For Snowe's Impeachment, Several "TownHall" Meetings underway

The much-talked about impeachment proceeding agisnt the Speaker of the Liberian lawmakers is said to be gaining more heats in the city, as several political groups are meeting daily on how the issue can be settled.

Attempts by some lawmakers to unseat the Speaker of the National Legislature, Hon. Edwin Snowe, seem to be turning into real drama as the exercise to remove the youthful Speaker has been characterized by dollar politics with, US$5,000 each reportedly been distributed as inducement for those signing the resolution to remove the Speaker. Interestingly, one of the two lawmakers who publicly disclosed that three of their colleagues, Representatives Elijah Sieh, Edward Forh and Alex Tyler have presented them an envelop containing US$5,000 as an inducement to join the campaign to remove Speaker Snowe, Margibi County Representative Hon. Richard Saah Gbollie has in less than twenty four hours make a U-turn, and that he is now calling for the resignation of Speaker Snowe. Representative Saah Gbollie and Samuel Bondo of Bong County have earlier expressed concern about the source of the money and argued that they both accepted the envelops as an evidence but warned that the implementation off such would undermine the peace and stability of the Liberian state. To the dismay of many, the former Deputy Police Director for Operations Hon. R. Saah Gbollie has surfaced in the group plotting to remove Speaker Snowe. The removal of Speaker Snowe is said to be a money making venture by some lawmakers who are reported to have intensified secret meetings aimed at ensuring that two-third majority signs the resolution to unseat Snowe. The accused Lawmakers, (Forh, Sieh and Tyler) have since denied issuing envelops or money as inducement for their colleagues to join the struggle to remove Speaker Snowe, but have admitted holding secret meetings aimed at removing the Speaker from office. Another lawmaker Grand Kru County Representative Hon. Wisseh Blamo Nelson hosted a news conference expressed his neutrality in Speaker Snowe impeachment saga. He said he was a peace maker and a neutral man who did not want to see the Legislature in disarray but later said he would join the struggle to unseat the Speaker if he actually carried a Lebanese national in Qatar as representative of the Liberian government. He accused the Speaker of violating the constitution by carrying a non Liberian as a parliamentarian but maintained that he would support anything that is right even if it requires to the replacement of the Speaker. Hon. Blamo who chairs the House Committee on Peace and Reconciliation also said he had been holding meetings with colleagues to discuss the matter.

Police officer again held for allegedly abusing a detained woman

According to a local radio station in Monrovia, the Monrovia Magisterial Court has detained a Police officer accused of sexually abusing a detained woman.

Police authorities disrobed officer James Mulbah and sent him to court after internal investigations proved the allegation against him. Defendant Mulbah is said to have abused the woman, believed to be in her twenties, at the Soul Clinic Police Depot.

He denied the allegation and said he was threatened to lie on himself. The victim who told Star Radio she was abused three times, said the prime suspect officer Henry Sieh was not in court.

She alleged officer Sieh was the first to abuse her after taking her to an office at about 3 AM. Monrovia City Court Judge Milton Taylor has instructed the Clerk of Court to write the Police hierarchy for the turn over of officer Sieh.

