. In the town of Vazala, the District seat of Voinjama, joy and commendations were heating up as a fanfare welcoming ceremony had been organized to greet representative Fofana who arrived in the town about midday. Right in the middle of the town hall meeting, jubilation sparked among the audience when Rep. Fofana pronounced that due to her strong advocacy for farm to market roads, a funding was secure in the national budget this fiscal year to construct the Vazala Boiboimai bridge which has since created an impediment for residents in that terrain to transport their produce easily. As the delivery of the report came to a close in the town of Vazala, Voinjama District, the citizens presented recommendations for development initiatives for the coming years. Kugbeh Jallah of Malamai town believes much has been done by Rep. Fofana over the years but says her priorities must now be focused on youth education as well as peace and reconciliation initiatives. Siad Mr. Jallah: I want the representative to ensure that there is sufficient education for our youth because we will leave them here and go tomorrow. Also, we want the government to help us build peace centers in certain parts of this county were citizens can meet resolve conflicts. In her own words, Rep Fofana says this is history making for the people of District #4 to report back to her constituents. In an exclusive interview with FrontPage Africa last week at her Voinjama city residence, Rep. Fofana revealed that the process provided a platform for interaction with the lawmaker and her constituents to discuss issues of local and national developmental initiatives. I think every representative in this republic should give that opportunity to their constituents so that they can be the one to dictate what they want. You might go and advocate for a school but all the people might need is teacher. But when you go and talk to them as we are doing you dont only imagine the challenges they are faced with but you actually get to fell the challenges and so it gives you a better idea or prospective of how you can tackle the challenges. She noted.

The row between Tokpa and Radio Gbarnga has also affected the stations board chair, Alfredson Tarkerweah, an elite member of the Friends of Tokpa an auxiliary group of Tokpa campaign team. Relations between Tarkerweah and staffers of the radio station deteriorated uncontrollably when he reportedly endorsed the candidacy of the CU President in July 2013 in Bong Mines, Fuamah district where he had gone there to donate materials on behalf of Tokpa. Radio Gbarnga listeners reacting to Taikerweyahs purported declaration called for his resignation. For a board chair of a community radio station to declare for a senatorial candidate raises questions about the stations independence in 2014, Vandalark Patricks, a native of Gbarnga and a resident of Monrovia told a gathering in Gbarnga. Another Gbarnga resident, Peter Gompay, said Taikerweyahs rumored declaration for the CU President spoke volumes and could destroy the integrity of the station in 2014. Taikerweyahs declaration means that he should be given the boot because it wont offer well for the community radio, he said. Inside sources hinted to FrontPage Africa that Tarkerweah, a lecturer at the university, also went into conflict with staffers of the station when he demanded that the station assign at least two reporters to the CU President

to cover his pre-campaign activities. FPA has also gathered that the pressure from staffers of the station has forced Tarkerweah to resign even though the decision has not been made public. Media Feud Hurting Tokpas bid Radio Gbarngas aim to give listeners critiques of senatorial aspirants in the county ahead of the 2014 special election has reignited what is seen as a major political minus for Tokpa.Tokpa was accused in 2003 of branding students of financially impotent parents as children of bitter-ball sellers who were not needed at the university. His statement at the time again sparked criticisms from the public. Students of poor parents who were natives of Bong described the statement as humiliating and a means to subject their children at the expense of the children of wealthy parents.The reported comments drew strong criticism when the Bong Times, a Bong Countybased newspaper, reignited the debate when Tokpas rumored vice-Presidential bid surfaced in 2011.Though the paper retracted the story in 2013, the failure of the CU President to appear live on the media to address the allegation and an unrelenting coverage given to citizens of the county by Radio Gbarnga to give their opinions on the rumored statement is increasingly putting Tokpa at odds with the citizens.

District #4, Lofa Countyldman Varlee Sherriff, age 67, sits attentively behind the audience with hands folded between his legs in a jampacked town hall at the outskirts of Samodu town, the district seat of Quardu Gboni Disrtct in Lofa County, nearly 20 Kilometers away the provincial capital of Lofa County (Voinjama city). Old man Sheriff is surrounded by dozens of energetic young women and men who sometimes apparently feel comfortable in his company as they both look on to the podium where a segment of platform guests, comprising of traditional elders and political actors are seated in their numbers. The 67- year- old grandfather of 8 along with dozens of inhabitants hailing from

