Urge
Participation in the Scheduled October
Elections in Liberia!
(Editorial, January 10, 2005)
The
National Election Commission has indicated
that Liberians living abroad will not
be allowed to participate because it is
"logistically difficult and too costly."
Yet there is ample evidence that with
international assistance, it is feasible
to allow Liberians living abroad the ability
to vote in Liberia's scheduled national
elections. For example, efforts are currently
underway to allow Iraqi's living in the
United States to vote in their country's
election on January 30th. In addition,
the people of Ukraine were allowed to
vote for their leader in the United States
in that country's most recent elections.
By
first putting into place the various international
monitoring and election standards, a single
location in the US can be designated for
Liberians living in the US to go and vote,
likewise other countries with large populations
of Liberian refugees. TLC Africa believes
that the Liberian Embassy in Washington
can serve that purpose. Besides, Liberians
are well known for going all over the
US to attend parties and other social
events, school reunions, weddings, etc.
TLC Africa believes that those unable
to get to Liberia will have no qualms
about visiting Washington, DC to cast
their vote in this very historic election.
For
those who will be actually going to Liberia
to vote, the NEC should amend the voter
registration process in order to accommodate
Liberians living abroad or allow for voter
registration upon arrival in Liberia.
Given the high cost of airline tickets
to Monrovia, it is not likely that people
will be willing or able to make two trips
to Liberia-one for registration and the
other to vote. TLC Africa believes that
voter registration can also be conducted
at Liberian Embassies around the world,
while the registration is underway in
Liberia. This is a procedural matter that
should not require additional legislative
action, but a mere implementation agreement
with the NEC and the international community,
as was the case with Iraq and the Ukraine.
Although
TLC Africa wishes that all Liberians in
the Diaspora were in the position to actually
go to Liberia and participate in the process,
the reality is that not everyone will
be in the position to do so for a variety
of reasons. If it can be done for Ukrainians
and Iraqis, it can be done for Liberians
as well. However, it is up to us to sound
the alarm bell and call attention to this
issue. If we don't, we cannot wake up
the morning after and complain about the
results. Call the numbers listed below
and let our UNITED VOICES be heard. Do
it now!
The
upcoming Presidential and Legislative
elections is no joke and should not be
taken lightly. Despite politically motivated
delays and attempted roadblocks, the overwhelming
consensus from the United Nations, African
Union, ECOWAS, European Union, and the
United States is that the election scheduled
for October must not be postponed. Now
that the election is sure to happen, and
the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) has
secured the country and disarmed combatants,
we Liberians living abroad must do all
we can to ensure our participation in
the election.
Call
the policy-making organizations listed
below RIGHT NOW and tell them that
you are calling to
1)
Support the pre-election voter registration
at Liberian Embassies around the world
for Liberians living abroad as a result
of the civil war.
2)
Support allowing Liberian refugees living
in the US and other countries the ability
to vote at designated Liberian Embassies
in the United States and other places
where repatriation to Liberia is not
occurring.
3)
Support (financially) the National Elections
Commission (NEC) of Liberia to enter
into an arrangement with an international
elections monitoring organization to
facilitate "out-of-country voting.
4)
The international community recently
supported "out-of-country"
voting for the Ukrainians and is currently
doing the same for the Iraqis. See proof
of this referenced below for further
details. (see links: www.iraqocv.org
and http://www.nydailynews.com/news/wn_report/story/265778p-227552c.html).
- Email
"Liberia's National Election
Committee (NEC)" - nationalelectionscommissionoflib@yahoo.com
- The
White House: 202-456-1111
- US
State Department African Affairs: 202-312-9724
- US
Senate Foreign Relations Committee:
(202) 224-4651/ (202) 224-3953
- US
House International Relations Committee:
202-226-7414/202-226-7875
- UN
Secretary-General Spokesman Office:
(212) 963-4475 (Press 5)
- UNMIL
Envoy, Jacques Klein: (011-231-6)-586852
or 531131
- US
Embassy in Liberia: (011231) 226-370/380
Ext. 1204/1460
- Liberian
Embassy, Washington, DC: 202-723-0437
- Congressional
Black Caucus Chairman: 202-225-1510
Click
here to participate in our "Out-of-Country"
Poll.
LIBERIANS
VOTING IN THE U.S – IF NOT, WHY NOT?
By: Siakon
Nagbe
Liberians
are ten months away from the greatest
opportunity in the history of the country
to transform the national agenda and set
the course of history for the nation.
It is imperative that all Liberians, within
reason, be a part of this decision making
process.
The
Right to vote is a Constitutional Right
– and the history of the nation is marred
by this Right being denied, corrupted
and infringed upon. This generation will
hopefully see a reversal of this in the
2005 General and Presidential Elections
- monitored and watched by the international
community. Full
commentary