DUAL CITIZENSHIP WITH “LIMITATIONS”

Article 28 of the Liberian Constitution provides that “Any person, at least one of whose parents was a citizen at the time of the person’s birth shall be a citizen of Liberia; provided that any such person shall upon reaching maturity renounce any other citizenship acquired by virtue of one’s parent being a citizen of another country

Article 34(h) of the Constitution also gives the Legislature the authority to “establish laws for citizenship, naturalization and residence” not inconsistent with the Constitution; and

This brings us to the issue of the dual citizenship for Liberians at birth. The issue of the dual citizenship has now become the newest sensation and a relevant topic to the progress of this our beloved country Liberia.

The brutal fourteen years civil war in Liberia caused a lot of our citizens to flee this country in search of refuge to other nations far and near or the diaspora. It is a fact that most of those who fled to other countries could not fully enjoy the social and civic and economic benefits (getting good jobs that are well paid and to be able acquire education at a low cost) of those countries. These very tangible reasons led to the involuntary actions of our brothers, sisters, mothers, and fathers to take up the nationality of those countries. Thus automatically loosing the citizenship Liberia.

The undying love of Liberia possessed by Liberians at birth who took up other nationalities has led to numerous petitions and request to the Liberian Legislature to make amendments to the Alien and Nationality law of Liberia. This Alien and Nationality law of 1956 was amended in 1973.

Upon seeing reasons as to how viable it is to grant them Dual Citizenship as stated in the Rationale document by the drafters or sponsors of the proposed Act To Amend Certain Sections of the  Alien And Nationality Laws Of Liberia, “Many of these Liberians have earned very good education and have accumulated resources which they believe they owe a duty to their native land to share, impart and invest, but have difficulty doing so because of the Liberian statutory prohibition. Additionally these Liberians have not forgotten their country and they continue to positively impact the economy of Liberia by their remittances to the tune of over $50m USD a year to assist their kinship cope with the difficulties and experiences of livelihood in Liberia during and long after the war”.

In short, this justification or rationale means, by granting them Dual Citizenship it is “perceived” that it will contribute immensely to the economic growth of this country.

The present Alien Nationality Law of Liberia of Liberia on Loss of Citizenship states in

Section 2: CHAPTER 22:  LOSS OF CITIZENSHIP, and specifically Section  22.1, Acts Causing Loss of Citizenship, which reads as follows:

“From and after the effective date of this title, a person who is a citizen of Liberia whether by birth or naturalization shall lose his citizenship by:

(a)        Obtaining naturalization in a foreign state upon his own application; upon the application of a duly authorized agent, or through the naturalization of a parent having legal custody of such person, provided citizenship shall not be lost by any person under this section as a result of naturalization of a parent or parents while such person is under the age of 21 years, unless such person shall fail to enter Liberia to establish a permanent residence prior to his twenty – third birthday; or

(b)        Taking an oath or making an affirmation or other formal declaration of allegiance to a foreign state or a political subdivision thereof; or

(c)         Exercising a free choice to enter services in the armed forces for a foreign sate unless, prior to such entry or services, such entry or services is specifically authorized by the President;

(d)        Voting in a political election in a foreign state or voting in an election or plebiscite to determine the sovereignty of a foreign state over foreign territory; or

(e)        Making a formal renunciation of Liberian Nationality in a court in Liberia or before a diplomatic or consular officer of Liberia in a foreign state in such form as may be prescribed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Liberia

Below are the changes made in “The new proposed Act to amend certain sections of the law”.

Is hereby amended to read as follows:

22.       LOSS OF CITIZENSHIP

            Acts causing Loss of Citizenship

(a)     From and after the effective date of this title, no person who is a citizen of Liberia at birth shall lose his /her citizenship for reasons of marriage to a citizen of a foreign state; naturalization in a foreign state or naturalization of a parent or parents in another state; entering or serving in the armed forces for a foreign state or voting in a political election in a foreign state;

(b)     From and after the effective date of this title, Liberian Citizenship by Birth is hereby restored to all persons who were citizens by birth and who lost citizenship as a result of the conditions laid out in the previous Aliens and Nationality Law;

(c)     A person who is a citizen of Liberia at birth but who makes a free choice of a formal renunciation of Liberian nationality before a court in Liberia or before a diplomatic or consular officer of Liberia in a foreign state, in such manner as may be prescribed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Liberia, and not growing out of circumstances over which he or she has no control or is not in control of, shall lose his/her citizenship;

(d)      By the passage of this Act, the Republic of Liberia shall, within the limits prescribed herein and under the conditions stated hereinbefore, RECOGNIZE “Dual Citizenship” in which a citizen of Liberia at birth may become a citizen of another state without losing HIS/HER Liberian citizenship; and

(e)      This Law shall apply only to persons who are Liberian Citizens at Birth.

