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POLITICS
Law & Order
VOL 8 NO.596
MONDAY, MAY 19, 2014
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CENTRAL BANK OF LIBERIA
MARKET BUYING AND SELLING RATES
LIBERIAN DOLLARS PER US DOLLAR
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.
Source: Research, Policy and Planning Department, Central Bank Liberia, Monrovia, Liberia
THURSDAY, MAY8, 2014 L$88.00/US$1 L$89.00/US$1
BUYING SELLING
L$88.00/US$1 L$89.00/US$1
L$89.00/US$1 L$88.00/US$1
TUESDAY, MAY13, 2014
THURSDAY, MAY15, 2014


Law & Order pg. 8
LITTLE
CHANGE
WEEDING OUT
L$5 POLICE
U.S. JUDGE REJECTS REQUEST FOR BAIL


WOEWIYU PLEADS
NOT GUILTY
Even if he wore ankle bracelets, its still possible this man can run to
any embassy and break it off his ankle, U.S. Attorney Wright.
LAFFOR TO THE
RESCUE
WHOS WHO
IN BONG?
COUNTY NEWS
Sports

Urey Blames Government for
Awful Living Conditions
POLICE DIRECTOR,
FINANCE MINISTER WANT
INTEGRITY IN POLICE
FORCE
Lone Star Captains second career Goal helped
a resurging Liberia edge Lesotho 1-0
In-Laws Jostle for Unity Party Ticket in Bong Ahead of
Pronouncement of Consensus Candidate
Page 2 |
Frontpage
Monday, May 19, 2014
Monrovia-
H
eavy fghting resurfaced along the Ivory Coast Liberian
border last Friday with Liberians in the border towns of
Nyaaken and Konowroken reporting the sound of heavy
artillery fre.
The latest cross-border resurgence is sparking renewed fears that
strains could develop between Liberia and the Ivory Coast which
has in the past shifted blame on Liberia, Ivory Coast has accused of
allowing rebels in attack from the Liberia side.
Speaking to FrontPageAfrica via mobile, Philip T. Jah, Assistant
Superintendent for Development of River Gee County said
eyewitnesses along the border confrmed to him that the fghting
broke out at 5 am local time in the Ivorian town of Faiteh before
moving to Glaabo along the border with River Gee County.
According to Superintendent Jah, the eyewitnesses said, gunmen
armed with heavy weapons attacked Glaabo and arrested the Town
Chief, tied him and held him for several hours before he was released
based on orders from one of the commanders of the armed men.
The Ivorian Chief is said to have escaped into the Liberian town of
Konowroken in River Gee County for safety where he is currently.
Assistant Superintendent Jah disclosed that other Ivoirians have
crossed into Liberia but the exact number is yet to be known.
Security Forces on Alert
Fighting is said to be still ongoing with gun sound heard across the
border and the people of Glaabo in the Ivory Coast are said to still be
indoor as the gunmen are in control of the town.
The River Gee offcial also confrmed that residents along the
border from the Liberian side have confrmed that a United Nations
Helicopter was seen fying over the border towns.
He said security forces are on the alert and he is calling on National
Government and the Liberian Refugee and Repatriation Commission
to move in and handle the situation.
Assistant Superintendent Jah said a team of security offcers
including the United Nations Mission in Liberia, the police and other
security personnel in River Gee County visited the border to access
the situation and from their assessment, there is no spillover effect in
Liberia as of now with the exception of a few people.
Reuters reported Friday that the Ivorian army launched a counter-
attack on Friday against a group of gunmen accused of entering the
country from Liberia and killing at least eight people in a raid on the
village of Fetai, the parliamentarian representing the region said.
The report quoting Ivorian army offcials noted that heavily armed
fghters crossed the Cavally River, which forms the boundary between
Liberia and Ivory Coast, and attacked the village of Fetai early on
Thursday. "The information that I have for the moment is that fve
villagers were killed in Fetai," MP Yaya Coulibaly told Reuters by
telephone from Grabo, a town 10 km (6 miles) from Fetai. He said
three Ivorian soldiers had also been killed.
"The FRCI (Ivorian army) have launched a counter-offensive to
retake the village from the insurgents. There is fghting with heavy
weapons right now," he said, adding that some 2,500 people had fed
to Grabo from outlying villages for safety.
Ouattara Do, who owns a cocoa plantation near Fetai, confrmed that
fve civilians were killed in the initial attack on the village and said
army reinforcements were pouring into Grabo as the government
sought to drive out the attackers.
Not a new Phenomena
"The fghting (yesterday) was very heavy and we think it will be even
heavier today, because the arriving FRCI are well equipped, but the
Liberian rebels are also well armed."
Gbagbo is currently awaiting trial at the International Criminal Court
in The Hague for suspected crimes against humanity during the 2011
war, in which around 3,000 people died.
Cross border attacks along the Ivorian-Liberian border is not a new
phenomena as over the years the border towns have witnessed fracas.
Three years ago 18 Liberians were indicted for alleged mercenarism
in Ivory Coast and are currently facing trial. Five of the 18 have been
released for lack of evidence with the remaining 13 still facing trial.
The latest fghting comes just months after Liberia and its close
neighbor, the Ivory Coast began dialogue aimed at promoting
reconciliation and increasing security, renewed violence has popped
up again, resurrecting an infux of refugees into Liberia with bombings
and shootings heard on the Liberian side of the border in the River
Gee County.
Cross-border violence has calmed in the past six months, though
tensions remain between locals in southeastern Liberia and thousands
of Ivorian refugees who remain there after feeing Ivory Coast's post-
election confict in 2011.
More than 200,000 Ivorian fed into Liberia during the 2010-2011
post-election confict. Close to 60,000 are still there.
EJS, Outtarra Meeting Fail to Breakthrough
Liberians living around the southeastern town of Zwedru say it is time
for the refugees to go home.
Human Rights Watch says hundreds of refugees have returned home
to fnd that their land had been taken over or sold illegally.
Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Ivorian President
Alassane Ouattara met in Zwedru late last year for the fnal day of a
peace and reconciliation conference with traditional chiefs from both
sides of the border. Sirleaf said at the time that it was time go back to
the days of "peaceful coexistence.It is not an option for Cote d'Ivoire
and Liberia to work together. Dear friends, it is a necessity," she said.
Last June, Human Rights Watch reported that dozens of former Ivorian
and Liberian combatants loyal to the previous Ivorian government
were using Liberia as a base to launch raids into Cte dIvoire. There,
they targeted civilians perceived as supporting President Alassane
Ouattara.
After interviewing some of the fghters, Human Rights Watch
warned that more cross-border raids were likely, as the forces
remained mobilized and were recruiting. According to HRW, after the
information was publicized, seven United Nations peacekeepers and
at least 10 civilians were killed in yet another cross-border attack into
Cte dIvoire.
Cte dIvoires November 2010 presidential election sparked six
months of grave human rights abuses, after the incumbent president,
Laurent Gbagbo, refused to recognize results proclaiming Ouattara
the victor. At least 3,000 people were killed in violence often waged
along political and ethnic lines, with armed forces on both sides
implicated in war crimes and probable crimes against humanity.
Gbagbo was arrested by pro-Ouattara forces in April 2011 and
transferred that November to the International Criminal Court, where
he faces charges for four counts of crimes against humanity.
At the height of the Ivorian confict, more than 180,000 people fed
into neighboring Liberia. The vast majority sought refuge from the
fghting in western Cte dIvoire, but hundreds of those who crossed
were former pro-Gbagbo militiamen implicated in atrocities. Some
of these former fghters are now key players in the cross-border raids
that have targeted civilians along with Ivorian security forces. In
interviews with Human Rights Watch, these fghters described their
continuing hostility to the Ouattara government as well as a desire to
seek vengeance for crimes committed by pro-Ouattara forces.
Soon after we released our June 2012 report, Liberia ordered the arrest
of 10 people it believed to be associated with the abusive cross-border
raids. These included Isaac Chegbo, known by his nom de guerre
Bob Marley, whom our reporting implicated in two massacres
in western Cte d'Ivoire. By October, authorities had apprehended
at least 17 people for involvement in cross-border attacks. Pre-trial
appeals are ongoing.
During Liberia's civil wars, which ended in 2003, communities in
western Ivory Coast hosted tens of thousands of Liberian refugees.
River Gee is a county in the southern portion of the West African
nation of Liberia. One of 15 counties that comprise the frst-level of
administrative division in the nation, it has six districts. Fish Town
serves as the capital with the area of the county measuring 5,113
square kilometres (1,974 sq mi). As of the 2008 Census, it had a
population of 66,789, making it the third least populous county in
Liberia
Tenth largest in size, it is bordered by Sinoe County to the west, Grand
Gedeh County to the north, and Grand Kru and Maryland counties to
the south. The eastern part of River Gee borders the nation of Ivory
Coast along the Cavalla River. Created in 2000, the current County
Superintendent is Daniel Johnson.
Vulnerable to Militias
River Gee split from Grand Gedeh County in May 2000 after
receiving approval from Liberia's House of Representatives in May
1997 and Senate approval in March 2000. On the east of the county
is the Cavalla River that forms Liberia's border with the Ivory Coast.
River Gee's capital is Fishtown.
Prior to the 2008 Census, River Gee had an estimated population of
74,800, including thousands of people who fed to Liberia following
confict in the Ivory Coast during 2002. About 92% of the county's
inhabitants derive the majority of their income from agricultural
production. Rice is the principal crop in River Gee, accounting for
approximately 60% of the county's production according to UN
estimates. Other important crops include cassava and bananas.
Since the end of Liberian civil war in 2003 which was followed by
a disputed election in the Ivory Coast, militias have been very active
along the borders between the two countries.
The entire western African sub region is vulnerable to militias
movement as nearly all countries in the Mano River Union basin
Liberia, Guinea, Ivory Coast and Sierra Leone have experienced war
in the last three decades, with all these countries growing large number
of rebels who are yet to be completely disarmed and reintegrated into
their various societies.
In Liberia, from 1989 to 2003 dozens of rebel movements were formed
and their fghters actively participated in the war. From the National
patriotic Front of Liberia to the Independent National Patriotic Front
of Liberia, the United Liberation Movement of Liberia (K and J), the
Liberia Peace Council (LPC), the Liberians United for Reconciliation
and Democracy (LURD), all these belligerents groupings recruited
thousands of militants some of whom were citizens from neighboring
countries.
Also in Sierra Leone, several other rebel groups were formed including
the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), the Kamajors and others with
these groups also recruiting and using thousands of militants in their
warfare. The RUF had collaboration with NPFL from Liberia with the
two rebel movements aiding each other with fghters.
Ivory Coast also saw the emergence of the Rebel New Forces which
was said to b backed by recruited militants from Liberia showing the
movement of militants in the region.
The sequence of wars in the Mano River Union basin over the last
30 years indicate that there are thousands of militants from all the
countries in region who wandering the region in search of places to
cause havoc.
For now, many regional observers say unless Liberia and Ivory Coast
fnd a way to end the nagging crisis, it could trigger serious problems
for the two sides which have experience insurgences in recent past.