Samodu and its surrounding towns and villages had turned out in their numbers to grace the commencement of a ceremony marking a town hall meeting between Lofa county District #4 representative Mariamu B. Fofana and her constituents, at which time she delivered her 2013 constituency report. Said Mr. Sheriff in an exclusive interview with FrontPage Africa: My son, we are very proud of our daughter. She is doing all that we sent her there to do. This is my first time to attend such a program that has never taken place in this district since I started knowing myself as an adult. No other politician has done this kind of report to us as she is doing today. Oldman Sheriff and scores of citizens in Lofa County District #4 are enthusiastic about what they termed as an eye-opener that has never been performed

by former representatives of their constituency for decades now. Sekou M. Sheriff, President of the Quardu Gboni farmers cooperative society believes Hon. Fofanas report went beyond the imagination of the district residents. Said Sheriff: Normally in our setting, what she has done is a strange thing. That a representative will go to job and when every year is coming to an end, they come and give their yearend report like this. The report was very transparent to the extent that things that she said had the physical aspect on the ground if anyone wanted to argue it. When she says it, she shows clear evidence to the people and people will be there to say yes you did this for us. The town hall meeting was convened just minutes after Liberias Vice President Joseph Boakai and his entourage had

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

LPRC SECURITY APPREHENDS THREE STOWAYS

- TURNED OVER TO NPA, MARITIME

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CORPORATE NEWS

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Page 11

Monroviahree Nigerian stoways were on Sunday, January 5, 2014 apprehended by the Liberia Petroleum Refining Company (LPRC) security forces after they attempted boarding a vessel at the LPRC oil jetty. Stanley JideoforOnyeshinye 28, Desmond Nnamdi 30 and Prince Nonso Udedike 30 were arrested by the LPRC security officers after the three made their way closer to the vessel via a canoe. The three Nigerians according to information from the LPRC security, entered into Liberia a week ago,

but since they could not locate or get in touch with the person who invited them to the country to work, they decided to go elsewhere by stoways which prompted them to attempt boarding the vessel at the LPRC oil jetty. The vigilance of the LPRC security officers certainly paid off as they were on the alert to apprehend the trio. The three Nigerians have since being turned over to the security authorities of the National Port Authority and Liberia Maritime Authority. Specifically, they were on the same day turned over to the Port Facility Senior Officer (PFSO), Samuel

Brisbane, an exercise that was witnessed by the Director of security at the Liberia

Maritime Authority, Ernest Omamo.

UNIVERSITY OF LIBERIA CRISIS DEEPENS Lecturers Join Protest

Al-Varney Rogers alrogers2008@gmail.com 0886304498
Another ULFA member, Anthony Williams said, several decisions were reached by the student leadership, the faculty and administration before the partial opening of the University for Graduation. He said, that the faculty and students are in one accord adding that one thing both student community and faculty share is the removal of the provost, Dr. Brownell. Says Williams Administration should not be talking about the presence of wede. What we agree on is for Wede to go The UL Vice president for Fiscal Affairs Wilson Tarpeh who was present at the meeting was not recognized as according to the body professor Tarpeh has lost their trust. Tarpeh refused to comment but rather referred journalists to the Vice President of U.L Relations but efforts to reach him [VP of U.L Relations] prove futile. The tension on campus began in November when students joined members of the UL faculty in demanding the resignation of the Vice President for Academic Affairs. The students paraded on the UL main campus with a symbolic

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EDUCATION

[U.L Lecturers in mass meeting]

on Monday reinforced its previous decision to disengage from all activities on all of the campuses of the University of Liberia. The decision by ULFA is in contradiction of the University of Liberia administration recent pronouncement that classes will resume on today (Tuesday). ULFA following a mass meeting attended by over hundred and fifty lectures in the auditorium of the University of Liberia announced that it will continue the strike action, characterized by boycotting of classes. ULFA President Clifford Young disclosed to the body that the UL administration has failed on promises that were made. This wede woman insulted all of us [lectures] saying that we sell grades to students and we are criminals. We are resolved not go to classes until this woman leaves. Young said. ULFA said, the University administration is calling for classes to resume when in fact the comments by the Dr. Brownell has not been investigated. In the meeting the body gives ULFA leadership the authority to continue engaging administration to meet their plight. ULFA says Dr. Brownell Must Resign Speaking one at a time all of the lecturers resolved that Dr. Wede Brownell should resign her post as prerequisite to going back to class. The body in parliamentary process voted the decision not to resume lectures until their demands are met. Out of the 158 lectures only one abstained with the rest voting to continue disengaging from lectures. According to ULFA, the decision is based on the action of the administration not to honor any of their demands.

he pending reopening of the University of Liberia which has been closed for nearly two months seems farfetched as new events are emerging that could see the state run entity remaining closed for another period. The University was shut down following violent student protest demanding the resignation of the Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Wade Brownell. But the pronouncements that the doors of the University will be reopened today (decemnber7) seems impossible as the University Faculty Association

casket they said was bearing portraits of Madam Brownell. Citing a resolution passed by the faculty, ULFA President Clifford Young said the faculty has disengaged from all activities at the ULs four campus. Young said, the strike action will continue until madam Brownell resigns. No faculty member of the University of Liberia will engage in any instructional activities at the University until our demands are met, Young noted. Young added that, since madam Brownells incumbency as Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, there have lots of problems between students and faculty members. He cited arbitrary dismissals, mistreatment of faculty members as some of the problems that warrant the resignation of Dr. Brownell. Young said ULFA has resolved that its members which include lecturers will lay their chalks down until the vice president for Academic Affairs is removed from the University. This decision by ULFA has brought the state University to a standstill and classes to a halt amid anger from students unhappy

