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>> Well I think you missed that witness that the bonding. For your cursory review of Liberia's history. And yet tend to trees the roots of the conflict. At this time commissioners with X. you a couple of questions. So that opportunity for clarification a number of things you probably mean that I've almost who'd already knew for clarification.

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I would just add waxing the. Questions we have here. Into foods. You mentioned President Bagley in one thousand nine hundred. Institutionalized authoritarianism. And prior to that he did. That's a governess at the time prior to Bakley. I was just wondering. Between eighteen. Twenty or in one thousand for what was the state of affairs the relationship.

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Between. The governors at the time and the indigenous was their government with the symptoms of authoritarian is Internet. Then secondly from your presentation here appears as if for for every action there was a greater reaction. We should be informing of that does that justify the war or was the war in effort to.

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Get a game that would justify the war was the war justified or was it in effort to. Given that we said we every action to situations. Before and move forward there were symptoms of authoritarianism that were not very clear court and at this time to see the citizens of the Liberians the particularly Indigenous Peoples.

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Were put in what's the so-called their place what we saw even during the colonial period. From eight hundred twenty one even before independence in eight hundred forty seven there were. Differences with regards to even those who govern we need to understand here that they were American colonise Asian society was led by white Americans and there was this disparity between those white Americans and the settlers themselves and this led our own was passed on to even when the states became independence in eight hundred forty saving here what we saw that there was a color line that was created where you have the dark skinned settlers and the light skinned settlers in fact if you go back and you look at our history you find out that it was only one time E.J. Roy that we have a dark skinned president but he didn't stay for too long he was kicked out very quickly because the line of demarcation was put in place and so little on this continue with the guards to how the settler government saw the indigenous peoples that was this murder that I said it was clear there that the light skinned settlers were on top who are their leaders and then the dark skin they were on.

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Them but guess who were at the rear of that lot are the indigenous peoples So that tells us that there was a system that was put in place in times of suppression and oppression so that's what the mechanism that we saw in times of the retailer and his him was the word justified.

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Let me say that. A few also for once said. That violins is the language of the on her. Does that make war justifiable no image war inevitable. If you read Frank for Norm's work the wretched of the art violence because violence and so what we saw in the case of Liberia because of this well nice that were perpetrated against the indigenous people it became inevitable that war was the answer so the on earth decided.

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We have to lead our voice be heard and as a result of that we saw war coming to our country he justified maybe not this is the means to be for many people that were involved. But war as we see good indeed or whether we like it or not.

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That suffered on that is for and today it's an opportunity for us to tell our story to make a statement so that never again in the history of Liberia that even when we disagree we had being in the past when we disagree with each card that we have aware of sitting in the pile about and this cause and be able to come to a sudden kind of resolution not to go to war but a climate of dissension was created by politician and ethnicity was huge.

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I said bases for that kind of war so war was not justifiable but it's it was inevitable Thank you. Thank you. What. Will. Please. Get. Fifty. Years or. So. That's. Comprehensive. I reckon. You have. Expressed your view. About how my puter was governor. And to every ten years to shine I'm still fit.

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You have spelled out. What constituted by governors in the past. But it is and. Yet as you. Show show me your leaders. Can you tell us. What is your view. Up to about one chronically. Try. Sectionalism. That imbedded itself. Among those claimed to be indigenous. Because if you.

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I people who suffer this seen. Consequences. That the question is why you people could not. Mobilized your intelligence. And an approach the situation in unity. What would you say about the differences among the tribal people the indigenous people you did not. Mention of that can you tell us what is your view about that.

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And let me approach this question by giving an answer that is very academic. As this work of. Very very talks about. Of the operators. Pedagogy of the oppressed. Pedagogy of the oppressed talks about people who had been oppressed. And the tendency of people that have been oppressed is start to see other people and oppress them.

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The American Liberians that came true Liberia where oppressed in the United States how did they bring those same tenants with them to oppress the indigenous people. The indigenous people saw these tenants that were there and realized that the best way to address the issues what's oppressed orders but given the story of Liberia because the leaders were.

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Not national leaders and what do I mean by that that they were taking in all of the concentration of the population as we think Liberia this goods or ethnic groups realize that the only way they can address and redress their grievances and issues what to come together and find protections in their own ethnic group.

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Doest we saw the polarizing of groups so that even today in this country or even in order you know I live in Atlanta if you call a meeting for the Liberian association very few people will come but call a meeting for the bus stop people call a meeting for them a dingo people call them and you will see that there is some form of loyalty that has been expressed while because of the failure of the leadership to pool all of these people together what is very important in nation building is to be able to pull people together like a commission I was saying the chairman of the Commission was saying for the very first time we have a song where we see all of the members of the ethnic group participating.

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Singing their own song therefore creating a sudden kind of ownership but if that strong was all me in in Bassa or in my Dingle or in crime then he would leave out sections of the population so in essence what we are seeing that the ethnic groups who had suffered and experienced violence in in instead of using this as a mechanism for reconcile reconciliation in order to protect their own at the group had torn around and implemented fires.

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If. You had what was in life you know very well that a life that was not like that in fact we find out that these groups where in time in clean and in time. And mixed in with each other but as a result of this violence violence because violence and therefore.

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Now see. Protection from their own right and that's why we do need more Kay you limit your wife because these groups now find refuge in you and politicians are very clever as you know we're able to politicize and use ethnicity people like our own brother allowed to. Use this to the best of the unity why because the leaders should feel to establish a unified society where all can benefit from.