Frontpage
Monday, May 19, 2014 Page 3
RE: Diaspora Liberians Demand Repeal Of 1973 Alien And Nationality Law
DUAL CITIZENSHIP: YOU
DID NOT MAKE YOUR CASE
FrontPage
v
Commentary
EDITORIAL
ON FRIDAY MORNING, news surfaced of strange
activities of armed men in towns and villages from the
Ivory Coast close to the border with Liberia mainly in
South Eastern River Gee County.
A LOCAL COUNTY OFFICIAL from River Gee Confrmed
from eyewitnesses that armed men attacked two towns on
the Ivory Coast side of the border specifcally in the town of
Faiteh and the fghting is said to have extended to another
town Glaabo.
SEVERAL PEOPLE from the Ivory Coast although number
yet unknown are believed to have crossed over to the
Liberian side of the border including an Ivorian Chief from
one of the affected towns.
THE IDENTITY of the armed men who staged the attack
in the Ivorian towns remains unknown but the latest attack
signals the old history of border incursions from either side
of the two countries.
THERE HAS BEEN militias activities from either side of
the border stretching over thirty years since the outbreak
of the Liberian civil war in 1989 when both countries
experienced destabilization.
IT WAS AN OPEN secret that the rebellion staged National
Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) headed by Mr. Charles
Taylor started from the Ivorian side of the border. The NPFL
was dominated by members of the Dan tribe hailing from
towns and villages right across the border from Ivorian
Coast.
THE NPFL used Ivory Coast as its main base from the
inception of the rebellion to attack Liberia but with years of
peace now subsisting and closer collaborations between the
two countries, government from the two countries should
take tougher measures to prevent the ugly situation for
reoccurring over and again.
POROUS AS the borders between the two countries, it is
evident that using the borders is as easy as possible for
marauding militias who see guerrilla warfare as their main
source of employment.
BOTH THE NPFL of Liberia and the rebel New Forces of
Ivory Coast contributed to the increase in the huge number
of trained militias who are used to warfare and getting these
men from causing havoc in the sub region remains a diffcult
task for both countries and other neighboring countries.
THESE ROAMING MILITIAS will continue to cause
mayhem in the sub region unless concerted efforts not only
from Liberia and Ivory Coast but other countries Sierra
Leone, Guinea and others to completely raid the region of
these unemployed and war thirsty militias.
THERE HAS and continues to be meetings between
leaders of the two countries which was recently followed
by a conference in Zwedru, Grand Gedeh County where
the two leaders gave assurances, promising to ensure that
the borders are not used by militias to cause insurrection in
either countries.
DESPITE THESE ASSURANCES, the borders continue to
be used to terrorize peaceful citizens of both countries, a
situation that over the years led to huge displacements and
needless movement of people from one place to another.
Just as refuges from the Ivory Coast who have been residing
in camps in Maryland County are returning home, there is
another fear of infux from the River Gee side of the border,
a situation that seems not to be going soon.
GIVEN THE NATURE of the militias movement between
the two countries, it is time for a more vigorous and holistic
approach other than the conferences and talks of assurances
in tackling the threat posed by these militias.
THE USUAL CHASE and repel method used by the two
countries against these militias is not suffcient to keep
them from causing havoc in either of the two countries.
It is now time that both countries assisted by other neighbors
move more robustly to destroy the hideouts of these militias
as this will solve problem of militias activities between the
two countries.
COMMENTARY
NAGGING COMPLEX
SECURITY THREAT
T
he question of homeland identity and affnity is a
knife that presses the consciousness of every person
who immigrates to another nation. It is also diffcult
to cast off the memories or ties developed prior to
immigration whether pleasant or horrible. These factors give
me an understanding of the sentiments of Diaspora Liberians
because I too am a Diaspora Liberian. The difference between
the petitioners and meis that I am determined to maintain
my Liberian citizenship and I do not support their claim of
a constitutional violation. The petitioners, according to your
article, argue that their constitutional rights have been violated
and, on that basis, they are seeking remedy in the form of a
legislative action that that would lead to the amendment of the
constitutional provision on who can or cannot be a Liberian
citizen.
To the best of my knowledge, every nation, when admitting
new citizens, requires them to pledge allegiance to that
nation while renouncing all previous allegiances. The US
government, for example, requires the following oath:
"I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely
renounce and abjure all allegiance and fdelity to any foreign
prince, potentate, state or sovereignty, of whom or which I
have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support
and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of
America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will
bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms
on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I
will perform noncombatant service in the armed forces of the
United States when required by the law; that I will perform
work of national importance under civilian direction when
required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely
without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help
me God."
My concern here is that the swearer of the above oath
renounces any previous national fealty he may have had in
favor of the new country of citizenship. If the petitioners have
their way, then this person can both renounce his homeland
and still cling to its citizenship. That is a contradictory concept
for me. It is akin to getting divorced from your wife and at the
same timeclaiming her fdelity. It has to be either one way or
the other. It was, in fact in anticipation of this kind of situation
that Liberian legislators framed section 22.1 and 22.2 to
advise that although a citizen may not be deprived life, liberty,
citizenship, etc. without due process, an individuals action
can trigger automatic removal of citizenship. Below are the
actions which the law provides can lead to loss of citizenship:
22.1. Acts causing loss of citizenship. From and after the
effective date of this title, a person who is a citizen of Liberia
whether by birth or naturalization, shall lose his citizenship
by
(a) Obtaining naturalization in a foreign state upon his own
application, upon the application of a duly authorized agent,
or through the naturalization of a parent having legal custody
of such person; provided that citizenship shall not be lost by
any person under this section as the result of the naturalization
of a parent or parents while such person under the age of 2l
years, unless such person shall fail to enter Liberia to establish
a permanent residence prior to his twenty-third birthday; or
(b) Taking an oath or making an affrmation or other formal
declaration of allegiance to a foreign state or a political
subdivision thereof; or
(c) Exercising a free choice to enter or serve in the armed forces
of a foreign state, unless, prior to such entry or service, such
entry or service is specifcally authorized by the President;
(d) Voting in a political election in a foreign state or voting
in an election or plebiscite to determine the sovereignty of a
foreign state over foreign territory; or
(e) Making a formal renunciation of Liberian nationality
before a diplomatic or consular offcer of Liberia in a foreign
state in such form may be prescribed by the Secretary of State.
Note that it is not the government that is taking the oath of
allegiance but the individual making a choice between two
countries, renouncing the one in favor of the other. The oath
also requires one to pledge to bear arms in defense of the new
nation thereby effectively putting the previous homeland on
notice that the taker of the oath could possibly be on a warpath
with his renounced country if the two should ever cross sabers.
Additionally, if the Dual Citizen, as the petitioners would
have it, took up arms against the old country as required by the
laws of his new homeland, would not that be an act of treason
against the old homeland, since such an act violates the laws
of that homeland? The Aliens and Nationality Law only make
matters simple. It says you cannot eat your cake and have it.
When a person decides to abandon Liberian citizenship in
favor of, say, an American passport, that is a personal choice
over which the Liberian government does not exercise control.
But the consequence of that action, as is the case with every
right under the constitution, is that a persons wish not to be
a Liberian will be confrmed by the Liberian government. It
is not the business of the Liberian government to force its
citizenship on those who do not want it; hence the automatic
deprivation of citizenship.
The petitioners argue that they have legal interests in several
constitutional provisions under which they seek protection.
My argument is that they can only have a claim if they have a
right and US Federal Courts agree. In Richards v. Secretary of
State, Department of State, 752 F.2d 1413:
Richards, an expatriate, sought a declaration that appellee's
(Department of State) procedures to issue a Certifcate of
Loss of Nationality violated the due process clause, under
U.S. Constitutional amendment V. The district court held
that appellee was required to show the voluntariness of the
expatriating acts and also of the acts demonstrating intent to
renounce United States citizenship. [.] The voluntary taking
of a formal oath that included an explicit renunciation of
United States citizenship was ordinarily suffcient to establish
a specifc intent to renounce United States citizenship. An
alleged expatriate's "specifc intent" to renounce his citizenship
did not turn on his motivation. Specifc intent to relinquish
his United States citizenship was clearly established by his
renunciation.
OUTCOME: The district court correctly found that Richards
was not a citizen of the United States. He lost his United
States citizenship when he voluntarily became a citizen of
Canada and took an oath of allegiance to Canada containing
an explicit renunciation of his allegiance to the United States.
Specifc intent to relinquish his United States citizenship was
clearly established by that renunciation, even though Richards'
motivation was to retain a particular employment position.
The Liberian constitution provides specifc rights to Liberian
citizens and people residing in Liberia. Citizenship rights
are also specifcally defned so that there is no doubt as
to who could claim a violation of rights as a citizen under
the constitution. There is no violation of Article 11 of the
constitution as the petitioners claim. All foreigners still enjoy
equal protection of the law as it pertains to them. Added to that,
due process is not being denied under Article 20 because the
right to citizenship is specifcally given up in the oath of fealty
to the new nation. No person should expect protection from
a nation he has renounced. Further, no rights to ownership of
property have been denied under Article 22 since that Article
specifcally dictates that only Liberian citizens can own real
property.The law does not provide for a right to ownership of
real property in the native homeland as the petitioners claim.
Additionally, Article 27 (a) is not being violated since anyone
who had given up his Liberian citizenship at the coming
into effect of the 1986 constitution was no longer lawfully
citizens of Liberia.
Diaspora persons of Liberian origin can seek to maintain a
connection with the homeland by lobbying Legislators to
address their concerns about access to the homeland. They
cannot, however, claim that their constitutional rights are
being violated since the constitution to which they subscribe
is not the Liberian Constitution.
HANDLE BORDER INCIDENT
WITH URGENCY
Page 4 |
Frontpage
Monday, May 19, 2014
FrontPage
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COMMENTS FROM
FPA ONLINE
DISCLAIMER
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bloggers and do no represent the views of FrontPageAfrica
Rodney D. Sieh, Managing Editor, 0886-738-666;
077-936-138, editor@FrontPageAfricaonline.com;
rodney.sieh@FrontPageAfricaonline.com
Wade C. L. Williams, News Desk Chief, wade.
williams@frontpageafricaonline.com; 0880664793
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frontpageafricaonline.com, 0886236528
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com
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com, 0886-304498
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sombai@FrontpageAfricaonline.com, 077217428
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E
DITORIAL TEAM
WHAT READERS ARE SAYING
ABOUT OUR STORIES ON THE
WORLDWIDE WEB
LIBERIAN WARLORDS HAVE YET NOT REALIZE
THEYVE TESTIFIED AGAINST THEMSELVES
LIBERIAN COMMUNITY IN FRANCE
WRITES PRESIDENT SIRLEAF
The Reader's Page
WEAH KARPEH NATIONAL PROFESSIONAL
INFORMATION OFFICER AT UNITED NATIONS MISSION
IN LIBERIA (UNMIL)
Great thoughts, Wade. They fairly present the problems the media
and their practitioners face hoping your projecting would lead to
solving them.
MUSTERPHA FOFANA TOP COMMENTER OWNER
AND CEO AT SELF EMPLOYED AND LOVING IT!
you know i think this sister is Excited, overjoyed, and gone of
track. i can'tf say exactly the reason why but if I can take a guess,
is probably because this could her frst visit to the UN and maybe
her fst time in New York City as well. No don't judge me yet..
I have not read her entire released and i don't have the courage to,
because I think her statement is what I will call glittering generality
propaganda. From the introduction statement she gave one can tell
what the body and supporting statement would be like. Is obvious
that she will not say anything good about the freedom journalists in
Liberia enjoy, but rather she will probably go into something about
how her boss or some members of her entity have been targeted.
My dear, please don't think that you are trying to speak for all the
journalist in Liberia. We urge you not to contradict the very good
report which you spoke about as being a herald in the transition
process. Remember that other good journalists have worked hard
toward that transition process to make it a success. And I like to ask
what's your own story that you will like the world to read? Please
do something that the Liberian people can be proud of you madam.
Please do us the favor.
PATRICK EMERSON PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA
While journalists may be watchdogs of society, they are not and
should never be above the law. Individual rights and governance
can only be protected from unscrupulous and sometimes untrained
journalists through judicial recourse. To seek presidential
intervention in judicial matters only because journalists feel
aggrieved, is tantamount to constitutional violation of the
separation of the three branches of government. The statements
made at the UN by Wade Williams were unintellectual, partisan
and unpatriotic.
CHRISTOPHER HARRY LUKE ST. PETER CLAVER'S
HIGH SCHOOL
Emerson, tell me which journalists has claimed to be above the
law in Liberia and I will tell you how many Government offcials,
including the President, and the whole judiciary system that are
above the law in Liberia. As for seeking presidential intervention in
judicial matters, frst of all, we all know that is not right, and neither
is it healthy for a functioning democracy or governance. But, the
whole judiciary system in Liberia is corrupt. If the judiciary was
not corrupt as in the case of the FPA saga, there would have been no
imprisonment of Rodney. Did you see the whole confict of interest
in that case......judges....government offcials? It is due to those
unscrupulous behavior, hence the intervention of the President
are sometimes necessary, in order to save face to the International
community due to her incompetent... offcials and corrupt judges.
Where in the world have you been to even mention "Constitutional
violation of the separation of the three branches of Government in
Liberia"? We all know that there's no genuine separation of power
in Liberia among the three branches of Government. It is only on
papers my brother but when it comes to governance implementation
and enforcement, they all overlap, do the same functions or don't
know what the heck they are supposed to do.
I do not see any statement made by Wade Williams at the UN that
was partisan, neither was it unintellectual or unpatriotic. You and I
know what's going on in Liberia.....I means the daily intimidation
of journalist in Liberia. Did you want Wade to defend the UP
government for the wrongs they are doing to Liberians? Did you
want her not to speak the truth due to blind patriotism as a lot of
gravy seekers are doing? If anything, we should applaud her for
speaking the truth. When EJS was in the diaspora saying all kinds
of things against Doe and Taylor as a Liberian, was that being
unpatriotic?
JOHN WILLIAMS TOP COMMENTER EASTERN
UNIVERSITY, ST. DAVIDS, PA
Wade and FPA have taken the battle to the turf of the oppressors
and have won acceptance and sympathy. The myth/propaganda
that certain people enjoy exclusive privileged access to important
people/organizations has been shattered! The playing feld is
becoming level! Congratulations!
The Editor,
Our Dear Mother and President of Liberia, We the Offcials, Opinion Leaders
and entire Members of the Liberian Community compromising of 800 persons
(men and women) living in the seventeen Prefectures across France are writing
to tell you a big thank you Mama Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of our dear
country Liberia, for removing Ambassador McKinley Thomas from France.
We have suffered too much under this wicked Ambassador. He has a very
poor human relation. Mama President, we have suffered for ten years under
the crucial and wicked administration of Ambassador Thomas. Ambassador
Thomas can be compared to as living evil spirit undercover. He is the most
wicked Liberian that we ever seemed in France.
Mama President for the ten years that Mr. Thomas was ambassador in France
for our country Liberia, we the entire Liberian community in France have been
ill-treated by him. He has no regard for our condition, whenever his fellow
Liberian was in trouble; he never comes to our rescue to assist us from the
problem. He never used to allow us to enter our embassy freely. He used to
always refer to our embassy as his embassy. He used to personalize the
embassy as his private and personal farm.
Mama President, we want to tell you and the Liberian people back home that
Ambassador Thomas has treated we the Liberians in France as animals for ten
years since he was appointed in June 2005 by former Chairmn Gyude Bryant.
He always used to tell us that he was not appointed for Liberians in France.
He always used to says the President have confdence in me, your go and tell
the president, nothing she will do to me, I enjoy her support but thank God
that you have removed him from France. We will always remember him for
treating we the Liberians in foreign land, across France as animal. He has
created a division among us in France. He has failed to unite us before he
was removed from the ambassador job in France. This man was very bad and
wicked to us.
Mama President, before Ambassador Thomas left France he begged some of
our friends to come to the embassy to honor him.
Majority of us refused but about fve greedy Liberians from Evreux about
150 miles from Paris accepted the ambassador Thomas request to have him
honor to help build his ugly image. No Liberian from Paris took part in the
fake honoring. One of the four Liberians from Evreau that honored him
told us that Ambassador Thomas promised to give them 5,000 euro after the
honoring program but after the program was carried out; he only gave them
only 1,000 euro and left without giving them the balance money. Mr. George
Carr Nyemah, the acting president of the Liberian community in France
while he was working at the embassy as a driver during the administration
of Ambassador Christopher Meneekon he was wrongfully sacked by
Ambassador Thomas immediately after he took over the embassy in 2005.
Therefore then, our acting president George Nyema has done all stuff of dirty
things for Ambassador Thomas. Also be informed that the information on the
internet that Liberians in France bid him farewell is false and black lies.
Mama President, please talk to the new ambassador to please help to reunite
and bring us together. We need Ambassador Alison help to bring us together
and to please give qualifed of our members jobs at the embassy if there is any
vacancy. Some of our members are university graduate and speak the French
language very well and can do better than foreigners.
We want to work for our country through the embassy, please let consideration
be given us in France. We can serve our embassy better than foreigners. We
want to say welcomed and thank you ambassador Wilmot Allison. We are
happy over your appointment as ambassador to France. We will work with you
and support you. Ambassador Dudley Mckinley Thomas is responsible for the
division among Liberians in France.
At the same time we want to tell you Mama President and the new Ambassador
Allison that George Carr Nyemah is the president for us Liberians in the
whole of France. Our president George Carr Nyemah will in two months
time will come to Liberia to pay a courtesy call on you and other offcials
of your government. Mama president, we are asking you to please ask the
new ambassador to France Dr. Allison to reappoint our president George Carr
Nyemah. He is a professional driver. George Carr Nyemah is a good man, he
always helping Liberians in France whenever they are in trouble with their
documents. He is not like bad and wicked man like ambassador Thomas. Mr.
Nyemah speak French language well and write French also, he graduated from
college. He married and have children in F rench.
Our President, we are very happy over this wicked man removal, as we are
writing to you, we the members of the Liberian community in France are
very happy that Ambassador Thomas has left the Liberian embassy in France.
He has no feeling for us in France that struggling to improve our life in this
foreign land. We are happy that he has left us with his wickedness and fake
education. During his time at ambassador whenever we have problem and
visit our embassy, he used to always tell us that he was not appointed for
our business and on several times told us that this is my embassy you get
out from my embassy. Mama President, is this how Liberians in foreign land
should be treated by their fellow Liberian (ambassador)? But thanks God that
The Editor,
The fnal report of Liberia's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC)
shall be used as a witness platform against Liberian Warlords. Even though
they have testifed at the TRC hearings, former Warlords, and their fnanciers
have demonized the TRC fnal recommendations only to escape from justice.
But that is not all; they have also chosen to believe that the establishment of a
Liberian War Crimes court as recommended by the TRC is "unconstitutional
under Liberian law".
Illusively, they think a Liberian War Crimes Courts can only happen if the
TRC fnal recommendations stand. The thing is, whether they accept the
fnal recommendations or not, comments made by these very Warlords,
and their fnanciers at the TRC hearings are frsthand testimonies of what
they did, as well as what they saw happened during the Liberian civil war.
These testimonies are very important in a court of law because all those who
testifed were not coerced by anyone to do so.
Testimonies of War Crimes, and Crimes against humanity that were
given during the TRC hearings, will help minimize the time, and expenses
involved in looking for witnesses to testify in a Liberian War Crimes Courts.
In fact these testimonies were recorded on video, and are available on the
TRC Website, and can be viewed by the general public. After they have
testifed against themselves at the TRC hearings, Liberian Warlords and their
fnanciers still fnd it hard to understand that their actions during Liberia's
civil wars did not only violate the constitution of Liberia, but also violate
international laws. And that is where the issue of War crimes court comes in.
Bernard Gbayee Goah
President, Operation We Care for Liberia
bgoah76@yahoo.com
I WANT TO FACE HIM:
COURT VERDICT IN LAND
CASE DRAWS IRE ON DR. TOE
ambassador Thomas has left us, we will have peace, we will be free to visit
our embassy.
Mama President, the end of this month-May 2014 we will be hold a mass
meeting to decide the date to hold a big welcome program for the new
ambassador Dr. Wilmot Allison. We have been told that the new ambassador
is a good man who cares for his fellow Liberians in foreign land. The few
time the new ambassador serve as ambassador, we observed him to be a good
gentleman, he knows how to talk to people whenever we visit the embassy and
treat people well.
All the good things mentioned in the press release attributed to us the Liberian
Community in France about Ambassador Thomas are false and lies. We
have no knowledge about that press release that he put on the newspapers in
Monrovia websites. These are his own making to make him look good to the
people of Liberia. How can we honor and praise this wicked and bad man who
treated us very bad for ten years?
We are not surprised because this same ambassador who have not attend
any college in his life has faked his education by lying that he is a graduate
of Oklahoma University in America with a BSc in Environment Design
Architecture. He failed to mention he date and year that he graduates from
the university. See http://www.zoominfo.com/p/Dudley-Thomas/800340318.
The Oklahoma University told us after a contact with the school in an offcial
letter that university has no record of anyone name called Dudley McKinley
Thomas to attend the university. We are disappointed that a man like this with
big government job will fake his education. We are therefore challenging
him to prove us wrong. Mama president, similar things are happening to our
brothers and sisters in Italy with ambassador Sheriff treating them very bad
also. They told us that they have written you.
See http://allafrica.com/stories/201404160917.html. Mama president,
ambassador thomas is a 419 ambassador, he fooled some of our friends to do
all stuff of bab bad things for him.
Mama President, we the offcials, opinion leaders and entire membership of
the Liberian Community compromising of 800 persons living in the seventeen
prefectures across France want to say thank you for the good things that are
taking place in our country. Thanks you for the peace, read that are being built,
press freedom, and democracy. Some of us want to come home to make our
contributions. We are tired living in foreign land, nothing like home. We are
praying for you and the good people of Liberia and the entire Mama Liberia.
May God bless you.