U.S. General Wants Gay Ban Lifted

Military.com : John M. Shalikashvili, retired Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, says Congress should give "serious reconsideration" to "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," the ban on openly lesbian, gay and bisexual military personnel. Shalikashvili, who supported the ban on open service in 1993, writes that "I now believe that if gay men and lesbians served openly in the United States military, they would not undermine the efficacy of the armed forces," and goes on to say that "Our military has been stretched thin by our deployments in the Middle East, and we must welcome the service of any American who is willing and able to do the job."
"'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' is out of step with both the American public and those within our armed forces," said C. Dixon Osburn, executive director of Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN). "The counsel of military leaders increasingly supports repeal of the law. Congress must, as General Shalikashvili urges, consider the overwhelming evidence of the past fourteen years. If they do, the clear answer is that we must lift the ban."
Shalikashvili, who was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs from 1993 to 1997, joins other senior retired military officers who have called for repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." In May 2006, Lieutenant General Claudia Kennedy, USA (Ret.), the first female three-star officer in Army history, called the law "a hollow policy that serves no useful purpose." Lieutenant General Daniel W. Christman, former superintendent of West Point, recently told The New York Times that "It is clear that national attitudes toward this issue have evolved considerably in the last decade. This has been led by a new generation of service members who take a more relaxed and tolerant view toward homosexuality." Retired Admiral John Hutson, who currently serves as Dean of Franklin Pierce Law School, also recently wrote that "It would be a great tragedy if we didn't take advantage of (the) chance to correct a flawed policy."
In 2003, two retired generals and an admiral 'came out' in the New York Times, and in November 2006 fourteen senior retired military officers urged the First Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn the ban. They wrote that the law "undermines the military's ability to fulfill its primary mission of providing national security by discouraging the enlistment of gay persons qualified to serve their country and by expelling from the military those who have served with honor."
In today's op-ed, General Shalikashvili writes that "Last year I held a number of meetings with gay soldiers and marines, including some with combat experience in Iraq, and an openly gay senior sailor who was serving effectively as a member of a nuclear submarine crew. These conversations showed me just how much the military has changed, and that gays and lesbians can be accepted by their peers."
A December 18th Zogby poll also found that 73% of military personnel polled were comfortable with lesbians and gays.
"General Shalikashvili's statement is the first by a Joint Chiefs Chairman to call for repeal, and as such is enormously significant," said Osburn. "The Pentagon has dismissed more than 11,000 men and women under this law. It is clear that enforcement of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' is arbitrary. We continue to lose critical personnel who happen to be gay. As General Shalikashvili points out, continuing to keep this law on the books is detrimental to our national security."

Postal Affairs Minister, Employee in First Fight

Hell broke loose last Thursday at the Ministry of Postal Affairs on Crown Hill in Monrovia when the Postal Affairs Minister, Mr. Jackson Doe, reportedly engaged one of his employees in a fist fight following a reported mail theft.
The employee, James Dennis, a security shift commander, was rushed to a nearby hospital immediately following the fight owing to severe punches and injuries he sustained at the hands of the minister. According to eyewitnesses including employees and family members of the victim, Minister Doe angrily attacked Mr. Dennis without any provocation.
They narrated that victim, who was not well, reported to job on Thursday and worked until evening hours when his daughter brought him food. But according to them, Mr. Dennis, who is an elderly person, could hardly eat the food due to lack of appetite and fatigue.
While putting aside the food, the employees alleged that Minister Doe asked Mr. Dennis’ daughter to lead him (Doe) to her father. According to the workers, the little girl led Minister Doe into the room where he met Mr. Dennis bowing his head.
The workers and relatives said Minister Doe, upon entering the room, rushed and jumped at Mr. James Dennis who was weak and not paying attention. They said the Postal Affairs boss held Mr. Dennis two legs and struck few punches on his head before dragging him down the steps and outside the ministry.
The workers disclosed that when Mr. Dennis discovered that it was his boss, he still attempted to render courtesy, but the minister allegedly pushed him against the wall, causing him to sustain injuries on his head and neck.
The fist fight comes after a reported theft in the Expedited Mail Services (EMS) department where mailable items were ransacked by suspected thieves. The theft cases have been reported to the Ministry Justice, according to a senior staff of the Postal Affairs Ministry who asked for anonymity.
The source said the minister suspected that some employees of the ministry connived with the night shift security to undermine his administration, adding that Mr. Doe has threatened to get even with security officers assigned at the ministry.
According to Postal Ministry sources, Minister Doe had employed a new head of security, Col. Max Kumeh, who according to them, is involved in accusing long service employees of encouraging theft at the ministry.
They said Col. Kumeh has allegedly caused the indefinitely suspension of several employees whose names have been already submitted to Justice Ministry for prosecution.
As a result of the situation, the workers alleged, services daily services at the ministry has been slow owing to mistrust and split between old and new employees.
Attempt by our reporter to substantiate the allegations with Minister Jackson Doe was unsuccessful as he is said to have left the country for the People’s Republic of China to attend a postal conference. According to reports, the minister left the country on Friday after the incident.

