In her address to the National Legislature and people of Liberia earlier this week, President Sirleaf took the time to welcome the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s “recommendations regarding the Liberian Diaspora, which appear to be feasible and do not infringe on any constitutional right of the individual:
“That Liberians, their relatives and offspring who migrated to foreign parts on account of the civil crisis or who migrated to foreign parts prior to the civil war but remained in foreign parts on account of the civil crisis and…had to acquire foreign nationalities, benefit from…their foreign nationalities without forfeiting their Liberian citizenship.”
She concluded that segment of the paragraph dealing with the Diaspora by serving the Legislators notice and informing citizens at home and abroad that she was prepared to work with them “to give these citizens an opportunity to live in and work for their country once again.”
Imagine the stress that fear of jeopardizing the rights or citizenship of one’s child or relative could generate! Thanks to those branches of government concerned, some of our citizens are still caught in limbo, never quite knowing what to do, courtesy of a lack of response to citizens’ pleas for action over the years.
Garbage Bin
That’s why it was easy to believe that the argument for dual-citizenship would end up where a number of things political – like changing the flag and other national emblems, or amending the Constitution – usually did in the past: in the “garbage bin,” to use the words of a well-known Senator.
So it was heartening to hear a head of state finally raise the issue of “dual-citizenship” squarely. It renewed hope that something might finally be done about an issue few took seriously in the past – except as a way of finding their way into the papers.
So, now that something has been set in motion that could end up finally putting the matter to rest, why do we feel the need to issue a caution: that those affected might want to wait a little before celebrating? Could it be because in laying the matter before the Legislature and her citizens, the president’s words might have betrayed a little more than intended?
Let’s recall that after updating the nation on what this administration undertook and what gains were made over the past year, Mrs. Sirleaf turned to three topics she described as “defining for the future of this country”.
The first was the issue of Transparency and Accountability; the second related to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission; and the third was about the County Development Funds.
The Diaspora question, as we pointed out at the beginning, was contained in the Truth and Reconciliation segment that the president said made “several generalized recommendations related the Extraordinary Criminal Tribunal, Domesticate Criminal Sanctions, Public Sanctions, National “Palaver Hut” Programs, Economic Crimes Investigations and Prosecutions, Reparation and others.”
Controversy
The President then proceeded to “urge urgent Senate confirmation of persons nominated to serve the Independent National Human Rights Commission (INHCR) as Commissioners in order that they may start their work.” That work will involve a number of what have been considered controversial recommendations in the TRC report, related to criminal tribunals, criminal sanctions and economic crimes and investigations.
The Chief Executive said she hoped that amendments she intends to propose to the INHRC Act of 2005 will, in collaboration with the Ministry of Justice, lead to a determination of those TRC recommendations that are implementable and enforceable under the Constitution and laws of Liberia.
She then welcomed activity toward the “Palaver Hut” Program and Reparations as true measures for reconciliation, saying she was committed to working with the Legislature to determine the processes and identify the resources for their implementation. Again, she suggested that the process be started immediately.
However, after welcoming “the recommendation regarding the Liberian Diaspora, and saying she was prepared to work with the Legislature in the interest of citizens trapped between two countries, she said nothing about the immediacy of a problem that, on account of the 14-year war, has gotten far worse than during “normal times,” when the issue was treated as little more than an academic exercise for scholars and opportunists!
Inadvertence perhaps
Is it possible that Ellen’s hard-working and good speech-writers got tired, attaching importance to everything and simply dropped the “urgency” thing, not realizing how pressing the issue was? And how even more important it was to have our Legislators hear that? We hope, in the interest of all, that urgency was inadvertently downplayed – that it does not reflect a lack of commitment to put this matter to rest once and for all, on the president’s part.
Believe me when I say that there are many issues and side issues related to the Diaspora that should not be taken for granted. Forget about the concern over returnees snapping up limited jobs. Some people believe it should be a matter of law that those who have been away so long not be allowed to come back – and we all know some of the reasons why.
When I was short of cash the other day, someone asked me why I had come back, without realizing he had made the same decision, except that he had returned a few years earlier! Isn’t that what we have been saying all along? “Let our citizens come home and help build their country?” Or have we been saying that simply to be saying so? We’ll leave it there for now!