Sincerely yours,
Christopher Octavius Varney
Acting Secretary-General
+33751852826
Rue des Arcades, Paris, France
Frontpage
Monday, May 19, 2014 Page 5

British charity Street Child is helping teenage mothers like Princess to survive in one of
Liberia's largest slums; In a country where most exist below the poverty line, Princess'
tale isn't unique but to Street Child, she's an individual, not a statistic
F
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POVERTY ISSUES
SURVIVING
THE SLUMPS
W
est Point, in the capital, Monrovia, is famed for having
only four public toilets for its 70,000 residents. The
shoreline is awash with human faeces, waste and the
infectious diseases they carry.
But Princess, 16, has called the beach home for two
years. She is not from West Point and once lived in Benson Street in the
city centre, a bustling avenue that begins at a tree chattering with fruit
bats outside the US embassy and ends at the wide Mesurado river. Her
home was meagre, but Princess insists that it was "a proper house with
concrete walls". Her father abandoned the family and her mother sold
dried chillies to pay the rent and feed her three children. But school fees
were unaffordable.
Princess's life fell apart at 14 years old when her mother caught yellow
fever.
"She was sick Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday, she died," Princess
says, in a fat voice. "We couldn't afford medicine. The landlord gave
us our notice. My grandmother lives nearby, so she took us in. But she
barely has any money. She sells soft drinks in the road."
Liberia is still recovering from the 14-year civil war that killed 250,000
people. About 64 per cent of its population lives below the poverty line.
Children can be a family's means of survival, with almost a ffth of six- to
17-year-olds working to fund their parents and siblings. Princess, despite
being illiterate, set out to support her siblings. "I braided people's hair;
did whatever odd jobs I could," she says.
While she is not accustomed to being the centre of attention, Princess
agreed to tell her story in the hope that it might help other girls like
her. But she races through her biographical details, pressing her fngers
together anxiously as she speaks and twisting her gnarled feet out of her
fip fops into the rubbish-strewn sand.
She repeatedly looks to her social worker for reassurance. Musu Rogers,
who works for the British charity Street Child of Liberia (SCoL), sits
next to her in the shack. Musu found Princess on this beach a month ago.
"I came here because I met a boy called Abraham," Princess continues.
"He was older than me and we started dating. He didn't go to school or
have a job. Like me, he was just trying to get by." Abraham brought
Princess to West Point to buy drugs.
"The frst time I smoked marijuana I felt sleepy and slept really well," she
says. "I smoked more and eventually tried cocaine."
Too ashamed to return to her grandmother, Princess stayed. The couple
slept on the flthy beach under an up-turned, dugout canoe a hellish
version of a sex-on-the-beach fantasy.
Their relationship quickly descended into drug addiction and physical
abuse.
"Drugs made Abraham aggressive he beat me many times," recalls
Princess, pointing to a scar by her left eye.
She glances at some men in the shack. They are smoking, jeering and
sucking their teeth. Their sleepy, yellowed eyes betray that they are either
high or coming down. There are hundreds of men like them in West
Point, hardened by living in extreme poverty, who turn to drugs such as
heroin to numb the pain.
Princess isn't like them she sits, softly vulnerable; intimidated. She is
still a child. It is not easy listening to what she reveals next. "We never
had enough money, so I began working as a prostitute," she says in a
whisper. "I did it in the daytime when Abraham was away and never told
him. I would go to the town centre. The men were older they picked me
up on motorbikes and took me to an alley. I'd get it over with as quickly
as possible."
Princess leans her thin shoulders forward, exposing stretch marks above
her breasts.
"I realised I was pregnant," she tells me. She places her hand on her belly,
still rounded from the child born six months ago. She insists that it was
Abraham's because she used condoms with clients.
Friends advised Princess to have a backstreet abortion. "I didn't want to
do it because I didn't want to die," she says. Three years ago, her 14-year-
old friend Fatu was killed by a "quack" abortion. "Despite my suffering,
I decided to keep my baby," she says. "I thought the child would be my
future."
Princess is startled when the shack's owner, Mohamed Carew, shouts at
one of the men. He is minding the entrance, conspicuous because of his
gleaming gold watch and chain. To have bling like this in West Point,
the wearer must have people's respect. And "Gaddaf", as the locals call
him, certainly has that. He earned the name because of his bravery in
confronting detractors, one local tells me.
The name seems unfair because Gaddaf has become a hero for local
youths. Last year, three of his children left home to become involved
in West Point's destructive street culture but, with SCoL's help, they
returned. Since then, Gaddaf has worked as a volunteer for the charity,
turning his shack into a contact centre for children and their parents. In
the afternoons, SCoL educators teach here. Above the door, Gaddaf has


painted a new name: The Old School Club.
Princess returns to telling me about her pregnancy. She had ruled out
asking her grandmother for help. "She didn't have the means," she
explains. "It would have put more pressure on her fnances and added to
my siblings' suffering." To save money for the birth, Princess continued
sex work while pregnant. She hid the earnings with a friend to prevent
Abraham blowing them on drugs.
When she recalls going into labour, Princess almost shrieks in memory
of the pain. It sets off her cough deep and rasping with catarrh she has
developed from sleeping rough.
"I'd managed to save 2,000 Liberian Dollars (14)," she says, through the
splutters. "I couldn't afford to go to a clinic, so I asked my friend to help
me reach the house of a nurse in West Point. We walked there and the
nurse accepted 800LD (5.70)."
The nurse's house was dark inside, made from the same corrugated zinc
as the rest of the slum. But it had a plaster foor and Princess relished the
relative luxury of lying on a mat with a pillow under her head. "After an
hour of intense pain, I gave birth to a girl," she says. "I was very afraid,
but when she put my daughter into my arms I felt happy. She was pretty. I
called her Angie, because she was like an angel." Princess fnally smiles.
It changes her face completely, lifting the lines from her brow.
But it soon fades as she explains that she then had to raise her daughter
under the canoe. In the daytime, equatorial Monrovia sizzles. But at
night, chilled Atlantic winds made Princess and Angie shiver. Rains kept
the sand damp.
"Angie was not well. She was quiet and hardly cried," recalls Princess. "I
cleaned people's clothes to raise money for a bowl of rice, but eventually
went back to prostitution."
The situation for Princess grew worse. "Abraham was beating me
regularly," she says. "One day when Angie was still tiny, he tore her out
of my arms with one hand, while he punched me with the other." As she
says this, she raises a clenched fst. "He threw Angie onto the sand and
she hit her head on a stick. I screamed, but I couldn't reach her because
he was attacking me. I was so scared. Eventually, someone came to help
and took Abraham to the police."
Afterwards, Abraham disappeared. It was then that Gaddaf spotted
Princess, gave her food and called Musu Rogers for help. Musu began
visiting the pair every day. "The way Musu was reminded me of my
mother," says Princess. "She was the frst person who had taken time to
listen to me." But Musu had to act quickly. "The child looked sickly," she
tells me. "Her skin was dropping off."
She organised funds to take Angie to the doctor, who discovered that the
baby had tongue-tie, a problem that restricts movement of the tongue.
The charity paid for an operation to fx it. "Now she's OK she can
cry now," says Musu, adding that her priority was to get the pair off the
beach.
Princess wants to show me her baby, so we leave the crush of shacks
to visit the home where Angie now lives. We take motorbikes through
streets packed with snack stalls and arrive at a side of West Point where,
although still poor, the atmosphere is less tense.
After weeks of searching, Musu found a distant relative who agreed
to care for Angie. Beatrice Johnson's house is almost directly under an
electricity pylon (on which the neighbours have hung their washing), but
it has brick walls and a solid roof that protect them from the wind and
rain. When we arrive, Beatrice is laundering bright fabrics and gives us
an easy smile. She has a steady job as a street cleaner for the Monrovia
city corporation, for which she has earned her community's respect.
Princess lifts Angie off the foor, where she is rolling near Beatrice's feet.
The scar from her father's attack is visible near Angie's eye; a match
for her mother's. Angie is little for her age: quiet and still sick. "But
she's trying small small, she's coming on small small," says Princess
in a Liberian turn of phrase. Although she was sad to hand over Angie
to Beatrice, Princess is relieved. "I can visit every few days," she says.
SCoL is funding Angie's care and wants Beatrice to extend her home
to accommodate Princess as well. To do this, the charity has provided a
small business grant and training to help Beatrice develop a sustainable,
long-term income for her new family. Michael John Bull, the charity's
Liberia director, is also trying to fund Princess's rehabilitation and return
to school. She is still taking drugs and working as a prostitute to fnance
her siblings' upkeep.
No fgures exist on the number of girls like Princess, but Bull estimates
that four in 10 girls living or working on West Point's streets are in a
similar or worse situation. "Families are sometimes pushing their girls
to the streets as a means of feeding homes," he explains. "Sometimes the
girls themselves are unwilling to accept there is another way."
Princess, however, says that she is ready to change. "I hope to learn to
read and write," she says, fondling Angie's feet. "I want to become a
lawyer so I can save my friends on the street from their troubles."
As we prepare to depart, Princess assures us that things are getting better.
"My baby is my future and I'm happy I have her." We leave her sitting
on a new bench, leaning against a green-painted wall with Angie and
her dreams.
Donations to Street Child are matched pound for pound by the UK
Government until 17 June. To help the charity reach hundreds more girls
like Princess, visit street-child.co.uk
Another chance: Princess with her daughter, Angie (Gabriella Jozwiak)
Princess and her daughter with Beatrice Johnson, a relative who is now
helping to look after Angie (Gabriella Jozwiak)
Page 6 |
Frontpage
Monday, May 19, 2014

Selma Lomax, selma.lomax@frontpageafricaonline.com
F
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COUNTY NEWS

In-Laws Jostle for Unity Party Ticket in Bong Ahead of
Pronouncement of Consensus Candidate
July 13, 1954 ~ May 2, 2014
Greetings:
You are cordially invited to attend the 2nd meeting of friends and
family of the late Fatu Gittens-White on Wednesday, the 21th of
May at 5:15 pm. The meeting will be held in the auditorium of the
University of Liberia -Capitol Hill campus.
In preparation for Fatu's glorious home going, the family would highly
appreciate your presence and active participation in this meeting.
Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any questions or
concerns about this upcoming meeting.
Regards,
Rufus S. Berry II (for the family)
0886-362332 or 0555-206065
Rufus_berry@yahoo.com
Gbarnga, Bong County -
F
rontPage Africa has gathered that the ruling Unity Party will
this week select consensus candidates in the 15 counties that
will fy the partys ticket in the pending October senatorial
race.
As momentum gathers in Bong County as to who gets the partys
ticket, Ranney Banama Jackson and his brother-in-law,Dr. Henrique
Flomo Tokpa the two notable aspirants vying for the partys
candidacy have not been resting on their oars.
The duo had for long been oiling their political machineries
in preparation for this long awaited decisionthrough funding
associations and support groups, building alliances across the county
and reaching accords with infuential individuals in the county in
order to outmaneuver each other.
FrontPage Africa can confrm that Jackson and Tokpa have also
been taking the battle to the churches and other social gatheringsin
the county in order to boost their candidacy ahead of the soon-to-be-
announced decision.
Ahead of the partys decision, FrontPage Africa now assesses Jackson
and Tokpa and their acceptability within the party in Bong County.
MEETING OF FRIENDS AND FAMILY
OF THE LATE FATU GITTENS-WHITE
MALI: MOST MALIANS WANT A
UNITED COUNTRY - SURVEY
WHOS WHO
IN BONG?
Dr. Henrique Flomo Tokpa
His sudden interest in the senatorialrace caused a stir in the county
especially as it coincided with the reported withdrawal of a leading
aspirant, Ambassador Jeremiah Sulunteh, from the race.
The rumor that he was the ambassadors preferred candidate
gained prominence immediately as other aspirants reeled in shock
and disbelief because his entry in the race was least expected. The
ambassador however quickly debunked the rumors in a press release
during his return to the county where he stressed that he had no
anointed candidate.
The academic doctor who hails from Suakoko District is highly
regarded in many quarters as an experienced and respected
administrator having acquitted himself well since his rise as president
of Cuttington University, where he has performed creditably well
where others before him failed woefully.
The CU president appears to have garnered more supporters and
enormous goodwill since his interest in the senatorial race was made
known and is seen as a good candidate by those who canvass for
power shift to vibrant politicians with idea.
However, one of his greatest undoing may still be the fact that he has
not held any major sensitive public offce and may be overwhelmed
with the dictates of power for citizens of the county.
A pointer to that effect, is his hot temper, which is fast becoming
legendary and pronounced with each passing day and which many
say, is not ideal for one who is itching to become a candidate for the
party in the county.
It is feared that he may not tolerate opposing views with the way
he fares up in rage and many at times walks out on his political
associates and journalists over minor issues.
His alleged rift with key members of the party in the county may also
present some bottlenecks in his quest of becoming candidate of the
party.
Cape Town
N
ine of every 10 people in Mali want the country to remain a single,
united nation, and this desire is even stronger in much of the north
than it is in the south, according to a new survey of public opinion.
Afrobarometer reports that a poll carried out in December last year
showed that "citizens decisively reject the 2012 attempt by armed groups to
create a breakaway state in Mali's northern territories".
The poll found that 92 percent of adult Malians want a united country.
"This nationalist sentiment is held especially strongly in the northern regions
that were directly affected by recent confict and occupation," Afrobarometer
said, "for example by 97 percent of persons interviewed in Mopti, 98 percent
in Timbuktu, and 100 percent in Gao.
"Even in Kidal where secessionist sympathies might be expected to reach a
peak 92 percent of residents prefer that the country remain united."
Only six percent of survey respondents supported the suggestion that "the
north must secede from the rest of Mali". The highest support came from
Kidal, but there it was only eight percent.
Afrobarometer comments: "Perhaps in the wake of military setbacks to the
separatist cause during 2013, people no longer fnd it politically wise or
socially acceptable to reveal a preference for 'going it alone'. Or perhaps many
of the supporters of the Movement for the National Liberation of Azawad and
its fellow travelers have fed into desert retreats or international refugee camps
beyond the reach of the survey."
The survey found higher support for northern secession in the two southern
regions furthest from the north - in Kayes, where it was 13 percent, and
Sikasso, 10 percent.
"Perhaps," surmised the authors of the report, "they reason that, given ongoing
regional rebellions dating back to the time of Mali's independence, it is better
for the country to be rid of the secession problem once and for all.
"But, importantly, such attitudes hardly dent the dominant view that the
national political community must be kept intact."
The poll also surveyed attitudes towards reconciliation and justice. Among
its fndings:
The confict in the north in 2012 "has undermined inter-ethnic trust. People are
twice as likely to say that they now have a less favorable view of "other" ethnic
groups rather than a "more favorable" view.
"While larger ethnic groups such as the Bambara reveal a lack of social and
political tolerance for members of minority groups such as the Tuareg, the
reverse does not hold true; Tuareg respondents in fact reveal a high degree of
openness towards Bambara."
Most Malians in both the south and the north agree with the government's aim
of enforcing "retributive justice" rather than giving amnesty to rebels, as has
happened in the past. "They insist that, in order for political dialogue to lead
to genuine reconciliation, persons who committed abuses must frst be held
accountable."
More people want human rights abuses prosecuted in national courts (47
percent) than in international courts (25 percent), and 90 percent see the main
purpose of a proposed Commission on Truth, Justice and Reconciliation as
being to refer violations to the court.
However, Afrobarometer warns that "Malians must avoid the temptation to
celebrate 'victors justice.' The low levels of trust and tolerance revealed by the
survey particularly in the way that ethnic majorities in the south view ethnic
minorities in the north do not augur well in this regard.
"To counteract potential bias, any trials held in the national courts that Malians
favor must be seen to be even-handed, that is, by directing charges against
perpetrators regardless of which side they were on."
Ranney Banama Jackson
The former Bong superintendent who hails from vote rich Zota district
is popularly known as Kanamenma (which means in the Kpelleh
vernacular money cannot buy).A sobriquet, which he earned at the
thick of the quest for a Kpelleh vice presidential candidate in 2011.
Jacksons meteoric rise in the political circle has astounded many
people, who did not consider him a factor in the polity few years back.
His selling point appears to be his principled stand during the vice
presidential ambition of Franklin Siakor when he was reported to have
rejected all kinds of inducement to leave the camp of now president
Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf.
According to many elites of the party in the county it highlighted
Jackson as someone who could not be bought over. which some
sections of Bongese (citizens of the county are yearning for).
Previous elections results of Jackson in the county have been
encouraging. In 2005 when he made his political debut, he scooped
over 12,000 votes fnishing fourth in the pecking order. With a
divided party in the county in 2011 where elites of the party publicly
snubbed Jackson for eventual winner Henry Yallah, the former Bong
superintendent surprised many after he was defeated less than a
thousand votes.
If Jackson emerges the partys fag bearer this term following a string
of successive electoral impressions, is believed would easily harness
and unite all to bring victory to Unity Party in the county as he is seen
as a bridge builder.