Profile of the Man Who Liberians Appreciates For Peace, Progress, Alan Doss

Liberians are said to be appreciating the efforts being made by the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) under the able leadership of Ambassador Alan Doss. Speaking to a cross session of individuals, including, market women, professional groups and students, said they were pleased withe level or peace Liberians are enjoying as a result of UNMIL presense in the Country, under the leadership of Ambassador Doss, "Let us be grateful to the peace keepers; they are indeed helpful to us," a University of Liberia student in a chat said. Several others who spoke to our Monrovia correspondent praised the efforts of UNMIL. In this edition we profile the man heading this global body. See profile:

Alan Doss has spent his entire working life in the service of the United Nations.
He is currently the Special Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations in Liberia and head of the UN peace keeping mission (UNMIL) with the rank of Under Secretary General. UNMIL is one of the largest peace operations in the world with military, police and civilian components.

The Mission conducted a massive disarmament campaign and has recently overseen successfully elections that paved the way for the return of democratic government after fourteen years of war.Immediately prior to his assignment to Liberia, he was the Principal Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for C?d?Ivoire where he coordinated the work of the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission (ONUCI) in the areas of human rights, rule of law, civilian police and elections.

His previous post was as Deputy Special Representative in the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) and concurrently United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative where he provided oversight for the reintegration of war affected populations, UN support for the disarmament programme, restoration of state authority, governance reform and the national recovery programme.

His appointment, following on the recommendations of the Brahimi Panel on UN peace operations in late 2000, was aimed at strengthening the effectiveness of such operations through better coordination of UN peace keeping, humanitarian and development activities in country.

Until his appointment in Sierra Leone Mr Doss held the position of Director of the United Nations Development Group (UNDG), which was set up by Secretary General Kofi Annan to strengthen coordination among the UN organisations dealing with development under the leadership of the Administrator of UNDP.

He managed the design and implementation of reforms aimed to improve the performance of UN operational activities around the world. During that period he worked also on developing an integrated follow-up for the UN global conferences of the nineties, which led at the end of the decade to the Millennium Development Goals.

Prior to his UNDG assignment, he was Director of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) European Office in Geneva, Switzerland, where he was charged with strengthening UNDP?s outreach and fund raising work in Western Europe, focusing on UNDP?s advocacy for human development.

He concurrently represented the UNDP at the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the OECD in Paris where he was member of the group that drew up the DAC?s landmark study on conflict, peace and development cooperation in 1997.

Mr. Doss had previously served as United Nations Resident Coordinator and Regional Representative of the UNDP in Bangkok, Thailand. At the same time, he was Director of the United Nations Border Relief Operation (UNBRO), in charge of United Nations assistance to 300,000 displaced Cambodian people on the Thai-Cambodia border.

During this period he was also the UN representative to the inter-governmental Mekong River Committee and worked actively on its reconstitution as a Commission and the re-admission of Cambodia. Earlier appointments included posts as UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Benin and the Democratic Republic of Congo responsible for UN operational activities in those countries.

In 1979, he had been appointed as Deputy Resident Representative of UNDP in China with the opening of the first international development cooperation programme and office in that country. In 1977 he had developed the first UNDP cooperation programme for Vietnam.

Other country assignments included Niger and Kenya and at UNDP Headquarters in New York where he served in the Africa and Asia regional offices and in the Administrative Management Bureau. Alan Doss was born and brought up in Cardiff, Wales in the UK. He graduated from the London School of Economics. He is married to Soheir Doss. They have three daughters.