“If You Temper With Your Peace, You Will Have Yourself To Blame”; Sen. Johnson Reacts To War Crimes Court Establishment

If wishes were horses, Nimba County’s Senator, Prince Y. Johnson, might have ridden it to space—to escape Proverbs 11:21, which says, “Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished, but the seed of the righteous shall be delivered.”

Senator Johnson has sharply reacted to President Joseph N. Boakai administration’s quest to establish a war crimes tribunal for Liberia, warning that if they temper with the peace they should have themselves to blame. “The first thing I will tell all Liberians they should pray for our continued peace that we have enjoyed for over twenty some more years due to the Amnesty Law that was passed and printed into handbill,” Senator Johnson said on Truth 96.1 Morning Breakfast Show. “But if the time has come for President Joseph Boakai and his team to remove or temper with the Amnesty Law, then he is tempering with the people’s future.”

At present, the Nimba County’s longest serving senator is said to be regretting why he ran stern campaign for President Joseph N. Boakai’s victory. His regret and threatening remarks to President Boakai came as a result of the Unity Party administration’s commitment to the establishment of a war and economic crimes court, the presence of Dr. Allen White in Liberia and the video recording displaying Dr. White and President Boakai in a conversation that is in circulation on social media.

“Allen White [is] in Liberia and was not sent by the American government. He is an NGO who is looking for cases all over the world but has failed to go to Israel to find out what is happening between the Palestinians and the Israelites,” Senator Johnson said in an angry tone.

Senator Johnson, who headed the then Independent National Patriotic Front of Liberia (INPFL), said he is not afraid of the establishment of the war and economic crimes court, but the negative impact it may have on Liberia.

“It does not scare me; it worries me because it may disrupt our peace,” the Senator said. “If there is any reason for the disruption, it will be difficult to end.”

Senator Johnson, who fought the civil war for nine months and fled the wrath of then rebel leader and subsequent President Charles Ghankay Taylor, is not the only person the war crime court targets; rather, generals, colonels, majors and commanders who caused mayhem to the citizenry and the state.

However, Senator Johnson said he has been the lead chorus of the human rights justice court than anyone in Liberia. He said since the visitation of Allen White in Liberia every radio station and newspaper has had his name as caption, “Prince Johnson”, “Prince Johnson”.

“You mentioned me everywhere in every news media. There are other generals, colonels, majors, officers who protected and worked along with their commanders and they are holding consultative meeting right now as I speak to you,” Senator Johnson said in a threatening remark to the state. “…I can tell you for a fact, those guys are still alive in the interior who are doing their gold and diamond businesses will not sit down there for you to go after them, truth, truth.”

About Nimba County’s military fortitude, Senator Johnson said that his county has more generals, officers, combatants because it was their county that was declared enemy of the state by then President Samuel K. Doe’s regime, which led to the death of approximately 300 babies and others.

“So, you have more combatants who liberated not only the county (Nimba), but Liberia; so if you want to go after their leader who is getting old for giving you victory in the just-ended election, and you feel proud to do that because they are raising US$300,000,000, some of which they are giving underground to sign resolutions… What is resolution? Why do you sign resolution when there is Amnesty Law passed by the Legislature,” the Senator wondered.

The 2003 Amnesty Law of the Accra Peace Accord states, “A general Amnesty was granted to all factions that participated in the civil war prior to the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Accord.”

According to the Senator, the law was signed into a handbill and is on the book, warning that anyone who will violate it will hamper Liberia’s wellbeing.

The establishment of the war and economic crimes court was one of President Boakai’s campaign messages that Senator Johnson is aware of, but is now mourning with threat as if he is innocent.

“We cannot promote you and gave you leadership of the nation at the age of 79 and start to bring people and have secret meetings with them to impose something on Liberia,” he said.

For economic crimes court, he said it will entangle former Presidents George M. Weah, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, and so on. He added that President Boakai should fight to make electricity stable and fulfill his 100-day deliverables, instead of craving for a war crimes court formation and action.

In a vengeance tone, the senator said they will “eagerly reciprocate legally or what other way that will make us to live at peace with ourselves.

“They want to do something clandestine against us but we are not going to accept that. My people in Nimba County were slaughtered in cold blood. We fought in defense and gave you votes and you want to go after us… the ex-combatants of all our supporters in Nimba are listening to you,” Senator Johnson bemoaned pending justice pain to face for his atrocities meted against innocent people during the war.

He claimed that his supporters will not allow him to be arrested, taken away and charged falsely by anyone, reminding Liberians to retrospect how America never sent any troops in Liberia during the bloody war; rather they trained soldiers in Massanta, Guinea, who impaired the war here by killing thousands of Liberians.

He concluded with a caveat to President Boakai. “This is not a threat: if you temper with your peace, you [will] get yourself to blame.”