Frontpage
Monday, May 19, 2014 Page 7
Henry Karmo (0886522495) henrykarmo47@gmail.com
Henry Karmo (0886522495) henrykarmo47@gmail.com
F
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NEWS EXTRA
Rome, Italy -
T
he Liberian Ambassador accredited to the Holy See and
the Sovereign Order of Malta His Excellency Ambassador
Rudolf von Ballmoos has presented his Letters of Credence
to the Holy Father, Pope Francis at the Vatican City and
the Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Order of Malta, His
Eminence Fra' Matthew Festing at the Magistral Palace in Rome,
Italy.
In separate statements at the two ceremonies, Ambassador Rudolf
von Ballmoos extended special thanks on behalf of President Ellen
Johnson Sirleaf to the Holy See and the Sovereign Order of Malta
for the enormous support provided Liberia over the years in the
areas of education, health and humanitarian services in support of
government's effort to eradicate poverty and consolidate the peace
process.
He made a specifc request to the Holy See to support a regional
education and awareness campaign with specifc focus on religious
tolerance, noting that "with the spread of different religious beliefs
across the continent of Africa, it is prudent for people of different
faith to coexist peacefully and tolerate one another".
On the Global scene, Ambassador von Ballmoos noted that "Liberia
will continue to support dialogue and non-violence in the resolution
of internal conficts. He said, Liberia is pursuing a long-term national
development agenda, The Liberia Rising Vision 2030, which aims
to propel Liberia into a middle-income country capable of meeting
and sustaining its own development aspirations by the year 2030.
Towards, this end, we encourage Foreign Direct Investment in the
vast resource based of the country including the Agriculture and
Mining sectors".
In response, the Holy Father, Pope Francis said" the proliferation of
weapons of every type leads in the opposite direction of peace that
we all speak about. The arms trade has the effect of complicating
and distancing us from a solution to conficts, all the more so since
it takes place to a great extent outside the boundaries of the law.
Therefore I consider that, while we are gathered in this Apostolic See,
which by nature is invested in a special service to the cause of peace,
we can unite our voices in expressing hope that the international
community may make new, concerted and courageous efforts against
the proliferation of weapons and to promote their reduction.
The Holy Father mentioned that another challenge to peace, which
unfortunately takes on, in certain regions and in certain moments,
the nature of a full-blown human tragedy, is that of forced migration.
He commented that it is a very complex phenomenon, and recognised
that important efforts are being made by international organisations,
States, and social bodies, as well as religious communities and
volunteer groups, to respond in a civil and organised way to the most
critical aspects, emergencies, and situations of greatest need.
Pope Francis lamented that the global community cannot limit itself
to reacting to emergencies but rather the moment has arrived to face it
with a serious and responsible political outlook, involving all levels:
global, continental, macro-regional, in relations between nations, and
fnally at national and local levels.
Also speaking at a separate ceremony, His Most Eminent Highness
Fra' Matthew Festing said beyond its humanitarian activities, the
Sovereign Order of Malta is also committed both to building new
bridges of understanding so as to foster dialogue and respect for
cultural diversities and to promoting human dignity as the most
effective strategy for eliminating inequalities between countries and
social groups.
"I am certain that the recent accreditation of the frst permanent
representative of the Sovereign Order of Malta to the African Union
will enable an even more effective collaboration among the different
countries for improvement in the living conditions of the populations
of Africa. In addition to our engagement in Liberia, we have identifed
new projects relating to the training of dentists and doctors, as well as
the fght against epidemics and renewed shipments of medicines and
medical equipment for hospitals in Liberia" he concluded.
F
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DIPLOMATIC NEWS
AMBASSADOR RUDOLF
VON BALLMOOS PRESENTS
LETTERS OF CREDENCE
IMPACTING WOMEN LIVES
MIKE MULLER GIVES FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
TO SINOE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS


Monrovia-
S
ince the end of
the Liberian civil
confict the country
has been faced with
numerous challenges including
infrastructure and human
capacity building.
The Liberian Government
through the Ministry of Gender
and Development in an effort
to build the human capacity
of especially young people
who were left behind in terms
education as a result of the
country confict have embarked
on several programs.
Among the many programs
instituted by the Liberian
government is the Economic
Empowerment of Adolescent
Girls and Young Woman (EPAG).
The government with support
from the Swedish International
Development Agency through
the United Nations two years
ago instituted a program to train
and empower adolescent young
women to be self empowered.
The program since its
establishment has held training
programs for more than two
thousand Adolescent Girls and
young women with an aim to
address the under participation
of youth in the labor market by
increasing employment and
income among Liberian women
between ages 16 to 24 years.
The pilot project which started
in September 2009 and ended
in December 2012 is now in
its third round of training and
is planning to be scaled up and
expanded to reach more girls
across Liberia.
The Ministry of Gender and
UN EPAG project in Liberia Empowering Many
Development during the
weekend held a reunion program
for girls benefting from the
program in three counties at the
Samuel K. Doe Sports Complex
in Paynesville.
The program was intended
for benefciaries of the EPAG
program to explain their
inspirational testimonies about
how they got involved into
the program and how has the
program impacted their lives.
EPAG changed my life
Jestina Steve is currently a driver
of one of the National Transit
Authority (NTA) buses and
she tells others how the EPAG
program has changed her life
into becoming a professional
driver.
Jestina said: before I became
a professional driver that I am
today, I spent most of my days
in cinema but one day while
walking to a nearby cinema
I met one of my friends who
told me about the program and
I developed interest in it right
away. Unlike most of my friends
who wanted to go into different
areas of professionalism I chose
to become a professional driver
and that is what I am today.
She explained that though she
encountered challenges after her
training in obtaining a job, some
of which she said was because of
her gender she did not give up in
her quest to fnd a job. She said
as a NTA bus driver she currently
owns a home and is able to cater
for her daily needs.
Jestina urged her colleagues
to take seriously their skills
acquired and make the most of it,
if they are to graduate from the
dependency syndrome that has
kept women in the back seat for
decades.
Like Jestina, Jolo Blay is
another benefciary of the EPAG
program and she currently works
as a cashier at one of the biggest
Hotels in Monrovia. She said,
as a college dropout she had no
source of income to continue
her education and having been
informed about the program she
has decided to take advantage
and as a result today she work
as a cashier at the Mamba point
hotel, one of Liberias leading
hotels.
Monrovia-
M
r. Mike Muller
a senatorial
aspirant in Sinoe
County has
donated eighty-fve thousand
United States dollars to the
Sinoe University Student
Union of Liberia.
The money according to Mr.
Nyanforh A Nyanforh who
proxy for Muller is in fulfllment
of a commitment made to the
student union during one of
his interactions with them few
months ago.
Nyanforh who heads the
Task Force for Peace, Unity
and Reconciliation for More
international support of
honorable Mike Geegbae Muller
said, the money was intended to
give fnancial support to students
hailing from the county who are
fnding it diffcult to pay their
fees.
He said, the money is not
politically motivated because
according to him, assisting
humanity is part of the
characteristic of Mr. Muller and
said Muller will always help the
people of the county and country
at large.
Receiving the money on behalf
of the student, the president of
Blay said After my training I
was sent to the Hotel as an interim
and was working as a waitress
but while there as an interim,
I was always on time and very
respectful to my colleagues and
supervisors as I am currently. As
a result of my commitment and
obedience I was promoted to the
position of a cashier.
She called on her colleagues
to always endeavor for higher
achievement and avoid
waiting for someone to always
sympathize with their situation.
Also speaking, Madam Lulu
Slon President of the Liberian
Marketing Association (LMA)
who served as inspirational
speaker at the program
challenged the young women
to always put their knowledge
acquired to use in order to make
positive impact on their lives.
Giving her experience as a
successful business woman she
said, she started her business
with as minimum as one hundred
Liberian dollars (L$ 100).
Slon said: when God said it
was not good for man to be
alone he did not mean we should
be liability, he meant that we
should be helper to our men so
women we are special. I want to
encourage you that whatever you
have learned from this program
to put it into use. If you always
allow the men to be the only
bread winners in the home he
will not value you I am a living
witness
For her part, Gender Minister
Julia Duncan Cassell said
the Ministry of Gender and
Development is dedicated to
advocating for girls and young
women and disclosed that as part
of that commitment the Ministry
has established an Adolescent
Girls unit at the Gender Ministry
in Monrovia.
the union Chea Dougeau thanked
Mr. Muller through his proxy and
said, the donation demonstrates
Mr. Mullers commitment to the
county in terms of development.
He said, unlike politicians who
normally make promises and
do not fulfll their promises, he
described Muller as a responsible
politician that should be given
some consideration.
The donation was made on the
campus of the African Methodist
Episcopal Zion University where
Sinoe students from various
universities gathered to grace the
program.
Page 8 |
Frontpage
Monday, May 19, 2014
F
RONT
PAGE
GOVERNMENT NEWS
Jackson F. Kanneh, Special to FrontPageAfrica
U.S. Judge Denies bail for Grand Bassa Senatorial
Candidate Held in US Fraud Case, fight risk Cited
PRESIDENT SIRLEAF, MEXICO'S FELIPE CALDERON DISCUSS
'LEADERS ON LEADERSHIP' AT IDEASPHERE, AS CAMPAIGN
FOR HARVARD KENNEDY SCHOOL IS LAUNCHED
LONESTAR CELL MTN PROTECTSREGIONAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY:
ERECTS TOWER IN LARGEST REFUGEE CAMP IN LIBERIA
Cambridge Massachusetts --
P
resident Ellen Johnson
Sirleaf of Liberia and
former President Felipe
Calderon of Mexico shared
their views about "Leaders on
Leadership" at the Opening Plenary
of the Harvard Kennedy School's
John F. Kennedy, Jr. IDEASpHERE
Forum.
According to a dispatch from
Cambridge, Presidents Sirleaf and
Calderon engaged in a moderated
discussion with two students:
Jieun Baek, President of the
Harvard Kennedy School Student
Government, International and
Global Affairs Fellow, Belfer
Center for Science and International
Affairs; and Amandla Agoro Ooko-
Ombaka, Dubin Fellow, Center for
Public Leadership. Approximately
650 guests attended the program in
School's Littauer Building, some
posing questions to the two leaders.
The two Presidents were questioned
about their leadership journeys, and
how they came to dedicate their lives
to public service; how they went
about governing in the frst 100 days
upon becoming President; how to
prepare for leadership; where they
fnd inner strength; how to choose
between two diffcult choices. More
specifcally, President Sirleaf was
asked about the role of women in
Africa, while Mr. Calderon was asked
about his approach to organized
crime in his country.
Among questions from the audience,
President Sirleaf was asked what she
would have done differently about
the kidnapping of young girls in
Nigeria; and, looking back to 1971,
as a student at the Harvard Kennedy
School, what advice she would give
to young people starting out. Mr.
Calderon was asked his views about
decriminalizing certain drugs and
about important reforms during his
time as President of Mexico.
Immediately following the opening,
Dr. David T. Ellwood, Dean of the
Harvard Kennedy School and the
Scott M. Black Professor of Political
Economy, delivered his campaign
address, A Call for Exceptional
Public Leadership, featuring
introductory remarks by Dr. Drew
Gilpin Faust, Harvards frst female
President and Lincoln Professor of
History, who in turn was introduced
by Academic Dean Iris Bohnet, head
of the Schools Women and Public
Policy Program.
A total of 45 concurrent sessions
are being held, over the two days
of the Forum, featuring global
personalities as moderators and
panelists. Topics include: Behavioral
Insights for Better Decision-making
and Leadership; Challenges to US
Global Leadership; Can Leadership
Be Taught?; Just Business: The
Role of the Private Sector in
Making Globalization Work for
All; Why Does US Foreign Policy
Keep Failing; Getting to Yes in
Politics; Public Policy in the Age of
Technological Abundance; Start-up
Democracy; Sustainable Prosperity
on a Crowded Planet; Why Does
Government Not Work? Winning
Back the Trust; Inequality: Past,
Present, and Future; Leadership
and Decision-making in the face of
Great Risk; Leadership and Stress;
Transforming Government through
Data; and many other thought-
provoking sessions hosted by the
Harvard Kennedy Schools Research
Centers.
On Thursday evening, President
Sirleaf was an honored guest at a
gala Campaign Leadership Dinner
at the Charles Hotel, to celebrate the
power of public service and launch
the Campaign for Harvard Kennedy
School.
The evening began with a reception,
followed by dinner, with Campaign
Chairman David Rubenstein
welcoming guests and major donors
to the School; holding a conversation
with the President of Harvard,
Drew Gilpin Faust, and Dean David
Ellwood of the Kennedy School
about the Universitys fundraising
campaign. A campaign video and
a video about the 1961 Inaugural
Address of President John F.
Kennedy were screened. Donor Les
Wexner spoke of his support to the
School.
On Friday, President Sirleaf will
attend a private reception hosted by
The Mid-Career Master in Public
Administration Edward S. Mason
Program, where she will meet, greet
and interact with students. Two
Liberians are current Mason Fellows:
Mrs. Elva Richardson, former
Deputy Minister for Administration,
Ministry of State for Presidential
Affairs; and Mrs. Decontee King-
Sackie, newly appointed Deputy
Commissioner General for Technical
Affairs/Operation of the Liberia
Revenue Authority.

WOEWIYU PLEADS
NOT GUILTY
PHILADELPHIA -
U
.S. lawyers successfully convinced a Federal judge Friday
that Tom Woewiyu, accused of knowingly lying on U.S.
immigration papers, did not deserve to leave Federal
prison on Friday because he risks feeing the U.S. if he
were granted bail. Woewiyu, a former Liberian offcial who served as
Charles Taylors defense Minister, pleaded not guilty to all 16 federal
charges, including seven counts of perjury, four counts of fraudulently
misrepresenting his past in his immigration applications.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Linwood C. Wright managed to tie Woewiyus
past activities in Liberia to former rebel leader Charles Taylor and his
NPFL, asking Judge Faith Angell not to set bail for the defendant,
saying Mr. Woewiyu is afight risk, and he has no incentives to return
to the States to face trial if he were to fee.
He owns a rubber farm in Liberia, holds a position in President
Sirleafs government as a member on the Board of Directors for the
forestry concession, and hes in a tough senate race, which he might
win. We are therefore recommending the statutory maximum, your
Honor.
The U.S. lead attorney said Mr. Woewiyu knowingly and frequently
failed to disclose his membership and role in the NPFL when he swore
to the truthfulness of his immigration application. He checked No to
his involvement in the war, in which the NPFL committedatrocities,
killed children, used children and raped women, said U.S. attorney
Wright.
Authorities said Woewiyu told U.S. Marshalls during his arrest on
Monday that he was visiting the States to attend a political event and
would be returning to Liberia, where hes a favorite in a Senate race
by the end of May.
The U.S. attorney also alleged that the former NPFL spokesman
and Defence Minister carries an honorary diplomatic passport
from Ecowas in addition to his Liberian passport, adding that Mr.
Woewiyu had in the past made 38 back and forth trips outside the
U.S. since 2002.
Even if he wore ankle bracelets, its still possible this man can run to
any embassy and break it off his ankle, added U.S. Attorney Wright.
Woewiyus defense lawyer Benjamin Perez tried to downplay charges
that his client knowingly offered dishonest answers on his 2006
citizenship flings, saying this is not the sort of case that one would
run from. As if deportation of his client to Liberia would be far more
acceptable than 110 years prescribed by the charges, Perez said: it
would be catastrophic if the charges ultimately lead to his deportation
because he has a wife, six children, one of them is a lieutenant in the
Navy, 18 grandchildren and hes tied to his community in Delaware
County.
Woewiyu was escorted into the courtroom in green jumpsuits and
handcuffs, seemingly relaxed, as he looked across the room packed
with about a dozen family members, relatives and a few of his political
reps. He did not utter a word, but his hands were let go from the cuffs
during the plead hearing. He was led back to the jail by U.S. marshals
after Judge Angell rejected his lawyers case for bail.
I have a very narrow focus on one thing, which is his fight risk. So
for that Im going to detain him in federal prison until his next trial
date, said Judge Angell.
The charges stem from a 2006 citizenship application, which Woewiyu
later amended with a written supplement, Perez said. Woewiyu was
arrested Monday as he returned from Liberia at Newarks Liberty
International Airport. He faces 110 years in prison and $4 million in
fnes if found guilty.
A U.S. citizenship application includes 53 Yes/No questions that let
authorities know a bit or more about an applicants past. Some of the
questions have human rights and related implications. Here are some
examples:
Have you ever advocated (either directly or indirectly) the overthrow
of any government by force or violence? Yes/No.
Were you ever involved in any way with any of the following:
Genocide, Torture, Killing, or trying to kill, someone? Badly hurting,
or trying to hurt, a person on purpose?
Were you ever a member of, or did you ever serve in, help, or
otherwise participate in, any of the following groups? Military unit;
Paramilitary unit; Police unit; Self-defense unit; Vigilante unit; Rebel
group; Guerrilla group; Militia or Insurgent organization?
To these questions, alleged U.S. authorities, Mr. Woewiyu asked
NO to more, if not all.

