Town Trap is not for Rat Alone! By Elder Siahyonkron Nyanseor

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Town Trap is not for Rat Alone!

 

Image result for african trapMany African cultures communicate through proverbs. The African concept of a refined mind, speech of a person is marked by the knowledge and usage of proverbs to address a number of serious topics. The winds of change which have engulfed the world and Africa these many years have now turned the spotlight on Liberia.

 

Town elders remind us that ‘town trap is not for rat alone’. When you set the trap in the town expecting to catch rats, just know that, that trap will catch your chicken, dogs and even your cats will not be spared; every creeping and walking thing in the town will become the target.

 

I chose the title, “Town Trap is not for Rat Alone” for this article to remind us that town trap set to catch town rats is not exempt from catching political tyrants, Supreme Court justices, Legislators, greedy and corrupt executive officials of government, judges, attorneys in private practice and even a former president who used the people’s resources as her own; and lawyers who take bribes to misrepresent innocent men, women and children in the court of law. It is to all of them this article is directed.


 

Nothing happens by chance!  Everything we do is part of God’s plan. The world in which we live is full of many surprises and misfortunes; because you meet up with some roadblocks or delay that doesn’t mean your plan has failed. God has the final decision. No matter the obstacles in your way, go after your dreams.

 

According to Jeremiah 13:23 and Proverb 13:20, “Whosoever walks with the wise become wise, but the company of fools will suffer harm”.

 

Twe’s Prophesy Come True


The story of Manneh Weah was predicted 74 years ago by the right Honorable Didwho Welleh Twe. On

Didho D-Twe


 July 26, 1944, he delivered an Oration titled: THE FUTURE IN LIBERIA, Twe said:

“…The welfare of the masses become the supreme concern of all governments consequently irrespective of their underlying motive, except in extreme cases, courts do not generally pass upon the constitutionality o

f acts committed in the name of the state by the ruling classes within the nation, for the implicit confidence that every act of theirs is designed to safeguard the interests of the people who in the final resort constitute the state. But this confidence shall on no account be abused, and the people shall not suffer in the hands of their own government. This is the greatest of all the commandments ‘on which hang all the laws and the prophets.’ 


 


                                                                    Then he stated further:


 


Image result for Langston Hughes famous

“As the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, so the great revolutionary forces which have influenced the progress of mankind have always come from the east and marched westward, but never from west to east, nor from the north to the south. The ancient civilization of Africa marched from Egypt to the West. “Where is he that is born King of the Jews?” Said the three wisemen. And from the east Christianity marched westward.  When Mohammed lifted his sword he pointed it to the west and Mohammedism marched from the east to the west.  The Pilgrim Fathers planted Anglo-Saxon civilization on the North American Continent not in the north, nor in the west, nor in the south but in the end from east. American civilization and American democracy marched westward.  To fulfill her destiny, Liberia must turn her back to the east and march westward.”


 


Not to do it at this point in our history means the group in the society who are against it would defer it like what was done in Langston Hughes’s poem: “Risen in the Sun”.  This is similar to what the outgoing administration is up to for coming up with all these detours in the transition process. Does Sirleaf want Weah and CDC Government fail, or she still wants to control the Government in retirement? What does she want?


 


When I think of it, two questions in Langston Hughes’s famous 1951 poem “Harlem: A Dream Deferred” comes to mind. 1) “What happens to a dream deferred?” 2) Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?” What is significant about both questions is – the Negroes, as they were called, suffered all sorts of abuse and depravation like the majority of the Liberian people are facing, while Ellen, her family and associates have become super wealthy.


 


Since the so-called founding of Liberia, it has been the practice of Presidents of Liberia and the ruling elites to confiscate the people’s land for their personal use; enrich themselves from the wealth of the nation, and deferred the dreams of the majority like the raisin in the sun.


