By E. J. Nathaniel Daygbor in Monrovia
We will not prosecute past leaders was the assurance Coalition for Democratic Change Vice Standard-bearer Jewel Howard Taylor give to past Liberian leaders and other perpetrators of heinous crimes during the 14-year civil war in Liberia.
Madam Taylor, also Senior Senator of Bong County, told our Correspondent in Monrovia that if the CDC is elected in the ensuring October 10, 2017 Representatives and Presidential elections, the government will not go after and prosecute any past leader nor Liberians for their role in the 14 years of civil unrest.
Senator Taylor, in an interview Tuesday afternoon, August 8th, on the grounds of the Capitol Building, said a CDC-led government will focus its attention on how to move the country forward then look back to drag to court Liberians who participated in the wars.
The CDC is a conglomerate of three political institutions, including the National Patriotic party of detained former President Charles Taylor, the Liberian People Democratic Party of criminally indicted former Speaker Alex Tyler and the Congress for Democratic Change of Montserrado County Senator George Manneh Weah.
Sen. Taylor suggests that an individual cannot make decision that will affect the Liberian people, especially a call for the establishment for the tribunal. However, if the CDC wins and is enthroned, it would be the prerogative of the president to make that determination, although with huge influence by the vice president, which is what she will be.
If the Liberian people decide for the international court to prosecute individuals for economic crimes, human rights violations and crimes committed against humanity, Sen. Taylor notes, that will be something the government might look into.
During the interview, Sen. Taylor made clarification on insinuations in some quarters in Monrovia that Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is about throwing her support behind the CDC. She said as one of the ranking members of the Party, the CDC is not in talk with the President and that anything of such, she will be in the know of the process.
She believes the best thing of the president to do, in order to instill the kind of level playing field among participants in the ensuring elections, is not pledge support to any candidate or political party.
Meanwhile, Senator Taylor has written the plenary of the Liberian Senate seeking the intervention of that august body into the illegal mining in Bong County.
Making her case before the full plenary, Madam Taylor explained that the troubling situation is affecting the people of Bong County, especially those in upper Bong in whose communities a mining concessionaire AMlib-Liberia.MNG Gold is operating.
She noted that since the inception of the mining concessions in the County, the people of the affected communities are yet to benefit from the operations of these companies, adding that the companies do not adhere to the acceptable social agreement under such circumstances.
“Our citizens have complained that these companies are not providing the expected assistance to the communities in which they operate, despite the extraction of huge mineral deposits from their communities,” Madam Taylor asserted in her communication.
She added, “Considering the gravity of this matter and the urgency required in responding to the grievances, as expressed by our people, I deem it a compelling duty, as senator of the county, to bring this situation to the attention of the Liberia Senate for appropriate redress so as to bring relief to our people.”
Meanwhile, the plenary of the Senate has forwarded the communication to its committee on Lands, Mines, Energy for proper investigation and to report back to plenary within one week time.