F
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PAGE
NEWS EXTRA
T
he West African sub-region has unfortunately known too
many years of violent conficts. Specifcally in the Mano
River Union (MRU) comprising of the people of Sierra
Leone, Guinea, Liberia and Cote dIvoire have all tasted the
bitterness associated with war. While these nations are clearly on the
path of rebuilding, many citizens continue to dwell in refugee camps
across the region, with Liberia being home to the largest refugee
camp for citizens of Cote dIvoire, the PTP Camp outside the city of
Zwedru, Grand Gedeh County, Southeastern Liberia.
At the height of the Ivorian confict, more than 180,000 people fed
into neighboring Liberia with the vast majority seeking refuge from
the fghting in western Cte dIvoire. Cross-border attacks claimed
the immediate attention of both Liberian and Ivorian governments
with arrests being made, but immense fear being instilled in refugees
who had sought refuge in Liberia.
In October of 2013, Presidents Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Allasane
Ouattara of Liberia and Cote dIvoire convened an extraordinary
gathering of the Joint Council of Chiefs & Elders from Liberia and
Cote d Ivoire in the City of Zwedru to look at sustainable ways to
maintain the peace between the two countries and peoples. At this
gathering frmly supported by the United Nations, ECOWAS, the
European Union and other partners, one of the key points discussed
was security for the Ivorian refugees in Liberia with emphasis on
Mobile Telecommunications connectivity for the various refugee
camps, particularly the PTP Camp which was home to the largest
gathering of Ivorian refugees.
The Head of UNHCR in Liberia Khassim Diagne was clear that the
continued lack of connectivity at the refugee camp would mean a
threat to national and regional security. At the extraordinary gathering
of the Joint Council of Chiefs & Elders convened by Presidents
Sirleaf and Ouattara, the Corporate Affairs Executive of Lonestar
Cell MTN and former Minister of Information for the Republic of
Liberia Dr. Laurence Konmla Bropleh served as the Moderator-in-
Chief who upon hearing the need for mobile connectivity being tied
to regional and national security immediately consulted with the CEO
of Lonestar Cell MTN Tebogo Mogapi and got the green light to
make a commitment on behalf of Lonestar Cell MTN to erect a tower
at the PTP Refugee Camp.
Lonestar Cell MTN constantly receives requests from communities
around Liberia, usually through their elected representatives and or
County Administrative Heads the Superintendents asking for extension
of network coverage to their areas. These requests are for areas
that are rural, many remotely rural and where telecommunications
network coverage is unavailable.
For Lonestar Cell MTN, improving connectivity and building new
sites/towers around the country is also a matter of security, for if
residents in areas particularly near border towns and cities are able
to communicate and customs, border patrol offcers, the Liberia
National Police and other personnel can effectively communicate, it
helps to protect the nation and preserve the peace regionally.
Lonestar Cell MTNs Chief Executive Offcer, Tebogo Mogapi said
that though Lonestar Cell MTN was a business set-up to make proft
for its Shareholders, proftability was not a considered factor in making
the decision to erect the tower. Instead, it was the interest of refugees
and national and regional security. He said that having operated in
Liberia for little over twelve years now, Lonestar Cell MTN believes
in providing effective support to the accomplishment of the vision of
the Liberian government and its developmental agenda.
For us at Lonestar Cell MTN, providing access to telecommunications
for the Ivorian refugees at the PTP refugee camp is not just
strengthening Liberias development in a sustainable way, but as well
safeguarding national and regional security. We are quite pleased to
do this and to partner with the UNHCR said Mr. Mogapi.
Currently, the PTP Refugee Camp located in the Tchien Statutory
District in Grand Gedeh County is home to over 15, 300 Ivorian
refugees. The UNHCR Representative in Liberia Khassim Diagne
making a call for the frst time from the PTP refugee camp to Lonestar
Cell MTNs CEO after the tower was installed expressed great
satisfaction and gratitude for the erection of the tower. He praised
Lonestar Cell MTN for partnering with UNHCR and the governments
of Liberia and Cote dIvoire. He said the erection of the tower will
enhance protection, security and service delivery in the camp. It will
give the opportunity to refugees to communicate with their families
and friends in Cote d Ivoire in order for them to make informed
decisions about voluntary repatriation Mr. Diagne concluded.
Prior to the erection of the Lonestar Cell MTN tower at the PTP
Refugee camp, it was diffcult, if not impossible for refugees to
contact their families and friends in Cote d Ivoire. Additionally,
medical practitioners could not consult externally on health matters
and a newly built Police Station had well - dressed Police Offcers
who could not make telephone calls in time of emergency and to help
fght crime and protect lives and property. Because of the erection
of the telecommunications tower by Lonestar Cell MTN at the PTP
refugee camp, doctors and nurses can now consult and refer cases,
Police Offcers can now call for support in time of need and Ivorian
refugees are now speaking with their family and friends in Cote d
Ivoire and elsewhere.
According to a senior government offcial, Lonestar Cell MTN
has not only granted telephone access, Lonestar Cell MTN has
connected two nations and in so doing contributed immensely to the
sustainability of peace in Liberia, Cote d Ivoire and the entire sub
region.
Dr. Laurence Konmla Bropleh, Esq. is Corporate Affairs Executive/
Head of Corporate Affairs
Page 16 |
Frontpage
Monday, May 19, 2014 8a
F
RONT
PAGE
LAW & ORDER
Monrovia-
P
olice Director Chris
Massaquoi said the
Liberia National Police
under his watch would
accept nothing less than police
offcers full adherence to training
in terms of their performance.
Speaking to new graduates at the
42nd graduation exercise of the
Basic Recruits Training of the
LNP held Saturday May 17, 2014
at the National Police Training
Academy, Col. Massaquoi said
the LNP will deal decisively with
any police offcer who engages
in unethical behaviors such as
Police Misconduct, bribery and
other misdemeanor.
Talking about bribery, let me
caution all police offcers, and
I am zooming in especially
on Traffc Police offcers, to
desist from soliciting bribe
from traffc offenders, either by
seizing their vehicle documents/
drivers licenses for minor traffc
offense that might warrant only
a warning, and then walking
away with the aim of soliciting a
bribe, he said.
This is unacceptable,
unacceptable and therefore,
perpetrators will be punished
under the rule of Prohibited
Conduct as found in the LNP
Duty Manual.
Sounding a clear warning to
members of the public to stop
bribing police offcers whenever
they commit a traffc offense,
Col. Massaquoi said the public
will be held equally accountable
if they offer bribes to police
offcers.
But let me also sound this
warring to the general public; in
order for bribery to take place,
it will involve more than one
person, he said,
Let me, therefore sound this
caveat to all who are in the
habit of offering bribe to police
offcers to desist or the police
will be left with no alternative
but to arrest those concerned
when caught.
He reminded offcers that they
are fully aware of what the LNP
has to offer in terms of salary,
benefts and opportunities before
choosing to become a Police
offcer, therefore they should
not expect more than what they
bargained for. He said those
offcers who want to make more
than what is available engage
in other activities to get more
than what they earn with some
members of the public helping to
facilitate it.
We are aware that often
times, when some motorists
or other offenders are arrested
for breaking the law, their
frst inclination is to offer the
arresting offcer a bribe to let
them go, he said.
Also under our penal code,
bribery is a felonious offense
and is punishable as such. We
are therefore warning the public
to stop giving bribe to our Police
offcers, even if solicited.
FILLING THE GAP
Serving as Keynote speaker
at the event, Finance Minister
Amara Konnehreminded offcers
of the LNP that the gradual
drawdown of the United Nations
Mission in Liberia (UNMIL)
will leave security institutions,
especially the Liberia National
WEEDING OUT L$5 POLICE
POLICE DIRECTOR, FINANCE MINISTER WANT INTEGRITY IN POLICE FORCE
Wade C. L. Williams, wade.williams@frontpageafricaonline.com
Police (LNP) with a huge task
of flling in the gaps created by
deploying adequate manpower
in areas vacated by UN troops,
to provide security for Liberia.
Minister Konneh said currently
the LNP faces constraints in
both manpower and logistics,
adding that it requiresadequate
investment from government to
ensure the effective deployment
of offcers to areas vacated by
UNMIL, which would in turn
minimize any negative impact
of the drawdown on cross
border trade between Liberia
neighboring countries.
When we developed our
fve-year development
strategy in 2012, the Agenda
for Transformation, we
demonstrated the urgency we
attach to development of the
Security Sector by making it the
frst pillar, he said.
In that document, we have
committed to building the
capacity of our law enforcement
institutions to effectively handle
national security after the full
withdrawal of UNMIL forces in
the next few years.
Minister Konneh disclosed that
the government will over the
next three years, double the
size of the LNP to 8,000 trained
offcers deployed throughout
this country with the required
logistics.
He said to achieve this,the
government have put together
an ambitious work program that
requires training and deployment
of 900 offcers yearly, beginning
July 2014.
Demonstrating her commitment
to this process, the President of
the Republic of Liberia, Madam
Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and her
cabinet, have made the Security
Sector a priority for the Fiscal
Year 2014/15, he said.
Under herdirection, we
held weekly meetings with
security institutions and our
development partners here at
the academy between mid-
February and early April of
this year, to devise a strategy to
addressing the challenges in the
SecuritySector.
PROMOTING
PROFESSIONALISM
The fnance minister said
as further testament to the
GoLscommitment to improve
and sustain the quality of LNPs
service the Liberian people, it
has opened an escrow account
in the amount of US$2million to
fund its program with the LNP.
Funding for the completion of
the training of this class and the
organization of this program was
been sourced from this account,
he said.
Minister Konneh said that in the
FY2014/15 draft budget, the GoL
has appropriated adequately for
training and logistics for the LNP
and other security institutions.
As a result, the LNPs
budget is expected to grow
from US$15.2million to
US$20.5million, he said.
Despite the overall budget
risks, we have signifcantly
increase allocation to the sector
from US$82million to over
US$94million. These efforts
over the past four months show
just how much we can achieve
if we continue to work together
with shared determination.
SERVE WITH INTEGRITY
The Finance Minister
admonished the new graduates
work with integrity, showing
loyalty to country in everything
they doadding These values
are the cornerstone to public
service.
After you receive your
certifcates a few minutes from
now, you will become Police
Offcers, charged with the
responsibility to enforce the law
to protect and serve the people of
Liberia, he said.
Continued Minister Konneh:In
reality, enforcing the law is one
a part of your responsibility.
In protecting and serving the
public, you will respond to
traffc accidents; tend to people
who have fallen in harms way;
provide assistance to children
and the elderly;settle community
disputes; and provide assistance
to those facing medical
emergencies, to get them the
help they need in the shortest

possible time.
He told the graduates that they
have a moral responsibility to
change the image of the police
by upholding the core principles
of honor, integrity, humility,
selfessness, fairness, courage
and obedience to authority.
And as you operate in adherence
to these principles, without even
knowing it, you will be building
an institution that the public will
come to respect, said Minister
Konneh.
You will also serve as an
example to your colleagues
who have gone before you,
to stop taking small-thing
from citizens, whether it is
in the traffc, at the depot, or
somewhere in your assigned
area.
He said it is it is incumbent upon
offcers of the LNP to actively
protect the integrity of the force
by reporting criminal behavior
of other offcers through the
established channels for action
adding that professionalizing
the police is a huge priority of
the government. He said the
government will continue to
provide adequate support to the
training academy, so that training
programs are run according to
plan.
As I stated before, we will invest
in the welfare of our offcers, so
that offcers assigned in rural
areas can have decent housing,
beginning the new fscal year,
he said.
We will invest in logistics to
reduce response time and to
ensure that offcers are not at
high risk when they respond to
crimes. We will work with the
leadership of the LNP to reform
the incentives and pay structure
of the LNP and the security
sector as a whole, so that we can
continue to attract qualifed and
competent young professionals
like you into the police force.

Frontpage
Monday, May 19, 2014 Page 17 8b
F
RONT
PAGE
POLITICS
LITTLE CHANGE
Urey Blames Government for Awful Living Conditions
Al-Varney Rogers alrogers2008@gmail