 


Article 54 of the Liberian Constitution

Article 54 states: “The President shall nominate and, with the consent of the Senate, appoint and commission:

 

·       cabinet ministers, deputy and assistant ministers;

·       ambassadors, ministers and consuls;

·       the Chief Justice and Associate Justices of the Supreme Court and judges of subordinate courts;

·       superintendents, other county officials and officials of other political sub-divisions;

·       members of the military from the rank of lieutenant or its equivalent and above; and

·       marshals, deputy marshals and sheriffs.

 

The Constitution makes it for the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) and not the lama-duck president of the Unity Party (UP) that has the right to name members of its government. I hope the report we are hearing that President Sirleaf is insisting on the “right” to name key members of government is not true. But if it is, it should be resisted by all accounts.

 


The Liberian people should be on the lookout; there appears to be a grand conspiracy in the making. Prayer changes things! We should all pray together for the Almighty God to grant our wishes for the greater good of our people. Let’s ask the LORD: “God grant us the serenity to accept the things I (we) cannot change, the courage to change those things I (we) can and the wisdom to know the difference”.


 


The Mitch McConnell’s Factor in the Making


The fact that the Sirleaf Administration is turning a bankrupt Government to Weah tells that all along there were some people in outgoing government that planned for the CDC Government to fail; and if the Government fails, it is the Liberian people that failed. This is similar to the conspiracy hatched by US Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell’s plan to make President-elect Barack Hussein Obama one-term president. He said it with impunity:


 


The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president.”


 


God did not agree for their plans to work; President Obama served two terms. The same could happen for President-elect Weah to succeed if we do not make all sorts of unreasonable demands for the Weah Administration in the first 100 days. 


 


Regarding the above, let’s invoke 54:15-16 “See, it is I who created the blacksmith who fans the coals into flame and forges a weapon fit for its work. And it is I who created the destroyer to wreak havoc; no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is vindication from me,” declares the LORD.


 

Enough is enough!

In the social media, Liberians in and out of the country are equating what the Sirleaf Administration is doing to the incoming Weah Administration as “a Jezebian scheme. They feel, the President has misused the Liberian people for too long and it is about time she does not get away with it.  She used our country’s resources to promote herself internationally; earned fame, become darling of the West, achieved all sorts of unlimited awards, while the country and the Liberian people earned the title of the MOST CORRUPT COUNTRY IN THE WORLD. No matter what anyone says, the God we serve and worship will achieve His desire. He doesn’t take the majority of His workers from the ranks of the wise, mighty or noble… Paul says to get His job done; God uses things which are foolish, things which are weak. The Liberian people will have to help Weah to succeed!

 

Despite all the money the country earned from investments taxes, natural resources, Maritime, and related public corporations, you mean there is no money in the Treasury to service debts and pay Government employees? Why she wants to leave the country bankrupt for the Liberian people to put the blame on Weah? It should not happen! This practice has been going on for long; this time she her corrupt elites must NOT get away with it.

 

 


Image result for trojan horse

They have to account for it before leaving office or the first item of business in the Weah Administration should be to audit the outgoing Government. Even the Greek Mythology of the “Trojan Horse” which was sent to free “Helen of Troy” will not save this Ellen ‘Iron Lady’, her on Robert Sirleaf, Sister Jennie Bernard, brother-in-law Estrada Bernard and all Government officials involved’

       

           

Weah Administration is to have her Government audited. Even the Greek Mythology of Trojan Horse that was sent to free “Helen of Troy” will not save this Ellen – the ‘Iron Lady’ until she, her Robert Sirleaf, Sister Jennie Bernard and brother-in-law Estrada Bernard give account of the Liberian people’s money. The phrase, what you do to others, will surely catch up with you in the long run is appropriate in this case.

 

What You do to Others Will Someday Happen to You

When President Sirleaf was taking office in 2005, she requested that all outgoing officials of the NTGL, the outgoing administration of interim president Charles Gyude Bryant, remain in the country until they received permission from her office to travel out of the country; a very remarkable stance by the then President-Elect Sirleaf as she was touted as, Iron Lady; declaring corruption as public enemy number one. She banned all outgoing officials of the NTGL, Gyude Bryant’s administration, from leaving the country prior to an audit and permission from her office. The President-Elect took the action because she knew that once corrupt officials left the country, they could divert their stolen wealth into artificial accounts with other people’s names and the government of Liberia will be legally unable to recover the stolen funds.  This precedence should apply to her, her family, officials of her government and associates. THERE SHOULD BE NO EXCEPTION!


