Guinean Probe Team Arrives

General Kelefa Diallo and the other fallen military officials

Guinean authorities will today dispatch a team to Monrovia to join their Liberian counterparts in probing the cause of the February 11 plane crash in which 11 top officials of that neighboring country’s military were killed.

The Subtle Abuse

Then.......

The traditional social carpet has for centuries been used as a cover for wife beating in many parts of this society and elsewhere on the continent.  Today, wife-beating remains commonplace and seems to have become almost acceptable to most women since the woman is in fact perceived as her husband's property. Of course, in some  traditional systems, a woman’s right to speak is still being negotiated; she has no right to desire who her husband should be; she is not entitled to education; she is expected to do what her parents or husband say; she only has one right and that is the right to remain silent. In fact, she is a chartered asset and therefore not entitled to inheritance since she may herself may very well be passed on to someone else as an inheritance. And so, throughout history, women have been subjected to the whims and brutality of their husbands -- albeit, their societies.

In Liberia: Judiciary, Legislature Face-Off

Backed a squad of influential women, Mayor Broh prevented the incarceration of suspended Supt Kpaan

The Supreme Court yesterday gave the House of Representatives a 10-day ultimatum within which to respond to separate writs of prohibitions filed before that High Court by suspended Acting Mayor Mary Broh and suspended Montserrado County Superintendent Grace Kpaan.

Liberia: Grace Kpaan: 1, House: 0

The House of Representatives had earlier declared Kpaan and Broh as "non governmental materials"

As she promised, legal counsel for Superintendent Grace Kpaan, Cllr. Pearl Brown-Bull, yesterday filed a petition before the full bench of the Supreme Court, praying for an injunction (command, ruling) against the search and arrest order that a warrant the House of Representatives had issued following a melee that broke out at the Monrovia Central Prison on Thursday evening.

Liberia's Johnson Sirleaf Scolds ‘Lazy' Ministers

The President said the Education Ministry is a big mess

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf last Saturday scolded ‘lazy’ cabinet ministers and other heads of government agencies for not committing themselves to the effective implementation of the Agenda for Transformation, Liberia’s new development agenda.

Raging at the close of a two-day cabinet retreat held in Monrovia, President Sirleaf strongly warned cabinet ministers and heads of other government agencies to work together to ensure that the AfT is coordinated properly for long-term growth and economic development in Liberia that will benefit the ordinary people.

The Liberian Leader used the occasion to demand results from the implementing agencies, saying “Time for talk is over.”

President Sirleaf also demanded quantifiable targets from heads of agencies of government, adding that Government will produce a quarterly scorecard on implementation to report to the Liberian people.

An Affront! Senate Describes Liberia's Finance Minister's Dual Roles; Says He is “Impersonating”

Min. Konneh is accused of impersonating

The House of Senate yesterday repeated its distaste for Finance Minister Amara Konneh serving in dual capacities in government: Minister of Finance and Acting Minister of Planning and Economic Affairs.

The Senate was on Thursday alarmed that Minister Konneh is still signing documents as acting Minister of planning; something senators described as an affront and disrespect to them.

The matter was reawakened by Grand Kru County Senior Senator Cletus Wortorson when he brought to the attention of his colleagues a communication dated February 18, 2013, which he said was signed by Minister Konneh as Acting Minister of Planning.

They said Minister Konneh is “impersonating”; something that landed the Senate in an hour of heated debate before coming to the conclusion that a delegation would be dispatched to go meet with President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf on the matter.

NEVER Was a Gender WAR

The campaign for gender equity and equality has lately begun taking a rather ugly trend in Liberia. The very things this women’s emancipation struggle seeks to end are rather increasing sharply simply because some of the so-called campaigners in the women’s world are preaching the message wrongly. In their advocacies, they tend to place the female gender in the victim zone, painting the male gender as the “oppressor.”

In Liberia: Pem-Pem Union Bows

The motorcyclists have pledged to be law-abiding

Barely two weeks into an apparent standoff between the police and motorcyclists over the effective enforcement of a 10p.m. curfew imposed on commercial motorcycling, widely known as “Pem Pem,” the motorcyclists  finally succumbed (caved in, gave in) to the embargo (clampdown, ban) on their all-night commuting and pledged to abide by the 10 p.m. deadline.

Guinea Takes Bold Step; In Plane Crash Saga

General Kelefa Diallo and the other fallen military officials

 I have gathered from reliable sources inside Guinea that---perhaps in response to suspicion fermenting on both sides of the border that the Guinean CASA 235 aircraft might have been brought down on February 11, by an act of sabotage--- Guinean authorities will dispatch (send) a team to Monrovia to join their Liberian counterparts in probing the cause of the plane crash in which 11 top officials of that neighboring country’s military officials were killed.

Attack Violence against Women

Patrice says tomorrow's event will help create more awareness

Thursday, February 14, will not only be observed as lovers’ day; it will also mark the 15th anniversary of V-Day, the organization that inspired a global groundswell (rise, increase) in the thrust (push, fight) to end violence against women. So, do not be caught by surprised on Valentine’s Day, one billion women will rise up and DEMAND an end to violence against them.

Women, especially African women, over the years embarked on a struggle aimed at affirming their identities while doing all they could to transform societal, cultural or traditional notions or perceptions of their gender role. As they go through decades of societal crisis as victims of maternal and infant mortality, continuing commitment to hard labor in the area of agriculture, confinement to the private space and exclusion from modernity, African women have committed themselves, through unwavering revolutionary movements, to correct or reverse these disparities and forge new social relations. The struggle to correct societal stereotypes has not lost its momentum in the women’s world.

In Liberia: 11 Die in Plane Crash

BREAKING NEWS: 

An aircraft conveying a high-power military delegation from the Republic of Guinea has crashed in Charlesville, Lower Margibi County, Liberia. There were 11 persons aboard the aircraft, including the head of Guinea's armed forces,Gen Souleymane Kelefa Diallo, were all killed. The delegation was heading to Monrovia to grace celebrations marking this year’s observance of the Armed Forces Day in Liberia; a major national holiday. President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has described the incident as “tragic” and declared Tuesday, February 12, 2013, a national day of mourning; National Holiday.

The Art of Cuisine

A man once told his newly married wife to prepare lettuce salad because he would be inviting some friends home that day for lunch. Not knowing how to prepare the salad, the woman immediately went for the lettuce, poured them into a mortar and begun pounding. She removed the blend, placed it in a plate and started adding the ingredients. At lunch, the man showed up with his guests. And guess what happened.......

16-Seater Bus Bursts into Flames

Firemen failed to extinguish the blaze

A 16-seater bus suddenly burst into flames today at the McDonald Street Bus Station in Monrovia. 

Delta Bows to Pressure; Regrets Poor Customer Service

Following January’s severe jet-lag, U.S. Airlines, Delta Air, has finally expressed deep regrets for inconvenience that the on-time performance (or the lack thereof) of its flights between Liberia, Ghana and the United States sometimes in 2012 caused its passengers, while reassuring its passengers of quality service.

Good Governance, Accountability Top HLP Monrovia Confab

The weeklong UN High Level Panel meeting in Monrovia ended with a stern call for sustainable growth with equity. In a communiqué issued at the close of the conference, delegates resolved that to foster long-term, sustainable growth and reduce volatility, the global community must promote good governance, invest in stable and accountable institutions, fight corruption, ensure the rule of law, and build resilience to shock in all countries.