Page 12 | Frontpage

Tuesday, January 7 , 2014

UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME JOB DESCRIPTION

INTERNAL/EXTERNAL VACANCY

I. Post Information

Post Title: ICT Associate/LAN Manager Post Number: 00000979 Appointment type: Fixed Term Appointment Organizational Unit: RBA/UNDP/Liberia Supervisor/ Grade: ICS.10 Source of Funding: Core
II. Organizational Context

Current Grade: ICS.7 Approved Grade: ICS.7 Application deadline: 9 January 2014

Under the guidance and direct supervision of the Operations Specialist, the ICT Support Associate provides leadership in execution of ICT services in the CO, implements ICT management systems and strategies, provides daily technical support to users of information management tools and technology infrastructure. The incumbent is responsible for review and advice on the use of new technologies that will enhance the CO productivity. The ICT Support Associate promotes a client-oriented approach. The ICT Support Associate works in close collaboration with the operations, programme and project teams in the CO and UNDP HQs staff for resolving complex ICT-related issues. Summary of Key Functions:

V. Competencies

Functional Competencies: Building Strategic Partnerships Level 1.1: Maintaining information and databases Analyzes general information and selects materials in support of partnership building initiatives Promoting Organizational Learning and Knowledge Sharing Level 1.1: Basic research and analysis Researches best practices and poses new, more effective ways of doing things Documents innovative strategies and new approaches Job Knowledge/Technical Expertise Level 1.1: Fundamental knowledge of processes, methods and procedures Understands the main processes and methods of work regarding to the position Possesses basic knowledge of organizational policies and procedures relating to the position and applies them consistently in work tasks Identifies new and better approaches to work processes and incorporates same in own work Strives to keep job knowledge up-to-date through self-directed study and other means of learning Demonstrates good knowledge of information technology and applies it in work assignments Promoting Organizational Change and Development Level 1.1: Presentation of information on best practices in organizational change

Implementation of ICT strategies and introduction/implementation of new technologies Effective functioning of the CO hardware and software packages Networks administration Provision of web management services Provision of administrative support Facilitation of knowledge building and knowledge sharing

III. Functions / Key Results Expected Summary of Key Functions:

Implementation of ICT strategies and introduction/implementation of new technologies Effective functioning of the CO hardware and software packages Networks administration Provision of web management services Provision of administrative support Facilitation of knowledge building and knowledge sharing 1. Ensures implementation of ICT strategies and introduction/implementation of new technologies focusing on achievement of the following results: Compliance with corporate information management and technology standards, guidelines and procedures for the CO technology environment. Elaboration of internal policies and procedures on the use of ICT. Elaboration of the content of internal Standard Operating Procedures in Finance in consultation with office management. Development and update of the ICT annual plan. Provision of support to the use of Atlas functionality for improved business results and improved client services.

Demonstrates ability to identify problems and proposes solutions

Design and Implementation of Management Systems Level 1.1: Data gathering and implementation of management systems Uses information/databases/other management systems Client Orientation Level 1.1: Maintains effective client relationships Reports to internal and external clients in a timely and appropriate fashion Organizes and prioritizes work schedule to meet client needs and deadlines Establishes, builds and sustains effective relationships within the work unit and with internal and external clients Responds to client needs promptly Promoting Accountability and Results-Based Management Level 1.1: Gathering and disseminating information Gathers and disseminates information on best practice in accountability and results-based management systems Core Competencies: Demonstrating/safeguarding ethics and integrity Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment Self-development, initiative-taking Acting as a team player and facilitating team work Facilitating and encouraging open communication in the team, communicating effectively Creating synergies through self-control Managing conflict Learning and sharing knowledge and encourage the learning of others. Promoting learning and knowledge management/sharing is the responsibility of each staff member. Informed and transparent decision making
VI. Recruitment Qualifications

2. Ensures effective functioning of the CO hardware and software packages focusing on the achievement of the following results:

Provision of advice on maintenance of equipment and acquisition of hardware supplies, making routine repairs and change of hardware electronic components.

Education:

Secondary Education. University Degree in Computer Science desirable, but it is not a requirement. Cisco Certified Network Engineer (CCNE) and Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) or Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) required. 7 years of working experience in network administration and use of Experience: hardware/software, telecommunications facilities, knowledge of database packages, experience in web design. Language Requirements: Fluency in English. VII. Signatures- Job Description Certification Kindly apply online at the following website: http://jobs.lr.undp.org/ . At this site, you will be required to complete the online application form and also upload your CV to complete the process. PLEASE NOTE THAT ONLY APPLICATIONS RECEIVED ONLINE AT THE ABOVE JOB SITE WILL BE CONSIDERED.

