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LURD's National Chairman on Transitional Govt's First Year

The Inquirer (Monrovia)
INTERVIEW
October 14, 2004
Posted to the web October 14, 2004
Monrovia
Lurd's National Chairman Sekou Damate Conneh raps On the NTGL's one year in
office
You launched a war because of what you referred to as discontentment growing
out of abuses of human rights, wanton killings, corruptions, nepotism, etc.
Through the efforts of the International Contact Group On Liberia(ICGL), a
peace accord was signed in Ghana that led to the departure of Charles Taylor,
establishment of a transitional government and the deployment of United Nations
Military Mission (UNMIL). It is about one year since the seating of the
government, as regards its performance, where do you stand now?
Think you for coming. We want to reassure the Liberian people and the
international community that we are still committed to the peace process and
will remain committed. We are in support of the October 31st deadline for the
disarmament and we also want to use this occasion to restate our strong support
to the Transitional Government. But we want to assure the Liberian people that
the war is over, and we will respect the CPA, and we will not give anybody
credence who will want to reverse and who wants to undermine who want to delay
the peace process. So, we are in support of this government fully because we
respect the peace initiative as we are signatory to the Accord. I will not sit
by and allow somebody to temper with the government because we made the
government and so are not going to undermine a government that we made.
Our concern in this country is peace. It is not money. This government was not
installed to bring development, instead this government was installed to make
sure that we have peace in this country. The LEC is down. We don't have water.
This is no program for those things because the international community, UN
have promised to help us with this development. If they can't do it, our
elected government will come and take care of it. But this government and I
must admit to you, I commend Gyude Bryant for the role he is playing in this
country. We have been having transitional governments, but they have been
taking side with factions, they've even been helping to recruit to divide
factions but he has remained neutral. He listens to all the faction leaders in
this country and we have gone one year and no problem. I say we have some
people within my own tribe who have been fighting to undermine this government
but we will not relent. We are not going to relent. Some people are calling
themselves chairmen while we have less that a month to disband the entire
warring factions. Why would somebody be calling themselves Chairman at this
time to do what? While we are talking about the dissolution of the faction,
then you are claiming to be Chairman at this time? Those are people that want
to undermine this government.
Has the NTGL made any achievement?
Yes, and the achievement is peace! Under this government, we have disarmed up
to 80 percent. We are talking about peace. What achievement do you want? We
want peace, we want security, and we have security in this country, everybody
is sleeping sound. People are disarming. We should start to begin to look
forward. So this government has achieved something.
Considering some of its mandate towards the restoration of basic social
services, such as light, water, transportation and communication, how would you
describe the NTGL's effort towards such initiative?
This is not the mandate for this government to restore water and things. UN, EU
have pledged to restore water and things. UN & EU have pledged to give us
water and electricity provided we put the guns down and that's why it is taking
time. And this is why we are just advocating that disarmament should be
completed by October 31st. So the international community, international NGOs
can come to our aid and start working on those things. The last Donor
conference pledged so many amount of money, but if experts do not come those
equipment cannot come into this country as long as we hold the arms. Foreign
nationals, international community, not coming to operate in the midst of arms.
Those are not soldier people. That's why they made it clear that I tell you, if
we lay the arms down today and we can assure the international community, see!
projects will come again. And the cash that was pledged is not coming to
government. Those projects coming directly straight to take care of
electricity. It is not coming to the government of Gyude Bryant.
Talking about laying down arms as prerequisite for development. How has the
response been among your fighting men?
Yes. I can assure that come October 31st, we will complete disarmament in the
country. I can assure you, I have been talking to even GOL, I have been talking
to even MODEL and I as spokesman and chairman of LURD, I can assure you that
disarmament will be completed.
What's about caches of arms in pockets?
Well, I am telling you that it will be under control. We will complete the
disarmament before October 31st. Even places where vehicles don't go, people
have started walking from there. I can give you as an example, Vahun to
Voinjama there is no car there. People walk because disarmament is in process.
And we send cars to the nearest stopping point for people to join on those cars
to reach to Voinjama to disarm. I am in constant communication with my people
in Voinjama, about the disarmament process.
How would you periscope under this Transitional Government, the issue of
justice, rule of law and human rights?
My man, as I am talking to you, you live in Liberia and you are talking about
human rights. Security is in the hands of UNMIL and I must commend UNMIL. UNMIL
is not brutalizing any Liberian in this country.
UNMIL is not beating anybody like in the past 10 years what we had. Even though
there is disarmament, they are not forcing arm out of anybody and they are not
firing at anybody. So and the war is over. UNMIL is not shooting anybody. So we
just trying to extend the civil administration like creating the government
presence in the leeward counties. And I don't know, many of you as pressman,
haven't received any report of maltreatment from anywhere in this country. So I
think everything is just on course. The work on hand is to for this Government
to carry us to election. So we all should support this kind of government which
does not have money. We have embargo on the logs, diamond is not being
exported. You do not expect much from this government. Where the money should
come from?
Mr. Chairman, you may not be directly involved with this Government. You may
have been hearing reports of corruption and lack of transparency. What are your
comments on that?
Look, let me tell you. About corruption in the government, we all agree. I