 


Trouble Times Ahead, Not of the CDC Making


With nothing left in the coffers for CDC to run the Government, the responsibilities will fall on all of us. In this case, we cannot afford the ‘crab in a barred’ mentally because nothing will be accomplished when we put each other down. For example, Weah is the President now, inaccurate portrayal of him must not continue. It gave a Zambian named Mainda Simataa the opportunity to badmouth the president-elect and his vice president with all sorts of insults. And when some of us who happens to come from the same tribal background like the president-elect, we are labelled tribalist. Should it bother me? NO! George Manneh Weah is now the President; if he is not portrayed accurately in the news and the social media, it is our patriotic responsibilities to come to his defense.


History will bear me out that for over 170 years, the 5% Americo-Liberians ethnic group were more tribalistic than all the ethnic groups in Liberia combined. They held on to power by every illegal means possible; either by claiming “divine rights” or by “hook and crook”. We have to be honest about it! It is in the history books. This is not my doing! I have track records to prove it. I am proud to be identified with my ethnic groups – Klao (Kru) and Bassa.


 


Never trouble, trouble until trouble, troubles you!


On January 6, 2018, Mr. Martin Scott referred to journalist Jerry Wehtee Wion as tribalist because his views were not in line with his; here what he posted:


 


Martin Scott

Welcome back, "journalist" Jay!!. MY TURN: I heard that you're in the psych ward, undergoing treatment for tribalism, a mental disorder. Are you ok now?? By the way, did you hear that your Uncle, JNB lost the election?? I'm dying to read your "political commentary" and fake news about Uncle Joe! Please entertain me, oops, I meant to say enlighten me!


Like · Reply · 31m   (January 6, 2018)


 


Mr. Scott equated journalist Jerry Wion’s position to TRIBLISM. What surprised me is he referred to TRIBLISM as some sort of mental illness.  


 


Unlike Mr. Scott, some of us are engage in the discussion our country’s pregnant palava through our writings; but Mr. Scott constantly writes letters to editors of online news websites to express his point of views. Points of views according to one individual “are not facts”, they are like butt-holes, and everyone has one”. We who write about the problems our people are faced with have the track record to show that we want the problems solved.


 


If Mr. Scott’s definition is the support for one’s tribal person, whether that person is RIGHT or WRONG, or the person is QUALIFIED or UNQUALIFIED for a position, yet, the person gets the support of his tribal, then the Americo-Liberian tribe has been mentally ill for such a long time.


 


As  a retired Mental Health, Mentally Challenged professional, I am in the position to say this individual appears to be mentally ill based on observations; in the absence of his/her social and  mental histories. But it is a common practice in Liberia to say that person is Crazy or Craky without showing any proof. It reminds me of the analysis of Monday Night Quarter Back and Armchair anthropology. This exactly the analysis Mr. Scott applied in journalist Wion’s case.


 


Many of you may be wondering why I am taking this time to go through such exercise to make my points. The fact of the matter is, I too, was referred to as senile because of a critical position I took some time ago against the Unity Party. Those that attacked me were among the leadership of The New ULAA.


 


Two such attacks came from the ULAA Representative in Liberia and the other attack came from a man whose Progressive badge of honor is, he was sent to prison by the Tolbert regime; to whom I will refer as ‘Carpe diem’. 