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

STUDENT RALLIES CONTINUE FOR CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL FIRED OVER GAY MARRIAGE

JOBLESS YOUTHS ATTACK TUNISIA POLICE POST

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WORLD NEWS

Frontpage

SUPREME COURT PUTS UTAH SAME-SEX MARRIAGES ON HOLD

IN BRIEF

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"

tudents and, apparently, other concerned citizens held yet another rally on Saturday in support of Mark Zmuda, a gay vice principal and swim coach at Eastside Catholic High School in the suburbs of Seattle, Wash. who was sacked late last month after school officials discovered that he had married his boyfriend. Eastside Catholic fired Zmuda, 38, because his same-sex marriage violates church doctrine as well as an employment contract the popular school administrator agreed to abide by. He got married about five months ago. The personnel decision has become a polarizing one for people who want the Catholic church to start accepting gay marriage. About 80 people showed up at Saturdays demonstration in front of the local archdioceses headquarters in Seattles First Hill neighborhood, reports The Seattle Times. We want to make sure that no more teachers get fired from their job because they got married, event coorganizer Shaun Knittel told the gathered crowd. Demonstrators held signs and chanted slogans, of course. The slogans included Keep Mr. Z, God is Love and Love always wins. Neither Zmuda nor anyone from the archdiocese showed up at the latest protest. In a video released recently, Zmuda said school officials told him he could keep his job if he got a divorce, the Times notes. Apparently the fact that I have a same-sex partner and (am) having a samesex marriage . . . they are against that, the principal at a Catholic school said during an interview conducted by a former student, Catrina Crittenden. Zmuda also noted that Catholic doctrine frowns on divorce, as a rule. I also thought another teaching they were against was divorce, he said. Im a little shocked that was even on the table to have me keep my job. They also offered for me to have a commitment ceremony if I were willing to get a divorce.

Though future marriages are on hold for now, the state should recognize as valid those marriages that have already been issued, and those couples should continue to be treated as married by the federal government," Mejia said. The gay marriage case was one of two emergency petitions pending before Justice Sotomayor. In the other case, she temporarily blocked the new federal health care law from forcing a religious group to begin the process of providing free birth control. The justice Department objected, and another court order is likely soon. Despite two landmark Supreme Court decisions in June that vastly expanded same-sex marriage rights in states from Maine to California, gay and lesbian couples in 33 states remain outside the bonds of holy matrimony. Utah is again one of those states.

Gafsa (Tunisia) (AFP) -

nemployed Tunisian youths ransacked an empty police post in the impoverished central region of Gafsa overnight and torched its contents, witnesses told AFP on Monday. Tunisia remains prey to sometimes violent social unrest, especially in the neglected centre of the

POPE CALLS FOR FRESH CHURCH APPROACH TO CHILDREN OF GAY PARENTS

country, three years after an impoverished street vendor set himself on fire in a desperate act of protest that sparked the first Arab Spring uprising. The latest incident took place during a protest by a group of young Tunisians in the town of El Guettar against the results of a recruitment process by a public company. They took advantage of the absence of security forces at the police post to attack it and

burn the equipment they found in the street. The protesters, who had failed to secure jobs at the company, had already blocked access to the town on Saturday before being dispersed by police. The interior ministry has given no details of the incident in El Guettar. But the Gafsa region has witnessed strikes and violent protests in recent months, with demonstrators torching the

local headquarters of the ruling Islamist party Ennahda last November after trying to break into the governor's office. The unrest on that occasion too was motivated by poverty and lack of development, which were driving factors behind the popular uprising that toppled veteran autocrat Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in January 2011 and sparked revolutions across the region.

Rome (AFP) ope Francis has called for a rethink in the way the Catholic Church deals with the children of gay couples and divorced parents, warning against "administering a vaccine against faith". "On an educational level, gay unions raise challenges for us today which for us are sometimes difficult to understand," Francis said in a speech to the Catholic Union of Superiors General in November, extracts of which were published on Italian media websites on Saturday. "The number of children in schools whose parents have separated is very high," he said, adding that family makeups were also changing. "I remember a case in which a sad little girl confessed to her teacher: 'my mother's girlfriend doesn't love me'," he was quoted as saying. The pontiff said educational leaders should ask themselves

"how can we proclaim Christ to a generation that is changing?" "We must be careful not to administer a vaccine against faith to them," the 77-year-old added. Though the Church has often been in conflict with the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community over its opposition to same-sex marriage and to homosexuality, Francis has

drawn praise for attempts to be inclusive. In July he reached out to gays, declaring that "if someone is gay and seeks the Lord with good will, who am I to judge?" And in December, the Advocate magazine -- dedicated to the gay and lesbian community -chose the head of the Catholic Church as the "single most influential person of 2013 on

the lives of LGBT people." The reform-minded pontiff has also called an extraordinary assembly of the Synod of Bishops next year to discuss the Church's position with regard to the family, which is expected to address among other issues the problem of divorcees remarrying and children of divorced parents.