 We do concur with these changes to a certain extent. Because these changes were drafted due to the several petitions and request by some of our brothers and sister home and abroad, We do welcome it. For these are changes that will once again unite us Liberians by birth.

Our brothers and sisters who took up the citizenships of other countries have acquired vast knowledge and experience that are very essential in the reconstruction, rebuilding and development of our once common denominator, Liberia. They have acquired skills and expertise that we can’t acquire locally. We are aware that they have so much to offer Liberia in its development.

In order to move Liberia from a stage of an underdeveloped nation to the stage of a developing nation and to adequately achieve the Poverty Reduction Strategy, it necessary to give dual citizenship to Liberians by birth, who for whatever reason, except article 22.1 (e), loss their Liberian citizenship.

Since the idea or rationale/justification of granting this dual citizenship to Liberians by birth, is the perceived contribution to the economic growth of Liberia, it should be granted with certain “limitations”.

The limitations should be that of “National Political Aspirations”. A Liberian citizen with dual citizenship shall not be eligible to run for any elected public position at levels of district, county or the state.

In further details, a dual citizen cannot run for an elected public office of a district as Representative, of the county as Senator or of the state as President or Vice President. These restrictions will also apply to other elected public office positions that “may be” created by law (ie, superintendent, city mayor, chief).

A dual citizen should not be eligible to hold any key position (the heads and deputies) in the army or other security apparatus.

Citizens vying to serve these various capacities should give up their other citizenship.

Dual citizens shall be eligible to hold appointed positions except those regarding the army or other security apparatus.

The rationale to this is:

The issue of loyalty- loyalty is a feeling of devotion, duty or attachment to something, somebody, people, a government or a state.

Determining where the loyalty of a person to either countries lies, is something that we cannot do. And so that person must have single citizenship.

Representing the interest of people within a district, county, or the state is so essential that the persons representing the interest loyalty must not be divided.

If a person wants to represent the interest of the people in National politics, he/she must be wholly and solely a part of the people. You can’t be partially a part of them and fully represent their interest.

Since we cannot predict the outcome of decisions that will be taken by a dual citizen representing the interest of the people, if the interest of the people coincides with that of his/her other country of naturalization, we do think I’ll be wise to have a single citizenship if representing the interest of the people.

If a person so love Liberia and the people whose interest he/she wants to seek, that person must relinquish the second nationality.

You can’t eat your cake and have it.

To ensure the safety and security of the Liberian people and the state, the security of this country should not be put into the hands of citizens with divided loyalties.

The great United States of America has limitations for citizens with dual citizenship. The United States constitution states that only “natural born citizens” are eligible to become president or vice president. A naturalized citizen or one with dual citizenship cannot become President or Vice President of the USA.

Ghana which also has a dual citizenship and it restricts dual citizens from occupying certain key positions in government, army and other security apparatus.

Therefore, making provision for limitations within the proposed Act to Amend Certain Sections of the Alien and Nationality Laws of Liberia and subsequently to the constitution of Liberia  wouldn’t be unique only to Liberia. And Liberia cannot follow the exact module of other countries. This cannot be addressed by using “one module fits all” strategy.

To conclude: we are aware of certain constrains or that certain mechanisms must be put into place before or simultaneously with the passage and implementation of this act. According to an analytical report by the National Bureau of Immigration of Liberia, mechanisms such as;

a)      Passport, what traveling document will be used to return to country or origin “Liberia”

b)      Eligibility, is it a birth certificate? Traveling document? Or by known facts/history

c)      Issue of penalties

d)      Extradition, most challenges are found in law enforcement, in the case of transnational crimes. The solution lies in having strong criminal cooperation instruments and bilateral extradition treaties. These treaties will stipulate which jurisdiction overrides when a criminal act is alleged.

e)      Loyalty, a blurred citizenship/membership leads to a blurred loyalty. Same as a divided citizenship leads to a divided loyalty

f)       Deportation, only aliens/foreigners according to our laws can be deported, except upon cancellation certificate of citizenship (section 21.58)

We are of the convictions that these mechanisms or problems will be addressed subsequently to the passage of the proposed act. 

