The Danger of Arming a Possible Bigot: Allegations or Fact
(By: Emmanuel Dolo)
This short essay explores the development of an emerging strand of bigotry that is possibly being clothed in the garments of national security. If left unattended, this national ailment could take root quickly and reverse any gains that we have made on social integration, specifically on the religious front. This is a looming threat to building a pluralistic and religiously tolerant society.

The Growing Momentum for Africa, Africa-Diaspora Partnership
(By Chinua Akukwe)
At the invitation of the Africa Union and the Government of Brazil, I had the privilege to attend the recent Second International Conference of Africa and Africans in the Diaspora in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. In this conference, I also had the honor of moderating the only health session in the conference, an eight-hour, morning and afternoon marathon session.

HIV/AIDS and Malaria: A Deadly Combination
(Syrulwa Somah)
As we commemorate the 159th independence of our nation, let us remember that the health of our nation is in serious trouble due to the high prevalence of HIV/AIDS and malaria than at any period of our history. HIV/AIDS and malaria would continue to seriously threaten our national security, or our complete demise as a nation and people if we remain complacent and not take immediate actions to combat these deadly diseases.

LIBERIA: POLICE CHIEF MUNNAH SIEH MUST GO
(Jeff Cooper)
Munnah Sieh, Liberia Police Director’s warning against the wearing of veil in Liberia by Muslim women is outrageous, dangerous, and must be condemned by every well-meaning Liberian.

---

The Candidate (Part III, The Finale)
(By Abdoulaye W. Dukulé)
I was standing in line, at Chevy Chase Bank in Laurel and watching the back of his head and wondering if it was him or not. “No, that can’t be him, or may be yes…” With its unique shape, his shaved head somehow looked like the roll of hills on the road to Kakata, with plateaus and valleys. We used to joke him that he had multiple heads.

Former Vice President Bennie D. Warner To Speak At LIHEDE Convention
(Press Release Issued by LIHEDE)
Former Vice President of Liberia, Hon. Bennie D. Warner, is the latest among several high profile personalities who have accepted to attend the ensuing Pre-National Health Conference Rally and Dinner Ball being organized by LIHEDE to be held on the campus of the North Carolina A& T State University in Greensboro, NC on September 30th.

We Cannot Build the Fourth Republic by Keeping Each Other Down
(A Speech Delivered by By Dr. Syrulwa Somah)
We cannot build a great nation by keeping each other down. I want to thanks the young Liberians who out ran me on the field. You did well! I was in Liberia two months ago and the team we played--players out ran me as you did today. You didn’t do anything wrong for making me breathless so do not feel discourage. Thanks for the good game!

---

The Honorable House Deserves A Better Leader
(By Gbe Sneh)
House Speaker Snowe has so many unresolved issues: a front page Taylor collaborator hit with a UN Travel Ban; a former director of LPRC who was involved in a questionable contract award; a government employee whose salary does not match his accumulated wealth; an electoral candidate who withheld information on asset declaration sheets He keeps adding to that. How long are we to continue counting before we stop?

Corruption, Nepotism, Americo-Liberian Indigenous Divide Must be Abolished in Liberia- Dr. Nya Kwaiwon Taryor
(By Winsley S. Nanka)
Dr. Nya Kwaiwon Taryor, Sr has urged Liberians to abolish the vices that retard the progress of the country if Liberia is to move forward. Dr. Taryor was speaking to The Perspective in an interview shortly after the Reunion and Homecoming program organized by the Ganta United Methodist Mission School Alumni Association (GUMMSAA-USA) in Philadelphia on July 14, 2006.

Double Trouble For Snowe (Forum)
(By Helroz Zorleh)
Barely few days after his apology to members of the House of Representatives by Speaker Edwin M. Snowe for his unilateral letter written to the Taiwanese Embassy in The Gambia for the restoration of diplomatic ties between Liberia and Taiwan, another call has been made by the Senate for the Speaker to face probe.

UL President Suspends Entrance Registration (Forum)
By: Emmanuel King, Jr.
The President of the University of Liberia Dr. Al-Hassan Conteh has instructed the comptroller of the UL to halt the entrance registration process.

Media Coverage on Corruption, Budget Advocated (Forum)
(By Lewis K. Glay)
Reporting on corruption and the National Budget in Postwar Liberia has become a paramount concern to the public including media related entities.

---

Rampant Corruption, Lack Of Accountability And Transparency In Financial And Economic Matters On The Part Of High Government Officials
Final Report Submitted By A Team Of ECOWAS Investigators
As a result of complaints filed by civil society organizations and Liberia’s development partners against alleged “rampant corruption, lack of accountability and transparency in financial and economic matters on the part of high government officials [of the Gyude Bryant administration]”, ECOWAS sent a team of six investigators. (Courtesy of CEDE)

Tracking the Tentacles of Corruption: The Case of Liberia’s Former Commerce Minister Samuel Wlue
(By: Emmanuel Dolo & Winsley Nanka) Glimpses of what happened during the transitional period between Charles Taylor’s departure and the inauguration of the Johnson-Sirleaf Government are just beginning to emerge. The enthronement of the interim government, which was chaired by Gyude Bryant, has taught us some important lessons. One of such lessons is the crafty maneuverings of wild-eyed contingent of hustlers who masqueraded as “liberators” and pretended to be patriots bent on removing the Taylor regime.