 


The first is a letter addressed to a Doyen in the Diaspora, and it reads:


 


“Thank you for your comment on this useless letter from our old and bitter brother, Siahyonkron Nyanseor, and his cohort of less busy fellows. The Oldman does not even know that the CRC's work, which will require representation, if already done. The letter speaks to the ignorance of the writers…


 


“…Even in the face of this laughable resort of this UCEP [Union Council of Eminent Persons], I will retain my focus on my love and concern for ULAA and thus only listen to the legitimate representatives of Diaspora Liberians in the Americas–ULAA. I am not the least perturbed by this misguided approach on the part of the so-called UCEP Chairman [Nyanseor] which is driven by senility, I hold no appointment by some UCEP and I do not even wish to so hold. My representation will be only for ULAA as passed on to me by the National Leaders of the umbrella Union. ULAA’s Representative at home.”


 


The second attack was directed at an article I wrote, and it reads.


 


“It is veteran confusionists like this author that often stirs up trouble in societies with complete disregard for the consequence. If current-day Liberians were experiencing any degree of "tyranny" as this author would have us believe, wouldn't the many advocates, news media, opposition parties, NGOs, etc., etc., be the first sounding off that alarm, and not some 77 year old senile senior citizen several thousand miles away? …Carpe diem!


 

The best way to approach a dialogue is to make one’s primary purpose that of understanding the mind and arguments of the other person and not that of enlightening him or her with one’s own solutions. Remember, no two persons think the same way – even twins! Much can be learned by listening than speaking out of context. People enter into public debate to determine the common good. Those with whom one disagrees should not necessarily be regarded as enemies, but perhaps simply as people who suggest different paths to a common goal. But Liberian History is replete with this kind of abusive behaviors. There is one classic example worth mentioning here. In 1951, Twe was the opposition’s candidate to run against Tubman.  Twe’s candidacy posed a serious threat to Tubman’s re-election bid. Rather than Tubman debating candidate Twe on the issues affecting the nation, he chose to call Twe all sorts of names.  For example, he referred to Twe as “a liar, a traitor, ungrateful and a disgrace to his tribe.”  Tubman avoided the issues.  Eventually, candidate Twe was charged with treason, a charge that was fabricated because Tubman did not want Twe to take part in the presidential election.


 


This is the behavior pattern some of our contemporaries exhibit when we disagreed on issues. Mostly, apologists on the Liberian Listservs who refused to be liberated from the belief that they are NOI chosen and given the exclusive RIGHTS by God Almighty to speak on behalf of Liberia and its people. These individuals resort to telling individuals like Dr. Nat Galarea Gbessagee, Dennis Chewlae Jah, Dr. Lawrence A. Zumo and others with alternative views SHUT-UP.


 


In their schemes, they fabricate lies against those named above and many others in an attempt to render them insignificant in the eyes of the public. This strategy reminds me of the Liberian proverb that says,” Empty drum makes loud noise.” The fact of the matter is, when one has nothing valuable to contribute to a discussion, the ONLY way that person see fit is to rain insults on their opponents. They will go to the extent of referring to their opponents as Lieutenant Gbessagee, Jah the tribalist, and Kirkpatrick Weah as attempted murderer; and in the same manner diagnose me (Elder Siahyonkron Nyanseor) as senile without the requisite credential of a psychiatrist. This gives evidence to the fact how little knowledge can become a dangerous thing in society.


 


We should be prepared for the onslaught that will be directed at us since one of our own from southern Liberia is now President. Do we have to shy away from it? No! In the interest of our beloved country, we will apply the same standards we applied when the other group had power. (Be on the look-out for the official 17th Tribe of Liberia by this writer).


 


 


 


Conclusion


Let me remind you that vigilance is an important virtue of seeking the truth when it involves the history of a people. The truth is undeniable!  While many have tried to revise  or reinterpret Liberian history to suit the narrow interest of a ruling political class, we are certain when the time reaches, history will exonerate us, and pass judgment on those who place the interest of their group above the interest of the entire nation and its people.  At that time, we will come to know the true ethnicists or tribalists – the Settlers or the African Liberians. African Liberians have always had their own narrative of history that has been passed down from one generation to the other. In the case of the Klao (Kru) people, this was done in many ways. Some of the ways our history was handed down to us was by our parents, grandparents, family members or the village’s Griot.