A
Liberian presidential
hopeful says past
Liberian regimes
have all done little
to change the awful living
conditions of the Liberian
people.
The celebration of the ffth
anniversary of the Center for
Intellectual Exchange of Opinion
(CIEO) which started on good
note turn into an intellectual
battle ground with bitter
exchange of war of words after
Benoni Urey who has declared
his ambition to contest in 2017
presidential election labeled past
Liberian governments including
the current of showing no interest
in improving the wellbeing of
Liberians.
Carey Street was a scene of
heated arguments when members
of the ruling establishment toke
the stage to counter assertions
made by aspirant Urey who says
the government has done little to
improve the living conditions of
the ordinary Liberians.
"Tolbert declared war on poverty,
ignorant, and disease but today
after many years we still have
that enemy." That enemy is
eating up the fabric of our nation
should we sit and ignore it,"
Urey said.
Urey continued: "Today after
many decades we still have that
enemy, and we sitting down in
Monrovia and disregarding it,
the enemy keeps getting stronger
and he's eating up the very fabric
of our society and we sit and act
like we do not see it, we sit and
we ignore it."
Urey said, Liberia's problem
over the years has been with
the people in leadership adding
"we used our position to crush
people, to crush our opposition
it has no seat on the stage of
reconciliation."
Envisaging new Liberia
He said, his intend is not to
criticize the government but
to talk about the new Liberia
he envisages."We are not here
to criticize government we
are talking about the future of
Liberia."
Urey accused the legislature
of receiving bribe in passing
laws that are not beneftting the
country.
"We want to send this word
to our brothers and sisters
especially those that are in the
legislature we are not angry with
the executive, we are angry with
them," Urey added.
Urey furthered "Our brothers
and sisters in the legislature
signed all of the oil blocks for
few thousand of dollars, we must
get serious as a people, if we
heard that the senate and lower
house did not signed all of the
four oil blocks we will be happy
with them, you must give us the
opportunity to love you, if you
all go out and continue to sell
all those oil blocks we getting
angry, something must be left
for my children and my children,
children we must get serious,
when people see you doing all
the wrong thing they become
angry."
Corruption beyond words
Urey said, the fght against
corruption should go beyond
words adding that serious action
has to be taken to minimize
corruption.
"We are tired with this word
zero tolerance on corruption and
we continue to see it, lead by
example, corruption has to be
dealt with," Urey added.
He said, the government is taking
too long to bring basic services
like water and electricity to its
people.
Like President Sirleaf who
promised in 2005 to electrify the
entire Monrovia in six months
something which did not become
a reality Urey has promised
to bring pipe borne water to
Monrovia in less than six months
if elected.
Urey said: "The new Liberia
we talking about in less than
six months we will have water
in Monrovia over my dead
body that it will not happened
in six month if I'm president of
Liberia."
The presidential aspirant stated:
"Ladies and gentlemen what's
diffcult about bringing water to
Liberia are you aware with fve
million dollars we can have pipe
borne water all over Monrovia,
we still have our children toting
water in gallons on their heads
in Monrovia than when you talk
than they say you are a farmer
and scratch card seller but Im
proud to be one."
He commended the government
for the step taken in bringing
electricity to Monrovia adding
that it is a little bit diffcult to
bring electricity.
"Electricity is a little bit more
diffcult but again we must give
credit to this government because
they are making some steps
toward solving that problem with
that we salute them, there is light
at the end of the tunnel, it toke
too long but it is better late than
never, Urey added.
Urey said, the government is
doing little to improve medical
care and education in the country.
"look at medical care do you
know that people are still dying
from malaria, people are dying
from the lack of oxygen in this
twenty-frst century how serious
can we be," Urey added.
The former Commissioner of the
Bureau of maritime Affairs boast
of running a better maritime
with ten percent than the current
maritime that has 100% adding
that there is no improvement.
"A law was passed that we run
the maritime with ten percent of
the fund and we ran it well, today
they have 100% percent and no
improvement," Urey added.
Senatorial aspirant Sylla
Disagrees
Urey comments was greeted with
strong reactions from a proxy
for the Foreign Minister Baba
Sylla the duo respond became an
embarrassment for the Center.
Members of CEIO were seen
cutting short the speech of
Wilmot Paye and Baba Seylia on
grounds that their speeches were
not in line with protocol.
Urey gave $125,000 LD but
Baba Sylla said, it is not bad to
give to people when you have
taken more from them.
Sylla said, Mr. Urey made some
wide and non substantiated
comments adding that Mr. Urey
said that he sees nothing been
done within the health sector.
"Mr. Urey was part of a
government that contributed to
the problem the health sector is
faced with. Look at the Jackson
F. Doe hospital," Sylla said.
"Medical care has improved,
education has improved in
our country, infrastructure
development is improving."
"You do not have extra judicial
killings going on, having people
fogged because they disagree
with your opinion on national
issues," Sylla said.
He added that the progress is
steady and the challenges are
numerous. "Nobody has given
up on the progress of the country,
the thing is there is no quick fx
to the Liberian problem," Sylla
said.
Urey on reconciliation
The Former Maritime
Commissioner says setting up
of commissions and committee
is not the solution in reconciling
Liberians.
Urey said: "look we must stop
joking about reconciliation
forming committees, forming
commission will not reconcile
us who here wants to talk about
reconciliation when they do not
have food, when their children
do not have tuition to go to
school, when they do not have
job, when one group of people
are enjoying reconciliation
means creating jobs opportunity
for people, reconciliation means
bringing light and water to your
people."
Urey said, the frst step
in reconciliation is self
reconciliation adding "we must
reconcile our self and than we
can move forward."
"Is only when we do that than
we are ready to reconcile, how
can we reconcile when we have
problem with most of the people
we should reconcile with, how
can we reconcile when our
brothers and sisters are in jail
some of them for crimes they
have not committed, how can we
reconcile," Urey added.
He said, people should be sincere
and admit their wrong doing.
We must admit that we were
wrong and that we did wrong to
our people."
According to hi all Liberians
should be treated equal
irrespective of their political,
social and religious background.
Urey added "This reconciliation
we talk about we must treat
everybody the same irrespective
of which tribe you come
from, irrespective of what
political party you come from,
irrespective of which group you
come from, we must remember
that we are all Liberians."
He asserted that government
should be able to provide
opportunity for every Liberian to
get employed.
Urey added, "Not because
you were a member of NTGL
you can't get job, not because
you were a member of Taylor
government you can get job or
not because you were a member
of Mrs. Sirleaf government so
you should not be given a job we
must stop this or because you are
in America you can get job we
must stop it. If you coming from
the moon ones you are a Liberian
you should get a job,"
Frontpage
Monday, May 19, 2014 Page 9
F
RONT
PAGE
GOVERNMENT NEWS
PORTRAIT BY AN ARTIST
M
r. Stephen
Coit, a
distinguished
portraitist and
artist, and Harvard alumnus,
was commissioned by the
Harvard Kennedy School to
paint a portrait of President
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of
Liberia, also a Harvard
graduate and Africas frst
female President, to hang in
the Library of the School.
Here is his account of how he
went about completing this
very important assignment,
commencing on May 14,
2013:
The day of my photo session
with President Ellen Johnson
Sirleaf in New York City
did not begin well. After
walking ffteen blocks across
the city, I arrived at the New
York Palace Hotel early. The
entire ground foor of the
hotel was under construction
and consequently there was
no place to get a badly needed
coffee, so I went directly up
to the Board Room which
had been reserved for the
photo shoot.
I had imagined the Board
Room would be a large,
well-lit room, presumably
with a view of midtown New
York City. Instead, it was
an interior room with no
windows at all. Paneled in
dark walnut, the only light
was from a handful of wall
sconces and a single small
overhead chandelier with
small incandescent bulbs.
The room was dark.
Never using a fash, I had
planned dramatic outside
light for the portrait of the
President, ideally a wash of
sunlight coming in from the
side. But in this dark room,
that plan was now gone.
I unpacked two battery-
powered lighting fxtures I
had brought, and set them
up. They seemed small and
inadequate. I prayed that I
would have enough light for
this very important sitting for
which I only had one chance.
I wouldnt really know until
the President arrived.
I had done my homework for
this sitting. I always do a lot
of research into my subjects
prior to meeting them; I can
feel more like a biographer
than a painter sometimes.
I had read extensively of
the many diffcult obstacles
Madam Sirleaf had to
overcome to reach the
presidency of Liberia. I had
also read and watched many
reports of all the challenges
she faced once becoming
Mr. Stephen Coit, a distinguished portraitist and artist, and Harvard alumnus, was commissioned by the Harvard Kennedy
School to paint a portrait of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia,
Never using a fash, I had planned dramatic outside light for the portrait of the President, ideally a wash of sunlight coming in
from the side. But in this dark room, that plan was now gone. I unpacked two battery-powered lighting fxtures I had brought,
and set them up. They seemed small and inadequate. I prayed that I would have enough light for this very important sitting for
which I only had one chance. I wouldnt really know until the President arrived. - Mr. Stephen Coit, Artist

President incredibly
diffcult, wide-ranging
challenges, including
fghting widespread
corruption; establishing
schools; providing sources
of clean water; fghting
the spread of HIV/AIDS,
malaria, and tuberculosis;
knocking down a frightening
amount of national debt;
rebuilding an economy
shattered by civil war;
making democracy stick in
a previously failed nation.
The list seemed daunting and
endless.
From what I could tell,
there was no direction the
President could look and
not see critical problems
requiring immediate
attention. Her job seemed
impossible to my MBA-
trained eyes. I was about to
meet someone who could do
the impossible.
Long before becoming
an artist, I had earned an
MBA at Harvard Business
School. For more than
twenty years, I had been an
entrepreneur, an executive, a
venture capitalist and board
member. All that experience
did help me understand and
appreciate the extent and
depth of Liberias problems.
But that same management
experience did not teach me
how one person can deal
with such an overwhelming
array of problems, or how to
begin to make things better,
one problem at a time.
But that is exactly what this
remarkable woman did every
day.
The President arrived in our
still-almost-too-dark room
on time. For the next half
hour, she was a kind, patient
and helpful subject. The
light was so poor that a good
fraction of the two hundred
photos I took were blurred
by the motion of the camera
in my hand as I frantically
tried to capture a few good
images that I could use for
the portrait.
The President and I talked
throughout the session. We
talked mostly about what
kind of expression would
be most appropriate for this
portrait, and what she wished
to express in the portrait
for the thousands of future
Kennedy School students
who would see it.
We also talked about
Liberia and the importance
of building an education
system. Her love of children
was evident. So, too, was
the gravity of her job,
the courage it demanded.
Sometimes I could sense in
her the inevitable solitude
of true leadership. We did
enjoy a few moments of easy
humor together, but always
keeping a focus on the task
at hand.
I have painted over a dozen
portraits for Harvard. Most
were part of the Harvard
Foundation Minority
Portraiture Project whose
goal is to bring diversity to
the portraits on the walls
of Harvard. Creating those
portraits, I have had the
honor of meeting many
distinguished subjects. A
surprising number of those
individuals were quite
unsure what their visual
legacy should be, and
were frequently quite self-
conscious during sittings.
In contrast, President Sirleaf
was remarkably comfortable
sitting for her portrait.
The President knew what
she wanted to say. She
and I collaborated well to
fnd a way to say it. It did
take us over two hundred
photographs, though.
Towards the end of the
session, I felt comfortable
enough to mention to the
President the darkness of
the room and the obstacles it
had presented. In response,
she kindly invited me to
move the sitting up to her
suite, several foors up in the
hotel. I accepted her offer,
and she and her aides left to
make preparations. Several
minutes later, accompanied
by security personnel, I took
an elevator up and met the
President once again for a
few more photos.
The new venue was a
large room surrounded by
windows offering a grand
view of midtown Manhattan.
We continued the sitting for
a short while, and there I
took some wonderful photos
of light cascading in on her
from the east. Now fnished,
I thanked the President for
her time and her generosity,
and left to catch a train home.
It took about three months
to compose and execute the
portrait. As I normally do, I
used many photographs to
create the fnal portrait; no
single image ever captures
what I need to say about a
subject. To create the portrait
of the President I relied on
images from both the Board
Room as well as images
from upstairs in the suite. It
turned out that it was a very
good thing that I had images
from both locations.
For this portrait, I sought
to create a painting that
would bring an on-going
presence of President Sirleaf
to wherever it hung at the
Kennedy School. I hoped
that it would have the
intended effect on viewers
that the President envisioned
when she agreed to have her
portrait done.
If the portrait does achieve
those ends and is successful,
I will owe no small
measure of that success to
my collaborator, Madam
President Sirleaf. Together,
we did solve the light
problems together. We did
execute what was really a
shared vision of her portrait
for the Kennedy School.
Along the way, I also
learned something about
how President Sirleaf has
managed to accomplish
all she has in the face of
enormous odds.
Clarity of the mission.
Focus. Resolve. Confdence.
Keeping communications
informal and open. But
through all this, also keeping
a light and generous heart
that serves as a source of
encouragement and caring
for everyone around her. I
certainly felt that too.
Thank you, Madam
President.
Page 10 |
Frontpage
Monday, May 19, 2014
Frontpage
Monday, May 19, 2014 Page 11
Announcement
In keeping with the vehicle and Traffc Law; Title 38,
approved May 9, 1972, and published in 1978, the
Government of Liberia is pleased to announce the approved
rates for Third Party Compulsory Motor Insurance Policy
in Liberia. These rates take effect January 2, 1996.
Approved Rates Sticker Price
No. Category of Vehicles Price
1 Taxi US$300.00 $ 15.00
2 Transport Pick-Up
S/Size-1/2 Ton 400.00 15.00
M/Size- 1 Ton 425.00 15.00
B/Size 1 Ton 450.00 15.00
3 Transport Buses
S/S-Max 18 Persons 550.00 15.00
M/S-30 Persons 600.00 15.00
B/S-30 Over Persons 650.00 15.00
4. Transport Truck
10 Tons (10 Tires) 720.00 15.00
12 Tons (12 Tires) 750.00 15.00
14-18 Tons (18 Tires) 800.00 15.00
Trailer-22 Tires 1,000.00 15.00
5 Private Car (PC + Personal Plate
Sedan 150.00 15.00
Jeep 225.00 15.00
6 Business Car (BC)
Sudan 175.00 15.00
Jeep 225.00 15.00
7 Pick Up
PP 250.00 15.00
BP 300.00 15.00
8 Business Truck (BT)
10-Tons (10 Tires) 575.00 15.00
12-Tons (10 Tires) 600.00 15.00
14-18 Tons (18 Tires) 640.00 15.00
Trailer (22 Tires) 800.00 15.00
9 Business Bus (BB)
S/S-Min 6-8 Persons 250.00 15.00
S/S-Max 18 Persons 440.00 15.00
M/S- 30 Persons 480.00 15.00
B/S-30 Over Persons 520.00 15.00
10 Private Bus (PB)
S/S-Max 18 Persons 335.00 15.00
M/S-30 Persons 385.00 15.00
B/S-30 Over Persons 420.00 15.00
11 Private Truck (PT) 575.00 15.00
12 Private Motorbike 150.00 15.00
13 Business Motorbike 125.00 15.00
Please ask Pearl 0886 578 981/ Lucinda 0886 514 623
/ 0777 514 623 / AB 0886 529 776
American Underwriters Group
INTERNATIONAL INSURANCE
JG Bull BLDG, Randall Street, Adjancent DITCO Store
Page 12 |
Frontpage
Monday, May 19, 2014
U.S. 10 dead, 70 wounded amid new Kenya terror warnings
HUNT FOR ABDUCTED NIGERIAN GIRLS
'UNLIKELY TO HAVE HAPPY ENDING'
ABDUCTIONS SEEN AS JUST ONE
FACTOR IN COMING NIGERIA ELECTION
ABUJA (Reuters) -
N
igeria's hunt for
more than 200
abducted schoolgirls
is not all that it
seems. In public, an international
operation is gathering pace while
behind the scenes, offcials say it
is unlikely to deliver the success
that global opinion demands.
The United States and Britain are
helping Nigerian forces in the
effort to liberate the girls taken
from their school in Borno state
a month ago by Boko Haram
Islamist militants.
The pressure for results is
huge, with the likes of Michelle
Obama and flm star Angelina
Jolie supporting a social media
campaign operating under the
Twitter tag #BringBackOurGirls.
Washington has sent surveillance
aircraft as well as assigning
medical, intelligence, counter-
terrorism and communications
advisers to the mission.
But offcials have little idea
where the girls are, and
acknowledge that if they are
found, any rescue attempt would
be fraught with problems. On top
of that, morale is shaky among
some of the Nigerian troops
involved in the hunt who already
have experience of Boko Haram
as a formidable foe.
"We commend the effort by the
#BringBackOurGirls protesters
but it doesn't ft with the reality
of the security situation we are
facing," said a senior Nigerian
military source who spoke on
condition of anonymity.
Foreign experts are also
pessimistic that the girls can
be extricated from the rebels'
clutches and returned to their
homes in Nigeria's remote
northeast where Boko Haram
operates.
"I think a rescue is currently
unlikely and unfeasible," said
Jacob Zenn, a Boko Haram
expert at U.S. counter-terrorism
institution CTC Sentinel.
Until Monday, nothing had been
seen of the girls since they were
snatched from the village of
Chibok near Nigeria's borders
with Cameroon, Chad and Niger.
Then Boko Haram released a
video showing more than 100
girls together in a rural location.
In it, rebel leader Abubakar
Shekau offered to exchange
ABUJA (Reuters) -
N
igerian President
Goodluck
Jonathan's last-
minute decision
to cancel his frst visit to the
village where Islamist rebels
abducted more than 200
schoolgirls has sharpened
criticism of his handling of the
crisis.
Yet the government's
performance since last month's
kidnappings is unlikely to
prove decisive for Nigeria's
polarized electorate if Jonathan
decides to stand for re-election
next February, analysts and
voters said on Friday.
Nigeria, a country of 170
million, is riven by political,
regional and religious tensions
as well as long-standing
grievances over how its oil
wealth should be shared. As a
result, Boko Haram's fve-year
insurgency in the northeast is
just one issue facing voters,
even though thousands have
died.
"If the elections were to be held
today, it would have a negative
impact (on Jonathan). But the
elections are still nine months
away," said commentator
Bismarck Rewane, chief
executive of Financial
Derivatives investment
consulting frm in Lagos.
Jonathan had intended to
fy to Borno state capital
Maiduguri on Friday and
head on to Chibok, the village
rebels stormed on April 14 and
dragged off more than 200
schoolgirls.
But security concerns thwarted
his plan after the killing on
Tuesday of at least four soldiers
in a rebel ambush near Chibok.
"The president was planning
to go but security advised
otherwise on the visit," said
a government source said.
Instead he will fy directly to
Paris for a regional summit that
will feature discussion of Boko
Haram.
International outrage over the
kidnappings has exposed the
government to criticism. A U.S.
offcial said the government
was slow to adapt to the rebel
threat, while a British minister
said Abuja had faced huge
challenges with aspects of its
response.
IN BRIEF
SUSPECTED BOKO
HARAM REBELS
ATTACK CHINESE
PLANT IN CAMEROON
SOUTH AFRICA GOVERNMENT
TAKES WATCHDOG TO COURT
OVER ZUMA REPORT
ZIMBABWE'S MUGABE
ON ANOTHER 'ROUTINE'
SINGAPORE CHECK-UP

ABUJA (Reuters) -
S
uspected rebels from
Nigeria's Islamist
militant group Boko
Haram attacked a
Chinese plant in northern
Cameroon near the town of
Waza, a local governor told
Reuters on Saturday.
Waza is 20 km (12 miles) from
the Nigerian border close to the
Sambisa forest, a stronghold of
Boko Haram which has killed
thousands in Nigeria in a fve-
year insurgency for an Islamist
state and threatens to destabilise
the wider region.
The vast Sambisa forest is close
to the area where Boko Haram
kidnapped more than 200
schoolgirls last month.
HARARE (Reuters) -
Z
imbabwe's 90-year-
old President Robert
Mugabe is in Singapore
for "another routine eye
check-up", his spokesman said on
Thursday, playing down concerns
about the health of the veteran
African leader who has no obvious
successor.
Mugabe had a cataract operation
in Singapore on the eve of his 90th
birthday in February, offcials said,
and his visits to the southeastern
Asian state have become more
frequent over the last couple of
years amid fears for his health.
Spokesman George Charamba
said Mugabe - who denies he
has prostate cancer or any other
serious illness - would be away
for a week and would undergo a
"routine eye check-up following
a recent procedure on the same".
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) -
S
outh African cabinet
ministers said on
Thursday they would take
the country's top anti-graft
watchdog to court over a report that
heavily criticised a $23 million
state-funded security upgrade to
President Jacob Zuma's private
home.
Public Protector Thuli Madonsela
said in a March report that Zuma
should pay back some of the money
spent on upgrades to his rural
Nkandla homestead in KwaZulu-
Natal province that included a
chicken run and swimming pool.
Madonsela's 444-page summary
of her two-year probe into the
renovations painted a picture of
systemic offcial incompetence and
fouted tender procedures that went
unquestioned by Zuma at the time.