WE DO PROPOSE THAT PROVISIONS BE MADE TO INCORPORATE THE “LIMITATION OF A DUAL CITIZEN TO RUN FOR ANY ELECTED PUBLIC OFFICE (DISTRICT, COUNTY OR STATE) AND TO HOLD ANY KEY POSITION WHITHIN THE ARMY OR OTHER SECURITY APARATUS WITHIN PROPOSED ACT TO AMEND CERTAIN SECTIONS OF THE ALIEN AND NATIONALITY LAWS OF LEBERIA. AND THAT UPON PASSAGE OF THIS ACT, SUBSEQUENT AMENDMENTS BE MADE WITHIN THE CONSTITUTION OF LIBERIA.

by Beageorge M. Cooper

BA, Candidate MIA, University of Liberia

beageorgecooper@gmail.com

04563131/076563131

WE CAN DO BETTER!! (THE POWER OF CONSTRUCTIVE ENVY)

Envy is a natural and common phenomenon in the lives of humans. But the ways we transform this feeling is what matters. Some

Envy has always been seen as the source of evil and therefore we must avoid it, is it always so?

I think not, I have come to realize that it is a great factor of motivation and a contributor to development. It can be seen in two folds, destructive and constructive envy.  Destructive envy is a resentful or unhappy feeling of wanting somebody else’s success, good fortune, qualities, or possessions. This is when you want to undermine the progress achievement of another person. What I’m interested in the construction envy, this is where you want to be even or surpass the success or achievement of another person.

Constructive envy should be promoted in Liberia to enhance creativity and encourage self-initiatives, personal, community or national development. If John can do it, I too can.

It should be promoted at work places to yield efficiency among staff, Liberia needs dedicated work force who individually wants to be the best. Example, If Cecilia can do all of her reports and assigned task on time and always get the praises of the boss, don’t hinder or do things to stall her work. Instead, work over time to complete all your assigned duties before Cecilia does.

Parents should teach their kids how to handle the feeling of destructive envy and transform it into constructive envy. Bring up your child in a way that he or she may not depart from it. This is essential during the growth of a child because at young ages, they do envy a lot of things.

How can the use of constructive envy help build a better Liberia? This is a question I will attempt to answer, but will leave to us Liberians to answer.

We do talk of how Ghanians are very nationalistic, I would suggest that we do the same and learn to love our country Liberia from our very existence.

Lets learn to put Liberia first.

We must learn to promote our own culture and not adopt that of another country

we must learn to listen to our own music. Lets play more of our local music on our radios.

We must feel that we are the best and come second to none.

We must learn to proudly speak our local vernaculars  

We must believe that Liberia will rise and become a great nation, but it starts with our individual actions.

We must work for our country like it’s our own private company. We must believe in ourselves.

Liberia will rise in no time if its citizens are competitive as they strive to individually reach the top.

We must learn to work hard to rise above others and not bring them down to our level.

These are some of the ways citizens of other countries contributed to the development of their great nations.

Let’s envy them and say “WE CAN DO BETTER!” and it starts today.

ABOVE ALL ELSE, PRINCE Y. JOHNSON

Prince Johnson. pic from: heritage.com.lr

Senator Prince Y. Johnson, during the July 26, 2010 Independence day celebration in Sanniquellie, Nimba County showed his incompetency to lead this country through national unity to greater heights, by boycotting the celebration.

The Independence Day is mostly celebrated by Liberians as one people in and out of Liberia. This is a day where Liberians are proud of their country and a day in which they show how patriotic they are. National Unity is exhibited on this day.

As a Sr. Legislator of the Liberian Senate, to be specific, the Sr. Senator of Nimba County, he displayed how much and the extent to wish he puts his personal interest ahead of National interest.  As he single handedly claims to be “A formidable force” comes the 2011 presidential election, Sen. Johnson didn’t see attending the Independence Celebration in his own county as an additional “formidable force” in increasing or maintaining his votes.

The Independence Day celebrations held in Sanniquellie, Nimba County by President Sirleaf was a strategic move as we gear towards the 2011 elections. Nimba County is the second largest county of Liberia in terms of population, Second to Montserrado County.  The President strategically planned the dedication of over a dozen of projects (to name a few: Tappita Hospital, Gayea Elementary School, Administrative Buildings, Prison Compound, ect..) within various districts and towns of Nimba County.

Prior to the Independence Day celebrations in Nimba, Sen. Johnson heard whisper of rumors that the citizens of Nimba were preparing to petition President Sirleaf to run for second term come 2011. Upon hearing these rumors, Sen. Johnson made a conscious and not so wise decision to boycott the national celebration, claiming that it will be a Political suicide if he did so. 