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Also trying. And and B.P.. The result of the election. But you didn't talk about. Wonder from a second term of United States. Visited. Liberia. And consulted black. Lab claim to have won the election. Concept that you'll be claiming to have won deflection. Contracted P L L You. Claim to have won election.

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What do you have to say about this. Claim. Self esteem is. Question of individual listen. Was it something proper. Zero or st some tender gave. Strength. To and D.P.S. claim. I think it's very important for us to understand that wherever we see this organization. There is a tendency for self proclaimed prophecy.

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In fact even in a past election you know that one of the candidates did claim that. The law. Where we saw the Lord we don't know but she did he did say that the law told him that he would be the president of Liberia even after the election we find out that he still believes that during the inauguration a miracle will occur and he will be inaugurated into office.

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Self proclaimed prophecy. There are many. Individuals who do not have the nation. But only have their own self interest instead of putting the interest of the nation forward and so as a result of the their many libraries that believe that the national vibe Iraq and not go on without them being in a place of position.

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That Liberia all day and that they have more no pulling of ideas and so therefore the Liberian issue an order I'm. Titles and as a result we saw that money Festina during that election that each and every priority the least lesser parties I call them clear to have war on election so it was very clear that.

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What Dalby was to provide In fact he gave foreigners to some of the parts of the library unification. He told the leader of that party that. You are party to let me just give you some money and then you can run and he did. And that's what he did so he didn't he didn't care about what was going to happen and.

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So. It was also interesting. Caring about what's going to happen so what was able to do was to divide and conquer and now he's. Strong political parties this is he was very simple to just destabilize. And that's. The situation that we find ourselves. You also talk about nineteen that is seven election.

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Issue it tells us. That take ten political parties. Stu for the presidency. Cut off to take ten. To the way military career to politicians. Ten where civilians politicians. Why does this. Project. Ten civilians stand for one presidency. In fact in. What should have been called at a time in the immediate.

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Post-war period does it signify. Unity of people. No it does not yet there are two ways to look at what happened. It shows how. Greedy people and selfish. Because we understand what happened in terms of those tent political parties at the beginning there was a process in terms of nomination for example with the Liberian People's Party.

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And that even some of our so all long time politicians were not nominated and decided that they have the answer the solution to Liberia they're going to form their own political parties and so we have an extension of all of these political progress that's one but second in this should have not and I say this and with all respect to the Carter Center I was one of the advisors to the Carter Center on the Liberian issues later on I was I don't know if I was silenced or kicked out or whatever.

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But then in the long run I was no longer called on I don't think in the first place we should have rewarded people who brought violence to the nation to be a part of the democratic process the Carter Center allowed that to happen so that. Where rebels to participate in the war in what we try to reconcile I think to me as far as I'm concerned that was not the way to do it you don't reward people for doing wrong and so as a result of that even when order international organization called upon the civilians and said to them listen this is what is going to happen if we are going to win an election against chastity or first the man has the money he has all the regular stations and he has all of the capacity this is what you do you only bring I want political party to a poor.

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All of the political gurus that's not the way. To go and through what happened we end up with ten political parties and so all Charles Taylor did was to just bring a bag of rice with these pictures and Liberians the politics of the Bahai what have you done for me lately and you've not showed me what you've done for me but here comes trust you know with a bag of rice and with these pictures he killed my MA You can my PA I will vote for him it does not justify unity because even the doors of our so-called intellectuals could not see the wisdom of unifying and putting forth a unified force so that tossed or not could not win the election they all went into their separate ways and as a result we end up with what we asked for a child still zero zero zero became a problem in Liberia and that's what happened during that election.

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You had precious. Governing period. Of departure. For the American Liberians as he called it. As well as that too. But history of also reveals to us. That. Financial military assistance that was given to do I mean destruction. By a life. Out number. What was given. To the palace government.

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Over. The centuries. And that government came into being through a military coup. What would you see about. This support. The cooperation the collaboration given by Americans. To do government. Well it was very clear that historically more finances and ammunition were given to the door government. By the United States when you turned a stand here that it was this fight between the east and west the Cold War was still on and in fact one of the times that door came to what both said to the United States government if you want me to give back the money that I borrowed from you I'm going to go to Libya and get the money what happened Ronald Reagan invited though to the United States and said look you don't go to to the Soviet Union or Libya you come here and we will continue to legitimize your presidency and so what we saw here just like we saw what happened in South Africa when the United States supported the apartheid regime because of their thinking of the Cold War and that all the other people were coming in and they were going to go against the United States dear for we will support those that we believe are on our side in this not only Liberia that was the same case in all of Africa what happened the United States supported.

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Terrorists now they call them terrorists but you haven't supported. Dictators who were not good to their own people and then in the guise of communism even though these people did not have good governance attitude in them and so as a result the same thing happened in Liberia though was bad but what will be the alternative as far as the United States was concerned yes all we need to do in fact was Reagan was said to go just have other parties to run with you now you've done this to others just have other parties because what they were kept saying these are the.

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People are coming here and that's all you need to say to the United States that the order people are coming is yes they will support you no matter what happens and this is what exactly what we saw the room of the United States is beginning now to be to see and to realize that not everyone is a terrorist not every won't be succumbing knees and in fact it's in their best interest to began to stop or to good governance and transparency in parts of the world including like but that's exactly what happened United States supported this man because the orders were Cummings we've presentations you have made and the answers you have given Yes you have talked about.

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Reconciliation but what you can now be sent to as the general way forward in the case of Liberia Liberia as well as America that is considered as the step father of love you. Well let me let me just say this that and I've said this in many other times.

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That there is no royal road to reconciliation.