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Updated: January 31, 2010 - 3:21pm
In her address to the National Legislature and people of Liberia earlier this week, President Sirleaf took the time to welcome the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s “recommendations regarding the Liberian Diaspora, which appear to be feasible and do not infringe on any constitutional right of the individual:
“That Liberians, their relatives and offspring who migrated to foreign parts on account of the civil crisis or who migrated to foreign parts prior to the civil war but remained in foreign parts on account of the civil crisis and…had to acquire foreign nationalities, benefit from…their foreign nationalities without forfeiting their Liberian citizenship.”
She concluded that segment of the paragraph dealing with the Diaspora by serving the Legislators notice and informing citizens at home and abroad that she was prepared to work with them “to give these citizens an opportunity to live in and work for their country once again.”
Imagine the stress that fear of jeopardizing the rights or citizenship of one’s child or relative could generate! Thanks to those branches of government concerned, some of our citizens are still caught in limbo, never quite knowing what to do, courtesy of a lack of response to citizens’ pleas for action over the years.
Garbage Bin
That’s why it was easy to believe that the argument for dual-citizenship would end up where a number of things political – like changing the flag and other national emblems, or amending the Constitution – usually did in the past: in the “garbage bin,” to use the words of a well-known Senator.
So it was heartening to hear a head of state finally raise the issue of “dual-citizenship” squarely. It renewed hope that something might finally be done about an issue few took seriously in the past – except as a way of finding their way into the papers.
So, now that something has been set in motion that could end up finally putting the matter to rest, why do we feel the need to issue a caution: that those affected might want to wait a little before celebrating? Could it be because in laying the matter before the Legislature and her citizens, the president’s words might have betrayed a little more than intended?
Let’s recall that after updating the nation on what this administration undertook and what gains were made over the past year, Mrs. Sirleaf turned to three topics she described as “defining for the future of this country”.
The first was the issue of Transparency and Accountability; the second related to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission; and the third was about the County Development Funds.
The Diaspora question, as we pointed out at the beginning, was contained in the Truth and Reconciliation segment that the president said made “several generalized recommendations related the Extraordinary Criminal Tribunal, Domesticate Criminal Sanctions, Public Sanctions, National “Palaver Hut” Programs, Economic Crimes Investigations and Prosecutions, Reparation and others.”
Controversy
The President then proceeded to “urge urgent Senate confirmation of persons nominated to serve the Independent National Human Rights Commission (INHCR) as Commissioners in order that they may start their work.” That work will involve a number of what have been considered controversial recommendations in the TRC report, related to criminal tribunals, criminal sanctions and economic crimes and investigations.
The Chief Executive said she hoped that amendments she intends to propose to the INHRC Act of 2005 will, in collaboration with the Ministry of Justice, lead to a determination of those TRC recommendations that are implementable and enforceable under the Constitution and laws of Liberia.
She then welcomed activity toward the “Palaver Hut” Program and Reparations as true measures for reconciliation, saying she was committed to working with the Legislature to determine the processes and identify the resources for their implementation. Again, she suggested that the process be started immediately.
However, after welcoming “the recommendation regarding the Liberian Diaspora, and saying she was prepared to work with the Legislature in the interest of citizens trapped between two countries, she said nothing about the immediacy of a problem that, on account of the 14-year war, has gotten far worse than during “normal times,” when the issue was treated as little more than an academic exercise for scholars and opportunists!
Inadvertence perhaps
Is it possible that Ellen’s hard-working and good speech-writers got tired, attaching importance to everything and simply dropped the “urgency” thing, not realizing how pressing the issue was? And how even more important it was to have our Legislators hear that? We hope, in the interest of all, that urgency was inadvertently downplayed – that it does not reflect a lack of commitment to put this matter to rest once and for all, on the president’s part.
Believe me when I say that there are many issues and side issues related to the Diaspora that should not be taken for granted. Forget about the concern over returnees snapping up limited jobs. Some people believe it should be a matter of law that those who have been away so long not be allowed to come back – and we all know some of the reasons why.
When I was short of cash the other day, someone asked me why I had come back, without realizing he had made the same decision, except that he had returned a few years earlier! Isn’t that what we have been saying all along? “Let our citizens come home and help build their country?” Or have we been saying that simply to be saying so? We’ll leave it there for now!