Monday, August 11, 2003 will be remembered forever by Liberians and the entire world. It is a day when a tyrant, Charles Taylor, surrendered to the demands of LURD and the International community to seek exile in Nigeria; a day when LURD (Liberians United for Reconciliation and Development) declared the end of a 14-year war and the return of Liberia, the ‘Land of Liberty’ to its people.
Supporters of Mr. Taylor regarded his resignation as the way to peace, which most certainly, the International community accepted. Despite his proclaimed path to peace and stability, Mr. Taylor was brave and courageous to accept defeat and his failure to serve the Liberian people. Under one God and under Taylor, the people of Liberia suffered immensely in continuous fear and intimidations. Apart from LURD’s pressure, Mr. Taylor had nothing to offer; his widely chanted name “Ghangay” was ceased from being heard by a defiant population and so he had to leave with heartbreak and embarrassment.
On September 20, 2008, Thabo Mbeki stepped down as president of South Africa after the executives of ANC (African National Congress) opted not to pledge their support in parliament for him. Mr. Mbeki, who served for nearly two terms, understood that it was time that he left power to preserve the perpetual livewire of the ANC.
Mr. Konneh’s recent decision not to contest for re-election was a brave and sincere one. In Julius Caesars, “The conspirators charge Caesar with ambition, and his behavior substantiates this judgment: he does vie for absolute power over Rome, reveling in the homage he receives from others and in his conception of himself as a figure who will live on forever in men’s minds.” Was Caesar ambitious for power or not? In our own scenario, is Mr. Richmond Konneh ambitious for power or not? It is not being suggested that indeed Mr. Konneh is a power-greed leader who wants to clinch to the throne undyingly but what is being revealed is Mr. Konneh’s inapt ability to withstand pressure from Mr. Mohammed Dukuly and the Board on several issues.
Interesting, Mr. Konneh’s impromptu withdrawal from re-election symbolized an elopement strategy from the hands of Mr. Dukuly and some community members whom “Camp of Richmond” stigmatized as disloyal and deceitful. Where on earth have you seen a sitting leader publicly renouncing re-election, giving his blessing to a competent contender and returning to the race at dawn? Mr. Konneh knows that powerful men are known by nothing but their words and he is not one of those. In the first place, those petitioners were inquirers sent by a special committee to look into Mr. Konneh’s brusque withdrawal from the race. At the end of the day, a closed-door tele-conference was held and Mr. Konneh was petitioned to contest re-election. The entire petition was a complete fiasco noting the level of deceit and blind loyalty in the name of change. One thing I can predict is a mass exodus of blind loyalists from FELMAUSA if Mr. Konneh were to lose re-election to Mr. Dukuly, which I believe victory is inevitable, simply because they are founding members of the organization and therefore must be at the podium at all times.
Politics is a social science that judges leaders on their deliverables and tangible accomplishments. In other communities, nepotism is a key factor to the decisions of voters and elders, but where are those communities today?
Many viewers who monitor developments in politics will definitely term the declaration of Mr. Mamadee Sesay, FELMAUSA Vice-President for Administration, for the presidency symbolic of Dick Cheney’s bid for the White House in 2004 against George Bush if there were any. Mr. Sesay’s role in the administration of Mr. Konneh is highly meaningful, and has been the key architect in most undertakings in FELMAUSA. Being highly serviceable to the Minnesota Mandingo Association and the Liberian community in general gave him a bit edge in Minnesota but what most people are skeptical is what difference a Sesay’s leadership will bring to the FELMAUSA family? Mr. Sesay and compatriot Konneh shared so many things in common; especially, decision-making, over-leniency, delinquency on projects, blame-shifting, etc. “Mr. Sesay should be judged individually on his contributions to the community” said a community member but there is no way Messrs. Sesay and Konneh can dissociate from each other having worked for almost two years together. Policy-wide, Mr. Sesay insists great difference but I think Mr. Dukuly will definitely use such opportunity to blend the two together in any debate. Do you think Mr. Sesay will make a huge difference and if so, what do we expect in months to come?
It is also with great laughter to see community members being questioned of their contributions thus far. As far I know, Prof. Alhaji G.V. Kromah’s contributions to the cause of the Mandingo people are great. Yet, people ignorantly discredit the services of Mr. Kromah for personal reasons. Hence, the services of each and every community members are completely voluntary with no monetary expectations and I urge that people be commended for every little effort made on behalf of the community.
The presence of Mr. Dukuly in the race for FELMAUSA presidency has ignited fierce competitions for every electable position. The reason for such competition is the message of positive change delivered by Mr. Dukuly in every constituency clearly outlining the total dissatisfactions of community members regarding policies and fiscal responsibilities of Mr. Konneh’s administration. Sadly enough, it appears as if no one has even prepared a comprehensive financial report due to the delay tactics employed by Mr. Konneh to elude check-and-balance. My dear brothers and sisters, let’s not allow indecisive people to lead the Mandingo community to further disappointments. Both Mr. Konneh and Mr. Sesay, who should we believe having led the organization for two years? Surely, Mr. Dukuly is a man of positive change and your support is highly needed in clinching the leadership of FELMAUSA. FELMAUSA belongs to Liberian Mandingoes not American Mandingoes. Therefore, Mr. Richmond Konneh must go. His legacy for being the first president will remain with us forever.
Stand up for your rights! Don’t give up! Long live FELMAUSA and its members! Ameena!
ROADMAP TO FELMAUSA 2009
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6 days 0 hours 32 minutes 53 secondsto MINNEAPOLIS, MN
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ANNOUNCEMENTS CORNER
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WHAT'S HAPPENING IN SPACE
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A fortuitous orbit of the International Space Station allowed the astronauts this striking view of Sarychev volcano (Russia?s Kuril Islands, northeast......
24 Jun 2009
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