Few weeks ago, Liberians had a taste of electoral violence, an unlawful means of protest, which led to gun fire, also unlawful, and death(s); few days ago, some Liberians openly burned the Norwegian flag, another unlawful means which I think, signifies the declaration of war, in protest that President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf didn’t deserve the Nobel Peace Prize; yesterday aggrieved students took to the streets to wage their anger on state authorities and which led to the damage of some vehicles and today, the violence continued. I stood saddened and regretful as I saw young Liberians, under the umbrella of aggrieved students which I still cannot believe, ragging havoc on government and private properties today in protest of their vacation job stipends. Standing about one hundred yards from the scene, I watched cars and window glasses of government buildings being damaged without remorse. The perpetrators called themselves “vacation job students,” something I still find very hard to believe that students will go out of their common senses when they feel disenfranchised about a process. The president intervened in yesterday's event and everyone thought the situation had calmed down, but it turned out to be worst. In response to the situation, the government of Liberia declared curfew from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
Why will young people choose to express their concerns in such a gullible manner? Why will state authorities not avoid such happenings? When will some group of people learn how to express their concerns responsibly and when will authorities listen to these concerns and find a common ground, if any? When will Liberians respect the laws and state authorities? Is there something fundamentally wrong with our society? Is lawlessness prevailing in Liberia? Indeed, lawlessness is prevailing and Liberians in general need to understand who they are, where they come from, where they are presently, and where they want to go.
Since the government of Liberia, through the Monrovia City Corporation, declared Christmas package for students,the selection process, which I witnessed, I felt it would have ended in a complete hullabaloo. The selection process incorporated non-students, most of whom were wayward street boys, which was against the nomenclature, “Vacation Job Students.” I also noticed some older men and women who have passed school going ages, demanding their stipends. This is totally unacceptable! State authorities need to be cognizant of administrative malpractices in any given situation. It was also noticed that many of the protestors did not work at all but are now demanding their benefits. THIS IS HIGHLY UNFAIR! How was the monitoring of workers done? Were there concerns about attendance and absenteeism?
In my opinion, everybody involved is to be blamed as authorities need to learn how to begin and end processes in an orderly manner and aggrieved persons need to respect authorities and the laws and channel their concerns peacefully. If Liberians must restore the national systems of order, the law MUST prevail at all cost!
When lawlessness prevails, these are the results to expect:
