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Posted August 7, 2006
Synchronized Events:
Mansion fire, assassination attempts
Following the outbreak of fire at the Executive Mansion
on Liberia’s 159th and what expected as the first chaos-free
Independence Day in 14 years, Liberians and the government of Liberia-even
the Executive Mansion said it was an isolated incident that might have
resulted from electrical fault.
A few days later, new information began emerging,
pointing to sabotage-a development that prompted the hiring of expertise of
fire investigation abroad. Adding to the suspicion of sabotage, changes were
effectuated, which affected positions of security advisor, minister of State
for Presidential Affairs/chief of staff, and SSS director respectively.
These changes took place amid chief executive’s
pronouncement of an Executive Mansion’s massive screening of all employees
“down to the sweepers and gardeners.” The chief executive’s pronouncement,
according to observers and sources close to her, was goaded by suspicion
about or lack of confidence in the Executive Mansion Security.
Before the changes took place at the Executive Mansion,
State for Presidential Affairs Minister/Executive Mansion chief of staff,
Morris Dukuly resigned, given in to pressure and allegation, because
according to reports the fire started in his office and he should be “a
person of interest.” The allegation was inflamed when it was speculated that
former LURD’s leader, Sekou Damante Conneh held meetings in Dukuly’s office
prior to the fire incident.
Not too long after the new SSS director,
Clarence
Massaquoi replaced Victor Helb, and he came under attacks from armed men at
his Paynesville residence. The armed attacks took place day after another,
resulting in the shooting to death of an SSS officer, Emmanuel Williams who
was assigned at the residence of the SSS director.
Reports first suggested it was an armed robbery
attempt, but the deputy director of the Special Security Services, Ashford
Peal has been held as a person of interest in the fatal shooting at the new
SSS director’s residence.
These series of incidents as they occurred since the
Independence Day leave Liberians to wonder as to what is going on. However,
the question, “What is going on” can be answered from different vistas.
Political Observers and media analysts believe these violent occurrences
must be Synchronized. Also, political analysts and historians will relate
these events to recent Liberia’s past.
Liberia is part of a continent which is influenced
heavily by violent politics. Liberia made her debut in violent politics in
1979. Liberian politicians like any other African politicians are known for
resulting to violence, either to strengthen their grips on power or to
weaken those in power so as to get in. What is going on right now should not
be a surprise to Liberians given the chronic violent history of the country.
Even those in power now had earlier confessed to the
Liberian people their roles in violent politics in Liberia-and the number of
ex-combatants and former warlords in the security apparatus and higher
echelons of the different branches of government tells it all.
These incidents have in the past, stiffened Liberian
leaders’ security measures for the worst.
The worst case scenarios of these incidents are the
ways in which leaders respond to them. Some leaders counter these situations
by losing confidence in the rest of the citizens other than their fellow
tribal and political members for their personal security. Others respond to
them by witch hunting, capricious dismissals, arrests, and detentions.
These strings of events are gradually swaying the
Liberian leader to revamp not only her immediate guards but the entire
security system in the country. However, the saying goes that “when the town
people are happy, look for the chief.” Sometimes these incidents take place
to test leaders’ wills to solve them without infringing on the law and
happiness of the governed.
Handling the current wave of somewhat politically
motivated violence in Liberia would need not the estimate based on
observation and mere suspicion, but proper investigation supported by both
physical and forensic evidence. A great deal of maturity and wisdom is
required of the government, especially the commander-in-chief to show
admirable restraint in not taking the law into her own hands out of
frustration.
Writes,
Thomas Kai Toteh
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