udan's President Omar al-Bashir is pledging his government will not support rebels in neighboring South Sudan. The Sudanese leader spoke Monday during a brief visit to the southern capital, Juba, where he met with South Sudan President Salva Kiir. Mr. Bashir thanked Mr. Kiir for a "warm welcome" and went on to say Sudan will never support rebels against any neighboring government. He said that "would only cause instability, exhaustion of resources and destruction of ties between countries."In the past, the two Sudans have accused each other of supporting rebels on the other's territory. Meanwhile, substantive peace talks between delegates for Mr. Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar appear finally set to begin in Ethiopia. The sides negotiated for several days over the format and agenda of the talks. The chairman of the mediation team, Seyoum Mesfin, told reporters Monday the parties have agreed to discuss a proposed cease-fire, and the fate of pro-rebel officials detained by the government. China is calling for an immediate end to hostilities in South Sudan, where three weeks of political and ethnic violence has killed more than 1,000 people and displaced about 200,000 from their homes.

BASHIR SAYS NO SUPPORT FOR REBELS IN SOUTH SUDAN

Page 14 | Frontpage

n 1 December 2013, the Liberia Football Association (LFA) responded to the Adolphus Dolo: A victim of political witch-hunt at the LFA story, which was published online and in the papers on November 26 and 27, 2013 respectively. The LFA desperately sought to clarify some of the issues raised in that article. And by deductive reasoning, those issues it didnt respond to or clarify are considered true. Since the publication of that article, only Georgian FC president Wilmot Smith phoned me in a civil manner to speak about all of the points I raised. According to Smith, it was a good article except that I criticized the LFA for punishing Dolo, who was clearly guilty of forgery. Smiths argument, which I agreed with to a large extent, was that I should have commended the FA for upholding the rule of law and then urged it to go after unfinished businesses. Having said that, lets put their responses on the altar of analysis. The LFA said it is equally under statutory and moral obligation to set the record straight when lies, overtimes, term to take the face of truth and facts but it came forth with a partial response, which focused on match fixing andmoral and material corruption allegations against some officials. In count one, the LFA wants us to believe that ex-Nimba County Senator Adolphus Dolo has no history of winning any football election. And that he had not met the statutory qualifications long before he declared his presidential ambition last August for the elections in March. This is utter nonsense. Ignoring his suspension, Dolo, who was encouraged into football administration by LFA president Musa Bility, is 100-percent qualified to contest the polls in keeping with the March 2010 Fifa-approved statutes and Fifa statutes, which were adopted at the 63rd congress in Port Louis, Mauritius from May 30-31, 2013 and came into force on 31 July 2013. But Bility, in an attempt to narrow the playing field and perpetuate himself in power, altered the statutes, which were adopted at the July 2010 congress and sent to the secretariat for grammatical corrections, printing into handbills