think the international community has started independent audits in the various
sections and if any individual is involved into this thing, the international
community will ask your removal and we will replace you if you are involved
into corruption. Even though some people carry out corruption intentionally
because may be they feel that where they are assigned, is for the faction and
it is not for the government. That is the mistake some of the nominees are
making. Once you have gone through confirmation, you become subject to the
government, you become subject to the state. You become a property of the
state. Whatever entity you work with, you report to the state-that is Chairman
Bryant. We just say Chairman but he is the President and Head of State! But
some people use that government money because they feel that they from a
faction. I am telling you that nobody is subject to a faction after
confirmation. I am the ruler. I don't want no-one to be subject to me after
their confirmation, you are subject to the Government. We are going to dissolve
the organization in few days time.
What do you make of the rumors to remove Chairman Bryant?
Good you said it is a rumour because we will not condone it.
That mean we will reverse the entire peace process? Do you know the kind of
arrangement that put that man over there. You mean we got to go Ghana where we
are going to elect another batch if you remove Chairman Bryant.
You know how long it will take to replace Chairman Bryant? You know how long it
will take to get another Vice chairman? That means we will go to square zero.
This is not in the interest of the Liberian people. This is wrong we are not
going to buy these kinds of ideas. Those are thinking that will reverse the
entire process and we are not ready for that because of people in this
government who want to extend its term because of their own interest. It is
good it is a rumor and we are not going to allow that. This government term is
for two years and the two years is almost over than why we will be changing the
man to go where?
And you do not see that ego among people in LURD who want to see that happen?
Look I am telling you I have people in my faction who want to undermine this
government. I can even call names. Some political vultures want to undermine
even me. Some of those people who are Speaker and Solicitor General today,
under normal process they cannot be Speaker or Solicitor General in this
country. So they want Transitional Government to keep them in power for a long
time but that is not going to work. We are working along with the international
community, we all formed this government. The man was not imposed on us. Why
will we want to change everybody, we did not want Doe, we did not want Charles
Taylor, we do not want everybody ? So who do we want? We do not want nobody
then. So I am not part of it and I will never be part of it.
What are you doing to man you people together for peace within the LURD
movement?
We are going all we can do to make sure and we invite people from the other
factions even the ex-combatants from GOL and MODEL to unite them. What you
think about our own faction. We are open we will work with them. We are even
working with them but anything that will undermine the peace process we will
never support it. We are trying to work with everybody. Even my brother once
you try to undermine this government. I am not going to work with you. So we
are working with every Liberian not just one faction. Everybody is welcomed -
GOL, LURD and MODEL we are together and there is no problem we are together.
October 31st is going to be the dissolution of the warring faction. What is
going to be the way forward for LURD. Will it methophosize into NGO, political
party or advocacy group?
We are going to be preaching politic. We will identify ourselves with various
political parties. Most of the people of LURD are members of various political
parties. Everybody will go to their mother parties.
We will start from there. But our program is in support of he program of the
DDRR.
What is your comment on information that you have been tipped among your
supporters to vie for the 2005 presidential elections?
If am called to contest you will hear that. It is not going to be done in the
corner. It is just not the time for that. I have been calling on people to help
support me in the DDRR program. We cannot be having arms and preaching
politics. We do not want to use the guns as human shield. We are not going to
participate in politics until the dissolution of the warring factions.
And probably you will be thinking about the Presidency?
No. I am a Liberian. I am not thinking about that I am thinking about the
future of this country, but whosoever the Liberian people favor to be
President, we all standing by. We want the choice of the Liberian people. We
are not going to impose anybody on the Liberian people. If the Liberian people
want me. I can be President. If they want John, we can make John, president.
Do you consider yourself a presidential material?
I am not going to consider myself. Maybe people will consider me but we have
not reached that stage.
But if they consider, you will you contest?
They have not. Le me tell you we are concerned about this country. But maybe
after the October 31st deadline you can come and I will address myself to that.
But for now, I am concentrating on the DDRR.
Where do you stand on calls for the UN to lift the ban on logs and diamonds?
Sanction will be lifted when this country is a gun free society.
You cannot carry out logging when you have guns around. The people only want
the country to be a gun free society. The lifting of sanctions depends on our
own cooperation with the international community. So all we can do to help
ourselves is to make the nation a gun free society.
Is October 31st deadline actually okay for this country to be actually freed of
guns?
Yes. We are the largest faction and we have disarmed our boys.
We have finished with Cape Mount, Bomi, Zorzor, Gbarnga, Voinjama and we were
just in Fasama, but because there was no car road, I think any of these time it
will be completed. We have finished with Kolahun, Foya.
Except people with ulterior motives who are hiding arms in their houses and I
can tell you we will get at them. After the deadline, when you are caught with
arms then you become a criminal.
If you were asked to grade this transitional government considering its
activities over its first. What marks would you give?
I will say good!
Your last words.
I want every Liberian to support the DDRR because if you temper with the
government you temper with the DDRRR. I am in contact with Chairman Bryant and
the ICGL who have spent much money on the peace process. Now why people making
issue with Gyude Bryant. If you talk about corruption Gyude Bryant is not the
problem. We cannot reverse the whole peace process for that.

   

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