| PREPARATION FOR THE 2005 ELECTIONS: ROLE OF LIBERIANS ABROAD
By Tiawan S. Gongloe
The next elections would be the second attempt to use elections as a means to exit from war to peace. This means that all methods or approaches used before the 1997 elections should be subjected to a thorough review. It means that we should move more cautiously this time around in the process of attaining peace in our country. Each stage of the peace process must attract our full attention. In this regard, elections must not be perceived as some magical solution to the Liberian conflict.
The security of the Liberian people is the most important at this point. The comprehensive disarmament of the combatants and their demobilization and reintegration in the Liberian society are very key pre-conditions to the holding of free, fair and transparent elections in and the attainment of durable peace in our troubled country. The failure to fully attend to this key element of the peace process contributed to the resurrection to the civil war. Liberians in the diaspora must take a firm position on the issue of comprehensive disarmament before election, at least one year before elections are held in Liberia . Comprehensive disarmament must be seen in the larger sense also of regional security. Recently, General Daniel Opande was quoted by the IRIN news as saying that there would be no peace in Liberia until there is disarmament in the Ivory Coast . This should be a matter of concern to every Liberian, especially those in the United States , with their easy access to the media and the US and UN policy machinery.
The second important issue on the question of security is the training or retraining of the military and paramilitary forces of Liberia before elections are held. This was not done under the ECOWAS Peace Plan. Under the International Contact Group's Peace Plan for Liberia , we must insist that this is done before elections are held. If not an elected president of Liberia may raise the sovereignty flag as President Taylor did.
I think that there are many issues that undermine peace, national reconciliation, unity and the reconstruction and development of Liberia that may not be resolved just by the holding of elections. Liberians need to hold a conversation or series of conversations around those issues. I strongly support the view that there should be a national conference prior to the next elections in Liberia .
On the holding of elections itself I have argued on many occasions and more recently in an article I wrote for the Liberian websites that census should be held before the next elections in Liberia . Electoral constituencies cannot be legally demarcated without a full knowledge of the population. I still maintain this point.
Liberians in the US and the electoral process
I think one major contribution Liberians here can make is to carry out voter education on what Liberians should look for in the candidates, using their experience and knowledge about the US elections. Liberians here should also contribute financially and materially to their parties and candidates. Under the Liberian constitution, legitimate and material support from abroad can only come from Liberian sources.
Should Liberians here vote? The constitution of Liberia allows for absentee ballot. However, Liberia has no experience with this process. However, Liberia can learn from the experiences of other countries and develop an electoral system with a procedure for absentee balloting based on expert advice. There is also the issue of duel citizenship to be resolved. Our constitution does not allow for duel citizenship after 18 years of age. It says that at age 18, a child born in Liberia of a Liberian parent and a foreign parent must “renounce any other citizenship acquired by virtue of one parent being a citizen of another country.”(art. 28 Lib. Const).
Justice and Peace
The discussion about election must be viewed within the context of our search for lasting peace in Liberia . However, based on our experience in the search for peace under the ECOWAS Peace Plan, the issue of justice for perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Liberian conflict must not be ignored. The last time Liberians said let bygones be bygones and lets have elections and live in peace. But the actors in the conflict exploited this conciliatory posture of the Liberian people return to war. Therefore, this time around, justice must be made an integral part of our search for peace in Liberia . In this regard, Liberians in the United States must support the call of the civil society in Liberia for justice. Their call for bringing Taylor justice before the Special Court in Sierra Leone and the setting up of an international tribunal for Liberia warrants the support of all peace-loving Liberians in the United States .
Conclusion
The electoral process in Liberia must be carried out in the most comprehensive manner, taken into consideration the need for a secure environment prior to elections. Elections must be seen within the context of our overriding concern for peace and should therefore be proceeded with in the manner that will bring contribute our search for peace. |
