We have a Fear
THE PRESIDENT OF LIBERIA AND Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Liberia has appointed Major General (Retired) Daniel Dee Ziankahn, Jr. as Director General of the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA), pending Senate confirmation.
THE MEASURE IS TROUBLING AND disturbing because when the President decides to use Ex-military officers to control Para-military units, a clearly speaks to the fact that our democracy is under threat.
TOMORROW IT IS POSSIBLE TO APPOINT another retired Military officer to the position of Inspector General of the Liberia National Police. President Boakai, these are the trademark of an emerging dictator, and we don’t want to believe that you would want to metamorphosed or transform into a dictator.
WE FEEL THAT THE DEMOCRACY is under threat because, a soldier is always a soldier, regardless of retirement or not. Soldier is a distinct discipline that has its own culture and way of thinking in interacting with those from the para-military units.
YOU CANNOT HAVE PRINCE C. Johnson, a former Army Chief of Staff, sitting at the National Security Agency (NSA), a para-military unit, and Gen. Daniel D. Ziankahn, sitting at the Liberia National Drugs Enforcement Agency (LDEA), another former highest-ranking officer of the Armed Forces of Liberia, and think that nothing is wrong. We have every reason to be in fear that President Boakai is gradually militarizing our Democracy.
BESIDES OUR ABOVE-MENTIONED argument, that military officers should not control paramilitary units of the security sectors, because their disciples are distinct and highly technical. Prince C. Johnson, NSA Director is a trained Military officer, yet still, his deputies and other ranging officers and involved into this drugs issue, including condomizing young boys. Prince C. Johnson is catching difficulties at the NSA because he is not a specialist or an expert in intelligent.
SO IS MAJ. GENERAL DANIEL ZIANKAHN, as we flipped his academic profile, he does not study any narco-terrorism, narco-law. I am finding it difficult to comprehend why president Boakai should appoint an experienced and hardcore military officer who does not have any idea in narco- terrorism. Is the president telling Liberians that no qualify Liberian to appoint as Director General of the LDEA?
WHY ARE WE RECYCLING AND not making progress. This man had served the country, has been retired, still you decide to go for him on a retirement bench as though there is no Liberian to serve in that capacity.
TO BE FRANK, PRESIDENT BOAKAI, we are in fear for several reasons. We are in fear that you want to militarize our nation. We are in fear that this appointment will not make any difference because Gen. Ziahkahn is not an expert, in stopping narco-terrorism. We are raising this red-flag because we don’t want the recurrence of such appointment, even though, it is your constitutional right to appoint.