He also stressed that as a senior citizen of Nimba County and a Presidential aspirant, being present while citizens who voted him in 2005 as Sr. Senator (making him the Senator with the highest vote ever in the Senate) petition another presidential aspirant would mean that he endorsed the idea.

According to The New Dawn, “The Nimba County Senator noted: “If I should escort the Unity Party presidential candidate for 2011, then I will be drinking water through my nose because I am a presidential candidate. I told the whole nation that I am fit to go, come 2011 and I will win the elections in the first round, but not second round”

When asked by some reporters how he became knowledgeable of the petitioning information, he said “You know blood is thicker than water, and my people are on the ground   feeding me with what is happening”.  I wonder how thick is the blood he’s referring to, because “his people” were the ones who petitioned Madame Sirleaf.  Funny he said that.

Is Liberia ready for a leader like Sen. Prince Y. Johnson? I’m not sure it is. The Liberian people and the youth of this nation are at such a tender or fragile stage  need statesmen (a senior politician, especially a man, who is widely respected for integrity and impartial concern for the public good. -Encarta Dictionary). 

Liberia needs a leader who is nationalistic-(relating to or supporting nationalism, especially the kind that emphasizes fervent devotion to one nation and its interests above all others. -Encarta Dictionary)

What we need is leader who can see beyond his/her personal gains and put Liberia first. Sen. Johnson demonstrated that he will put his ego, his pride ahead of Liberia. In times of unity, he singled out himself. At such an auspicious event where you have the seating president, members of the diplomatic corps, cabinet ministers, his fellow law makers, traditional leaders, local and international media, students, youth, ect..,It would have been wise of him to play a major role, and show how willing he is to work with others despite personal  qualms to move this our hopeful nation Liberia forward.

I am certain that somewhere in his little corner, he now realizes that what he thought was a political suicide could have been a political victory. I have learned, In politics, one must learn to cease the occasion and make the most of any given opportunity. One must learn to turn the table to positively favorable directions.
 

As we the youth of today move towards "2011", we must think of preserving our future. Let us put national interest before our personal interest.  The decisions we make today, determines our future.

Above all else, the people!!!!!

When did I grow up

When I was a baby I was always so small, did I grow big, did I grow tall, I really don’t remember at all, I just don’t know. (Amy & Zack children song)

 As a little girl, I had just enough for me. I was the first best thing that ever happened to my parents at the time, and so I was loved and cherished by them both. To show how much they love me, they both combined their names (Beatrice & George) to name me (Beageorge). All I can say is if they hadn’t given me that name, I would have sued them by now lol. I love my name. 


My parents wanted the best for me and strive every way possible to give that to me. It might not have been gold and diamond on a silver platter, but as I look back to those days, I highly appreciate whatever was given me and still feel as appreciative as I did at those moments. You know how small things that use to seem so big when u were younger seem to be so small when grow up.  I still see the things, care and love they offered back then as big as they are. There is now doubt that God give me the right family or parents. Indeed, God is in love with me but I’ll keep it a secret.

 

with 2 of my brothers and sister

Even though I was soon joined by a few brothers and a sister, and having been equally loved, I still felt special and well catered to.  I could never have been any happier. My parents thought us to be content with what we had, to always think it’s the best at the moment and strive toward improving that status with time. They also thought us not to beg and steal, that I’ve not departed from. We were thought to fear the wrath of God by obeying his commandments, and that is a life long project.

The one special thing about being a child is that, you can ask and cry for whatever you want till you get it. It’s not your concern how your parents get it to you, you just want it. As a child, you don’t have to worry about how to get food, school fees, clothes, shoes, toys, gifts, ect. All you care about is to have it at all cost, and have enough play time.  Oh!!!! How I  sometimes miss those day. I do miss the good night kisses and the running to daddy whenever he’s home (Papa na come).

I love you mom and dad. Thanks for making that decision to keep me and start a family. Many unborn were never given that chance due to abortions. Because of that decision, I’m alive and will strive to make you proud of me and yourselves for making such a brave decision.

Not withstanding, how did I grow big???? Now I can’t do mama cry nor play mama’s baby.

When did I grow old enough to start taking care of myself???? I now have to worry about providing clothes, food, and shelter for moi.   

When did I learn to make it on my own???

When did I learn to make decisions that shift my life each day??

When did I learn to contribute to the growth and development of my country?? 

When did I learn to be my brother’s keeper??

These are questions that I can’t answer or point out the beginning of their occurrences. I know God had a huge roll to play in it, and I’m blessed to have him do so.

When did I grow up????