Sport

Tuesday, January 7 , 2014

DanesiusMarteh, danesius.marteh@frontpageafricaonline.com
and onward distribution to stakeholders. Key changes made by Bility are contained in my ONE LFA, TWO STATUTES: Who may have altered the March 2010 Fifa-approved statutes? article, which was published on November 16, 2013. Although Bility has denied altering key provisions in the March 2010 statutes, an extraordinary congress is set for January 25 to adopt new rules for the pending elections but with educational criteria for presidential, vice presidential and executive committee candidates. In count two, the LFA is making a chorus of rightfully punishing Dolo and his acceptance to serve the ban but it willfully left out the issue of the mandate given by him for it to deduct the US$5,000 fine from the more than US$10,000 it owed him for his runners-up position after the 2010/2011 national league. How can the LFA still owe Dolo when Cellcom GSM provided a threeyear sponsorship, valued at US$450,000, in September 2010? Another issue it raised in count two is that Dolo went through the back door to advertise his Insight and Focus newspapers around the perimeters of the Antoinette Tubman Stadium (ATS). This was a thoughtless reaction. Why was Dolo allowed to put a pin at the ATS if he hadnt followed the laid down procedures? And why was his billboards taken down minutes after his presidential declaration? So, assuming Dolo had harbored no presidential ambition, his advertisements would have remained at the ATS. I am also putting LFA vice president Musa Shannon and secretary-general Alphonso Armah under the oath of the Holy Bible/Koran to deny that Dolo didnt contact them about the covert removal of his billboards at the ATS. And doesnt this point to the fact that the LFA is an institution of men and not laws? The LFA is afraid to admit that it was an honest ignorance on their part not to have punished FC Fassell president Cassell Kuoh in keeping with Caf disciplinary code when he forged Lasana Sesays work and resident permits? But is there a limitation to the statutes on football related crimes? In count three, the LFA said allegations that executive committee member (ECM) Wallace Weiah impregnated a player of his club are news and a flagrant attack on his character. The LFA is also challenging meto provide details on the case including name(s) and date and it will, however, leave the rest with Weiah since it directly hinges on his character. This is a pretense wrapped in sheer arrogance. And having consulted a number of senior media colleagues coupled with my code of ethics and coverage of gender issues, I will be compelled to publish the names of the mother and child, photos, ages and the school the child attends if Weiah or the LFA make one more public denial. Infact, I will review the mothers passportand birth documents to ascertain whether statutory rape, in keeping with our laws, was committed during their convenient love affairs. There is also a confidential briefing that this is Weiahs second child by a female player and that another LFA senior staff was engaged in sexual molestation of a minor. The staffagreed to send the girl to any school of her choice and gave the mother some money after the duo showed-up at the LFA one sunny afternoon and threatened to report the case to the police. I want to refrain from calling his name until I gathered hard facts, including the whereabouts of the child and her mother. Isnt Bility or the LFA aware of this also? In count four, the LFA says I am shameless for not crediting it in the wake of match fixings in the women division in 2011. It is they, who should be ashamed of themselves, because FrontPageAfrica (FPA) was credited at a July news conference called by Bility in the wake of the scandal. Infact, Bility intentionally sought to credit Power FMs Fombah Kanneh for alerting the FA but a meek Kanneh told him it was FPA that first reported the story. Another shameless aspect of this response is that the LFA had initially ruled out claims of match fixing in Earth Angels 55-0 mauling of Kebbeh FC in what was the highest ever defeat in a national football match in Liberia when Amelia Washington and captain Dehkontee Sayon scored 23 and 11 goals respectively at the ATS on June 14, 2011. Well, the score could be alarming but I dont think it is much of a surprise because female games have produced avalanche of goals. More besides, the team [Kebbeh], my understanding is that she hasnt won a game. In fact, at one point, she also lost a game by 15 goals to nothing [to Pro Anchors]. So I dont want to rubbish claims or complaints of match fixing but I equally dont want to give it credence because it could be alarming going to 50 [goals] but there have always been avalanche of goals [in the female league], said LFA communications director Henry Flomo a day later. But the LFA was certainly pressured to summersault with an investigation after a clash of identity and interest ensued between LFA treasurer Jallah D. Corvahs Professional Anchors Sisters and Weiahs darling Angels, some of whom have turned out to be his day time friends and night time lovers. In the end, it partially implemented the findings by stripping Angels of the championship and awardedit to Anchors. But the LFA is still arguing that unlike Dolo, who it says was directly involved in the case involving Charles George by signing every transaction, Weiah had no personal involving in the alarming score line by his club as per the findings of the committee. This laughable insinuation leaves me with the belief that our football development and advancement is in the hands of jokers, who leave their homes every morning with no clear sense of direction order than fattening their pockets and criminal maneuverings. Since there is no lower division to relegate, why didnt the LFA suspend Earth Angels for at least a season in addition to stripping her off the title? Secondly, what punishment did the LFA give Blanco FC president Michael Gilayenneh (an ex-board member of the Liberia Airport Authority but now LFA deputy secretarygeneral in the wake of the Ellen Corkrumgate) for fixing their match with Anchors Sisters when he seized the players playing cards as was revealed by striker Danu Quarteh? Gilayenneh and Weiah plotted that scheme because had Blanco shown-up for that match, its outcome would have been far more devastating than the 55-0 result because a champion would have been decided based on the outcome of the match. This is a simple analogy, which doesnt require a brain surgeon to explain but here is a classic example of how the virus is being treated internationally. Fenerbahce were removed from the Europa League and banned from the 2014/2015 and 2015/2016 Champions Leagues as part of a matchfixing case. The Court of Arbitration for Sport had allowed the Turkish side to complete a two-legged qualifier against Arsenal, which they lost 5-0 on aggregate, while their appeal was considered. But their original two-year Uefa ban was upheld after club officials were judged to have helped fixed matches in order to win the 2011 Super League title. In May 2012, Fifa imposed a two-year worldwide ban on nine Zambian players after a match-fixing scandal in Finland. Godfrey Chibanga, Chileshe Chibwe, Steven Kunda, Christopher Musonda, Chanda Mwaba, Francis Kombe, Nchimunya Mweetwa and the Yobe brothers of Dominic and Donewell were already been banned by the Football Association of Finland, following the conclusion of an appeals process. Six of the nine, who played for Rovaniemi Palloseura (RoPs) along with the rest, were convicted of taking

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Tuesday, January 7, 2014

bribes by a Finnish court in 2011. Wilson Raj Perumal, the Singaporean at the heart of the investigation, was sentenced to two years in prison. Fifa described the move by its disciplinary committee to be "another important decision in its fight against match-fixing". But here is the LFA joking with the issue of match-fixing. In count five, the LFA said at no time was then competitions director Benedict Yarsiah and Alex Nagbo (protocol officer and director of referees) culpable of sanctioning the remaining 30 minutes in the Sime Darby versus Georgian FC rescheduled match in which Sime won 8-0 on September 19, 2012 at the ATS. This response will annoy Smith, who dismissedhis players and officials that colluded with Yarsiah and Nagbo for the game to go head. At a news conference on September 20, 2012, nine second division clubs presidents demanded the unconditional dismissal of then acting secretary-general Nyanqueh Borsah, Yarsiah, Nagbo and statisticians Matthew Diggs and Reuben Johnson for aiding and abetting match fixings. They also demanded that the Gbaisue FC versus Sime and Sime versus Georgian matches be probed.And Bility took a preemptive strike by suspending Yarsiah and Nagbo indefinitely on September 19, 2012. According to him, the duo shouldnt have sanctioned the game knowing that Keitrace, Aries and Sime, who were all aiming to win the league, needed to have played simultaneously to avoid match fixing Yarsiah was accused of giving Sime, who needed more goals, an undue advantage while Nagbo shouldnt have allowed Georgian to play without players cards but Izetta Wesley, then chairperson of the grievance and disciplinary committee (GDC), released a doctored-report, which cleared the duo. Why did Izetta clear Nagbo and Yarsiah of wrongdoing even though they allowed Georgian to play without cards and Sime officials also agreed to not file a protest. Infact, why did the game, which was called-off due to poor visibility in July 2012 at 3-0 in favor of Sime in Matambo, Grand Cape Mount County, take place in September? And why was Yarsiah made a legal officer and Nagbo stripped of his director position following their clearance? No wonder why the appeal is still pending before appeals committee. The LFA also said the issue of center referee Joe Macaulay, assistant referees Sam Williams and George Gayflor and other match officials, who were brutally flogged by FC Fassell and their fans under the guidance of President Cassell Kuoh after a 1-1 draw with Fulani FC in a second division championship decider in Unification Town, Margibi County in February 2011, have been settled. This is the height of insincerity because the LFA had claimed its unpaid bills of US$1,500 towards the end of 2012 when news surfaced that Kuoh was eyeing the presidency. And while Kuohtold a news conference in September 2012 that he was harboring no presidential ambition for the foreseeable future, he also admitted

that the fine was paid in full but could only display a receipt of US$500. So when did he paid the balance US$1,000? Another lies provided by the LFA is that the appeals committee, headed by ex-Supreme Court Justice Karmo Soko Sackor, had ruled in favor of Fassell on the illegal registration and used of Sierra Leones Sesay as was filed by Young Professional. The November 15, 2012 ruling was issued by attorney-at-law Joseph Kollie, acting chairman and Cllrs. Wheatonia Dixon-Barnes and Idella Cooper-Shannon as members. Secondly, the appeals committee set aside and overturned the ruling of GDC chairperson Cllr. Wesley and ruled in favor of Young Professionals. It also found that Fassell committed a fraud when processing Sesays work permit, which simultaneously belongs to an entity identified as AMEC. In perfecting the ruling, three points and two goals were awarded to Fassells opponents in which Sesay was a part, leaving the team to drop to division three and Kuoh was suspended. It was Young Professionals that took an exception to the outcome of the grievance proceedings and not Fassell. What the LFA doesnt want to say is that Fassell and Kuoh were pardoned after some reconciliation meetings, some of which took place at Precious Andrews rib house, by Associate Justice Kabinah Janah. In count six, the LFA believes the maligning article intentionally hurt the character of Shannon in the generator saga in 2010. If the machine was deemed a scrap by LFA chief electrician John Sackor to then secretary-general Idrissa Kaba through then deputy secretary Abayomie Caulcrick (deceased), which papers published the bidding documents in keeping with the Public Procurement and Concessions Commission (PPCC) act of 2005? The act gives the PPCC the oversight responsibility to regulate and monitor all forms of public procurement and concessions practices. So, havent the LFA seen bid documents published in newspapers by ministries and agencies, United Nations organizations and diplomatic missions like the American embassy? Who told them that the machine was to be sold via email and among stakeholders when the LFA receives subsidies from government? This was another thoughtless reactionabout the generator to cover-up some of Shannons shabby deals since his election in March 2010. In count seven, the LFA may have wrongly understood the issue I raised on the sexual harassment allegation brought against vice president for operations Adolph Lawrence by ECM Rochell Woodson. I am fully aware that the Ansu Dullehled adhoc committee cleared Lawrence of all charges during their stay in Harare, Zimbabwe for a 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in September 2011. But my question was why did the appeals committee ruled on a matter that was pending before congress? Because the executive committee had recognized its powers of limitation,

