Simple Reality of National Development Series 23

News & Events

A Position Statement on the TRC Report- a critical Note to Liberians and the government of Liberia
S. Mohammed A. Swaray
August 31, 2009

Fellow Liberians and members of government, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission established as a result of the Comprehensive Peace Accord in 2003, in Ghana, concluded its mandate periods in June 2009; with a submission to the National House Assembly its report. The government and citizens of the Republic of Liberia are entirely left with the choice of reposing trust in the content of the report to either implement it in the best or worst interest of Liberia and its entire citizens.

As a public commentator, I am obliged to caution against interest groups and civil society of organizations raving with malicious, spiteful and malevolent interpretations of the TRC act as they are creating pigeonholes that are skewed to taking Liberia to backwardness, economic decimation, national disintegration, destabilization and disunity. The lessons learned from the 14 years civil devastation should educate us adequately and serve as basis for consolidating our coalesce, socio-economic development, socio-political advancement and our endeavor for a common good of Liberia

We as Liberians must understand our allegiance to Liberia, as one nation, in divisible, with liberty and justice for all. Mush as we may not compromise impunity, injustice and unfair treatment inflicted to others during the civil conflict, we must not be blind to resuscitating ourselves the damages caused by the 14 years civil strives and looking a sustainable way forward. Every nation has got an astringent past that was difficult to forgive and forget; but for the good of progress and development, they had to let go their pungent past and find the way forward. In the case of Liberia, there are extremes factors that gave rise to the civil conflict and there are extreme factors that brought peace to the conflict. Between these two extremes we were either directly or indirectly involved. Notwithstanding, no matter the level of our involvement, we must come to the term of moving forward.

Since the release of the TRC report, the mixture of reactions and level of dismay attributed to it suggest to rational thinking and common sense that the government and people of Liberia must be incisive and analytical on acceptance and implementation of recommendations that are skewed national disintegration. Moreover, it is legally inconceivable for a large number of persons to get blanket impeachment and prescription for the same punishment since the magnitude of their involvement were at varied levels during the civil conflict. No court of competent jurisdiction or institution of authority can influence the implementation of such report without relative reflection and analytical judgment. It is in this view that the international communities, including the United Nations, African Union, ECOWAS, the American government, European Union have said the decision to implement the TRC recommendations resonates with Liberians.

As a public commentator, I am not ignorant to the continuous revelries, acrimonies, fierce fights and laxities that existed in the TRC leadership structure. The level of distrust, hypocrisy, deceptions and unilateral running of the commission ensnared it into dysfunctionality that directly contributed to the commission producing report of any sort. In series 21, I envisaged this sort of report and challenged TRC management and leadership to adhere to their call of duties since public confidence and trust were eroding to the end. In this regard, just as some commissioners do not agree with the quality of work by the TRC, giving the level of flaws, emotional infusion in the report, we must genuinely be meticulous about what we want and what is in the best interest of Liberia and its citizenry

My reading of the TRC report thus far gives me reasons to make the following analyses:

1. The report lacks the necessary evidence/facts that link perpetrators to crimes that were committed during the violent conflicts. This was due to the fact that the commissioners heavily depended on statements taking (that were allegations) collected from the fields, thematic hearings (that were done either in public and in camera and eventually culminated into staging arenas of intellectual discussions). Even though most of these discussions were not directed to identifying specific issues that could provide adequate models for better national collaboration and cohesion to form national consensus that could consolidate the peace and democratic leadership we enjoy today. The TRC act was very specific to this task as it reads: “taking actions, doing any or all acts, including but not limited to instituting the necessary inquires referred to in this act, gather the information and receive the evidence referred to in article VIII section 27 (j-I,ii,iii & vi)…” The lacks of these facts and evidences that TRC act specifically tasked to commission was not done, as they are not in the report. This oversight and omission of vital part of the TRC process subconsciously influenced the blanket categorizations and indictments participants in the civil conflicts. Of course without spending much time, effort and resources, any one would have made the kind of categorization and indictment and $7 million would have been saved and redirected for meaningful development like education and health etc

2. A fundamental basis for rendering recommendations as solutions to the reoccurrence of violent conflicts would have come to light had the TRC established the nature of the Liberian civil conflicts as suggested in the preamble of the TRC act-“recognizing that introspection, national healing and reconciliations will be greatly enhanced by a process which seeks to the truth though public dialogues, which engages the nation about the nature, causes and effects of the civil conflicts and the impact it has on the Liberia nation in order to make recommendations which will promote peace, justice and reconciliation.” Because the TRC failed to identify the nature of our conflicts, the new phenomena of violence to each other in society is still characteristic and the possibility of hostile relationships, hatred, odium and acrimonies about mistreatment against each other during the 14 years civil fracas still remains as scars inscribed in many memories. It is still inconceivable why Liberians were so brutal and hostile to each other during the civil conflicts. After the Rwanda genocide, it was based on the nature and methods of killing themselves that the truth commission recommended that never again shall they kills themselves, never again shall they destroy themselves and never again shall they Hutus and Tutsi fight each other. Programmes and projects were recommended to facilitate and support national cohesion, reunification and reintegration. Unfortunately, Liberia’s Truth Commission could not identify the nature of our violent conflicts and therefore we are unable to appreciate the meaning and relevance of peace, reconciliation and the way forward.

S. Mohammed A. Swaray

swaraymas@gmail.com