F
RONT
PAGE
WORLD NEWS
SECRUITY BEEF
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP)
T
he U.S. ambassador
in Kenya has
requested additional
Kenyan and
American security personnel
and is reducing the size of the
embassy staff because of an
increase in terrorist threats in
Kenya, according to a letter
sent to embassy employees
Friday.
Ambassador Robert Godec said
additional police are already
patrolling around the embassy
and that more assets will arrive
from Washington next week.
The embassy warned Americans
this week that it was taking
new security steps because
of recent threat information.
Militants from al-Shabab, an al-
Qaida-linked group in Somalia,
are blamed for an increasing
number of attacks in Kenya.
Al-Qaida bombed the U.S.
Embassy in Kenya in 1998,
killing more than 200 people.
"Unfortunately, the security
situation in Kenya, especially
in Nairobi and Mombasa,
continues to worsen. Since the
tragic events of Westgate in
September 2013, the number of
attacks, threats, and warnings
is deeply concerning," Godec
said, referring to the assault
on Westgate Mall by four al-
Shabab gunmen that killed at
least 67 people.
Since the Westgate attack, there
have been 12 explosions in
Nairobi killing more than 20
people, Godec's letter said. Twin
improvised explosive devices
exploded in a market area of
Nairobi on Friday, killing 10
people and wounding more than
70.
The U.S. Embassy in Nairobi,
which was relocated after the
1998 attack, sits far off the road
and is surrounded by thick walls.
Armed Marines have recently
begun patrolling the grounds
wearing bullet-proof vests
and helmets. The frequency
of emergency drills that tell
embassy personnel to "duck and
cover" have also increased.
The largest U.S. diplomatic
facility in East Africa, the
embassy has about 1,300
employees or more inside it on
any given day. Godec said he is
reducing the embassy's "overall
footprint" in Kenya by reducing
the number of Americans
stationed in Nairobi.
Scott Gration, a former U.S.
ambassador in Kenya, said in an
interview Friday that embassies
are a "magnet for people that
have ideological tendencies,"
and that they are a target
whether a security warning has
recently been posted or not.
them for captured militants.
The video raised hopes that their
location could be found using
ground forces, state-of-the-art
intelligence and surveillance
planes.
Then an operation could be
staged, perhaps with forces
swooping from the sky like
a British raid in Sierra Leone
in 2000 to free soldiers held
by militiamen, or Israeli
commandoes' rescue of
passengers from a jet hijacked to
Entebbe, Uganda, in 1976.
However, such a scenario is
unlikely this time. One source
with knowledge of the search
said the footage was probably
taken at least 10 days ago, if
Boko Harma's past videos are
any guide. By now, the girls
could be somewhere else as a
group, or dispersed to many
places.
VIRTUALLY
UNDETECTABLE
The Sambisa forest, Boko
Haram's stronghold, is a frst
target but it is not conducive to
aerial search because it covers
60,000 square km (23,000 square
miles), more than twice the size
of Rwanda. The rebels know
this area intimately and could
spread the girls among local
families, making them virtually
undetectable by conventional
security forces.
Two U.S. national security
sources said initially the girls
were separated into around
three large groups but were
subsequently scattered in smaller
groups. Other experts said they
could be in mountains near
Gwoza on the Cameroon border.


Frontpage
Monday, May 19, 2014 Page 13
REGULATOR STILL IN LACC DRAGNET
Commission on Higher Education Director General long Corruption tale
Sports
Monrovia-
T
he Publisher of the New Republic Newspaper has criticized
the granting of the prestigious Journalist of the Year 2014,
to immediate past president of the journalist union and
current president of the West African Journalist Association
WAJA, Mr. Peter Quaqua.
The papersaid Quaquadoes not deserve to be journalist of the year in
Liberia because his duties as head of the Union in 2013 do not allow
him to be.
On Friday, the Press Union of Liberia 2014 awards committee
awarded Quaquaas journalist of the year at a ceremony in Monrovia.
I do feel for Quaqua, because it is his name that matters here, he
said.
I have nothing personal against Quaqua. He is a smart young man
who once worked for me. But to be awarded journalist of the year
award, it was a sad mistake for the committee. The committee didnt
say on what grounds Mr. Quaqua was awarded such position. It did
not say what criteria were used for his selection.
Al-Gblor Toweh said, Quaquas selection was ludicrous and a
complete disserve to the media profession.
I am of the strong conviction that Quaqua is unft for the award; not
that he is not competent; but he is not a practicing journalist. More
besides, hewas rather head of PUL.
He said, the Awardscommittee made a serious error in their selection.
Toweh said, he is not blaming Quaqua for that, but rather the
committee has decided to expose their level ofdishonesty, insincerity
and cronyism to the public.
He said, if the PUL wants to pacify Quaqua for his past work at the
Union, they should do so at a different time.
Mr. Toweh said, the Chairman of the Awards Committee, Mr. Mike
Bautchar and another member, are from the Liberia Media Center-a
place Quaqua served as the immediate past board chairman.
But I am not looking at that. The committees work could bring
manythings to mind-either the awards was given to serve as a pay
back time for Quaqua; support for his ascendency to the WAJA
position; maintenance of cronyism system, he said.
But I think the committee made a sad mistake. By the selection of
Quaqua, they have rather exposed their level of unprofessionalism,
incompetent and egotistic side.
Mr. Toweh said, he is strongly advising Quaqua not to accept the
award, as he does not deserve it.
It is just a sad mistake that the committee will embark on this
embarrassing journey, he said.
Winners of the Press Union of Liberia 2014 Awards
a. Peter Quaqua
Journalist of the Year
b. Evelyn Kpadeh
Human Rights Reporter
c. Evelyn Kpadeh
Development Reporter - Broadcast
d. Roland Perry
Development Reporter -Print
e. VarmahKamara
Sports Reporter
f. Prince Collins
Business & Economics Reporter
g. Mae Azango
Women Rights Reporter
h. Anthony Stephens
Environmental Reporter
i. In-Profle Daily
Newspaper of the Year
j. ELBC
Radio Station of the Year
k. Power TV
TV Station of the Year
l. Super Bongese, Bong County
Community Radio of the Year
These categories either did not have suffcient applicants or the
entries did not meet requisite criteria
i. Legislative Reporter
ii. Reporting Female Sports
iii. Health Reporting
iv. Investigative Reporter
v. Humanitarian Reporting
vi. Judicial Reporting
vii. Photojournalist
F
RONT
PAGE
MEDIA ISSUES
HE DOES NOT DESERVE IT
LAFFOR TO THE RESCUE
New Republic Newspaper criticizes Awarding of
Journalist of the Year to Quaqua
Lone Star Captains second career Goal helped a resurging Liberia edge Lesotho 1-0
Monrovia -
A
nthony Laffors 40th
minute goal off a
Sekou Jabateh pass
was enough to see
Liberia outwit Lesotho 1-0 in the
frst round qualifer of the 2015
Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon)
fnals.
The return leg is set for June 1
in Maseru.
Liberia has not qualifed for the
fnals since Mali 2002 and needs
to hold on to its 1-0 advantage
in Maseru next month if it hopes
to make it to what could be their
third Afcon fnals.
As part of the draw, seven groups
of four teams, with each playing
three matches at home and away
respectively, were also drawn-up
with Liberia facing the prospects
of meeting last years runners-
up Burkina Faso, Gabon and
Angola in group C. Defending
champions Nigeria were drawn
in group A with South Africa
and Sudan plus the winner from
Namibia versus Congo and Libya
versus Rwanda. And there will
be some enthralling derbies and
renewed rivalries when Tunisia
meets Egypt in group G; Ghana
square-off with Togo in group
E and Ivory Coast will have a
chance to revenge their 2006
World Cup qualifying defeats to
Cameroon in a group of death.
The matches will be played on
September 5, 6, 10; October 10,
11, 15 and November 14, 15, 19.
The winners and runners-up
from the groups, the best third-
placed team and hosts Morocco
will make-up the 16 fnalists
from January 17 to February 8
in Rabat, Marrakesh, Agadir and
Tangier while Casablanca will
serve as an alternative venue.
Coaches could face a defning
moment in recalling foreign-
based players if the schedules
dont fall within the international
calendar drawn-up by FIFA.
Big Win for Mozambique
In other weekend qualifers,
South Sudan's frst ever Africa
Cup of Nations qualifer ended
in a crushing 5-0 defeat to
Mozambique in a 2015 frst
found round frst leg tie on
Sunday.
The frst goal came from Josimar
Machaisse. who scored from the
edge of the box as he connected
with a cross whipped in form
the left wing. Then four minutes
before half-time defender Mexer
was given space outside the area
and struck a rising shot into the
far corner.
Sonito got in behind the South
Sudanese defender to head
home a third and then scored his
second after the break.
The fnal goal came with six
minutes left to play through Isac
Carvalho.
The second leg of the tie will
be played in the Sudanese
capital Khartoum because of the
ongoing civil unrest in South
Sudan.
Also on Sunday Madagascar
caused a surprise on Sunday with
a 2-1 win over visitors Uganda .
The hosts took the lead after just
nines minutes with a penalty
from Faneva Andriatsima before
Carolus Andriamahitsinoro
doubled the lead midway
through the frst half.
Madagascar had the chance to
extend their advantage but they
failed to score from the penalty
spot in the second-half.
Hamis Kiiza then scored what
could prove to be a vital away
goal with a spot-kick in the very
last moments of the match.
Uganda are traditionally strong
at home and will believe they
can overturn the defcit in the
second leg in Kampala in two
weeks time.
The Cranes are ranked more than
100 places above Madagascar on
the Fifa rankings.
Kenya only managed a 1-0 win
in Nairobi over the tiny Comoros
Islands.
Belgium-based Johanna Omolo
grabbed the only goal of the
match 6 minutes before half-
time.
Mart Nooij lead Tanzania to a
1-0 win over Zimbabwe in his
frst match in charge
There was a narrow 1-0 win for
Tanzaniaover Zimbabwe in Dar
es Salaam thanks to a goal from
John Bocco.
The towering striker scored
from close range early in the
second-half after being set-up
by DR Congo based Thomas
Ulimwengu to spark celebrations
in half-flled stadium.
Ulimwengu had featured for TP
Mazembe as they lost 1-0 to Al
Hilal of Sudan in the African
Champions League on Friday,
but arrived in time to play for
his country as did his club mate
Mbwana Samata.
Tanzania coach Mart Nooij was
happy after the victory in his
frst game in charge of the Taifa
Stars, following his appointment
in April.
"My strategy in Harare will
be to play football, Zimbabwe
is a strong team, we are also
strong, either of us could still go
through," he said.
It also fnished 1-0 to Liberia in
their home leg against Lesotho
in Monrovia. Liberia skipper
Anthony Laffor scoring for the
hosts fve minutes before half-
time.
Swaziland held visitors Sierra
Leone to a 1-1 draw.
The Leone Stars took the
lead early in the game trough
Sulaiman Fullah Sesay but
Swaziland equalised nine
minutes after the break with a
defected shot.
The overall winners will face
Seychelles for a place in Group
D alongside Cameroon, DR
Congo and Ivory Coast.
Seychelles got a bye into the
second round of qualifying
following the disqualifcation
of The Gambia from all Caf
competitions for two years for
age cheating in the African
Under-20 Championship
qualifers.
There was a goalless draw in
Bujumbura between Burundi
andBotswana, who had Oscar
Ncenga sent off for a second
yellow card in the fnal minutes
of the match.
Central African Republic and
Guinea Bissau also played out a
0-0 draw on Sunday.
The game was played in the
Congolese capital Brazzaville
due to the ongoing security
problems in Bangui.
Another match played on neutral
territory because of security
concerns in the host country was
Libya against Rwanda.
The match was played at the
Rades Stadium in Tunisia and
also ended 0-0.
The second legs of the frst round
matches will be played over the
weekend of 31 May and 1 June.
On Saturdaym, Malawi began
their campaign to reach the 2015
Africa Cup of Nations fnals in
Morocco with a 2-0 win over
visiting Chad.
Frank 'Gabadinho' Mhango, who
plays for Bloemfontein Celtic in
South Africa, was the hero for
the Flames scoring both goals of
the frst round frst leg tie.
In front of a capacity crowd
in Blantyre Mhango tapped in
from a rebound in the seventh
minute after the Chad keeper
Mbiramanji Dilla had tipped
Joseph Kamwendo's free kick
onto the post.
Mhango's second came with 21
minutes left on the clock with a
solo effort that saw him go past
the Chad defence before beating
the advancing keeper.
Despite the loss Chad coach
Emmanuel Tregoat was still
confdent his side can come back
in N'Djamena in a fortnight.
"I think we can win [in a
fortnight]- and we can win 2-0
or more perhaps, or penalties, it's
not fnished for us," he insisted.
While his opposite number
Young Chimodzi added his side
would not be trying to defend
their two goal advantage.
"We will devise a plan for how
we can approach the game -
because what we need is to get a
goal," he told BBC Sport.
Stephane Sessegnon scored both
goals for Benin in their win over
Sao Tome
"If we get a goal then we are
safe and and that's what we are
aiming for - not just to go there
and defend and defend."
The winners of the tie will
play either Beninor Sao Tome
Principe .
Benin produced a vital 2-0
victory in Sao Tome to take a big
advantage into their home leg.
Both goals came in the last 10
minutes and both were scored
by West Bromwich Albion's
Stephane Sessegnon, including a
last gasp penalty.
Also on Saturday Namibia edged
past Congo Brazzaville 1-0 with
a last minute goal in Windhoek.
Another South Africa-based
player Rudolf Bester latching
onto a long ball from the back to
seal the victory.
Bester, a second-half substitute,
thought he had scored minutes
earlier with a header but he was
ruled offside.
Mauritania also have a slender
advantage after Saturday's frst
round frst leg match are they
defeated Equatorial Guinea 1-0
in Nouakchott.
The only goal of the game was
scored in the 76th minute by
Ismael Diakite, who plays his
club football in Tunisia for
Hamman Lif.
SUNDAY'S RESULTS
Liberia 1-0 Lesotho
Kenya 1-0 Comoros
Madagascar 2-0 Uganda
Libya 0-0 Rwanda
Burundi 0-0 Botswana
CAR 0-0 Guinea-Bissau
Swaziland 1-1 Sierra Leone
Tanzania 1-0 Zimbabwe
Mozambique 5-0 South Sudan
Saturday's Results
Mauritania 1-0 Eq Guinea
Namibia 1-0 Congo
Sao Tome 0-2 Benin
Malawi 2-0 Chad

Page 14 |
Frontpage
Monday, May 19, 2014
ATLETICO WANT TO BORROW CHELSEA'S LUKAKU (LEFT)
TO REPLACE BRIDGE-BOUND COSTA
CUC Hosts Regional Universities Competition
Sports