Distribution of the Final Report of ECOWAS Team of Investigators Into Economic Crime in Liberia
(A Press Release Issued By CEDE)
The Center for Democratic Empowerment (CEDE) in furtherance of its public duty is pleased to inform the public that it has within its possession the Forensic Investigation Report by ECOWAS which is entitled: Final Report of ECOWAS Team of Investigators Into Economic Crime in Liberia. CEDE intends to do the following in regards with the report.

Our Hats and Headties off to the Press Union of Liberia
for Taking a Gallant Stance
(By Siahyonkron Nyanseor)
Being the Fourth Estate, the Media is charged with the responsibilities of checking on the activities of the First Branch of government – the Legislature, which makes Laws; the Second – the Executive, enforces the Laws, and the Third – the Judicial, decides arguments about the meaning of laws, how they are applied, and whether their application violate the Constitution and the rights of citizens.

---

Immaturity and Incompetence Engulf Liberian Congress
(By Theodore T. Hodge)
It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.” The quotation above is one of those aphorisms that make their way through our collective consciousness and we come to accept as truism; a self-evident truth.

"True Reconciliation, Peace and Economy Viability”
(Speech Delivered By Francis N. Kateh)
“Allow Prince Kaboo (Samuel Morris) to become the Beacon of Light that will lead the New Liberia toward True Reconciliation, Peace and Economy Viability”

History Will Exonerate My Administration
(Farewell Remarks By Klahn-Gboloh Jarbah)
I believe history will exonerate my administration to the point that, while during my term of office, there was a crisis in the organization, it will also say, we stood firm against the aggressors and defeated them. Their defeat was made possible as the result of our collective determination to defend the SCAA and to make our goals and objectives clear; the hope of the perpetrators of this division went down the drain.

---

Speaker Snowe

Speaker Edwin Snowe Errs Again --- Tempers Flare
(By: Theodore T. Hodge)
In recent days it has been reported that the Speaker of the Liberian House of Representatives, Honorable Edwin Snowe, has committed another blunder --- the latest in a series since assuming the high office. The speaker is said to have undertaken a scheme with the intent to dictate or undermine the country’s foreign policy by promising to establish diplomatic relations with Taiwan. (It will be recalled that the Republic of Liberia has subscribed to the One-China-Policy, officially recognizing the People’s Republic of China).

Formation Of Another Coalition Of The Unwilling
(By Gbe Sneh)
An SOS for rescue from corruption was sent out during the NTGL. It was heeded by ECOWAS and other partners in the international community and, GEMAP was agreed to by GOL and its partners. GEMAP was then sent in to the rescue. Is it then not in the interest of Liberia that we allow GEMAP to work unhindered? Why are some members of both houses rejecting a necessary exercise of matching paychecks with recipients? Are we to witness yet another “coalition of the unwilling” like the one that plagued us during the NTGL?

Proposals for Urban Economic Development in Liberia
(By Winsley S. Nanka)
On June 22, 2005, in the article “Proposals for Liberian Presidential Candidates, I made a series of proposals which included the establishment of the Monrovia Urban Redevelopment Authority (MURA) to spearhead urban renewal in Monrovia. I stated that MURA would be primarily responsible for economic development programs, such as business assistance, financing, housing, and a variety of other options.

---

Combating Corruption - A Holistic Approach
(By K. Koiquoe Wilson)
Corruption, for time immemorial, has wreaked immeasurable havoc as a consequence of its chronic omnipresence throughout our society. Many Liberians harbor the incredulous illusion that expunging the culture of corruption, which has been historically very pervasive, is contingent upon the advent of some messianic administration. As is manifest in myriad publications today, the nascent Johnson-Sirleaf administration is now being challenged to accomplish this prodigious undertaking.

Klahn-Gboloh Jarbah

"…History will exonerate me for my stand on having my fellow Sinoeans realize that we are Liberians…”, says Klahn-Gboloh Jarbah, the outgoing President of SCAA, Inc.
(An Interview Conducted By Siahyonkron Nyanseor)
Mr. Klahn-Gboloh Jarbah is the outgoing President of the Sinoe County Association in the Americas, Inc. He was elected in July 13, 2004 an election that split the organization into two separate groups based on similar divide that led Liberia in disintegration until the recent election of October 2005. Prior to serving as President of SCAA, he served as President of the Minnesota Chapter of ULAA 1984-1986. Mr. Jarbah is a graduate of Lott Carey Baptist Mission High School, Brewerville, Liberia. He earned his BS in Marketing, University of Nevada, and MA - Public Administration and Management from Webster University, Missouri. Mr. Jarbah is a Business Consultant/Contractor and Regional Director, Grace Management. Mr. Jarbah is a resident of San Antonio, Texas.

House Speaker Edwin Snowe Accused Of Violating Article 57 Of The Liberian Constitution
A letter purportedly written by House Speaker Edwin Snowe to the Taiwanese Ambassador accredited to the Gambia, Amb. Patrick P. C. Chang, could lead to serious investigation. Some of Speaker Snowe’s colleagues are now accusing him of violating Article 57 of the Liberian Constitution which states: “The President shall have the power to conduct the foreign affairs of the Republic and in that connection he is empowered to conclude treaties, conventions and similar international agreements with the concurrence of a majority of each House of the Legislature.”

Liberia’s Due Process Wallops From Above
(By: Ekena Wesley)
History will tell us that at every stage of civilization, mankind evolved with some level of development. So were the days of the Stone Age, Cro-Magnon man, the era of survival the fittest and the infamous wide west in North America. There was one identity likened to all of these times in human history. Such was the free-for-all scenario whereby jungle justice was administered to the fullest.