LET'S TALK ABOUT IT & THEN WORK AT IT

LET'S TALK ABOUT IT & THEN WORK IT
RESPONSE TO COMMENTS ABOUT THE ARTICLE "Liberians Must Pursue the Prosecution of Charles Taylor & Warlords"

From: Isaac Vah Tukpah, Jr.
To:
Cc:
Sent: Monday, November 28, 2005 12:41 AM
Subject: Re: Liberians Must Pursue the Prosecution of Charles Taylor & Warlords


Gentlemen,
Greetings! You both had similar comments so I elected to respond to you both in the same email. If this is offensive to you, please let me know and I apologize.

I really do praise the Lord daily for all he has done for Liberia and continues to do. I believe the Lord has his plans for Charles Taylor, his associates, and the other grave violators of Liberia. However, there are also laws, due process, and media for addressing and rectifying wrongs that men commit against men. I really do believe that we should give peace a chance but I think prosecuting criminals and giving peace a chance are two different issues. If we continue to let the overused phrase "in the interest of peace" be the Liberian mantra, we will continually harbor criminals and the threat of rebel insurgency will hold us hostage to the people we feel can pick up arms if we rub them the wrong way. I am not a negative person and I am not being negative in my articulation of the issues I believe to be important. I am simply trying to ensure that we do not sweep this dreadful aspect of our national history under the rug and act like it never happened. Prosecuting these criminals is a major part of our reconciliation and rehabilitation as a nation.

Yes, we do have a lot of work on our hands and in that respect, I appeal to all Liberians to join hands, rally around our president-elect, and remake Liberia into a "glorious land of liberty." I will continue to be optimistic about our potential to rebuild because I believe our countrymen are some of the smartest and most talented people in the world. However, we have to create an atmosphere where we can nurture the talented, allow genius to be demonstrated, reward the hard and efficient workers, establish a meritorious system, eliminate the "old boys network", develop patriotism, and limit corruption to a minimum. In order to do that, we cannot allow criminals and gross violators of the law to run around with impunity and total disregard for their fellow Liberians or the law of the land. Accountability has to start somewhere and I really believe that if Ellen can establish a zero-tolerance policy from the get go, surround herself with a strong supporting cast that will proliferate that mentality, and be consistent in their actions and message, we can create a new nation based on merit rather than social or political affiliation.

One point of correction. I did say in my article that I did not support Weah or Ellen but I did not say I supported any other candidate. So like you, I did not support any candidate. Those who are in my circle of political discussion will confirm that I have said that if I had a vote, I would have voted for Ellen or Brumskine because given the cast of characters that were on the presidential slate, I felt that either of the two had a better chance of lifting us up to international respectability.

Take care and God bless.


From: "Chucky "
To: "Isaac Vah Tukpah, Jr."
Sent: Friday, November 25, 2005 7:56 AM
Subject: Re: Fw: Liberians Must Pursue the Prosecution of Charles Taylor & Warlords

> Its time to move on from this and let Liberia recover
> from 20 years of civil strife. Put Charles Taylor and
> his associates in hands of the almighty, Lets mend
> Liberia and make a better.Regars
>

From:
To: Isaac Vah Tukpah, Jr.
Sent: Saturday, November 26, 2005 8:22 PM
Subject: RE: Liberians Must Pursue the Prosecution of Charles Taylor & Warlords


I do not know you in person but somehow your message reached me. Many such messages have reached me in the past and I’ve elected to remain silent to them. This time, however, I feel it a civic duty to respond to your comments below.

My message to you is simple: Let’s give peace a chance. After more than a decade of unimaginable suffering by the Liberian people (I experienced this first hand having lost my home and lived as a refugee in my own home for over a year), I think the least we can do at this time in our country is THANK GOD FOR BRINGING US THIS FAR AS A NATION AND PRAY THAT THE NEW LEADERSHIP WILL DO THE RIGHT THING FOR LIBERIA AND THE LIBERIAN PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY THE LIBERIAN CHILDREN.

Your opinion below may have some truth to it. However, it is missing a lot of facts and details to substantiate your claims. All I’m really trying to say is now is not the time to speak negativity. I believe there’s a time for everything and the situation we have on our hands in Liberia calls for positive opinions. We need people like you and myself to speak about the astronomical illiteracy rate in Liberia and provide suggestions for improvement in this area; to recommend strategies for the development of our roads, health care system, electricity, etc. Sincerely, I do not see this as just an Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf problem, I see it as a challenge to all Liberians. I beg of you to speak optimism to the minds of Liberians at home and abroad no matter what your political affiliations.

Note that I speak as a neutral person in this situation. I, unlike you, did not support any candidate but prayed that the Liberian people at home who had the opportunity to vote choose the right candidate. Please, let’s give peace and development a chance.

May God Bless You.

Regards,
Felix