TRADING PLACES?
WILL THE UPCOMING ATHLETES
REUNION MOVEMENT IN U.S.A HELP
THOSE IN LIBERIA? HOPE IT DOES..
BIG OLYMPICS
A
tletico Madrid want
Romelu Lukaku on
loan as part of the
deal with Chelsea for
fellow striker Diego Costa.
Belgium international Lukaku
is set to go back to the west
Londoners next season following
the conclusion of a season-long
loan at Everton, having spent the
previous campaign with West
Brom.
With prolifc Spain international
Costa also set to join Jose
Mourinho's side after the World
Cup, however, Lukakus agents
are exploring his options.
Chelseas Belgian keeper,
Thibault Courtois, has been on
loan at Atletico for the past three
seasons. And the two countrymen
same the same agent, Christophe
Henrotay.
Lukaku, 21, was signed from
Belgium's Anderlecht for
18million in August 2011 when
Andre Villas-Boas was in charge.
He is still valued by Chelsea
boss Mourinho, but the frontman
- who scored 15 league goals for
Everton this past season and 17
for West Brom in 2012-13 - is
unwilling to go back to London
just to sit on the bench.
The Blues are ready to give him
a contract extension to secure his
loan-term future at the club.
Henrotay, however, maintains his
camp are waiting on Mourinhos
transfer plans before making a
decision.
He said: For the moment,
Romelu belongs to Chelsea. He
has two years left on his contract.
Its going to depend on Chelsea.
After that, well see together
what the best options are if
Chelsea decide to let him go,
Henrotay said.
That they want to bring in a
big-name striker has been well
documented. But Chelsea need
lots of great strikers.
"If there are too many, theyll
choose to allow Romelu to
leave. But if they think there
arent enough forwards, perhaps
Romelu will say, Im interested
in prolonging the adventure.
But its still too soon.
Minnesota:
A
three-days all Liberian athletes reunion will take place in
Philadelphia, USA, June 13-15 and participants are expected from
around the United States, Europe and Africa. The theme of this year
conferen is Together we can accomplish dreams.
Ex Invincible Elevens Ahmadu Sarnor, Manyango Jallah, Alston Wolo,
Duannah Siryon, Siply Weah, Toyuwa Harris, Zoegar Wilson, and Lydia
Gibson-Jones are just few of the 22 planning committee members names
organizing the event.
It is believe that participants will include offcials from the Ministry of Youths
& Sports, the Liberia Football Association, The Liberia Olympic Committee,
current and former footballers, basketball players, Karate, Track & Field
athletes, entertainers, sport promoters, sport journalists, and sport enthusiasts.
According to information gathered, the conference will conclude with a
development of a strategic concept document that will serve as a catalyst in
the improvement of sports in Liberia and the warfare of athletes.
It is believe that this frst nationwide gathering in the United States emanated
from the fact that hundreds of Liberian athletes have not been fortunate to
beneft from sport in the Republic of Liberia due to the lack of strong sporting
programs, under-developed facilities, weak organizational structure, low
remuneration, lack of qualifed technocrats and maybe a lack of national sport
programs. Perhaps, the frst rule and love of entertainment is the availability
of adequate and standardized facilities.
In my opinion, this is a worthy undertaking because in the Liberian context,
athletes have always been considered as Grona Boy and have not fairly been
recognized elites as compare to their political counterparts. These behaviors
have resulted to the subject of extensive discussion between advocates and
skeptics of sport enthusiasts and academicians. Both elements, as one can
clearly see are independent determinants of a person future.
Some Liberian sporting public have found that even after eliminating
confounding factors, extracurricular activities, including active sport
participations, were not a predictors of better academic achievement.
Due to these unattended behaviors emulating from those in leadership vis-a-
vis government, athletes and athletes promoters are not given full honor when
their days of active involvement have past or even when they have died.
As a sport lover, the greatest concern one may have now is to document as to
what extent has the difference sporting disciplines empowered the people of
Liberia like it has been done in other parts of the world especially in the West?
Considering the statistics of a country with almost four million people, Liberia
has all along been unable to succeed in the direction of organize sports.
It is rather regrettable though that Liberian government and other social
institutions have blindly under estimated the signifcance of sports as a
necessary ingredient in educational system that could serve as a major catalyst
between youths and educational institutions. Government's behavior toward
athletes is largely responsible for the slow pace of the growth and development
of the games we all claimed to love so dearly.
For these sporting programs to be successful, they need to be translated into
fgures that form part of national budget (I mean real money and patriotic
leadership). Many sport enthusiasts believe this is the fundamental route
Liberia need to trek on for the empowerment of the youths and the general
exposures of games in the Republic.
As for the June 13-15 conference in Philadelphia, USA, my only hope is that
the General Assembly will produce an outcome that will have a positive trickle
down affect here in Liberia.
According to www.liberianathletesunion.com website, the following events
will commemorate the gathering and I hope many sport enthusiasts will fnd
reason to attend this historic event:
Friday, June 13th is the welcoming ceremony;
Saturday morning (June 14) is the General Assembly
Saturday (June 14) sporting & fun activities which comprises Eastern States
vs. Western States in all sporting games; East A vs. West A (younger/active
athletes) and East B vs. West B (comprising the older/veteran players)
Saturday (June 14) evening is the award banquet
Sunday (June 15) is the cultural festival and farewell cocktail.
According to the organizers, over 291 individuals have so far consented
attending and more are expected and expressing interest in participating. In
addition, those wishing to participate should email liberianathletesreunion@
gmail.com before June 5, 2014.
It said the re-union will be held every year at a particular location and the next
venue will be decided at the end of the conference.
Contributing Writer: Mohameh Saysay is a Liberian residing in Saint Paul,
Minnesota, USA
He can be reach at Tel: 612-656-9408 and email at mohsaysay@gmail.com

T
he Cuttington University
is expected to host
a Special Olympics
tournament for
universities from Liberia and
Sierra Leone.
The 2014 Cuttington University
Olympics opens on May 22,
2014 on the Universitys main
campus in Suakoko, Bong County-
Central Liberia. The Olympics is
expected to bring together several
universities from in and around
Liberia and our neighbors to the
west, the Republic of Sierra Leone.
The University Olympics will be
the frst of its kind in the history of
Liberian Universities. The events
will kick off with the arrival of
guests on the Suakoko campus of
Cuttington University during the
evening of May 22nd. A Happy
Hour is scheduled for 6 p.m. and
will include an introduction of
participating institutions
The participating universities
include Njala University and
The University Of Sierra Leone,
the University Liberia, Africa
Methodist Episcopal Zion
University, Africa Methodist
Episcopal University, United
Methodist University, St Clement
University, the Bong Technical
College, Nimba Community
College, Lofa Community College
, Stella Maris Polytechnic, the
William V.S. Tubman University
located in Maryland County,
African Bible College University
located in Nimba County and
the Cuttington University
Junior College in Kakata. Other
universities are expected to send in
confrmations.
According to the Director of Sports
for Cuttington University, Mr.
Kusee L. Armstrong, the Olympics
fever is very high in Bong County
and preparations are about ninety
percent completed, the basketball
court is fully electrifed with
the guest houses all in readiness
to accommodate participating
universities and other investees for
this all important Olympic.
Mr. Armstrong noted that this
Olympics will be a historic event
for Cuttington University and all
other participating Universities.
He said because of the need to
elevate sports to a higher level in
Liberia, the Olympics will feature
many competitions. These include;
Mens and Womens Soccer, Mens
and Womens Basketball, Mens
and Womens Volleyball, Track and
feld competitions, the Liberian
traditional kickball game and a
grand intellectual debate. Other
fun competitions include board
games and Card Games. It is our
dream that these Olympics become
an annual event that brings all
universities together. We want to
show our sponsors, relatives, and
advisors that we are more than just
troublemakers. We are interested
in more than just politics. We can
come together and have fun before
we get into the real business of
fnal exams and graduation. The
youth of Liberia are intellectual,
vibrant, and were sharpening our
skills in negotiation, competition,
and sportsmanship. We applaud
the spirit of success and striving
for excellence. This is Cuttington
University. Mr. Armstrong said.
The Opening Ceremony is
scheduled for Friday morning
beginning with a parade and a
ribbon cutting ceremony on the
sports pitch at the University. The
games begin with all games played
simultaneously. Basketball games
will be played at night on the
lighted court. Many universities
have expressed their enthusiasm
with the possibility of coming out
victorious.
The Olympics will climax on
Sunday, May 25 at the Bong
County Stadium with the fnals of
Team 1 vs. Team 2 and Team 3 vs.
Team 4.
Frontpage
Monday, May 19, 2014 Page 15
Sports
SPORT BRIEF
RIBERY'S FORM WORRYING
AHEAD OF WORLD CUP
LONDON (AP)
L
ess than six
months ago,
Franck Ribery's
name was being
mentioned in the same
breath as Cristiano Ronaldo
and Lionel Messi.
Following a tremendous
season with Bayern Munich,
the France winger was one
of the three fnalists for the
Ballon d'Or football's top
award.
Ribery lost, Ronaldo won.
Since then, Ribery's form
has dropped so much that
it is now causing concern
in the French camp. With
the World Cup in Brazil
looming, Ribery is a shadow
of the player who terrorized
defenders throughout last
season.
DURANT'S THUNDER TAKE ON
SPURS AFTER CLIPPING LA
MAN CITY FINED 60
MILLION EUROS BY UEFA
~ 2014 NBA DRAFT SCOUTING REPORT: NOAH VONLEH ~
LOS ANGELES (AP)
M
r. Unreliable
was rock-solid
and relentless
yet again.
Kevin Durant's reward is
another trip to the Western
Conference fnals with the
Oklahoma City Thunder.
The league MVP made the
most foolish headline in
recent newspaper history look
even worse Thursday night
with a spectacular 39-point
performance, propelling the
Thunder into a matchup with
the San Antonio Spurs for a
spot in the NBA fnals.
NYON, Switzerland (AP)
B
ig-spending clubs
Manchester City and
Paris Saint-Germain
were fned 60 million
euros ($82 million) by UEFA
on Friday and ordered to limit
their Champions League squads
to 21 players next season for
breaching the body's fnancial
fair play rules.
In the frst series of sanctions
handed down by UEFA over
its new regulations meant to
curb over-spending by wealthy
owners, nine clubs in all were
handed punishments but
those given to the Premier
League winner and the French
champion were by far the
heaviest.
Position: Power Forward
Size: 6-10, 240
School: Indiana, Freshman
Strengths:
Terrifc rebounder
Athleticism
Inside/outside ability
Developing low post game
Good touch around the basket
Footwork on the block
Mid-range jumper
Three-point range
Effective in pick-and-pop situations
Quickness to drive past bigger defenders
Handles the ball well for his size
Length helps him defensively and on the
glass
Wide frame that should continue to fll out
WEAKNESSES:
Too passive at times
Needs to be more assertive establishing
position on the block
Defensive intensity
Summary: Vonleh is in the second tier of
freshmen behind guys like Andrew Wiggins,
Joel Embiid, Jabari Parker, and Julius
Randle. The Hoosier has the ideal frame and
inside/outside ability to be a very good NBA
power forward. While Vonleh may not be an
immediate contributor at the next level, he
should be a top-10 lock.
Player Comparison: Chris Bosh. Vonleh's
ability to stretch defenses with his outside
shooting has a very Bosh-like similarity to it.
With sometime in the weight room, Vonleh
should fll out and be more physical down low
than Bosh. Vonleh can also handle the ball well
for his position and make things happen down
low to his quickness and touch around the rim
like Bosh does.
Source: nbadraft.net
http://www.nba.com/sixers/combine-
interview-noah-vonleh


Paternal Grandson of Nimba Paramount Chief Tipped to go as high
as the top fve with Lakers, Celtics Taking Noticewithout pay

Monrovia -
W
hen the U.S.
National
Basketball
Association
Lottery is completed
Thursday, the juggling
for some of the brightest
prospects in the Class of 2014
will begin. One name likely
to go as high as the top fve is
Noah Vonleh, already being
courted by the Lottery-bound
La Lakers and the Boston
Celtics.
Im trying to show them
how versatile I am. I can play
different positions, cover
different positions, show
them how I can handle the
ball, play inside and outside,
Noah told reporters last week
during Combine Day in
Philadelphia.
The power forward out of
In who has already held
interviews with the T-Wolves,
Bucks, Lakers, Blazers,
Magic, Celtics and 76ers
says he is looking to improve
his game and bolster his
standings in the draft.
In announcing his decision to
leave College after his frst
year for the NBA, a confdent
Noah told CBSSports.com
hes guaranteed to go in the
lottery, and that the top fve
of the draft is a possibility.
Ive heard the fourth pick to
the 12th pick is wide open,
Noah said. [I think I'll be
selected] anywhere in that
range.
Noah, 18, though is not
sitting on his achievement so
far and is looking to improve
his game. Im looking to get
my handle better, keep my
shot better, get my mid-range
game better and footwork in
the post.
During the just-ended NCAA
season, Noah led the Big
Ten in rebounds with nine
boards a game. He is a solid
610, perfect size for an NBA
power forward, and add to
that his 74 wingspan. He
was awarded the Big-Ten
Conference Freshman of the
Year award after averaging
11.3 points and 9 rebounds
per game at the Indiana
University (IU).
Noah, 18, is already being
labeled as the most underrated
interior force in this years
draft. With the Lakers looking
NBA BOUND

NBA Bound: Grandson of Former Nimba Chief on Lakers, Celtics Radar

to forget its most depleted
season in recent memory,
Vonleh is already being eyed
as a possible replacement for
unrestricted free agent Pau
Gasol.
The American-born Noah
is the son of Ms Rennel
Vonleh and Samuel Vonleh,
Jr. The mother moved to
Massachusetts from Liberia
in 1994 after spending some
time in the neighboring Ivory
Coast. Noah credits his mom
for smoothing his decision
to turn pro. " I talked to
my mom, and she's like, if
that's what you want to do,
it's always been a dream of
yours, why not go for it. So
I just stuck with my heart and
went with it," he explained.
Noahs paternal grandfather,
Chief Blahsue Vonleh was
Paramount Chief of the Doe
Clan, Nimba County from
1920 until his death in 1947.
He was born in Zuaplay in
Nimba County, around 1865.
Chief Vonleh was a great
leader of his people and
fought many tribal battles
in defense of his clan. He
was made Paramount Chief
around the 1930s based on
his valor and skill on the
battlefeld. This powerful
man hailed from the Dan
tribe, mainly situated in the
northern part of Liberia.
Chief Vonleh attended the
inauguration of Liberia's
19th President, William V.S.
Tubman, as member of the
tribal delegation in 1944
in the capital of Monrovia.
Vonleh Village in Liberia
was named in his honor and
is headed by his son, Chief
Tarkpour Vonleh.
Noah spent only one season
at Indiana University under
coach Tom Crean, where his
numbers kept rising and his
game continued to improve. If
he does succeed in becoming
a top pick, he would follow
IU Victor Oladipo and Cody
Zeller who were selected 1st
and 4th in the 2013 NBA
Draft.
Crean says Noah is prepared
for the big time because he
has put in the work. "We're
proud of him. He's got an
unlimited future because
of his potential, because of
his character, because of his
work ethic, the talent is there,
the weight and the strength
that he's put on in a short
period of time."
Noahs uncle Gabriel Vonleh
agrees and is confdent that
Noah will rise to the top. He
is a humble and hard working
young man that has worked
very hard to reach the apex of
the basketball world.
www.frontpageafricaonline.com
Sports
FrontPage
PRICE L$40 VOL 8 NO.596 MONDAY, MAY 19, 2014
Spot News FrontPage
Monrovia-
F
or the first time, Mae Azango, one of Liberias
well known female journalist, has finally won
the Press Union of Liberia Women Rights
award after winning several international
awards in the past including the International Press
Freedom Award from the Committee to Protect journal-
ists, (CPJ) in New York in November 2012, The Inter-
national Press Freedom Award from Canadian Journal-
ists for Free Expression, (CJFE) in Canada in December
2012. She also won the voice of the Voiceless award
from Campaign against Genital Mutilation, (CaGEM)
in New York in June 2012.
Due to her personal experience during difficulties in
child birth, in 1990 won her Pulitzer Center on Crisis
Reporting Grant Award in 2011 to travel to Dakar, Sen-
egal to attend the International Conference on Family
planning. And that opportunity opened other avenues
for her to attend and speak at the Women Deliver Con-
ference in Kuala Lumpier Malaysia in May 2013, and
the International Family Planning Conference at the Af-
rican Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in
November 2013, where she also delivered a statement.
Journalist Azango also attended the World Press Free-
dom Day, organized by UNESCO in Costa Rica, South-
ern America in May 2013. And in April of this year, she
attended and spoke at the International Press Institute
(IPI) World Congress in South Africa.
It is usually said a prophet is never respected in his
own home, because I have received several awards
internationally but not one in my own home. But it is
rather better late than never to win this award, because
I put my eggs in nearly all the baskets when I put in my
entries, so I was bound to win an award, says Azango.
Azangos winning the women Rights award did not
come as a surprise because of her coverage on several
women issues on rape, prostitution, Domestic violence,
Sexual and Gender Based Violence that has transformed
some victims lives, including a maternal column in the
Front Page Africa Newspaper in Liberia.
Azango became well known when she wrote about the
dangers and health implications surrounding Female
Genital Cutting, which was published on International
Womens Day in 2012. And that reporting led to her go-
ing into hiding , after receiving death threats from some
traditional Zoes or (spiritual leaders) in the country.
FPA AZANGO WINS HOME AWARD


NBA BOUND
Paternal Grandson of Nimba Paramount Chief Tipped to go as high
as the top fve with Lakers, Celtics Taking Notice