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only congress could have entertained such a case. This was the legal and procedural issues I flagged. In count eight, the LFA said Bility couldnt have bought a bus for the national team for US$90,000 only for police to arrest it because the vendor was unpleased with the payment process" but it admitted that Bility needed this bus but payment arrangements broke down and the bus was retrieved. So, what is different between the two reports? At a news conference in May 2012 ahead of the2014 World Cup qualifiers in Dakar, Senegal and Monrovia, Liberia, Bility, in an off-the-cuff remark, said US$90,000 was spent from the US$150,000 provided by the National Oil Company (Nocal) for the bus in question. So how did payment arrangements break down when the bus was arrested while the team was enroute to their hotel from practice? Infact, ELBC 99.9FM also reported this story a day later. Under what arrangements was the bus given to the LFA? Was it that the FA made a 10, 15, 20, 30, 40 or 50-percent payment with the vendors right to reclaim the bus if the balance wasnt paid in full after a certain period? Is it possible for me to buy a 2013 Nissan 4runner from a dealer only for him/her to reclaim it days later? The LFA needs to really come clean on this one. In count nine, the LFA argued that team manager Sebastian Collins admitted to his error after words against words between Armah. So why am I trying to be more Catholic than the pope? This response has not stopped me from laughing every time I read it. Who should have been punished:Armah or Collins? Fifa wrote Armah about Nathaniel Shermans suspension from the match with Angola in Lubango on September 7, 2013. Just like Dolo, why didnt the LFA punish Armah and Kuoh, who also forged Sesaysresidence and work permits, in keeping with the respondeat superior doctrine, Caf or Fifa code of conduct? So why did we dissolve the technical staff after Bility accepted full responsibility for the 6-1 mauling in Calabar, Nigeria during a 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in October 2012? In count 10, I was not ignorant to the fact that Fifa fined Watanga FC midfielder Gideon Williams US$6,000 following his sending-off for a lifethreatening tackle on an opponent in the game with Angola. The LFA, instead, chose to market its ignorance by dodging the harsh reality that neither Williams nor Watanga would have easily paid the fine. With Williams monthly wage of US$75, it would take him 80 months (more than six years) to pay the fine. This was a historic similarity to the Civil Law Courts ruling, backed by the Supreme Court, that sentenced FPA managing publisher Rodney D. Sieh to an incredible 5,000 years in prison (at a rate of US$25 per month) for his inability to pay US$1.5 million for a guilty verdict of libel as was brought by ex-Agriculture Minister Dr. Chris Toe in February 2010. What the LFA could have done was to

ARIES PRESIDENT LAMENTS POOR FINANCIAL INTAKE FROM TOURNAMENT

By: A. Macaulay Sombai-0777217428

he just ended second annual Aries FC football tournament has been described by the club President as very poor in terms of financial intake. Mr. Lemuel Sherman told Front Page Africa that the tournament was poorly attended resulting in low financial intake describing the situation as a major setback. The team official added that they scheduled majority of the tournament games at 5: oo pm to enable spectators show up but still the games were poorly attended. He mentioned that the eight teams including satellite FC from Guinea and Freetown FC from Sierra Leone invited to take part in the tournament showed up and that the tournament ended peacefully but no profit realized by organizers. The other six teams from Liberia were the champions, Diaspora FC, runner up FC Fassell, host Aries FC, Barrack Young Controllers (BYC) LISCR FC, and Liberia Sport. He extended thanks to all the teams that participated in the tournament for their understanding and said he hopes that they will respond to the organization invitation next year. Mr. Sherman also applauded the Liberia Football Association (LFA) for allowing his organization to use the Antoinette Tubman Stadium (ATS) for the tournament. Diaspora FC was crowned champions after a 6-5 victory against FC Fassell through penalty kicks, the regular time finished 2-2. Mr. Sherman emphasized that their expenses incurred was 10 to 20 percent more than the money raised in the entire tournament and he thinks such huge loses is a serious setback for their plan of constructing a football academy. Our main aim of organizing this annual soccer tournament was to raise money to build a football academy in order to train future players of Liberia and to help build up a better Lone Star U- 17, 21 and the senior national teams but the money raised from the past two tournaments is very frustrating. Mr. Sherman stated in a sad move. He noted that as officials, they are about to have serious discussion in order to find an idea to raise money that will help achieve the organizations objective. Says Sherman Sponsorship would be one of the main ideas we are going to discuss during that meeting which we hope to contact companies in and out of Liberia to raise money for our organization aim. The Aries boss confirmed that the cost of the camp is USD 1.6,000,000 and one of their aims is to bring in foreign coaches not to only train Aries players but to train future players for the country national team the Lone Star. join Watanga FC senior vice president Andy Quamie in seeking a waiver by drawing Fifa to the players plight and announcing punitive decision at club and national levels to cover-up for the fine, which it could have paid in any case, when asked by Fifa. It could have also asked Fifa to dispense justice with mercy but they ran out of ideas on this one. Are these the people we have entrusted with the development and advancement of our football programs for four years? And are these the same hustlers and jokers who want another four years in charge? I hope 2014 started on a bad note for their selfish agenda at the LFA.