 


The Liberian people have come this far through the efforts of the baby boomers who remained committed to the struggle for ‘rice and rights’ and the ‘millenniums’ who with their social-media advocacy made it possible to finally change the direction of our country from the “So says one, so say all” one party state political culture to the participatory democracy we now have in our country. There is no turning back the clock!


 


Believe me, only the Liberian people can make Liberia what it ought to be, and not one group of people. Liberia has failed because one group of people – the Americo-Liberian tribe felt they were given the exclusive ‘divine rights’ by God Almighty to rule the rest of us; yet we got nowhere! We cannot repeat this doom’s day circle any longer.


 


Finally, I extend special kudos to Madam Mary Tanyonoh Broh for rightly securing the properties of the State, and to the 53rd Legislature for not addressing any of the 16 bills that the lime-duck president called for in a special session. Speaker Emmanuel Image result for Mary Tanyonoh BrohNuquay and the lawmakers took the right decision by adjourning the session without putting the any of the bills on the floor for deliberation. In this case, ‘the end failed to justify means!


 


In his closing remarks, Speaker Nuquay said there wasn’t enough time for the 53rd Legislature to act on the bills. He is quoted to have said, “It is prudent for the 54th Legislature to handle them with due diligence”.  For which I say to him, BRAVO!


 


Let me end here with the poem:


 


 


Liberia the Beautiful


 


I


In search of freedom and liberty


The Settlers returned


United with their brethren


At Cape Montserrado


This glorious reunion


Gave birth to Liberia


The land of diverse people


Like its natural resources


So when we think of home


We think of Liberia


The beautiful.


II


Oh home, sweet home


Of thee we sing these praises!


To the land both old and young


But yet indivisible


Where the love of liberty


Will unite all of our people


For in complete unity


Our progress is assured


For our land of beauty


And pride for which we long


Long live Liberia, the beautiful


Forever and ever!


III


In spite of the many problems


That has hurt our national pride


We have finally resolved


Never again to fight one another


Also, agreed to live together


Under the Lone Star forever


United in purpose


To protect the land


That is God given


So when we talk about home


We talk about Liberia


The beautiful.


IV


Oh home, sweet home


Of thee we sing these praises!


To the land both old and young


But yet indivisible


Where the love of liberty


Will unite all of our people


For in complete unity


Our progress is assured


For our land of beauty


And pride for which we long


Long live Liberia, the beautiful


Forever and ever!


V


Oh God Almighty


Please forgive us


For our many misgivings


And restore our native land


To its intended grace and beauty


To let freedom ring


From Cape Mount, to Cape Palmas


And throughout Cape Montserrado


For the land so sacred


And dear to us


To be at peace forever


And remain a national monument


For us to love, cherish


And protect.


VI


Oh home, sweet home


Of thee we sing these praises!


To the land both old and young


But yet indivisible


Where the love of liberty


Will unite all of our people


For in complete unity


Our progress is assured


For our land of beauty


And pride for which we long


Long live Liberia, the beautiful


Forever and ever!


By Siahyonkron Nyanseor


 


 


 


Our eyes are opened; the time of the people has come!


 


With God with us, President-Elect George Manneh Weah and the Liberian people will succeed!


 


And for the greater good of the Liberian people, let’s put LIBERIA FIRST!


 


 


Image result for Elder Siahyonkron Nyanseor

 


About The Author: Elder Siahyonkron Nyanseor is former Vice Chair & Chair of the ULAA Council of Eminent Persons (UCEP), Inc. Also, he is a founding member & the 11th President of the organization. He is a poet, Griot/Historian, journalist, a cultural and political activist. He is an ordained Minister of the Gospel; Chairman of the Liberian Democratic Future (LDF), publisher of theperspective.org online newsmagazine and Senior Advisor to the Voice of Liberia newsmagazine. In 2012, he Co-authored Djogbachiachuwa: The Liberian Literature Anthology; and his book of poems: TIPOSAH is on the market. Elder Nyanseor is widely published; he can be reached at: [email protected]

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